Designing custom digital wallpapers

Make an impression, show the world who you are.

If designing a custom wallpaper for your device is something you have wanted to try your hand at then you have come to the right place. Not only are digital wallpapers increasing in popularity and usage, but in awe-inspiring design concepts where artists and creatives can let their hair down.

In this blog, we will look at what it takes to create a custom wallpaper, background, and the difference between Dynamic and Static wallpapers for added choice across your devices.

Unique wallpapers are one step to staying ahead of the crowd, and if you enjoy design inspiration to get the ball rolling check out Glorify for all your design desires come to life.

Best apps to create digital wallpapers

Take the time to find the best apps to create your personalized digital wallpaper.

We look at our phones and electronic devices constantly and having a personalized, creative background wallpaper can give it that little bit of something extra. A great wallpaper can motivate you, and inspire you to try harder or push through situations, but it can quickly become boring using generic designs when you know you can do better.

This is why you need to be checking out the best apps to create digital wallpapers so you can design and use your own, and when others see it and have an interest you could well be on your way to starting a side business of high-quality wallpaper designs. And who is going to say no to a little extra financial help, right? Take a look at these top curated apps and let your creative juices begin to flow.

• Glorify

If you enjoy posting on, uploading to, and working on social mediaplatforms to spread your brand and message then Glorify is the design app foryou. The creative editing features and elements allow you to createhigh-converting social posts, but also infographics, campaigns and digitalwallpapers so the world can see what they have been missing out on.

A simple user interface makes it beginner-friendly to hit the groundrunning, but no less efficient and effective for skilled designers looking toadd that professional touch and aesthetic to their designs. Glorify has it all,and all under one roof, what more could you ask for right?

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• Adobe Express

This creative tool explosion of an app has everything you need under one roof. There are ready-to-use templates if you are feeling a moment of stagnation in your creativity, or you can start from scratch and maximize the features available. From thousands of fonts, a color editing toolbar, and a royalty-free image stock bar to browse ad choose from and that’s just the free plan. The Premium plan offers all that and more with brand logo addition, the option to create for both mobile and desktop, image resizing, and optimization.

• Appy Pie

A wallpaper builder optimized for both Android and iOS that allows editing features to include images, gifs, and video clips so you can enjoy animated backgrounds. This comprehensive wallpaper builder app has a customizable color palette, transition capabilities, bespoke image layouts, and editing and cropping tools. Get Appy Pie today and begin your design adventure.

• Canva

Make the most of this free wallpaper design app. It offers easy-to-customize and uses templates with millions of images to choose from - both free or premium if you want something less generic. The point-and-click user interface is a breeze to navigate with seamless drag-and-drop image tools and a host of editing features to play around with.

Dynamic vs static phone wallpapers

There is a difference between a Dynamic wallpaper and a Static wallpaper for your phone, both are equally great in their way and boil down to your preference and how you view battery consumption.

Dynamic wallpapers - These are changing or moving wallpapers that transition for various reasons. It could be according to the weather, at a certain time of the day, or you can manually program them to change every few hours so you always have a new inspirational screen to look at during the day. The color contrast is also only applied to a specific moving window length at any given time.

Static wallpapers - Yes, you guessed it, static wallpapers are then the opposite. They are photos or images that do not move, they are stationary and remain as your backdrop until you manually change them to a new picture. The color contrast is also applied to the entire wall.

Let’s see which are the top choices in their respective categories so you can decide which works for you and get your devices looking smart and up-to-date.

• Wallpaper Engine - This is paid software but well worth it. They do have ready-to-go wallpapers to simply download, or templates to create your own whether it be a regular or a live version. The user interface is simple and elegant and optimizes functionality.

• Chameleon - Considered one of the best wallpaper builders as its program offers features that can change and transition based on battery levels, time, wind speeds, or even temperatures.

• Rainmeter - A free program that still comes with a lot of features to maximize. It is simple and uncomplicated and extends the functions on your desktop making it easy to use.

• Unsplash - If unique wallpapers are your thing then this is the platform for you. With high-quality images from over 300K contributing photographers, you are sure to find something you like.

How to create a custom virtual background for different devices?

We have all seen video and Zoom calls where it appears the caller is in a historical library lined with books from wall to wall, or they are on ‘holiday’ with the blue of the ocean and the white of the sand in the background, but all is not what it seems. Custom virtual backgrounds are becoming the norm and even more so privacy and protection, and now you can have one too.

Check the settings on your device to ensure the specifications being used match and the background will work optimally. Consider the aspect ratio, does the computer support the file format, what resolution you have, and what is needed. A few quick checks and you are good to go.

Creating a custom background for Android or iOS is quick and simple, and can be executed in a handful of steps, here’s how;

• First, you will need to sign in to the Zoom application

• Once you are logged in, click on the ‘More’ button in the controls section

• Click on the effects and backgrounds

• You can then choose a ready image or use the + to upload your own image, once you do this it will automatically upload and be applied.

• Then, simply close after selecting your background and continue with your Zoom call in your ‘new location.’

Can wallpaper be copyrighted?

Yes, copyright lends itself to wallpaper as much as anything else someone has created. If you use an image without  getting permission from the owner you violate copyright.

There are plenty of copyright-free images and free stock images to use, but unless the image specifies it is available to use freely for both personal and commercial use, be sure you have the owner’s permission and prevent any legal headaches down the line.

If you are looking for wallpaper but not inclined to make any purchases, check out these sites for stock-free images that are also royalty-free;

• Unsplash - Free image search

• Burst - Free image search built by Shopify

• Pexels - Free image search

• Pixabay - Free stock photos

• Stock snap.io - Stock snap free photos

• Canva - Free images to use and create

Are wallpapers the future?

It depends. Are you an Android or iOS user, both offer wallpaper implementations, but come with varying features that some people prefer over others.

Android offers its users a more user-friendly and customizable interface and has a lot more apps to choose from. The battery life on electronic devices has also been shown to deteriorate quicker and on a whole it has fewer security measures in place.

iOS on the other hand has increased uniformity in its interface with a  more curated app store to browse through. That being said, the app store is quite limited in choice, and when in operation the processor is slower than that of its competitors.

We all make choices in life, and in this modern era, digital wallpapers are one of them.

Customize, create, and let your design shine, as long as your devices are looking good the world can be a more colorfully creative place.