How to Make Wall Art With a Mac
- 1). Open your Mac's photo-editing software, such as Adobe Photoshop. Click on the "File" menu and select "Open" to access a photograph you have taken. In the "Image" menu, select "Image Size" and the measurements you desire. Enhance the photograph by applying effects from the "Filter" menu; "Blur," "Noise" and "Distortion" can be used to create an impressionistic or abstract work of art. Go to the "Image" menu again and select "Adjustments" to make changes to the color and contrast. Tweak the photo with the "Clone Stamp" tool in the palette on the left to remove unwanted objects; for example, remove a power line from an outdoor shot by pressing "Option" and left-clicking on the sky, then brushing out the line by just left-clicking.
- 2). Open a design program on your Mac, such as Adobe Illustrator. From the "File" menu, select "New" and set the size of your artboard or document in the dialogue box. Experiment with the different tools in the palette on the left size of the screen. Create color-filled polygons of various shades by clicking the "Square" tool and waiting for a pop-up to select from the options. Double-click the color panels at the bottom of the palette and pick colors from the menu that appears. Draw your shapes by clicking and dragging on the artboard. Layer the shapes and apply changes picked from the "Effects" menu. Use "Step Backward" under the "Edit" menu to eliminate changes if you make a mistake or don't like the effect's outcome. Freehand your own original image by selecting the pencil or brush tools from the left-side palette. Bring previously made images into Illustrator by selecting "Place" from the "File" menu, then sizing the object by dragging its corners.
- 3). Save your files. If creating a JPG file in Photoshop, make sure to change the image mode to CMYK if sending the files to be professionally printed or if your home printer has cyan, magenta and yellow cartridges. Select "Mode" from the "Image" menu to pick CMYK. If working in Illustrator or a similar design program, select "Export" in the "File" menu and save a copy of your work as a high-quality or press-quality PDF; professional printers will want to work with this file type.
- 4). Send your file to a desktop printer or email it for production. If making art at home, you may need to tile your printing and piece it together if the document or image is too large for your paper tray. Under the "File" menu, select "Print." Scroll through the options on the output management dialogue screens until you find an option for tiling; you can set the size of overlap you need to connect the printed copies, though generally 1/2 to 1 inch will be adequate.
- 5). Place your computer-generated art in frames, if necessary, and hang the works on your wall.
