UPDATE: TUTORIAL ADDED.
Do you think the screen is really transparent? Some people fall for it.

Transparent screens are an excellent effect on a lot of things, as long as you don’t move the screen around. I recently stumbled upon a Flickr photo account with images of transparent screens.
The image to your left is an example of a “transparent screen”. Browse around the photo album and I will come back later today or tomorrow with a tutorial for a “transparent screen”.

How to Make a “Transparent Screen” Desktop

1. Move your screen away and take a picture of the space behind your screen. Try to take it from where the device would be.
2. Put your device back; careful not to move any wires, etc. Take a picture of it with the device. Upload the pictures onto your computer.
3. Open up any photo editing software (I’m using Adobe Photoshop) and open your pictures.
4. Drag the image with the device onto the one without the device. The image with the device should be on top.
5. Use the Selection Tool to select the screen part. It usually is distorted. Don’t worry; It will turn out alright.

6. Go to your Layers palette and drag the layer with the device into the trashcan. Make a new document the same size as your screen resolution and copy your selection and paste it.
7. Distort the image so that it fills up the whole document (your screen resolution) perfectly. If you don’t know your screen resolution, press alt+Print Screen beside your F12 key and paste it onto a new document in your photo editing software. Check the size. That is your resolution size.
8. Adjust the lighting. This part is tricky. You make it so it looks like a camera lens and not a image.
9. Set the image as your desktop. You have a “transparent” screen! As long as you don’t move it around a lot…

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I got an email a few days ago from a visitor asking me to explain how to use textures.
So this tutorial will teach you how to use Textures.
First, what is a texture? A texture is an image or decoration you add onto the image that you wish to decorate. Look at some textures from NeonScent. Some textures have very good effects on certain pictures.
This is what the final product will be:

1. Open up your image in Photoshop or a similar program. This tutorial is based on Photoshop, but will work fine in other programs.
I will be using this one from NeonScent’s Blends section. You can use the same one:

2. Open up your texture that you wish to use on your image. I will be using this one from NeonScent’s Textures section (click to enlarge):

3. Drag your texture onto your image canvas. (Click and hold mouse on the texture, put onto image and let go.) Rename it Texture if you have a lot of other layers.

Position it the way you want. Resize it if necassary.

4. Go to the Layers palette and make sure the Texture layout is on top of the image layout. If it is not, then drag it to the top.
Select the Texture layer and go to Layer Style. Experiment with the layer styles. The most commonly used and effective are Overlay, Soft Light, Screen, Color, and Color Burn. Adjust the Opacity if you need to. Don’t worry if it covers the face or anything.

5. Is the Texture too dark in some places or covers a main object? Use the Eraser tool to erase any unwanted darkness. Adjust the Opacity of the eraser tool if you need to.

6. You’re done! This is my final product:

The Layer Style is Hard Light, Layer Opacity is 90%.
If any other people have any questions, feel free to email or comment!