Photoshop backgrounds are very easy to create, and they can be the basis for many design projects, from application skins to print work to Web pages. One thing to keep in mind when you're creating a Photoshop background is to keep it simple. A background that's too busy makes text hard to read and can leave your overall design looking too busy. Muted, solid colors with subtle effects create the best backgrounds.

Here are some easy ways to create five popular backgrounds in Photoshop for your projects.

Brushed Steel
Start with a plain block of 40% to 60% black to get a metallic grey. Use the Noise filter to speckle the image, with the settings on Gaussian and Monochromatic. Next, use the Motion Blur filter to turn those speckles into lines. Use the Satin tool to add some highlights, choosing a color from the color picker that matches one of the lighter greys in your image. Finally, adjust the finished look by adjusting the Brightness/Contrast settings for the entire image. Higher contrast usually creates a more polished metal look. This is a good background to use for projects that need a modern or futuristic feel.

Parchment
Start with a blank canvas set with a white background and a black foreground. Use the Clouds filter to add texture. Next, use the Emboss tool under Filter>Stylize to create the effect you want. Finally, enter Image>Adjustments>Hue/Saturation and click Colorize to change the color to a parchment tone. A hue around 50 with low saturation and high lightness creates a good look. If you want to darken the edges of the background to simulate well-worn paper, use the Inner Glow layer style, click on the color picker, then mouse over to your image and use the medicine dropper to choose one of the darker tones. The Satin layer effect can be added to create the appearance of well-worn creases in your background. You can use this background for historical-themed projects, or to create unique stationery.

Plaids
If you're going for a retro or homey look, you can't beat homemade Photoshop plaids. Plaids are very easy to create with the Rectangle and Line tools and a little creative blending. First, pick a color and draw a rectangle with it. Next, set the opacity of the shape to less than 100%, preferably somehwere between 80% and 50%. You may need to rasterize the shape to work with it. Next, copy the shape, rotate it 90 degrees, and paste it in a new layer over the existing shape, making sure that the Blend option is set to Multiply. This will create a darker area where the two rectangles intersect, just like plaid fabric.

Rock
This can be a useful texture for an outdoorsy site or a site dedicated to gardening. The process is very similar to the Parchment background. Start with a blank canvas with the foreground set to black and the background set to white. Draw a black box using the Rectangle Tool and rasterize it, then select Difference Clouds from the Filter menu. Give this a granite look by using the Add Noise filter set to Gaussian and a very small amount of noise. Repeat this step until you get a good pattern; it's better to work in small increments, rather than trying to achieve the effect all at once in the Noise filter. Next, use Lighting Effects to pump up the contrast between the bright and dark areas, giving the texture some dimension. Finally, colorize your texture with Hue/Saturation set to Colorize. You'll never duplicate the same texture twice because of the random pattern that Render Clouds generates, so if you get one you really like, save it in the original black and white so you can color it later.

Cloth
You can duplicate the texture of knit cloth with a couple of filters and adjustments. This is useful for fashion projects or sites that need a country feel. Start by picking the color you want, then drawing it with the Rectangle Tool and rasterizing it. Use the Sketch>Halftone Patterns fiter to add a uniform field of small dots, then use the Noise filter to add noise, with the Gaussian setting checked. Finally, use Hue/Saturation with Colorize checked to even out the color distribution and complete the cloth effect.