Gmail Background - Part 2 of 2 - Add Special Effects
In Part 1, we looked at how you can choose custom images for your Gmail background. If you aren’t familiar with the process, you’ll want to check that article out first. Because today, we’re going to learn how to add special effects to completely customize the look of your Gmail inbox.
There are three special effects that you can add to your background image. The first special effect you can add is blurring the image. You can blur your image in varying degrees, from a light blur to very blurry (which looks more like a lot of colors, but it’s very pretty). Blurring can help take you from the distraction that a detailed image may bring, and relax your mind a little as you clear your Inbox and respond to messages.
To do this, select on the third icon which looks like a grid. A little menu bar will open up and you can adjust the slider to vary the blurriness.
You can also darken the corners of your image, to give it a special vintage look. It rounds out the corners a little and helps soften the image. You can vary the intensity of this, using the slider bar. Simply click on the middle icon of a grey oval (it’s the second icon) and then, use the slider bar that pops up to change the intensity.
Adjust light or darkness of email Inbox. If you want to change the email background for your actual Inbox (the background behind the emails. If you want to make it a light white colour, as seen in the image below, select Light. If you want to make it a black colour, select Dark.
Click on the “A” icon (it’s the first) and then select your option from that.
If you want other images, or aren’t happy with the current list offered – you can get an even bigger range of images. Simply scroll down the results until you see the “More Images” option. It is about a third way down the images list. Click on this.
Once you have clicked on the “More Images”, you will be brought to a new window which features more images. You can browse even more great images here. There are literally hundreds of them, and they are all of a high caliber.
If you would like to upload your own image, select the “Upload a photo” option which is along the top of the window. Then, click the “Select a Photo from your Computer” button and locate your image on your PC by looking through your folders and then selecting it.
Or else, you can grab the image from a folder or desktop and grab it (using your mouse) to the window. The image will then upload. Once uploaded, click “Select” and then you will be brought back to the original menu which has the special effects menu.
Remember to click Save at the very end!
