Ideas...

Programs: Bryce, Ray Dream Studio, Photoshop and PhotoImpact

Extra: Large glass of chocolate milk, pack of cigs, good dvd or music, no lights

Mental state: Un-determined at this time

Well to me there is no set intention when I create a wall, I sit down and start working, I have no preset idea at the start. I just let things fall into place. My suggestion is that before you go out and buy any software try some demo's or the stuff you already have, see what is more comfortable to you, 2D or 3D. Then just start with a rough idea, or start placing objects or etc where they seem to want to be. For me I find that most of the objects seem to only want to be in a specific place for each piece. Kind of like rearranging a room, you put one thing in place and everything falls together around it.

I doubt any of this helped you, but then again if I could figure it out I would have a tutorial section.

1: Sometimes I'll have an idea in my head before I start, but most of the time I won't have any idea what I going to make until I start making it. That method means that only about 1 in 10 wallpapers end up being 'finished'. Another good thing for ideas is to break out the old pencil and paper and doodle a few ideas down before starting on the computer.

2: I usally start out with 3dstudio max, render, then do everything else in photoshop....although sometimes it's the other way around

3: spend hours looking at your work (eg - actully USE your wallpaper before it's finished/uploaded)....you'll be suprised how you can see things you should change, or what else to add into it.

........after working on a wallpaper I like to wake up the next day and have a look at what I'd made the day before....you get a fresh opinion looking at it first thing in the morning (which isn't always a good thing )

Above all, have fun !!!

...now go make us a wallpaper

Experimentation is generally how my walls come about.

Accidental filter useage sometimes contributes....

Flub ups in bryce are usually great!!

Doing anything with a hard core intent never works just let it flow..

to me Skins are techincal art ( everything done with a purpose), Walls are for the fun of it and are generaly accidents that come together.. for example:

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation.php?id=27782

there is no way I could reproduce this it was mostly an accident..

I use PSP, pretty much nothing else.

Usually, when I manage to get something that I think is cool, it takes a lot of work, with fiddly little changes to make it look smoother. Often I try things, and they don't work. Sometimes you just have to accept that and move on - you usually find an even cooler idea down the road. Just make sure you have plenty of undo levels (or layers . . .)

Also, you *do* have to live with your work to make sure it's as good as it could be. If you use it every day, you make sure it's slick. *g*

100% Photoshop, just using standard filters for all skins and themes.

MicroAngelo/ Photoshop for icons.

ImageReady or FireWorks / Photoshop for gifs.

Nothing more then that...

Wow, thanks a lot
Can't wait to get to work on it
one more thing I thoght about--how do you know if your not taking anybodys work? I mean Ideas
there must be 1000s of wallpapers how do you know if someones already done it?

Shouldn't be a problem unless your blatenly copying someones work....

Hmmm.... I use all the same stuff as Treetog. So how come he's so much better than me???!!! DAMN!
He must have newer versions of the software. lol.
(Well, I can dream can't I?)

Seriously though, I am usually inspired by other peoples work. I set out to try and make something similar, and at some point it just goes off at a tangent, and I just go with it. It never ends up looking like the piece I was inspired by, but I occasionally get good results.

With regard to finishing touches...
I think the final touch is always the lighting effects. If you can get this part right it can have a massive effect on the finished product. (I'm still working on lighting techniques!!) One of the best exponents of lighting, (in my humble opinion) is Layne Karkruff. You can check out his stuff at http://www.blueskyheart.com
Another artist who has the lighting pretty much figured out is Misery. He can be found at: http://www.deaddreamer.com
Look and learn from the masters.....

I just got "Poser" last night, so you can expect a plethora of walls featuring people with small heads and unfeasibly large feet!
My (old) brain finds it difficult to deal with these 3D proggy's!
Now, where did I see those Poser tutorials..................

Ok!

I'm going to start on a Wallpaper now. My inseration is Win xp hope It's good enough to upload when its done!