Why Should I Change My Background?

There are hundreds (if not thousands) of Tumblr templates available online and the best way to set your tumblog apart from all the rest is by changing your Tumblr background. A new background image can easily add a bright and interesting look to your Tumblr template without much effort.

200+ Free Tumblr Backgrounds

Here I have complied a list of more than 200 hundred free Tumblr backgrounds which can be downloaded and installed into your theme within minutes.

GypsyGarden (1 pattern)

Pattern 2 (14 patterns)

Patterns 2 (6 patterns)

Textured Stripes (6 patterns)

Photoshop Pattern (4 patterns)

Pattern Part1 (9 patterns)

Patterns .24 (33 patterns)

Lace Patterns: the prelude (6 patterns)

Untitled patterns 03 (12 patterns)

Patterns .23 (33 patterns)

Green Patterns (6 patterns)

Patterns .27 (50 patterns)

Patterns 3 (6 patterns)

Softly Plaidly- Peachy Keen (11 patterns)

Black – White patterns (13 patterns)

PINKgossip_04 patterns (13 patterns)

Additional Tumblr Background Image Resources

• Over 1,002,864 user-created seamless patterns from Colour Lovers
• 1000+ Free Background Patterns
• Background Pattern Designs from Behance
• 100+ Seamless Patterns Great for Creating Website Backgrounds

How to Change a Tumblr Background

Now that you have picked out your new Tumblr background and downloaded it to your local computer, it’s time to add it to your theme. There are two ways to add a background to your Tumblr theme. I will discuss them both below.

Option 1: Appearance Panel

If you can add a new background through your Tumblr Customize > Appearance Panel choose this option.

1. Login into your Tumblr account and click CUSTOMIZE in the right side of your dashboard.
   
2. When the customization section opens, click APPEARANCE at the top of the page.
3. When the panel opens you simply click the UPLOAD button to select your theme from your local computer and you’re done! If you have the option for repeating your background choose “repeat-y” if you pattern needs to repeat vertically (from top to bottom). Select “repeat-x”, if you background need to repeat horizontally (from left to right). Choose “repeat-xy”, if you image needs to repeat both vertically and horizontally. You can also choose “no-repeat”, if you have a really large background image that doesn’t need to be repeated.

Option 2: Hand-coding Custom HTML

Use this option if you do not have the Tumblr Appearance Panel available with your theme.

1. Login into your Tumblr account
2. You will need to upload your new background image onto Tumblr’s Static Image Server
3. After uploading your file, make note of your image url. You can copy it to NotePad or SimpleText for safe keeping.
4. Return to your Tumblr Dashboard and click CUSTOMIZE in the right side of your dashboard.
5. Select THEME from the top menu.Click the USE CUSTOM HTML buttonLook for the BODY tags. This is the code we will be editing. (Your coding won’t be exactly like this, so you should look for something similar near the top of the code.)
   

   body {  background: #f8f7e5 url(wdw-bg.jpg) no-repeat center top  }

   

6. Paste your image url  into the CSS
   body {  background: #f8f7e5 url(http://safe.tumblr.com/theme/3383425/) no-repeat center top  }
7. You may need to adjust your background image by changing your background color and whether it repeats or not.
   body {  background: #f8f7e5 url(http://safe.tumblr.com/theme/3383425/) no-repeat center top  }

   Choose “repeat-y” if you pattern needs to repeat vertically (from top to bottom). Select “repeat-x”, if you background need to repeat horizontally (from left to right). Choose “repeat-xy”, if you image needs to repeat both vertically and horizontally. You can also choose “no-repeat”, if you have a really large background image that doesn’t need to be repeated.

8. Click the UPDATE PREVIEW button in order to see your changes.
9. If you are satisfied with the results click the green SAVE & CLOSE button at the top right of the page.
   
10. Your Done!

Additional Resources

• Free Tumblr Templates
• How to Setup a Free Tumblr Blog
• How to Add Google Adsense to Tumblr

As a designer, I come across hundreds of free quality themes and it’s only fair I pass them along to my readers. So download and enjoy! Check out the Free Templates section and let me know if you have any problems.

Currently there are only WordPress templates available, but I will be adding free Joomla, Blogger and Tumblr themes soon.

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