How did ZUN make the backgrounds for Touhou?

[moons1de_]

I rarely see anybody comment on the unique beauty to Touhou's backgrounds and images, but I've been wondering how ZUN even made the backgrounds to title screens, menus, game cd covers, spellcard backgrounds, and more. I know that he uses real-life images or stock images from certain websites to use in his games, but is there like a certain editing software that he uses to make them so unique?

[williewillus]

Pretty sure it's just stock photos + PhotoShop + laying them out in 3D.

The Chinese wiki at thwiki.cc has extensive articles on all the sources for his assets, down to which art book things came from.

[Felis-Licht]

I rarely see anybody comment on the unique beauty to Touhou's backgrounds and images, but I've been wondering how ZUN even made the backgrounds to title screens, menus, game cd covers, spellcard backgrounds, and more. I know that he uses real-life images or stock images from certain websites to use in his games, but is there like a certain editing software that he uses to make them so unique?

Pretty much this:

Pretty sure it's just stock photos + PhotoShop + laying them out in 3D

With enough creativity and experimentation, you can do exactly what ZUN does for his backgrounds

[degradingwindow]

I tried searching through some interviews but sadly I don't see any mentions on how he makes the background art or what editing program he uses.

I do have to agree that they're very nice. Especially spell card backgrounds but they're mostly under appreciated because people mostly focus on dodging the bullets. ZUN doesn't just use whatever pattern for a background willy-nilly, they all relate to the character they're being used for. Keine's spell card background is a wagara of a town and Sakuya's is a picture of gears, relating to her clock motif.

Their colour schemes are also really nice, they have very exotic looking colours that are not usual for wagara. I guess the best adjective to describe them would be "mystic".

[Miminena]

I tried searching through some interviews but sadly I don't see any mentions on how he makes the background art or what editing program he uses.

He mentions using Photoshop in the interview in BAiJR, but that's from 2005 so it might be outdated.

The interview in question, Photoshop is mentioned just over halfway down the page -> https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Bohemian_Archive_in_Japanese_Red/Interview

[degradingwindow]

He mentions using Photoshop in the interview in BAiJR, but that's from 2005 so it might be outdated.

The interview in question, Photoshop is mentioned just over halfway down the page -> https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Bohemian_Archive_in_Japanese_Red/Interview

Thank you.