Desktop background options

I would like to increase the options for desktop backgrounds. There are multiple images in the screensaver options which would make wonderful backgrounds. Does anyone know how to access these slide shows and use the separate images as a background? Thank you for your help.

Hi levoyer,
On the main HD go to System/Library/ScreenSavers. From the right (or control) click on each screensaver and select Show Package Contents. Navigate through Contents/Resources folders and you'll find individual the .jpeg files.
Jrsy

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Desktop background options pane freezes and quits

The title is pretty self-explanatory: I have an early 2009 iMac, purchased in May, and I've only started having problems in the last 24 hours, when I go to change desktop backgrounds. The pane appears, and is immediately unresponsive, and crashes less than a minute later. This has now happened a total of 10 times in a row.
A similar discussion post from another user was solved when someone recommended installing the iLife Support 9.0.3 patch. I installed the patch and restarted, and the problem persists.
This seems to be a common issue. Thanks for any help—for now I guess I'll just put up with my current background.

Never mind, it seems after some sputtering and additional crashes, the problem resolved itself—presumably because of the iLife 9.0.3 patch I installed.

How do I disable "Set as Desktop Background" as an option in Firefox 3.6 running on Mac OSX 10.5?

I'm trying to disable the "Set as Desktop Background" option for Firefox 3.6 in a Mac OSX 10.5 environment. I have a default image that I want as the background on my desktop and I don't want it to be changed.

See http://kb.mozillazine.org/Editing_configuration#How_to_edit_configuration_files
Add code to [http://kb.mozillazine.org/UserChrome.css userChrome.css] below the @namespace line.
<pre><nowiki>@namespace url("http://www.mozilla.org/keymaster/gatekeeper/there.is.only.xul"); /* only needed once */
#context-setDesktopBackground {display: none !important;}</nowiki></pre>

How do you save pictures in Safari directly as desktop background?

I just switched from Firefox because I'm thinking of getting a Mac someday and wanted to adjust to some of the software. I love Safari but it's missing something Safari had. When you right-click on a picture in Firefox there's an option to 'set as desktop background'. Is there a way to do that for Safari? Thanks.

As the other poster says, it doesn't look like this option exists yet. (I expect it will appear sometime, especially given that it's in the Mac version of the product ..they probably just had other priorities with what they wanted in the first non-beta release.)
But in the mean time, it's just one more step: Right-click and use the "Save image to Desktop" option, or whatever save option you have, or drag it to the desktop, then double-click on it (it will probably open in the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer), and from there you can right-click and use the "Set as Desktop Background" option.
Me, I'm a bit of a perfectionist with these things: I prefer to save it, then open in Photoshop and crop and tweak it so it looks perfect. (IrfanView is a good Photoshop-substitute for these kind of tasks.)

Changing desktop background issue12

hi, I have an issue with my macbook pro retina display 13" running mountaion lion os.
I was trying to change my desktop background, so I right-clicked my mouse and choose 'change desktop background option'. The first time I did this, nothing happened (however i noticed that the 'system preferences' icon on my dock was bouncing after I did that). When I tried to do the same thing again, it worked. I did this several times and I noticed it will only work on the second time. fyi I was not having this issue till today. Anyone else facing the same issue? Do I need to format my laptop or re-install my ios to remove this bug?
sorry for my bad English. Thanks!

hi! thanks for the reply.
I tried to follow the instructions, but I don't understand with the last instruction which says "Restart the computer and open System Preferences (or problem program) and reset all your preferences again"
I went to restart my computer (after deleting the com.apple.system...), and it doesnt solve the issue. However, I noticed that deleting the com.apple.system the "change desktop background" will work once. but if i close and do it the again, it wont work (same thing if i restart my laptop). I know i am just being anal about this small issue lol, but i noticed some other users experience the same thing as well as me.
https://discussions.apple.com/message/22567888#22567888
or
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4146106
thanks for the reply =) I will try to ask my friend whether he is having the same issue as me.

On Windows Server 2012 R2 the option "Show my desktop background on Start" is disabled

Since this thread is
inactive, I am starting a new one.
On windows server 2012 R2, under the taskbar properties, the option to display desktop background on start is disabled and I have not found a way to enable the same.
Please suggest, how this can be enabled.
With regards

You should take a look at this thread. They still haven't figured it out yet though, I don't believe it is possible at the moment on server 2012 even with desktop experience installed.
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windowsserver/en-US/9e26b0d5-e586-45b6-91bf-540a72dd36fc/on-windows-server-2012-r2-the-show-my-desktop-background-on-start-is-grayed-out?forum=winservergen
http://WrinkleFreeIT.com/

Can't set smart album pictures as desktop backgrounds.

i have imported 'without copying to library' a whole bunch of pics into iphoto and have created smart albums. now i went to 'change desktop background' by control clicking on the desktop and am selecting a pictures from one of the smart albums but its only displaying a blue background. this is true for all smart albums and normals ones as well. when i select an image from the other folders they work fine. what could be the reason?
the primary reason of importing stuff to iphoto was so that they are easily available across applications.

simport
Do you know of any reason why the Desktop pref pane should not be able to use photos in a "referenced" iphoto library
It's just the nature of the beast.
but I just don't trust it enough to do what it will with my photos by having them stored in the iPhoto library.
What are you afraid of?
When you import a pic into iPhoto in the default Managed mode all it does is make a byte by byte copy of the pic. Nothing else. It's an exact copy. It makes no alterations, adds nothing, removes nothing.
The pic is stored in the Finder. Yes, it's in a Unix Style Package file, but apart from all the ways to access your pics I'll describe in a moment, if you want to look inside the package you can do so at any time: Simply right click on the iPhoto Library and select 'Show Package Contents' from the resulting menu. A Finder window will open and you'll see the Library inside.
There are various files, which are the Library itself and some ancillary files. Then you have three core folders
Originals are the photos as they were downloaded from your camera or scanner. (As your Library is referenced the files will be aliases rather than the actual files.
(ii) Modified contains edited pics, shots that you have cropped, rotated or changed in any way.
(iii) Data holds the thumbnails the the app needs to show you the photos in the iPhoto Window.
Remember: iPhoto depends on the structure as well as the contents of this folder. Moving things, renaming things or otherwise making changes will prevent iPhoto from working and could even cause you to damage or lose your photos.
Running a referenced library has a number of pitfalls - apart from the fact that System Preferences cannot use the files.
1. Import and deleting pics are more complex procedures
2. You cannot move or rename the files on your system or iPhoto will lose track of them on systems prior to 10.5 and iPhoto 08. Even with the later versions issues can still arise if you move the referenced files to new volumes or between volumes.
3. Most importantly, migrating to a new disk or computer can be much more complex.
Always allowing for personal preference, I've yet to see a good reason to run iPhoto in referenced mode unless you're using two photo organisers.
If disk space is an issue, you can run an entire iPhoto Library from an external disk:
1. Quit iPhoto
2. Copy the iPhoto Library as an entity from your Pictures Folder to the External Disk.
3. Hold down the option (or alt) key while launching iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library' and navigate to the new location. From that point on this will be the default location of your library.
4. Test the library and when you're sure all is well, trash the one on your internal HD to free up space.
If you're concerned about accessing the files, there are many, many ways to access your files in iPhoto:
For 10.5 users: You can use any Open / Attach / Browse dialogue. On the left there's a Media heading, your pics can be accessed there. Apple-Click for selecting multiple pics.
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
To upload to a site that does not have an iPhoto Export Plug-in the recommended way is to Select the Pic in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export and export the pic to the desktop, then upload from there. After the upload you can trash the pic on the desktop. It's only a copy and your original is safe in iPhoto.
This is also true for emailing with Web-based services. If you're using Gmail you can use iPhoto2GMail
If you use Apple's Mail, Entourage, AOL or Eudora you can email from within iPhoto.
If you use a Cocoa-based Browser such as Safari, you can drag the pics from the iPhoto Window to the Attach window in the browser.
Or, if you want to access the files with iPhoto not running, then create a Media Browser using Automator (takes about 10 seconds) or use THIS
Other options include:
1. *Drag and Drop*: Drag a photo from the iPhoto Window to the desktop, there iPhoto will make a full-sized copy of the pic.
2. *File -> Export*: Select the files in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export. The dialogue will give you various options, including altering the format, naming the files and changing the size. Again, producing a copy.
3. *Show File*: Right- (or Control-) Click on a pic and in the resulting dialogue choose 'Show File'. A Finder window will pop open with the file already selected.
Your choice, obviously, but best to be aware of all the ramifications. By all means post back if you require more info.
You can set Photoshop (or any image editor) as an external editor in iPhoto. (Preferences -> General -> Edit Photo: Choose from the Drop Down Menu.) This way, when you double click a pic to edit in iPhoto it will open automatically in Photoshop or your Image Editor, and when you save it it's sent back to iPhoto automatically. This is the only way that edits made in another application will be displayed in iPhoto.
Other information that may offer comfort:
Events in the iPhoto Window correspond exactly with the Folders in the Originals Folder in the iPhoto Library package file (Right click on it in the Pictures Folder -> Show Package Contents).
You can move photos between Events, you can rename Events, edit them, create them, as long as you do it via the iPhoto Window. Check out the Info Pane (wee 'i', lower left) the name and date fields are editable. Edit a Event Name using the Info Pane, the Event Folder in iPhoto Library/Originals will also have the new name.
Mind you, I don't suggest that you change over in one go. I think the best thing to do is create a new Library (Hold down the option (or alt) key key and launch iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Create Library') and set it as a Managed Library. Import 50 or 100 pics an explore it, see how it works and see if that does anything for your confidence.
Regards
TD

How to stop the auto change of the desktop background picture ?

How to stop the auto change of the desktop background picture ?

Well . . thanks, but I already have done that and I still have the problem. The background changes to the standard picture galaxy not to one of the options. Sorry my question wasn't clear enough.
Thanks.

Change Desktop Background - Stretch Picture

I noted a strange thing when i right click and select Change Desktop Background, i once noted the option of whether to Stretch the picture. But now it is gone.
Does anyone know how do i enable it?

The option is only offered when it is actually needed, most likely your images don't need stretching.
Mario

Cannot select landscape photos as a desktop background from iPhoto events.

In the desktop preferences screen, when choosing a desktop background, I am able to see all of the normal options at the left. However, when I choose an image from the "iPhoto Albums" section, only vertically oriented images work. Landscape-oriented images don't update to the background (I get the basic Apple Blue.)
It appears to randomly effect my iPhoto albums, as some events have the problem, some do not, regardless of date of event or camera used.
When I add a folder and select the file manually (from the option at the bottom of the list), I have no problems... all images look fine.
I should also add that I do not allow iPhoto to manage my images, I manage my Photos folder and have the "Copy photos into the iPhotos library" option turned OFF.
I'm not sure if this is an iPhoto '08 problem or a Leopard problem, as I upgraded both at the same time during a fresh install.
PS - I've done most of the other trouble shooting things on Apple's support site, like creating a new iPhoto album and reimporting known problem-images, fixing permissions, re-creating the albumdata.xml file, etc. I even removed special characters from the Event Names and reset my keywords (I wasn't using them, anyway...)
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance for your help!

SIGH
Thanks for the suggestion, but it did not fix the problem. Since the general population uses iPhoto with the "copy files to the iphoto library" option turned ON, I decided to offload my images to an external drive and create a new library on my laptop, letting iPhoto do the organizing. (This is a big step for me, being an ex-windows user!)
A sample of images imported to the new iPhoto library seemed to register fine with the finder. Changing desktop images in the desktop prefs panel worked fine. All seems well and I'm looking forward to not having to manage the image folders and simply letting iPhoto import directly from the SD cards I use in my DSLR...
EXCEPT...
I can't seem to get through an import session without Leopard crashing on me. I get the dreaded dark-gray waterfall and the "please restart your computer" message in 65 different languages. Admittedly, I'm importing 5000+ images from an external FW800 drive, but still!
So here's my question to y'all:
Do I start importing a folder at a time and keep my fingers crossed, or should I consider a fix more drastic (like re-installing iPhoto?) Does this even sound like an iPhoto problem? Do I have a deeper issue (like a bad install of Leopard?) Or, is this just early-adopter syndrome with brand-new versions of iLife and Leopard, and I need to deal with it until Apple patches the holes?
I've had this system crash on me 5 times in the last three days, and it's getting old. What is this, Vista?

Some iphoto pictures not usable as desktop background

I want to set my desktop background as a slideshow of my favourite iPhoto'08 pictures. While experimenting, I've discovered that some of my iPhoto pictures don't seem to work as a desktop background.
Here's what I do (and note that I'm translating from a Swedish version of OSX here):
Right-click on the desktop, choose 'Change desktop background'. In the 'Desktop and Screensaver' dialog, Desktop tab, scroll down the left-hand side list of iPhoto albums (among other things), and select my favourite iPhoto album (Flagged). Wait for the previews to load. Select one of the pictures.
Now, what happens can be one of two things. Either I'll see a slightly bigger preview in the left upper corner of the dialog and I'll see the desktop background change to the picture in question. Or I'll only see the slightly bigger preview in the left upper corner, and the desktop background will turn a boring solid color.
Now, iPhoto itself has no problems with these pictures, and shows them properly. Also, if I use the little + below the left-hand side list to add a folder on the harddrive directly to the list, I can get the broken pictures to show up correctly, as long as I don't go through iPhoto.
So, yeah, that gives me a potential workaround: Export my favourite album now and then, and use the exported folder as background slideshow source. I'd rather have a better solution, where things just work like they're supposed to.
The pattern I've noticed is that iPhoto-modified pictures work fine, non-iPhoto-modified pictures don't seem to work. (That is, if right-clicking on a preview in iPhoto has the menu item 'Show original file' active, the picture will work, if the item is greyed out, the picture won't work.)
A relevant detail in this may be that I've set iPhoto to not copy imported pictures into the library.
Any hints, clues? Now what?

Welcome to the Apple Discussions.
I think this relates to using a Referenced Library:
iPhoto-modified pictures work fine, non-iPhoto-modified pictures don't seem to work.
In other words, iPhoto will share the files it controls (the modifieds are inside the Library Package) and not the ones that it wont.
Simple test: Create a Managed Library (Hold down the option (or alt) key key and launch iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Create Library', import a few pics and see if that works as expected.
Regards
TD

Desktop backgrounds all changed?

Hello internets! So my desktop backgrounds have all been downloaded with a resolution of 1600x1200, while my resolution in settings is 1280x800. And while this has never been a problem before, now all my backgrounds are zoomed in slightly and are cut off on the bottom. I don't have zoom on and the rest of desktop is the same....anyone know what to do?
Thanks!

Take these steps if the cursor changes from an arrow to a white "prohibited" symbol when you try to move an icon on the Desktop.
Sometimes the problem may be solved just by logging out or rebooting. Try that first, if you haven't already done it. Otherwise, continue.
Select the icon of your home folder (a house) in the sidebar of a Finder window and open it. The Desktop folder is one of the subfolders. Select it and open the Info window. In the General section of the window, the Kind will be either Folder or something else, such as Anything.
If the Kind is Folder, uncheck the box marked Locked. Close the Info window and test.
If the Kind is not Folder, make sure the Locked box is not checked and that you have Read & Write privileges in the Sharing & Permissions section. Then close the Info window and do as follows.
Back up all data.
Triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it:
xattr -d com.apple.FinderInfo Desktop
Copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C.
Launch the built-in Terminal application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.
Paste into the Terminal window (command-V). You should get a new line ending in a dollar sign ($). Quit Terminal.
Relaunch the Finder.
If the problem is now resolved, and if you use iPhoto, continue.
Quit iPhoto if it's running. Launch it while holding down the option key. It will prompt you to select a library. Choose the one you want to use (not the Desktop folder.)

After 10.6.7 can't get desktop background to display

This problem is similar to Linc Davis problem solved in this thread: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2795229
In that thread I write: "I tried the [] from Linc Davis and it didn't work for me. I have a MBP bought in may 2010 i Sweden which is where I live. " When I never got replies I figured it was because Lincs thread was marked as solved (green text). So I created my own discussion (this thread).
After upgrading today to 10.6.7 I notice the desktop background is replaced by a completely white background. Quoting vr8ce since this is the same for me: "It displays them in System Pref with no problem, and it doesn't give an error when choosing, it just doesn't change the desktop background." Unlike vr8ce, it was not happening in 10.6.6 for me. And unlike vr8ce my background is not blue but white.
I haven't tried using anything from iPhoto etc - I'm just using the images in System Pref.
I have upgraded to 10.6.7 (today), rebooted, run Repair Disk on the Install DVD (from another tip). I don't actually remember "fixing permissions".
As I said, the tip from Linc Davis - https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2795229 - didn't work for me. I'm not using a Screen Saver and never have, instead I prefer to close the lid, but not sure if this is the best thing to do.

Time for the OnyX "nuke em from orbit" approach then.
Run ALL of the free OnyX cleaning and
maintainence features and reboot.
Also run the Verify>Preferences and write down
any corrupted ones, move these files to your
desktop (out of yourLibrary/Preferences folder)
and reboot, they get rebuilt automatically.
VLC (plays anything)
Perian (installs additionalQuicktimecodecs)
FlipForMac (Windows media in Quicktime)
TheUnarchiver(unpacks just about everything)
Carbon Copy Cloner (clonesbootdrive to another HFS+j drive, hold option bootable)
2 free 3D games - NexiuZClassic and Cube 2 Sauerbraten
LibreOffice (freeofficesuit, reads/writes Office files
Gimp (free image editor)
OnyX (free maintainenceandcleaning)
Pacifist (opens DMG filesforextraction)
Mactracker (inforonApple products)
NTFS Mounter (for WindowsNTFSdrives)
EasyFind(deep search)
TimeMachineEditor
TinkerTool
ClamXav (free anti-virus)
Caffine (keeps yourMacawake)
Browswerplug-in check (especially for Flash!)

Can't set web photo as desktop background

Hi everyone,
I've had my pro for 4 years now, and I used to be able to use any web engine (normally I use google chrome and firefox) and click on a photo on the web and have the option to make it my desktop background. For whatever reason, that option is now gone and if I want to make the picture my background I have to download it, save it on my desktop then right click and set that way. Does anyone have any ideas why this might be or if I accidentally clicked a setting that I can revert to?
Thanks all,
Meg

Hi Meg,
I have Safari 7.0.5 on my MacBook Pro and that option is still there if I right-click an image:
I also tried FireFox v30 and a similar option is available in the contextual menu just as in Safari. I don't use Chrome so can't check that one.
If you are using extensions, try turning them off, restarting the browser, and seeing if that function reappears.
Allan
Macbook Pro Mid-2012 13-inch non-Retina; 2.5Ghz i5; 8GB RAM; OS 10.9.4

Desktop background issues

I downloaded a photo from the internet to use as my desktop background. I selected the photo as my background and it worked. However, whenever I shut down my computer and turn it back on, the photo I chose has disappeared and my desktop has gone back to the stock Apple background. Does anyone know how I can keep my chosen desktop background whenever I shut down my computer?
I have a MacBook Pro with Retina display. I am running the latest operating system.
I looked around on discussion forums and found this possible solution:
"Open Terminal (Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app) and paste this command: rm ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Desktop.plist
press 'return' on the keyboard.
Log out, log back in again. Change the wallpaper to what you want. Log out, log back in once more to test."
Unfortunately, I tried this and it didn't work. The wallpaper kept going back to the "wave" background.

Then you need to resolve the conflict/corruption in the original account. This can be a laborious process, but is guaranteed to resolve the problem. Log into the other account if it's an admin user one, otherwise create a new admin user account, log into it, backup the bad account's folder (to another volume, partition, or disk), System Preferences->Accounts->delete the bad account, selecting the save data option (which is stored in /Users/Deleted Users/ as a disk image), recreate the bad account using the same username/password combo, log out and back into the recreated original account. Open the saved data dmg file in /Users/Deleted Users/, open the /Library/Preferences/ folder from the saved data, open the current /Users/restored account/Library/Preferences/ folder, and slowly copy plist files from the saved data folder to the current one that don't exist in it, keeping track of what you're moving to the new account so you can remove them if you encounter problems in the next step. Log out and back in to ensure there's no conflict and things still work correctly. Good luck.

Desktop background options

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