Desktop Picture folders missing.....

I installed mountain lion and noticed alot of desktop pictures missing. I did a re-install but nada. I looked in the desktop pics folder and they simply arent there. The old "Nature" "Abstract" etc are gone, just random pics (about 35). Only other folder is the "Colors" folder. Anybody else experiencing this and did you find a fix? I called Apple but they didn't know how to fix it or why it didn't install with Mountain Lion.
thanks

Okay, thanks Barney. I seem to be able to add and subtract individual pictures in the default folders, but (as you said) I can't add more folders to the main library folder. I was just trying to keep all of my desktop picture categories in one place, but as it is now I'll have to be happy with two places. I keep the majority of my photos in my user/pictures/"more desktop pictures" folder - and then I add them in using the + button. I do find it annoying that they show up in a different section (below iPhoto) in the system preferences window. Oh well.
Thanks again,
John

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Random picture folders missing after import

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I have attempted to import these as referenced images as per the Aperture guide but when the folders are imported random ones are missing.
I have also tried importing a limited number selected folders folders as managed images into aperture but random folders still disapear.
Acoording to the pro DVD that came with aperture importing referanced files by clicking import > "folders as projects" should create a mirror image of my file system on my external hardrive but with thumbnails as opposed to the full sized raw file.
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thanks,
Rob

A possibility is that the files have multiple tags, i.e. both id3v1 and id3v2.x. iTunes seems to behave best when there is a single properly populated id3v2.3 tag.
If you move you library properly there is no need to "Add Folder to Library" on the new system and such problems don't arise.
tt2

Folders added to "Desktop Pictures" not visible in System Prefs...

Hello,
I am trying to add additional wallpaper images to the "/Library/Desktop Pictures" directory. I can add images to this dir and they are visible in the Desktop & Screen Saver preferences, however newly added folders are not (I would like to add folders so I can keep the pictures organized).
How do I get Desktop & Screen Saver prefs to see new folders?
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Hi Mike,
Thanks very much! That did the trick!
Just so you know, there is one additional file I edited to make the folders appear with the desired name. Basically if you just add the text to Collections.plist it will display the folder but with the name on the identifier tag. If you want the folder to show a name other than the identifier you have to edit the Collections.strings file in the English.lproj directory.
Here are the instructions I've put together for this whole procedure:
--------------------INSTRUCTIONS------------------------
- cd /System/Library/PreferencePanes/DesktopScreenEffectsPref.prefPane/Contents/Resou rces/DesktopPictures.prefPane/Contents/Resources
- sudo vi Collections.plist
- add additional items in the following form:
identifier = myPatterns;
path = "/Library/Desktop Pictures/My Patterns";
showScalingPopUp = YES;
- save file and exit
THEN
- cd English.lproj
- sudo vi Collections.strings
add line entries in the following format:
myPatterns = "My Patterns";
(the tag on the left of the '=' sign must match the identifier noted above)
save file and exit
--------------------INSTRUCTIONS------------------------
The only thing I haven't been able to figure out is how to get the scaling drop-down box to appear; you know, the drop-down box that gives you the following choices on how to display the image: Fill screen, Stretch to fill screen, Center, Tile.
I see in the Collections.plist file there is a tag for showScalingPopUp and I've set this to YES on some folders, but it doesn't bring up the drop-down box when I select an image within that folder.
I can certainly live without this b/c it's not that critical, but still it's curious...
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Desktop Pictures missing in preferences but not in Library...

When I go to change my desktop picture in system preferences and I click on a folder (like "nature" or "abstract"), the pics in that category do not appear and the preview screen stays blank. I checked and the files are still under Library->Desktop Pictures and I can select them from there if a add a new folder to the system preferences desktop pics list. The problem is that this should not be happening... anyone have a fix?

Not a fix but something I found out the hard way.. When I use quartz images that do not have the same size as my desktop and I scale them to fit my desktop size my graphics in general give trouble. Screen savers that will not run in test mode. Screen savers running black in the background, Photo Booth issues. Depth of the screen is reduced. If you use custom desktop pictures don't resize them to fit your screen, center them or just have them full screen. They somehow don't scale well.
Message was edited by: CodLBi

Apple Desktop pictures do not appear in System Prefs

I tried to change my desktop picture and discovered that there are none of the apple images showing in the system prefs for Desktop & Screen Saver. The folders are there (Apple images, nature, plants, etc) but the folders are empty.
Digging via the finder I found in Library/Desktop Pictures all of the missing files but Prefs does not apparently see them.
The default Aurora was there after 10.5.5 upgrade, then I replaced it with one of my own from the user/Pictures folder which shows in the prefs window. All of those pictures still show in prefs.
What is wrong?

Derryl S wrote:
Conclusion, there is now something about my account that no longer can see the contents of the Desktop Pictures folder. Why is unknown still.
Usually, a bad preference file or incompatible login item is the culprit, although it could also be corrupted data in a user cache.
For the first, you can try moving likely suspects from ~/Library/Preferences to a desktop temp folder, then logging out & back in or restarting to see if the problem is gone. If not replace the old preference from the temp folder to its original location to restore the old preferences. One general way that may help locate suspect pref files is to change the preference in the normal way while ~/Library/Preferences is sorted by date changed -- the file storing the preferences should be very near the top of the list.
You can also run a terminal command that checks the syntax of most preference files. It won't indicate all problems but it is worth a shot. In Terminal type:
sudo plutil -s ~/Library/preferences/*.plist
followed by pressing the return key. At the password prompt, enter you admin account password & press return again. It won't be echoed to the screen. If you get nothing besides the prompt for the next command, those prefs are syntactically correct. Otherwise, remove the indicated pref file as above & test.
If desired, repeat this for the main system-wide preference folder with this command:
sudo plutil -s /Library/preferences/*.plist
Note: since your new account has no problems, it is highly unlikely a system preference is the problem.
For login items, check the list in the accounts system preference. Suspect anything that isn't from Apple. You can list them here in a new post if you have any questions about them.
If the problem is a bad user cache, a third party utility like Onyx or Leopard Cache Cleaner will allow you to "clean" (delete) them. Try this as a last resort, since caches speed up the operation of your Mac & will need to be rebuild by the system, causing one-time delays until this is done.

How do I change the desktop picture on *all* windows with Lion?

I'm sure I'm just missing a simple setting, but ... I changed the desktop background to something I found I thought I'd like, using right click/use as desktop background. Didn't like it. Went to System prefs to change it, and selected the Pond Reeds pic that comes preloaded with Lion. Great! Except it only changed it to that in one workspace. All the others still have the background I don't like, and going to each workspace, right clicking and choosing "change desktop picture" just shoots me back to the system prefs workspace and doesn't change anything. What's the right answer (It's an older MacBook Pro, but running Lion, just upgraded to it a few days ago.)

Thank you!!! I knew it must be something simple, that I just haven't had time to figure out yet (the day after I upgraded, my son went into the hospital and had to have heart surgery, so I haven't spent a lot of time getting to know Lion.). Your help is much much appreciated!

Add a new folder to Desktop Pictures in Library??

Hi,
I've copied some desktop image folders into library/desktop pictures but when I open System Preferences my new folders cannot be seen.
anybody got any ideas? I wanted to add a new folder along with the Nature, Abstract, etc. folders.
thanks.

Great news, and thank you for the Star!
PS. Small things bother me more than big ones!

Desktop pictures do NOT rotate/change on secondary display

For some peculiar reason, my desktop pictures do NOT change / rotate on my secondary display.
I have a MacBook Pro 15" (Late 2007) running Snow Leopard 10.6.2 and I have dual displays. My primary display (the MBP screen) DOES change / rotate picture every minute, but I want my secondary display to do the same.
It seems that restarting does fix it, but only temporarily. I think it might have to do with plugging/unplugging the secondary display and sometimes if it's working, I disconnect and reconnect the monitor and then the pictures stop rotating.
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I discovered that for this particular file if you check the "random order" box under Desktop preferences, then the pictures will rotate like the rest of the photo files in the collection

Where do desktop pictures reside?

I have gone to Users Pictures in the main Library as well as Picture folders that reside elsewhere but have yet to be able to locate the "Apple" folder that shows up in System Prefs./Desktop and ScreenSaver/Desktop that holds a multitude of pictures that I would like to access. Are these photos in ROM or somewhere unaccessible? If not, does anyone know where they reside? Thank you.

IIRC, you can't put anything there. You have to create your own folder or use your Pictures folder, click on the plus sign in that prefPane, select either, and use it. The Desktop Pictures folder is reserved for the OS.

How do I find the file name of the current desktop picture?

I've tried going to System Prefs, right-clicking on the desktop, and rifling through the pictures folder to visually match the picture.
Isn't there an easy way to find out what the name of the current desktop picture file?

...and, when I double-clicked on the plist file, it opened OmniOutliner, which did a great job of sorting through all the machine-speak of the file, displaying it in an organized (outline) fashion. I was able to track down the missing picture and replace it on the desktop. Thanks!

Why can't I right-click and set desktop picture?

Greetings.
I am having a lot of trouble changing my desktop picture. From what I understand, you right-click the image and click on 'set as desktop picture'. I click it and nothing changes. I have tried to download the image and set it manually through System Preferences but when I go into Desktop & Screen Saver but there are no other folders other than the 'Apple' one that have the wallpapers that come with the computer.
If it's relevant at all, my macbook pro is a 10.6.8 version.

You should be able to do it three ways, some of which you already know:
Right-click image, choose "Set Desktop Picture"
Right-click desktop, choose "Change Desktop Background"
Go into System Preferences, click "Desktop and Screen Saver"
Note when you are in System Preferences, the current desktop is shown in an indented "well." That always indicates that it is a drop target. You don't need to be able to see in the list the pictures or folder you want. Just drag it from the desktop, or iPhoto, or whatever app you're looking at your photo in, and drop it in that well, and it will be set.
muffinpirate wrote:
I have tried to download the image and set it manually through System Preferences but when I go into Desktop & Screen Saver but there are no other folders other than the 'Apple' one that have the wallpapers that come with the computer.
If you did want to do it the old-fashioned way and drill through folders and files, you can click the plus symbol [ + ] below the list there and then you can add any folder to the list. In case you have a folder full of desktop backgrounds, for instance.
(I might be wrong about some of this since I am using 10.8)

Desktop picture disappears, won't return

Hi. When I plug my new MacBook into a projector (mini display to serial port convertor) and then unplug it, my desktop picture is replaced with the standard space one, and choosing my own again under Desktop/Screen Saver in Preferences makes no difference.
It's not crucial - but it is annoying. Any tips?
Thanks
Aidan

Click on the desktop and check Finder > View > Show view options.
Sort by.. snap to grid will have the files flying around..
Disappearing files in folders no idea except I have always been advised not too have too many items in the desktop folder.. (The desktop is actually a folder, see finder)

Where did my picture folders go?

I thought this went too smoothly. I just transferred all my files via firewire from to my new MacBook Pro from my two year old PowerBook G4. All the dated (year, month, date) pictures folders have disappeared. All the pictures show up in iPhoto -- although a little jumbled --- but there are no folders showing in the finder.
(I discovered this when I went to attach a photo to an email in Mail.)
Where are they? Help. Thanks in advance.

Jane
There's actually no need whatever for the hack now:
There are three ways (at least) to get files from the iPhoto Window.
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.
To upload to MySpace or any 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 THIS
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
Also, for 10.5 users: If you use the extended Open or Attach dialogue (with Column View) you can scroll to the bottom of the Shortcuts and find the Media browser there. Select any pic you want from there.
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.
Regards
TD

Desktop pictures include non-choice

This is a strange one: I went to the system preferences and chose the desktop picture that I want, and have it changing every minute - the only thing is, it ADDS pictures from one of the other folders that I have NOT chosen. It doesn't stay on the desktop as long as the ones that I have picked - but it still is included in the random display!! I read many of the posts, and went to disk utilities and attempted to repair permissions, but there were no problems - and the problem is continuing!
MacBookPro Mac OS X (10.4.10)

It seems to me that the option does not appear if you select an Apple default folder that contains pix that are the max size for your monitor. If you pick one of your own folders and click on one of the pix therein the options reappear.
Francine
Francine
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Add to Desktop Pictures

Hi
New convert to iMac from Windows.
Love the facility to change desktop pictures, especially the Nature folder.
How do I add some of our own photos (from our African safari holiday) to the Nature folder in Desktop settings so they are included in the random change of desktop pictures?
Many thanks
Les

Just drag and drop them into the folder.
You may want to use copies rather than the originals, and you can crop and size them for the screen resolution in iPhoto to ensure no white bars or stretched pics.
If you don't want duplicates on the computer, you can use aliases in the Nature folder (or wherever else you choose - I use a seperate folder with a mixture of pics from the supplied folders, plus some of my own and some stellar views from APOD).

Desktop Picture folders missing.....

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