How to set a dynamic desktop wallpaper

Dynamic wallpapers add excitement to your computer screen, moving away from the dullness of static images or simple solid-colored backgrounds while introducing an intriguing sparkle. While this feature has been available in most versions of Windows for a while, you’ll need to use either a Microsoft app or a third-party app to set dynamic wallpapers on Windows or Mac. The following article will guide you on how to set a dynamic wallpaper on your computer.

Visit the Windows Store. If you are using a Windows 10 computer or phone, you can download an app from the Windows Store to set a dynamic desktop wallpaper. The Windows App Store offers many apps that can do this.

• Go to the Windows Store and sign in.
• Search for "Dynamic Wallpaper" in the app store.

Purchase the app. Browse through the free and paid apps available on the Windows Store, read user reviews, and choose the app that best suits your needs.

• Click on Get the app and allow it to install on your Windows 10 device.

Select a wallpaper. You can choose the latest Bing wallpaper with up to 5 images from your computer, or access other images online to set as a dynamic wallpaper.

• Open the app.
• Navigate to the wallpaper or image you like and set it as a dynamic wallpaper.

Download the app. DeskScape 8 is a third-party app (Stardock) that lets users set dynamic wallpapers on Windows 7, 8, or 10. Stardock is the original developer of Deskscenes (which was integrated into some earlier versions of Windows). The app offers a 30-day free trial; after that, if you don’t want to reinstall, you will need to purchase the product.

• Visit the Stardock website to download Deskscape 8, select the DeskScapes installer program, agree to use the 30-day trial, and download the file.

Start the installation process. Go to your Downloads folder and double-click the file DeskScapes8_cnet-setup.exe

• On Windows 10, you need to access "compatibility mode" by right-clicking the setup file, selecting compatibility mode, and installing in compatibility with Windows 8.

Install DeskScapes 8. Click on install and follow the on-screen instructions.

• Register the app. Although it's a 30-day trial, you still need to register and allow the app to verify the installation process, after which the trial will begin.

Find a new wallpaper. You can search for and create your own wallpaper by visiting the WinCustomize site.

• Select the image you like and download it to your computer.
• Double-click the downloaded image to activate it through the DeskScapes app.

Download the app. Nerdtool is a third-party app that allows you to display animations (and other content) on your desktop.

• Go to the MutableCode website and download Nerdtool.
• Remember the location where the .dmg file is saved.

Start the installation process. Go to the folder where you saved the .dmg file. When prompted, enter your Mac’s administrator password to allow the installation process to proceed, then follow the on-screen instructions.

Add animation to your desktop. You will need some animated images on your computer or sourced from a screensaver program. These are Quartz animations (video files with the .qtz extension) that can be set as your desktop wallpaper.

• Open Nerdtool by clicking the Nerdtool icon.
• Click the + sign to add and choose the Quartz file from the dropdown menu.
• Click the Locate button beneath the Path field and navigate to /System/Library/Screen Savers.
• Select a .qtz file by clicking the checkbox next to the file name.
• Under the path field, adjust the Framerate to 30fps by sliding the indicator to the middle of the bar.

Find a new wallpaper. You can search for or purchase other Quartz files from various sources online.

• Buy/download a Quartz file that you like.
• Save the .qtz file to your computer.
• Open Nerdtool and navigate to where you saved the .qtz file (as described earlier).

• Dynamic wallpapers will consume approximately 6-9% of your CPU, and also affect battery life as well as your computer’s graphic performance.