macOS

Find ‘secret’ wallpapers on your Mac

Use the cool screen saver images tucked away on your Mac as wallpapers
Difficulty Have a nose around the desktop wallpapers on your Mac (in
the Desktop & Screen Saver window in System Preferences)
Time needed and you may think you have a good selection of images at
your disposal. But did you know there are many more images

10 ready and waiting to be used? You may have seen them when
you’ve been altering your screen saver but there is an easy
way of putting them to use as wallpapers too. The 3,200 by
2,000 pixel images include numerous gems from the lenses of
National Geographic along with stunning aerial shots, images of
our wonderful universe and amazing patterns from nature. Here
we look at how to make the best use of them…

Step-by-step Add and use extra wallpapers

1 Find the wallpapers 2 Select the folder 3 Add to screensavers

Four folders full of images are stored in a parent Search for ‘default collections’. Select the You can right-click a thumbnail and select
folder called Default Collections. To quickly Default Collections folder in the results and Services>Set Desktop Pictures to set it as
find them, click the magnifying glass on your explore the image folders National Geographic, wallpaper or import the folder by clicking
desktop and open Spotlight. Aerial, Cosmos and Nature Patterns. System Preferences>Desktop & Screen Saver.

4 Import the images 5 Find the folders 6 Choose your wallpaper

In order to import one or all of the four hidden Now navigate to Library/Screen Savers/ Once a folder has been added, you can click it
image folders, simply start by clicking the ‘+’ Default Collections and select the folder with and see the images it contains, each displayed
button beneath the navigation list on the the images that you like. You can add all four as a thumbnail. Clicking an image will instantly
left-hand side of the window. folders if you wish, one at a time. make it your wallpaper.

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 Got a 12.9-inch iPad Pro? Then you’ll be interested to hear that the iOS
10.3.3 beta has introduced three new nature-based wallpapers.

Understand the Desktop & Screen Saver interface

Discover how you can better freshen up your desktop and manage your wallpapers

The red button

When you select a wallpaper it will Knowledge base
instantly become your desktop. There is
no need to press a save button. Instead, And there’s more…
just click the red close button in the top from Google
left-hand corner.
If you’re after some fantastic
screen savers as well as
wallpapers then be sure to
check out the many images
Add and remove being offered by Google+. By
The ‘+’ button enables you to add a visiting https://plus.google.
folder to your list of wallpapers. But if com/featuredphotos, you
you wish to remove a folder instead then can download a fantastic
simply highlight it in the list and select screen saver made up of high
the ‘–’ button. resolution photographs taken
by members of the Google+
community. Any images you
share publicly will also be
Random ordering considered for inclusion: who
If you really want to live life on the edge, knows, your own photos may
then you can have the Mac decide which form part of a screen saver for
wallpapers to show and when. To do this millions of others to enjoy.
just select the option for ‘Random Order’.

Change picture
If you want to add some variety to
your desktop throughout the day,
you can decide to rotate through the
wallpapers. Click the button next to
‘Change picture’. Choose from every
five seconds to every day.

Make the most

of your images
The hidden images we are discussing here were actually
intended to be used as part of a screensaver so they are not
of the high resolution you may expect of a standard Apple
Mac wallpaper. They will appear smaller than usual on Macs
that have a hi-res display but if you really love the image
there are some things you can do to make them look better
on your screen. The options are contained in the Desktop & 1 Filling the screen 2 Select another option
Screen Saver window in System Preferences. By default, an image will fill the screen and you There are four other options. You can fit the image
may well be happy with that. On some displays, to the screen which usually results in bands
“They will appear smaller on this can result in a lack of sharpness, however, so
you might want to try one of the different options
either side (handy for placing icons). You can also
stretch it to fill the screen, centre it or, if available,
Macs that have a hi-res display” instead. Click the dropdown menu. use it as a tile. Play around until you’re happy.

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