I don't usually recommend messing about with system files and images, but here's an easy and safe tweak for Lion. You know that grey fabric background of Mission Control? You can change it to whatever you like!
The image file is inside /System/Library/CoreServices/Dock.app, at /Contents/Resources/defaultdesktop.png. It is 256x256 pixels, and displays in tiled format. This gives the illusion of being one big image, while maintaining a small file size. If you edit this image, you're pretty much limited to colors and textures.
However, if you rename this image to defaultdesktop-old.png, or delete it, the Mission Control background becomes the system standard wallpaper.
The Andromeda Galaxy wallpaper location is /System/Library/CoreServices/DefaultDesktop.jpg. So, in order to make a full Mission Control background replacement, place your custom wallpaper in this location.
1. Open Finder
2. Navigate to /System/Library/CoreServices/DefaultDesktop.jpg
3. Rename file DefaultDesktop-old.jpg
4. Place any suitable wallpaper .jpg image in /System/Library/CoreServices/
5. Rename file DefaultDesktop.jpg
6. Log Out, then Log In
Further theming and tweaks can be done to other images in this folder. You similarly change such items as dashboard background, login screen, dock background, system preferences icons, and more. Be sure to back up before editing any of these files. Post your results in the Customization area of the forum here. Can't wait to see what you come up with!
Update: Just found the location of the Dashboard wallpaper- it's in the same location, but it's a much smaller file called pirelli.jpg. If you rename it in the same way, the default wallpaper is used for the background.
-tonymacx86 & MacMan
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27 comments:
No need to log out/in. Just open up terminal and execute: killall Dock
and what about the dashboard background, the new one's horrible!
@Anonymous-
Just found the location of the Dashboard wallpaper- it's in the same location, but it's a much smaller file called pirelli.jpg. If you rename it in the same way, the default wallpaper is used for the background:
Dashboard Wallpaper Image
Does anyone know how to get "Revert to saved" animated background and to set it anywhere?
Don't forget about Settings, mission control ,uncheck show dashboard as a space... if you don't want that awful background at all! I personally like the going back to the old SL look lol.
Can anyone confirm that this some how turns off start up items? Once I logged out and in all mine were turned off. Easy to turn them back on but makes me wonder.
we have the same background pic, the one with the mountains :D
Any permissions to be repaired?
Where can I get this beatiful background? :)
really very good and informative. As soon as I installed Mac OS X Lion I began playing around with all the new features. Naturally, Mission Control and Dashboard were two of the first things I tried. I immediately hated the image backgrounds Apple chose to use and began searching for a way to alter them. It didn’t take long, and it’s quite simple to do. Here are are the instructions.
Hey Tony, You really have a BIIIG screen dude !!!
Yes, where can we get the mountain bg?
Source of that epic mountain wallpaper?!?
@Anonymous
Here's the wallpaper:
http://www.wallpaperweb.org/wallpaper/nature/1920x1080/Wallpaper_1080p_4.jpg
You can also change the Launchpad folder backgrounds, it's ecsb_background_tile.png
http://osxdaily.com/2011/08/03/change-launchpad-folder-background-image-mac-os-x-lion/
Hey I'm having a problem finding that pirelli.jpg. It's not in the coreservices folder
+1. I don't see pirelli.*
Also, you can change the little picture of the dashboard background when in mission control by changing the mini_pirelli.png file. Just be careful as the size of the picture should be one tenth of your screen resolution. I have 2560x1600, so my mini_pirelli.png is 256x160 pixels
Same problem with pirelli... it simply doesn't exist.
pirelli.png is inside Dock.app and in /Contents/Resources.
Just rename it to pirelli_old.png or similar and copy in the pirelli.png of your choice. Note: it must be a png -- jpg will not work. I just went into Preview and exported it as a png file. No other, more complicated procedures were necessary.
Confirmed working - tested on my MBP running Lion.
Now, how to prevent it from tiling ;)
anyone know where the login background is?
I used iPhoto to crop "pirelli" file to 1440 x 900 (Macbook Pro), export into PNG with custom dimensions to 1440 - width for the large main Dashboard and 144 for the small Mission Control one. I finally figured it out after some trials. I like the Terminal command: killall Dock. This saves the hassel of logging in & out.
Changing the log-in screen background is even easier. You can find it at /System/Library/Frameworks/AppKit.framework/Versions/C/Resources/NSTexturedFullScreenBackgroundColor. The only caveat to it is that whatever image you use, it has to be 72 DPI. The detailed instructions are here just in case:
http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/os_x_lion_change_login_screens_dirty_linen/
If you aren't the adventurous type and would rather automate the process, you can use this app:
http://www.addictivetips.com/mac-os/change-mac-os-x-10-7-lion-login-screen-with-loginox/
This didn't work for me - I want to put the picture of a lion from the os x backgrounds as the dashboard background.
Couldn't find it, so downloaded it, it's 3200x2000 i think, is that the problem?
Part of the picture came up but the rest was kinda blurred, and it was really zoomed in.
Any ideas?
Oh wow, glad for the change, plus the ability to TURN OFF "dashboard as a space".... now the dashboard is an overlay again which actually makes a lot more sense.
This made me miss Switzerland.
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