Wallpaper Engine News

Hello everyone, today we are happy to announce that we will soon be releasing a free Android version of Wallpaper Engine. On top of that, we are also releasing Wallpaper Engine 1.7 today which brings a new set of features including video-based textures and support for web wallpapers with video livestreams.

[h2]Wallpaper Engine Android Companion App[/h2]

In the past few months, we have developed an Android app of Wallpaper Engine that offers support for dynamic scene and video wallpapers. The Wallpaper Engine companion app will be available for free to everyone, users of Wallpaper Engine on Windows will be able to share their wallpaper collection wirelessly with their Android phones and tablets. We developed an easy way to securely transfer your Workshop wallpapers to your mobile devices. Since accessing the Workshop is not possible on Android, the Windows version of Wallpaper Engine will serve as a hub to take your wallpapers on the go.

Just like the Windows app, the Android app will also not contain any sort of hidden costs or advertisements and it will also not collect any personal data - we consider the app a free add-on for existing Wallpaper Engine users.

Developing the new Android app was quite an intensive undertaking. However, when it came to porting Wallpaper Engine to any new additional platforms, it was the most rational platform to add next due the huge user base of Android around the globe. The work we have done to support Android will also benefit any future potential ports to other platforms, though Android was still comparatively simple compared to other operating systems. If you are hoping to see Wallpaper Engine on other platforms in the future, please be patient, it is simply not possible for us to port Wallpaper Engine to every single platform at once since it is a tremendous amount of work to do so.

[h3]Sneak Peek of Wallpaper Engine for Android[/h3]

We have prepared a small preview of what Wallpaper Engine looks like on Android. The feature set is very extensive and just like Wallpaper Engine for Windows, the wallpapers are fully dynamic and allow for a great level of user customization. You can also configure a wallpaper playlist, set an FPS limit and configure other battery-saving features and import local videos and GIFs straight into the app.

Wallpapers created in the Wallpaper Engine editor will first be converted into a mobile-compatible format before being sent to your phone. The process is pretty straight-forward for end-users but a more extensive description of this will follow at the time of the release.

Check out the following previews of the Android app:






[h2]Steam Workshop Agreement[/h2]

Accessing the Steam Workshop from mobile devices is not possible since this is not supported by Steam. However, we developed a convenient way to allow you to transfer compatible wallpapers from your desktop computer to your mobile device with ease, as long as both devices are using the same local network connection.

Since this has never been done before on Steam, we require all content creators to agree to our addendum to the Steam Workshop agreement before their content can be transferred to mobile devices, otherwise Wallpaper Engine will not allow users to transfer their wallpapers.

If you have uploaded any wallpapers to Wallpaper Engine, please review and accept the addendum to the Steam Workshop Agreement for Wallpaper Engine here so that your users can use your wallpapers on Android once the app has been released:

• View in web browser: Workshop Agreement
• View in Steam: Workshop Agreement

[h2]Android App Release[/h2]

The Android version of Wallpaper Engine will likely be available on various app stores in late November, though an accurate estimate is difficult to make - make sure to keep an eye on our Steam update news for more information in the future. The Android app is already in a stable state, but we still have to do some final testing and prepare the release on various app stores. The app will support devices running Android 8.1 or newer.

It is also important to us that a large number of content creators review and accept our addendum to the Steam Workshop Agreement before the app is available so that users can choose from a large selection of Android-compatible wallpapers. If you are a content creator, be sure to review the Workshop Agreement, see the section above for more information. If you are a user and want to make sure your favorite content creator is aware of the upcoming Android release, share the link to this news with them or send them a link to our help website which also explains this in more detail:

• help.wallpaperengine.io/mobile/workshop

Aside from Android, we have also been working on another update for Wallpaper Engine on Windows. With Wallpaper Engine 1.7, we are adding video texture support for Scene wallpapers and a new Livestream Mode, among other new features and bug fixes.

[h2]Video Textures[/h2]

Up until now, the Wallpaper Engine editor only supported static image as a basis for all imported materials. We have now created a way that users can import .mp4 video files as image layers in the editor and they can used just like any other image layer, meaning effects can be applied to them and other assets may be placed over them, allowing for video-based wallpapers to become just as interactive and dynamic as static wallpapers previously. We recommend using H.264 compression for the best compatibility across systems.

You can also use video files as base textures of your wallpaper, to do this, click on "Use a Template" in the editor welcome window, select "2D Scene" and configure the resolution of your video file. Then simply drag and drop your video file into the new project and it will be added as a new image layer in your project.

[h2]Web Livestream Support[/h2]

A relatively specific feature request in the past was to support setting web livestreams as wallpapers. Due to license issues, this is not easily possible and required us to implement a whole new web framework solely to enable livestream video formats for websites. To access the new Livestream Mode, click on "Open Wallpaper" in the lower left corner of Wallpaper Engine, then select "Open from URL".

You can now enable the new "Use Livestream Mode" option for URLs with livestreams in them. The first time you access this feature, Wallpaper Engine will install the new Microsoft's Edge WebView browser which is automatically maintained by Microsoft and includes support for the required video formats. It's also somewhat limited in its Wallpaper Engine functions, so we only recommend using it if you specifically want to set a livestream as a wallpaper. Specifically, there is no keyboard input and using the mouse for input requires hiding the icons first with the built-in hotkey.

The full changelog for Wallpaper Engine 1.7 can be found here:

• Added Workshop EULA to prepare the Wallpaper Engine Android release.
  
• Added video texture support for scenes.
  
• Added LiveStream Mode to "Open URL" dialog which uses Edge WebView to support video streams.
  
• Added option to sync static lock-screen image & static Windows wallpaper with live wallpaper.
  
• Added audio recording icon to application rule program list.
  
• Added new option to only show editor performance stats when needed.
  
• Added support for custom titles to local wallpapers.
  
• Added JPEG rotation EXIF support so JPEG files get rotated pre-import.
  
• Editor update project.json of web wallpapers every time apply is used to ensure audio responsiveness works more reliably while developing.
  
• Added safety measure to avoid crashes with video files when the playback rate cannot be properly read from video files.
  

• Fixed wallpapers not muting when screensaver is active.
  
• Fixed screensaver playlists not being editable properly.
  
• Fixed screensavers also changing Windows theme colors.
  
• Fixed local preview images not being cropped.
  
• Fixed lighting settings not being editable after previewing.
  
• Fixed unsubscribed items not disappearing.
  
• Fixed user interface crash if Steam was extremely out-of-date.
  
• Fixed undo functionality in editor in combination with the light height slider.
  
• Fixed undo/redo getting stuck when going too fast.
  
• Fixed UI without hardware acceleration not disabling effects.
  
• Fixed asset updating.
  
• Fixed preset update system to account for new Steam behavior.
  
• Fixed effect copy/paste using selected item instead of right clicked item.
  
• Fixed scene audio playback not playing again if wallpaper is paused at the same time a song finishes.
  
• Fixed wrong user properties being applied to cloned wallpapers in screensaver mode without DWM live image copy.
  

• Fixed black screen after screensaver if Wallpaper Engine is only used for screensavers and not wallpapers.
  
• Screensavers now do not override the lock-screen image and Windows wallpaper even if the options for this are enabled.
  
• Fixed some log entries being generated regarding "missing files".
  

Hello everyone, this is mainly a maintenance update which introduces a few minor improvements and mainly fixes a few issues that were reported to us after the previous Wallpaper Engine 1.6 release.

You can find the full changelog here:


[h2]Additions / Changes[/h2]

• Added Dota / Counter-Strike Collection highlight
  
• Improved normal map generator.
  

[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]

• Added workaround for flickering wallpaper when native mouse input is disabled.
  
• Fixed playlist not skipping missing wallpapers.
  
• Fixed intro wallpaper playback not being reliable when the timer is too short.
  
• Improved playlist state persistence.
  
• Improved puppet warp sheet generation speed.
  

[h2]Support Notes[/h2]

If you have any questions or issues with the update, please have a look at our help site as it covers the most common issues with Wallpaper Engine:

[h2]help.wallpaperengine.io[/h2]

Back on March 30th, I wrote about the entirety of Shrek being available to download via Steam for Wallpaper Engine. It was removed within twelve hours and I feel no remorse. But while moderators can remove files from the Steam Workshop, they can't remove them from your PC, and I've kept Shrek as my desktop wallpaper for nearly three months.

Today, I'm removing it. Here is what I've learned.

Read more

Hey everyone,

Wallpaper Engine 1.6 adds a couple of cool features for users and wallpaper creators alike. Wallpaper Engine now allows you to use your wallpapers as screensavers, introduces real-time lighting and reflections on 2D images, comes with a brand new mini mode and allows you to set a wallpaper that plays only once as an intro wallpaper when you start your computer.


Wallpaper Engine 1.6 introduces real-time lighting and reflections to 2D scene wallpapers which can have a major impact on the visual quality of wallpapers and can really bring images to life. The underlying technology relies on physically based rendering (PBR) to make this feature as performance-friendly and easy to use as possible.



The lights are rendered in real-time and can also dynamically move around the wallpaper. See the following example where we have attached a light source to the mouse pointer:



All of this also comes with a brand new normal map generator that we created so that anyone could create normal maps for their images with relative ease. Normal maps are commonly found in video games and allow flat surfaces (such as 2D images that most people use in Wallpaper Engine) to be perceived as if they are 3D.

If you want to learn how to utilize these features for your own wallpapers, be sure to check out our designer documentation. We have created a couple of guides on lighting and reflection which you can use to get started with your own ideas:

• Real-time Lighting & Reflections

Another cool feature we added is a new functionality that we call foreground separation. It allows you to cut out a character or object from the foreground of your image and then dynamically fill the space behind it. This makes animating characters much easier as it makes them their own separate layer so that you will not have to worry about character effects and animations having an unintended effect on your background image.

See the following slideshow that shows the original image and the separated images that we created from it (filled-in background and foreground character):



If you would like to make use of foreground separation for your own wallpapers, you can learn more about how to use it on our designer documentation website here:

• Foreground Separation

You can also take this one step further and use our new character sheet creation functionality which allows you to cut your character into different pieces that you can then use for a very clean puppet warp animation. If you are interested in learning more about this, we have also prepared a tutorial for that here:

• Character Sheet Creation

Wallpaper Engine 1.6 introduces a new way to use your wallpapers: You can now configure them as a Windows screensaver with proper multi-screen support. You can either choose your screensaver to be exactly the same as your actively running wallpapers or configure a completely new setup just for your screensavers.



You will now find that the Installed tab comes with two sub-menus, one for configuring wallpapers and one for configuring your screensaver. Once you click on the screensaver option, you will be asked to install the Wallpaper Engine screensaver module, which you can then enable as your current screensaver in Windows.

For more infos, see our help page here:

• Screensavers with Wallpaper Engine

Previously, Wallpaper Engine had an opacity slider at the bottom of the window that you could use to lower the opacity of the window. Initially we thought this would be a good way to help users to configure their wallpapers while making sure the window would not obstruct the view on the wallpaper. However, the slider was often moved by accident and was a common reason for support requests as users were confused as to why the UI was transparent for them.

We have now abandoned the old opacity functionality in favor of a brand new mini mode. You can enable the mini mode by pressing the double-arrow button in the upper right corner of the Wallpaper Engine window, pressing F10 will also toggle between mini mode and normal mode. This allows you to keep the user interface as minimal as possible while configuring your wallpaper.




A common yet relatively minor feature request we received was the ability to configure an intro wallpaper. You can now set up a playlist and then enable the First wallpaper played at startup only option, this will play the first wallpaper of a given playlist only once after the app starts. This is especially cool if you have a specific startup video wallpaper or similar that you would like to see whenever your system boots up.

[h2]Full Changelog[/h2]
As always, we have done a lot of smaller fixes and improvements, you can find the full changelog here to get a complete picture of what's new in Wallpaper Engine 1.6:


[h2]Main App[/h2]

• Added screensaver support.
  
• Added real-time lighting and reflections for wallpapers.
  
• Added mini mode for Wallpaper Engine window.
  
• Removed browse window opacity slider because it caused a lot of confusion and has been superseded by mini mode.
  
• Created "intro wallpaper" functionality for playlists that allows setting an intro wallpaper that is only played once at startup.
  
• Playlist states will now persist through restarts.
  
• Added color options to all web type wallpapers.
  
• Added back/forward folder navigation to browser and editor with system backwards/forwards buttons (commonly found as mouse button).
  
• Added dynamic texture reduction option to improve performance on laptops or PCs with low GPU bandwidth.
  
• Added openProfile command-line function.
  
• Redesigned video preview button.
  
• Enabled multi-select functionality in Workshop and Discover tab.
  
• Added Shift/CTRL keys to reduce rotation/scale amount on certain gizmos for more precise adjustments.
  
• Replaced file system library with native library.
  
• Improved age rating table to make it easier understand. Rules have not changed.
  
• Renamed "Questionable" age rating tag to "Partial Nudity" to make it easier to understand. Rules have not changed.
  
• Simplified Steam status to reduce confusion.
  
• Changed iris effect to distort over opacity mask rather than fade.
  
• Added more icons to tray menu options.
  
• Added new Shell API monitor identification option which should be the best in theory.
  
• Changed Traditional Chinese font to Microsoft JhengHei UI.
  
• Updated CUE SDK to 3.0.378 and fixed various issues with the new Corsair iCUE 4.
  
• Updated CEF & V8 libraries.
  

[h2]Wallpaper Editor[/h2]

• Added physically based rendering (PBR) in the form of image layer lighting and reflections.
  
• Added customizable normal map generator.
  
• Added visibility option to lights.
  
• Added foreground separation functionality.
  
• Added character sheet creation functionality.
  
• Added support for image editing in editor through external programs like Photoshop, GIMP, Paint.NET. Click here to learn more.
• Added "Unlisted" visibility option to wallpaper publishing screen.
  
• Added paint brush for blurring the painted areas.
  
• Added HDR iteration control to limit bloom spread with HDR bloom.
  
• Reduced pulse effect noise speed.
  
• Updated missing texture and missing render target preview images in editor.
  
• Added undo/redo buttons to editor toolbar.
  
• Improved texture compilation results for PNGs and mip-maps to reduce artifacts.
  

[h2]Main App[/h2]

• Added a fix for some scenarios that would cause the audio to turn off when switching audio devices on the fly, mainly in combination with USB / Bluetooth audio devices.
  
• Fixed web wallpapers not muting per monitor when switching between web wallpapers.
  
• Prevented invalid playlists with just one wallpaper from being saved.
  
• Fixed "audio responsive" tag showing up in the genre tags.
  

[h2]Wallpaper Editor[/h2]

• Fixed several script sound playback control issues.
  
• Fixed camera paths panel getting stuck when stored as a floating panel.
  
• Fixed script animation events not being sent to other scripts on a layer.
  
• Fixed editor crash during run preview when pressing DEL on preview window.
  
• Fixed "all" and "none" filter selection buttons in asset browser not working.
  
• Fixed flag template wallpapers being marked as having "no animation"
  
• Fixed crashes related to puppet warp editing.
  

• Fixed missing particles on half-installed update state.
  
• Fixed broken wallpapers with parallax in screensaver mode.
  
• Playlist state is now properly deleted when the app is uninstalled.
  
• Wallpaper engine now pauses all wallpapers any screensaver is enabled.
  
• Fixed mini mode button being visible when opening the app maximized from tray.
  
• Fixed presets not auto subbing base wallpaper.
  
• Fixed yellow border on texture import.
  
• Fixed normal map auto-cropping behavior.
  
• Screensavers now correctly load the currently playing wallpapers from a playlist.
  
• Fixed Scene version warning not showing for Scene wallpapers when Wallpaper Engine version is outdated.
  
• Fixed various audio muting issues on web wallpapers.
  
• Fixed various issues related to .webm wallpapers.
  
• Improved paint behavior when switching paint masks quickly.
  
• Fixed paint brush crash when switching masks quickly.
  

[h2]Support Notes[/h2]

If you have any questions or issues with the update, please have a look at our help site as it covers the most common issues with Wallpaper Engine:

[h2]help.wallpaperengine.io[/h2]

Wallpaper Engine is one of the most popular utilities available via Steam. It's a tool that lets you run animated or interactive desktop wallpapers, and download those made by the community from the Steam Workshop. I bought it at the weekend because I was bored.

One of the first community-made wallpapers I found? Shrek, the movie, in its entirety.

Read more