Size of desktop wallpapers - maemo.org

pelago | # 1 | 2009-09-30, 14:04 | Report

Does anyone know the size of the pictures that can be used for the desktop wallpaper (background) in Maemo 5/N900? Before you say 800x480 (or 3200x480 for one picture that covers all four desktops), I don't think that's right.

Videos of the sideways scrolling of the desktop show that there is a parallax effect, where the widgets scroll faster than the wallpaper. So the wallpaper will scroll less than 800 pixels when moving from one desktop to the next. I'm pretty sure this will mean two things: (1) Individual desktop pictures will be 480 pixels high, but less than 800 pixels wide, (2) You will be able to see the left and right edges of the adjacent wallpapers on all desktops.

(2) is particularly a shame, as it would be hard to have different desktops with radically different wallpapers, without it looking messy. I guess this is why the demo wallpapers are like a long thin image that blends from one desktop to another, without a hard edge between desktops.

If I've got this wrong, then let me know!

zerojay | # 2 | 2009-09-30, 14:09 | Report

Originally Posted by pelago View Post

Does anyone know the size of the pictures that can be used for the desktop wallpaper (background) in Maemo 5/N900? Before you say 800x480 (or 3200x480 for one picture that covers all four desktops), I don't think that's right.

Videos of the sideways scrolling of the desktop show that there is a parallax effect, where the widgets scroll faster than the wallpaper. So the wallpaper will scroll less than 800 pixels when moving from one desktop to the next. I'm pretty sure this will mean two things: (1) Individual desktop pictures will be 480 pixels high, but less than 800 pixels wide, (2) You will be able to see the left and right edges of the adjacent wallpapers on all desktops.

(2) is particularly a shame, as it would be hard to have different desktops with radically different wallpapers, without it looking messy. I guess this is why the demo wallpapers are like a long thin image that blends from one desktop to another, without a hard edge between desktops.

If I've got this wrong, then let me know!

Desktop backgrounds are 800x480. Each desktop is individually configured. Those demo wallpapers are really just 4 separate images. If you don't see the problem with the demo wallpaper, you won't see it with your own desktop images.

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kanishou | # 3 | 2009-09-30, 14:27 | Report

Yes, the wallpapers are regular 800x480.

The parallax effect is magic.

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bheetebrij | # 4 | 2009-09-30, 14:46 | Report

Originally Posted by pelago View Post

(2) is particularly a shame, as it would be hard to have different desktops with radically different wallpapers, without it looking messy. I guess this is why the demo wallpapers are like a long thin image that blends from one desktop to another, without a hard edge between desktops.

I think you are right in that it looks slightly less holistic to have 4 different background images. On the other hand in the Demo Jussi gave of the N900 [link] he has 4 different backgrounds (check out first 30 seconds) and it actually looks kind of cool if you ask me.

It is a matter of taste though.

thecursedfly | # 5 | 2009-09-30, 15:26 | Report

I have this, this, this and this ready to be cut in 4 parts...

just need to find some that loop (meaning that the extreme left corner continues the theme of the extreme right corner)...

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pelago | # 6 | 2009-09-30, 16:04 | Report

Originally Posted by kanishou View Post

Yes, the wallpapers are regular 800x480.

The parallax effect is magic.

I can't get my head round how the parallax effect can work without the wallpapers being narrower than 800, but I'll take your word for it, thanks!

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nymajoak | # 7 | 2009-09-30, 16:07 | Report

Originally Posted by pelago View Post

I can't get my head round how the parallax effect can work without the wallpapers being narrower than 800, but I'll take your word for it, thanks!

It is not necessarily connected to the wallpaper. The icons are also moving...

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Red | # 8 | 2009-09-30, 16:11 | Report

Delayed on/off for the icons. Think about it.

1) Start scrolling the background and the icons off at the same time, but have the icons move slightly faster so that the background is only 50% scrolled by the time they are off screen.

2) You now have 50% of each desktop background showing, time to scroll in your new icons. They will need to travel twice as fast as the background to reach their final position at the same time as the background.

3) ????

4) Parallax!

hartti | # 9 | 2009-09-30, 18:51 | Report

When you scroll/pan sideways the background moves with the speed of you finger, and the icons move "faster". This creates the "parallax effect"

Hartti

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pelago | # 10 | 2009-09-30, 20:28 | Report

Originally Posted by hartti View Post

When you scroll/pan sideways the background moves with the speed of you finger, and the icons move "faster". This creates the "parallax effect"

Ah, thanks for the explanation. I didn't think of it working that way. For some reason I assumed the widgets would move at "finger speed" (them being the things that look like they are closest to the finger) with the wallpaper lagging behind in the distance.

I wonder if it'll look odd that the widgets move faster than the finger? I suppose it will only be noticeable if you swipe at a slow pace.