Our choice of PC and mobile wallpaper says a lot about us. Personalizing it with photos of our loved ones, our pets, our holiday photos or our favorite artists is common, but for some time now it has also been possible to go further and use moving images . If you want to add an animated wallpaper to your device we will explain how.
How To Create An Animated Wallpaper For Your PC
Dynamic wallpapers can give life to your screen (although they may reduce the battery life of your device more than a static image). There are two different options of animated backgrounds: multiple successive photos, or a video (or even gifs).
There are different programs to create an animated background. Typically, these programs will require you to pay, although they are relatively inexpensive. We will go into detail about two in particular: Push Video Wallpaper and Wallpaper Engine .
Push Video Wallpaper
Push Video Wallpaper gives you two options: a free, limited and watermarked version, or the full version for $8.50. To get started, download it from this link. Once downloaded, run it to install it on your PC by following the installation instructions.
When the installation is complete, you will see a series of predefined animated screens that you can use. As we have already said, if you only choose to use the free version, “trial” will appear at the bottom of your screen. These wallpapers will automatically adjust to the size of your screen, but remember they must have a suitable size and resolution to be displayed in a high quality.
Among the examples, you can choose whether you want them to be played one after the other (randomly or in a specific order), or to use just one. If you decide on the first option, you can configure a playlist and decide if you want them to be played in order or randomly (by pressing the Shuffle button). If you choose the second option, press the Loop button to make it loop or leave it at the default setting so that they go through in order.
Push Video Wallpaper allows you to use different types of animated backgrounds: video files, GIFs, and YouTube videos , including live broadcasts. To add a clip, click on the '+' icon if it's a local file, or ' Add URL' if it's an Internet video.
The program allows you to add and remove backgrounds, raise or lower the volume of the video, change the brightness and transparency of the desktop icons, and switch from one background to another.
To download one of Push Video Wallpaper’s prefabricated designs, click on the three dots and it will show you the various options. If you prefer more variety, you can search on other pages such as Videezy, Pixabay, Wallhaven, HD Wallpapers, Unsplash, etc.
Wallpaper Engine
Wallpaper Engine, by Steam , costs only $3.99 and allows you to add animated backgrounds to your Windows desktop, similar to Push Video Wallpaper. It supports different types of wallpaper from websites and your own videos, in 2D and 3D. The good thing is that as it belongs to Steam, you will have the more than 100,000 community created backgrounds at your disposal for free.
To use it, download Wallpaper Engine from this page and install it. Next, click on ' Change Wallpaper ' and go to ' Open from File ' (if you want to use a local video) or ' Open from URL '(if you want a video from the internet).
When you see the desired clip, mark it and hit ' Apply '. With this simple gesture, your animated wallpaper will have been activated.
If you want the Wallpaper Engine to start automatically when your PC boots, go to ' Settings ', then to ' General ' and check ' Start with Windows '>' Apply '. Ready!
How to Create an Animated Wallpaper for Your Android
If you want to create an animated background for your Android cell phone, there are several apps, including PhotoPhase, and the very professional Adobe Spark Post that will do the job. We are going to explain only one of them, PhotoPhase, since it is free and gives you a lot of freedom to customize your phone (backgrounds, but also filters, effects, position of the image on your screen, etc. ).
Once downloaded (from this link), you can start creating your own backgrounds. Choose the wallpaper you like the most, go to ' General ' and press ' Set as background '.
The good news is that there are also countless pages that allow you to get animated wallpapers for mobile. Among the best you have Minima, with minimalist and elegant designs, Munzei, which focuses on artwork, Pixel 4D, which despite the name, has numerous 3D animated wallpapers, etc.
Do you dare to create a very original wallpaper?
Photo: © Unsplash.