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ATPM 12.03
March 2006

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Desktop Pictures

Quartz Composer

Quartz Composer

This month’s desktop pictures were created from Quartz Composer models developed by Futurismo Zugakousaku. Apple’s Quartz Composer is a “groundbreaking graphics development environment that allows you to explore the incredible power of the graphics stack of Mac OS X Tiger.”

Previous Months’ Desktop Pictures

Pictures from previous months are listed in the desktop pictures archives.

Downloading All the Pictures at Once

iCab and Interarchy can download an entire set of desktop pictures at once. Use the “Web ‣ Download Entire Site” command in the File menu, giving it the URL to the pictures page above. In iCab, use the Download command to download “Get all files in same path.”

Contributing Your Own Desktop Pictures

If you have a picture, whether a small series or just one fabulous or funny shot, feel free to send it to editor@atpm.com and we’ll consider publishing it in next month’s issue. Have a regular print but no scanner? Don’t worry. E-mail us, and we tell you where to send it so we can scan it for you. Note that we cannot return the original print, so send us a copy.

Placing Desktop Pictures

Mac OS X 10.3.x and 10.4.x

Choose “System Preferences…” from the Apple menu, click the “Desktop & Screen Saver” button, then choose the Desktop tab. In the left-side menu, select the desktop pictures folder you want to use.

You can also use the pictures with Mac OS X’s built-in screen saver. Select the Screen Saver tab which is also in the “Desktop & Screen Saver” System Preferences pane. If you put the ATPM pictures in your Pictures folder, click on the Pictures Folder in the list of screen savers. Otherwise, click Choose Folder to tell the screen saver which pictures to use.

Mac OS X 10.1.x and 10.2.x

Choose “System Preferences…” from the Apple menu and click the Desktop button. With the pop-up menu, select the desktop pictures folder you want to use.

You can also use the pictures with Mac OS X’s built-in screen saver. Choose “System Preferences…” from the Apple menu. Click the Screen Saver (10.1.x) or Screen Effects (10.2.x) button. Then click on Custom Slide Show in the list of screen savers. If you put the ATPM pictures in your Pictures folder, you’re all set. Otherwise, click Configure to tell the screen saver which pictures to use.

Mac OS X 10.0.x

Switch to the Finder. Choose “Preferences…” from the “Finder” menu. Click on the “Select Picture…” button on the right. In the Open Panel, select the desktop picture you want to use. The panel defaults to your ~/Library/Desktop Pictures folder. Close the “Finder Preferences” window when you are done.

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Reader Comments (7)

Mark Hilton · March 17, 2006 - 07:52 EST #1
I absolutely love "Flowers 1" and have set the .jpeg as my desktop image. However I have failed utterly to set it as my screen-saver. It doesn't matter which folder I put it in, my system (10.4.5, fully up-to-date) simply doesn't recognise it, nor apparently any other files with the same .qtz extension. Pity!

Mark
ATPM Staff · March 17, 2006 - 14:27 EST #2
Mark - .QTZ extension? You're trying to to open the native Quartz Composer documents in your Screen Saver? Pretty sure you'll have no luck there. Stick to the JPEGs and you'll be fine.
Mark Hilton · March 17, 2006 - 20:31 EST #3
Thanks for the response. I mentioned this because if you click on the models link to the creator's page http://www.zugakousaku.com/index.cgi?quartz&samples&en& it says "You can also drag qtz files into your screensaver folder (~/Library/Screen Savers) and use them in that way."
I just thought (a) that I should point it out to other readers who follow the link that I can't get it to work, or (b) that someone there might know the trick to get it working.
So what use is a .QTZ file?
Mark
ATPM Staff · March 18, 2006 - 13:54 EST #4
Mark - the best advice we can offer is to head over to that Quartz Composer web site and inquire there, seeing as how that's where the claim about .qtz files is made.
anonymous · March 18, 2006 - 20:38 EST #5
Thanks. I've been there. It's not a great issue for me. I would have liked to use it as a screen-saver, but the jpg makes a great desktop anyway!

Cheers
Mark
Phillip Winn · March 26, 2007 - 21:09 EST #6
I drag *.qtz files to my Screen Savers folder with no problems. They're then selectable in System Preferences.

OS X 10.4, in case that makes a difference.
Drew Dehel · November 6, 2007 - 01:28 EST #7
I was just trying to get a .qtz file to work as my screen saver as well, and I think I have figured out that my video card doesn't support it. Perhaps that is also your issue? System Profiler says "Quartz Extreme: Not Supported" and no QTZ file shows anything when I run it directly, nor does the Screen Saver window show it as an option. I have an old G4 Cube running 10.4.10.

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