How to Create Your Own Dynamic Wallpaper for MacOS
Since the launch of macOS Mojave in 2018, users have been able to experience dynamic wallpapers (originally called dynamic desktops)—background images that change color depending on the time of day. So that night falls just like outside your window, night will fall on your desktop wallpaper.
It’s a great idea, and if you load up the Wallpaper section of System Preferences in macOS today, you’ll find no less than 31 different dynamic wallpapers to choose from, courtesy of Apple—everything from landscape shots of nature to abstract patterns and more. enough to last you more than a year if you replace it with a new one every two weeks.
What you can’t do natively in macOS is set your own dynamic wallpaper. You’ll need a third party app to make this work, and there are a few really good ones you can try: Equinox and Dynaper . There is also a website called Dynamic Wallpaper Club , which features a gallery of many high-quality dynamic wallpapers, as well as a tool for creating your own via a web interface.
To start with, you’ll need at least two images to make a dynamic wallpaper, and what they show and how you make them is up to you: they can represent the same place at different times, but it doesn’t have to be.
Create Dynamic Wallpapers with Equinox
You can download Equinox for free from the Mac App Store , and once you’ve launched it, you’ll need to choose how your new dynamic wallpaper will work: Solar Power (images change based on sunrise and sunset times in your area), Time ( images change depending on other specific points in time) or Appearance (images change depending on whether macOS is in light or dark mode).
On the next screen, you need to add one or more images to form a dynamic wallpaper (if you add an image that you later want to remove, right-click on it and select “Remove Image “). You can drag images into the program window or click Browse to select them manually. For the Appearance option, you only need two images, but there is no limit to the number of images you can use for other modes (click and drag the images to rearrange them after import).
In Sunlight mode, you need to provide altitude and azimuth information, as well as the position of the sun in the sky when the photo was taken. If you are not sure, use the “Calculator” button to calculate them depending on the time of day and your region. In Time mode, you just need to specify the time each image appears – Equinox will automatically add some times, but you can change them if necessary.
Click “Create” and after a few minutes of calculation, a new dynamic wallpaper will be created. Equinox gives you many options in the following dialog: you can save the new image to disk, share it with another application, or set a dynamic wallpaper directly inside Equinox. If you want to start over with a new batch of images, click Create .
Finding and installing dynamic wallpapers
You have many options for creating dynamic wallpapers in macOS. You can go out into the real world with a camera and a tripod—maybe even take a time-lapse photo from which you can select multiple frames. Alternatively, if you only have one image, you can use your favorite image editor to manipulate the lighting and colors so you have multiple versions.
If you prefer to use a dynamic wallpaper created by someone else, visit the galleries available on the Dynamic Wallpaper Club website and the 24 Hour Wallpaper app for macOS. The latter requires a fee—$1.29 for wallpapers or $69.99 for all 125 images—but they’re all of impressive quality. Whatever your preference for backgrounds for your Mac, you’ll be able to find something you’ll love.
On the Dynamic Wallpaper Club website, you have the ability to create your own dynamic wallpapers, although you will need to register for a free account. Through the web interface you can select images and select times. It’s not as nice as Equinox, but it’s there if you need it (be sure to uncheck the “Public Wallpaper” checkbox if you don’t want to share your creation with the Dynamic Wallpaper Club community).
Setting a dynamic wallpaper is actually very simple: open the Apple menu, then System Preferences , then choose Wallpaper . Click Add Photo and Select , then point macOS at the dynamic wallpaper you created. You will see that the image type is set to “Dynamic” in the top right corner and the images will switch automatically based on the time you provide.