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Some Possible Screen BackDrops

Textures  Sunsets  Sunsets2  Clouds 1  Clouds 2  Clouds 3  Winter  Winter 2  Tame Blossom  Roses  Wild Blossom  Wild Clematis  Wild MayDay, etc.  Greenery  Miscellaneous  Early Fall I  Early Fall II  Mid Fall  Late Fall  Frost 1  Frost 2 99/08/07  99/08/15  99/08/16  Mexico  00/04/09  Fall-2000  XMas-2000  June 15 2002  Fall 2003

Last updated: October 7, 2003

Most computer systems nowadays let you put a picture as the backdrop or wallpaper behind your windows. With Unix, running the X Window System, you can do this with the command 'xloadimage -onroot -quiet xxx.jpg &". On Microsoft Windows systems, you can do this with the display properties gadget - just go to the "Background" tab, and browse for wallpaper to find the file you want to use. On Windows, you have to use .BMP files, which are quite a bit bigger than .JPG files for the same image. If you want a .BMP form of any of my pictures, and don't have the tools to create one from a .JPG, just let me know. (If you are using Internet Explorer, you can right-click on the image and set it as wallpaper.) I can be reached via email at cg@GraySage.COM. Note that you want the image to be the same size as your screen resolution.

These pictures have all been taken with my FujiFilm MX-700 digital camera. I'm reasonably happy with it, but an optical zoom would have been nice. Also, on bright days, its hard to see the screen, so as to see what I'm getting as an image. This is the reason for some of the extra edge stuff in some of the pictures. Looking through the viewfinder is often awkward - I often hold the camera at arm's length to get the image I want. If you don't want the extra stuff, you can get the larger image and cut the unwanted stuff out. You might then have to re-scale the picture to your screen size.

Many of these backdrops will be too bright for use by some people. For me, since I normally have 2 text windows occupying most of my screen, this isn't a problem. If you need dimmer images and don't have the tools to make them, let me know. On Unix, either the 'xv' program or the 'convert' program can do it for you.

I'm open to suggestions for other backdrop images. For local folks, I live in the Old Strathcona area of Edmonton.

I currently have 24 sets of backdrops available:
Textures
There are 34 images in this directory. Some of them are pretty strange, but you never know what someone might choose for a backdrop!
Sunset Images
Here I have 27 pictures of sunsets. Some are mostly cloud pictures, and there are some sunset-time pictures in the clouds directories, too.
Sunset Images
Here are 6 newer sunset pictures.
Cloud Images
There are 39 images here. All I need now are some big white thunderheads, and perhaps some interesting cirrus clouds.
More Cloud Images
I got so many cloud pictures that I needed to start another directory. There are currently 15 pictures here.
More Cloud Images
This directory has 18 pictures taken on 3 evenings in early July, 2000.
Winter Images
18 images so far. The idea of doing backdrops didn't strike me until the first good winter scenes had left. Perhaps more in subsequent winters.
Winter Images 2
24 new images images here.
Tame (Cultivated) Flower Images
I have 33 pictures here, all taken in 1999. Identification of the unknown ones would be nice. Some of these pictures are fairly bright.
Rose (Tame and Wild) Images
There are 8 images here.
Wild Flower Images
I don't have many pictures here - only 7. Some related pictures are on the Miscellaneous page, and see also the Wild Clematis page.
Wild Clematis Images
This year (2000), the Wild Clematis seems early and abundant. I counted a dozen bunches around one fairly small area in my walk. So, I went back a couple of times and took a bunch of backdrop pictures. There are 10 in total.
Wild MayDay, etc.
Here are 8 shots of some semi-wild MayDay, and some that I believe are ChokeCherries, along with a bit of Clematis.
Greenery Images
There are 36 pictures here - some make pretty good backdrops as is.
Miscellaneous Images
The 20 images here didn't directly fit in other directories.
Early Fall Images I
12 early fall images.
Early Fall Images II
This set is all from one day - there are 23 of them.
Mid Fall Images 25 images here - lots of leaves!
Late Fall Images Only 6 images here, and winter is soon upon us!
Frost on Windows There are 24 images here. Not surprisingly, they are fairly similar.
Frosty Trees There are 14 images here, some quite pretty.
August 7, 1999
The 14 images here were taken on an evening that combined a sunset with an approaching thunderhead, to give some spectacular sky views.
August 15, 1999
The 8 images here were taken near sunset when there were some clouds lit near the setting sun, and also some high, thin clouds lit to a pinkish colour towards the east.
August 16, 1999
These 7 images are from another evening when a rapidly approaching storm cloud mixed with sunset. Not as impressive as the earlier one.
Mexico
In Februrary 2000, I went with my family to Puerto Vallarta Mexico, for a wedding. This page has 13 images from that trip.
April 9, 2000
April 9, 2000 dawned with a couple of inches of fresh, wet snow. I decided it was time to make up for my lack of other good snowy backdrops. There are 21 pictures in this set.
Fall, 2000
Some much needed warm weather in mid-september 2000 triggered another picture-taking hike. 22 pictures.
Over Christmas, 2000
A Christmas trip - more snow there than here in Edmonton! So, took some pictures on a walk. 21 wintery pictures.
June 15, 2002
I wanted to get a specific picture on this short walk. Ended up with 9 pictures, mostly of bush flowers.
A dozen pictures from a spectacular fall day, and 3 of a later full-arch double rainbow.


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