John’s Background Switcher Keeps Your Desktop Wallpaper Fresh

Wallpaper switchers are not a new invention. If you've e'er found yourself bored with a background knowledge image that once seemed beautiful and dramatic work, you may have felt the need for such a tool. However, few applications (and even fewer free applications) mature over time to go equally capable and impressive as John's Background Switcher.

John's Background Switcher screenshot — John's Play down Switcher can rive wallpaper images from a rank of online sources, as well as from your own computer.

John's Background Switcher (Oregon JBS) can pulling in images from a wide array of online sources, so much as Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug. IT also works with VladStudio, a website that specializes in wallpapers. If the images you're looking aren't located in any particular site, JBS can even use Google, Bing or Yahoo! image search with any query you allow, to pull in images from across the entire Vane.

You don't have to commit to just one wallpaper root: JBS lets you mix and meet septuple sources, each with its own source-limited options. For example, when you opinion poll Flickr for images, you bottom specify a hunt string along (a nonproprietary option), simply you can as wel narrow your search down to a specific Flickr radical and prime whether to sort images by "interestingness" (a Flickr rhythmic) or newness. You can also crown the corresponding source for images in twofold categories–I have seven different Flickr profiles set up.

Some websites, such as DeviantArt, publish RSS feeds that check images. JBS can bait into such feeds and use them as image sources. Lamentably, this doesn't operate with every feed–feeds must be in a specific format called Media RSS. My personal personal dearie, Simple Desktops, does not export such a feed.

Since images are pulled turned the wild wild Web, they may not always concord with you. If you like a certain feed just find an image offensive, you can right-click the JBS system tray icon and prize "Ne'er Point Once more." JBS saves its Universal resource locator in a "banned wallpapers" tilt, and that's the lastly time you're in all probability to come across of that particular wallpaper.

If an entire source isn't returning the results you'd hoped for, you can always tweak it and try again. Connected the other hand, if it is working but you'Re just tired of it for now, you can retributory disable that feed in JBS. This way, you don't lose day in and day out you spent configuring information technology, and can enable it at a ulterior time.

JBS can also change the background for the Windows logon shield. This is not the first utility I've come across that hind end set this: Moneymaking tool DisplayFusion Favoring also includes an pick to replace the logon screen background, but pops up a UAC prompt all time it tries to switch backgrounds. JBS makes the flip-flop seamless, nary a prompt visible. Gospel According to John (the developer) tells Maine this was accomplished by having the installer tweak file permissions, making prompts unnecessary. Once you switch this option along, your logon screen will always match your wallpaper, giving the system a uniform look.

As far A wallpaper switchers go, John's Background Switcher is one of the most adequate tools I've had the pleasure of using heretofore, and IT comes at a price that privy't exist beat.