Desktop Wallpaper

[nkeevers]

I sometimes use my photos as desktop wallpaper and I'm having a problem that hasn't come up before.

With my other camera, A Fujifilm S700, all I needed to do was select the picture and the desktop image fit the whole screen on my monitor. I've since bought a new camera, a Canon Rebel XT digi/SLR and when I select the picture to use on my desktop, it doesn't fill out the whole screen but shows a wide black bar along the top and bottom of the screen.

It's probably something simple but I have no clue why it isn't filling my whole screen. Help!

[Carbone]

Windows or Mac ? I'll assume Windows.. Right Click on the Desktop, choose Properties... First Tab, background, make sure that the drop box to the right of the image list says Strech. If not, click on it and choose stretch.

Hope this helps!

Ray

[nkeevers]

Yep, that was one of the first things I tried and, guess what, it isn't working.

[Carbone]

Wow... if you open your image in, say Photoshop or another application, do they show black bars.. ?

Ray

[nkeevers]

I open in PE4 and they do not show any black bars in the photo browser.

[Carbone]

How do you set them as a wallpaper? What software do you use? I wonder if the source software doesn't pad them with a frame or something.

Ray

[nkeevers]

Software meaning...?

[Carbone]

How do you get your Canon pictures as Windows wallpaper.. like (for example), do you use ZoomBrowser, or another programe ? Or do you simply double click on an image from Windows Explorer and in the preview window chose "Set as wallpaper" (or something alike).

Ray

[Mary]

What file format are you trying to use for your desktop wallpaper?:)

[nkeevers]

I'm just using jpeg files in my browser in PSE4. I just edit and have it set the picture as desktop wallpaper.

[Carbone]

Ok.. at this point, I'll let an experienced Windows user step in... :)

Ray

[Diana]

It sounds like the ratio of width to height is not the same as your screen. Sometimes when I download photos from caedes.net for wallpaper they aren't the right proportion and I have to edit them in Elements to shorten the width.

I have one photo I love to use for wallpaper that I left with the colored bars at the top and bottom, then dragged my desktop icons to the top and bottom to leave the picture unobstructed.

Diana

[Carbone]

Diana..

But if you use Strech, isn't the picture distorted to fit the screen?

Ray

[Diana]

I always have mine set to stretch, but there must be a point beyond where it will stretch enough or something if the 4 to 3 ratio is way off...maybe too much distortion?? Plus, in Windows, I think the stretch only goes side to side, not top to bottom, so it could stretch side to side and still not fill from top to bottom, depending on the proportions of the photo.

Most photos I have used for wallpaper work just fine and fill the whole screen, but once in a while I run across one that leaves gaps at the sides or top & bottom, maybe the creator cropped their image a weird size or it's a panoramic or something.

Ray, here's my current wallpaper--I know you'll love it! This looks like an extra wide image or was cropped, then the dark blue strips added at the top and bottom. That's where I have all my icons and shortcuts.
http://www.caedes.net/Zephir.cgi?lib=Caedes::Infopage&image=Neamh-1111004859.jpg

Diana

[Carbone]

I did a few tests at home and what I discovered is :

If the image is bigger than the screen resolution, choosing stretch will make the image distorted if it's not the same aspect ratio as the monitor (i.e. 1024 x 768 is 1.33, where a 10D picture is 3072 x 2048 or 1.5). If you choose a picture from a camera that has 1.33 aspect ratio, then Stretch will not change anything, neither will Center.

If you choose center and both height and width are bigger than the screen resolution (i.e. a Canon 10D picture shot at portrait, 2048 x 3072), then the top and bottom will be cut if you choose Center, and the picture will be distorted if you choose Stretch.

If, however, you choose a picture which is the same width as your screen but shorter in height, then Windows fills the top and bottom with the default background colour (Right - Click on the Desktop, Choose properties, then Desktop, and you'll see which colour is the default background).

http://homepage.mac.com/carbmac/captures/VirtualPC011.jpg

In this example, the image has 1024 pixels wide, but only 684 pixels heigh... so, there's a dark bar at the top and at the bottom.

Ray

[Diana]

Gee, Mr. Scientist, thanks for the investigative experiementation. You've taught us all something. Only you would have the patience to do all that testing. I've told you before, you are the most patient person I know!:D

Diana

[Carbone]

Well.. I like to investigate a good mystery :D
(even if it's Windows related... lol!!)

Ray