How to Make a Wallpaper Image on a MacBook

by Joshua Mcgee
You can change your desktop wallpaper as often as the fancy takes you.

You can change your desktop wallpaper as often as the fancy takes you.

Todd Warnock/Lifesize/Getty Images

Customizing your computer to fit your personality and lifestyle is an important part of owning it. One the easiest ways to customize your computer is by changing what Microsoft Windows calls the wallpaper and what Mac OS calls the background. The background is the image that appears behind the applications and icons. Apple makes it easy to change the background on your Mac so that you can customize your computer's screen as often as you change your mood. In fact, you can even set the background to change automatically.

Step 1

Create the image that you want to use as your wallpaper. You can create or edit the image with any image-editing software, such as Photoshop or Aperture.

Step 2

Save the wallpaper as an image file, in a format such as .jpg, .gif, or .bmp.

Step 3

Select System Preferences from the Apple menu.

Step 4

Select Desktop & Screen Saver from the Personal category. Then select the Desktop tab if it is not already selected.

Step 5

Navigate to the desired wallpaper image. If the folder that contains the image is not visible, click the plus-sign button and navigate to the folder. Click "Choose."

Step 6

Click the desired wallpaper. The background on the desktop will change.

Step 7

Click the the drop-down menu next to the preview picture to change how the image displays. Fill Screen adjusts the image proportionally until it fills the screen and cuts off the remaining portion of the image. Fit to Screen expands the image proportionally until it will no longer fit on the screen. Stretch to Fill Screen stretches the image disproportionally to fill the screen. Center places the image at its original size in the center of the screen. Tile fills the screen with multiple images at the original size.

Step 8

Set the background to change automatically if desired. Click the Change Picture box and specify a time period. The desktop will be replaced with the next picture in the selected folder.

About the Author

Josh McGee graduated from Utah State University with a bachelor's degree in English, professional and technical communication, and a minor in marketing. He has worked as a technical writer and illustrator for two large manufacturing companies, ICON Health and Fitness and Cover-Pools Incorporated. He is currently employed full-time for the latter.

Photo Credits

  • Todd Warnock/Lifesize/Getty Images