Hey all,

Another small update for Wallpaper Engine has been released that fixes a few things and adds more video options. There were a few playlist issues that should be fixed now, which caused the playlist to disappear. It still takes a few seconds to show up until Steam responded with your Workshop subscriptions.

Using the center or cover video options, you can now also change the position of the video respectively with this new slider:



The effects of this slider vary based on the current mode, as illustrated here:



The alignment options are now also fully functional for WebM videos.



A new advanced option allows you to disable video hardware acceleration:



You should not use this option unless your hardware acceleration is defective, due to hardware or driver issues. Disabling hardware acceleration will cause the CPU load to increase, so in a normal scenario, it is not desirable to disable this. I added this option for two reasons:

• Some AMD hardware and driver combinations suffer from 'UVD clock' bugs. The GPU core/memory clocks get stuck while playing videos. Disabling hardware acceleration will just not cause UVD profiles to be loaded, so the driver doesn't bug out.
  
• I had a few reports of the entire screen turning black periodically on certain (Nvidia?) cards and drivers. Disabling hardware acceleration might help here, if the issue is caused by the video decoder of the GPU.

There are now resolution tags in the Workshop:



They will be automatically set. If you want to add them to your current wallpaper, just publish an empty update with the editor and it should add the tag. The 'Standard Definition' tags basically mean 'low resolution' while maintaining the respective aspect ratio. Should a video be between two resolutions, it will always pick the next lower one. If nothing fits, "Other resolution" will be set. The tags don't work for WebM yet.



I have added newer versions of the Visual Studio 2013 runtimes to the Steam install script, so starting Wallpaper Engine over Steam, those two will be installed now. The ones distributed by Steam are sometimes not being installed at all and are also old, the new runtimes include fixes for a certain locale related crash. Speaking of crashes, the crash dialog will now show more info and provide a likely solution if a known crash happens. Those include outdated Intel GPU drivers on Nvidia Optimus laptops, Precision X and RivaTuner.

- Kristjan



Full changelog

• New Visual Studio 2013 runtimes.
  
• Added more information and cancel button to update & verify dialog.
  
• Added tags for video resolutions.
  
• Added solutions for known crashes caused by drivers or third-party apps (Intel GPU drivers out of date, Precision X and RivaTuner hooks).
  
• Added option to disable video hardware acceleration.
  
• Added video alignment option for cover and center.
  
• Added process priority option.
  
• Added detection for RDP session state changes to destroy/restart wallpapers automatically.
  
• Added a work-around for video playlists on Windows 7 to reduce flashing or the static wallpaper from showing up when switching between videos.

• Fixed playlist permanently disappearing when unsubbing a wallpaper and other scenarios.
  
• Fixed double quotes in URL breaking the config.json.
  
• Fixed launcher process not creating mini dump files.
  
• Fixed focus issues of the transition effect and all wallpapers (except web...).
  
• Fixed WebM videos getting frozen when they threw a media error.
  
• Fixed Steamworks injection causing Wallpaper Engine to be detected by Steam after an update (does not apply to this patch yet).

• Updated CEF to version 3.2924.1571.gcdcdfa9.

Hey all,

Another small update for Wallpaper Engine has been released that fixes a few things and adds more video options. There were a few playlist issues that should be fixed now, which caused the playlist to disappear. It still takes a few seconds to show up until Steam responded with your Workshop subscriptions.

Using the center or cover video options, you can now also change the position of the video respectively with this new slider:



The effects of this slider vary based on the current mode, as illustrated here:



The alignment options are now also fully functional for WebM videos.



A new advanced option allows you to disable video hardware acceleration:



You should not use this option unless your hardware acceleration is defective, due to hardware or driver issues. Disabling hardware acceleration will cause the CPU load to increase, so in a normal scenario, it is not desirable to disable this. I added this option for two reasons:

• Some AMD hardware and driver combinations suffer from 'UVD clock' bugs. The GPU core/memory clocks get stuck while playing videos. Disabling hardware acceleration will just not cause UVD profiles to be loaded, so the driver doesn't bug out.
  
• I had a few reports of the entire screen turning black periodically on certain (Nvidia?) cards and drivers. Disabling hardware acceleration might help here, if the issue is caused by the video decoder of the GPU.

There are now resolution tags in the Workshop:



They will be automatically set. If you want to add them to your current wallpaper, just publish an empty update with the editor and it should add the tag. The 'Standard Definition' tags basically mean 'low resolution' while maintaining the respective aspect ratio. Should a video be between two resolutions, it will always pick the next lower one. If nothing fits, "Other resolution" will be set. The tags don't work for WebM yet.



I have added newer versions of the Visual Studio 2013 runtimes to the Steam install script, so starting Wallpaper Engine over Steam, those two will be installed now. The ones distributed by Steam are sometimes not being installed at all and are also old, the new runtimes include fixes for a certain locale related crash. Speaking of crashes, the crash dialog will now show more info and provide a likely solution if a known crash happens. Those include outdated Intel GPU drivers on Nvidia Optimus laptops, Precision X and RivaTuner.

- Kristjan



Full changelog

• New Visual Studio 2013 runtimes.
  
• Added more information and cancel button to update & verify dialog.
  
• Added tags for video resolutions.
  
• Added solutions for known crashes caused by drivers or third-party apps (Intel GPU drivers out of date, Precision X and RivaTuner hooks).
  
• Added option to disable video hardware acceleration.
  
• Added video alignment option for cover and center.
  
• Added process priority option.
  
• Added detection for RDP session state changes to destroy/restart wallpapers automatically.
  
• Added a work-around for video playlists on Windows 7 to reduce flashing or the static wallpaper from showing up when switching between videos.

• Fixed playlist permanently disappearing when unsubbing a wallpaper and other scenarios.
  
• Fixed double quotes in URL breaking the config.json.
  
• Fixed launcher process not creating mini dump files.
  
• Fixed focus issues of the transition effect and all wallpapers (except web...).
  
• Fixed WebM videos getting frozen when they threw a media error.
  
• Fixed Steamworks injection causing Wallpaper Engine to be detected by Steam after an update (does not apply to this patch yet).

• Updated CEF to version 3.2924.1571.gcdcdfa9.

Hey all,

A new patch for Wallpaper Engine has been released that introduces a new built-in Workshop browser to the existing wallpaper selection window. Using that, you are now able to filter out genres that you are not interested in. All in all it has become easier to try out new wallpapers from Workshop, since you don't need to deal with two separate windows anymore.



The browser also recognizes YouTube previews that have been uploaded by the creator, which you can check out right before subscribing to the wallpaper.




Video wallpapers can now be configured to be aligned in multiple ways. The previous method, "Cover", cropped the wallpaper so that it would always cover your screen, without stretching anything. You can now alternatively set it to "Center", which will add bars to compensate different aspect ratios, or to "Stretch", which stretches the video to the corners of your screen:




This update also introduces a new method of dealing with Steam's auto updates. Coming updates from Steam will be downloaded without overwriting any files used by the running application, which makes it possible to avoid (or reduce) "content locked" errors by Steam. A new update dialog deals with appropriately starting and stopping the application in order to apply pending updates:




For the next update I will start improving the editor features for 2D/3D wallpapers. The 2D features will be extended with various animation effects that you can more easily mix right in the editor. The particle system will also be improved and supported by the UI as well as generally updating options to layer and animate images.

- Kristjan



Full changelog:

• Added video alignment options.
  
• Implemented in-app Workshop browser with better filtering than the Workshop website has.
  
• Filter and sort settings are now saved after closing the window.
  
• Added support for YouTube previews in the browser.
  
• Custom update dialog to apply updates and verify the installation.
  
• Added Croatian translation.
  
• Added a Steamworks warning dialog, shown when trying to use Steam features while Steam is not available.
  
• Added unsub button to the application warning dialog.

• Fixed video resizing issues when the resolution or screen orientation changes.
  
• Fixed wallpaper restarting when it should be stopped.
  
• Fixed an issue that lead to crashes when using in-memory video loading.
  
• Potentially fixed loading of incorrect config when the application starts before the user is fully logged in.
  
• Fixed a UI shutdown crash (there is still some Chromium render process crashes left though).
  
• Fixed newly subscribed items to be added to the end of the list.
  
• Fixed DPI scaling issues in editor (video window too small, 3D stream size mismatching).
  
• Fixed scheme color control in the publish dialog.

• Renamed some playlist options to make them less confusing.
  
• Changed multi-monitor stretch layout to always use "pause all monitors".

Hey all,

A new patch for Wallpaper Engine has been released that introduces a new built-in Workshop browser to the existing wallpaper selection window. Using that, you are now able to filter out genres that you are not interested in. All in all it has become easier to try out new wallpapers from Workshop, since you don't need to deal with two separate windows anymore.



The browser also recognizes YouTube previews that have been uploaded by the creator, which you can check out right before subscribing to the wallpaper.




Video wallpapers can now be configured to be aligned in multiple ways. The previous method, "Cover", cropped the wallpaper so that it would always cover your screen, without stretching anything. You can now alternatively set it to "Center", which will add bars to compensate different aspect ratios, or to "Stretch", which stretches the video to the corners of your screen:




This update also introduces a new method of dealing with Steam's auto updates. Coming updates from Steam will be downloaded without overwriting any files used by the running application, which makes it possible to avoid (or reduce) "content locked" errors by Steam. A new update dialog deals with appropriately starting and stopping the application in order to apply pending updates:




For the next update I will start improving the editor features for 2D/3D wallpapers. The 2D features will be extended with various animation effects that you can more easily mix right in the editor. The particle system will also be improved and supported by the UI as well as generally updating options to layer and animate images.

- Kristjan



Full changelog:

• Added video alignment options.
  
• Implemented in-app Workshop browser with better filtering than the Workshop website has.
  
• Filter and sort settings are now saved after closing the window.
  
• Added support for YouTube previews in the browser.
  
• Custom update dialog to apply updates and verify the installation.
  
• Added Croatian translation.
  
• Added a Steamworks warning dialog, shown when trying to use Steam features while Steam is not available.
  
• Added unsub button to the application warning dialog.

• Fixed video resizing issues when the resolution or screen orientation changes.
  
• Fixed wallpaper restarting when it should be stopped.
  
• Fixed an issue that lead to crashes when using in-memory video loading.
  
• Potentially fixed loading of incorrect config when the application starts before the user is fully logged in.
  
• Fixed a UI shutdown crash (there is still some Chromium render process crashes left though).
  
• Fixed newly subscribed items to be added to the end of the list.
  
• Fixed DPI scaling issues in editor (video window too small, 3D stream size mismatching).
  
• Fixed scheme color control in the publish dialog.

• Renamed some playlist options to make them less confusing.
  
• Changed multi-monitor stretch layout to always use "pause all monitors".

Make sure to fully close Wallpaper Engine when updating. If you are having issues, try verifying the files over Steam first.

Hey all,

A new patch for Wallpaper Engine was just released that adds the long-awaited playlist/random wallpaper feature. You can now select multiple wallpapers and let them cycle after a certain time span or when logging in. A new option in the tray menu lets you quickly skip to the next wallpaper too. To use the playlist, just check the checkbox on wallpapers to add them to the list.





All settings, including the wallpapers and general options, are now also stored per Windows user.



The audio visualizers have been improved with a faster FFT library (FFTS) and tweaked settings, to visualize lower frequencies better. Check out some cool visualizers here:

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=845902785

Or build your own with some extensive tips from here:

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=837435817

Speaking of audio, it is now possible to globally disable audio streams from videos in the advanced options:



This will allow you to use video wallpapers next to music players that use the 'WASAPI exclusive mode' like Foobar2000.

Lastly, I have added NVAPI to the Steam launcher process, which I use to automatically create a predefined Nvidia application profile. This profile will set the wallpaper processes to use the integrated GPU, preventing video tearing and black screen issues (the ones without Windows error code). The user does not have to manually assign the executables anymore.

- Kristjan

• Added playlist and random wallpaper feature.
  
• Added advanced option to disable audio streams. This allows videos to play with Foobar exclusive mode WASAPI plugin etc.
  
• Added per Windows user application settings.
  
• Added a warning to high-priority mode that it is experimental and may not work on every system.
  
• Added a button to reset the entire config more easily.
  
• Added NVAPI application profile to Steam launcher.
  
• Vietnamese language.
  
• Added automated file trimming to log files (max size is 10 MB, trimmed on UI startup).
  
• Added some experimental options to tweak the audio FFT.

• Web wallpaper performance not dependent on FPS anymore (unless the web wallpaper implements it explicitely).
  
• Countless DPI fixes and hacks for web wallpapers.
  
• Improved UI performance when resizing the window.
  
• Fixed some stability/import/packing issues with models that do not have textures.
  
• Fixed local storage/cookies not being persisted.
  
• Fixed Workshop details being overwritten when publishing updates (now the editor pulls the most recent data from Steam).
  
• Fixed model compiler crashing on huge models.
  
• Fixed Steam publish process getting soft locked if Steam reports an error.

• Changed FFT library to improve performance.
  
• Tweaked FFT settings to achieve a higher resolution for low frequencies.
  
• Changed all wallpaper related processes to use 'below normal' CPU priority.
  
• Lots of translation updates.
  
• Disabled Dx11 in Chromium for web wallpapers because it is incompatible with the playlist fade effect DWM hack.

Make sure to fully close Wallpaper Engine when updating. If you are having issues, try verifying the files over Steam first.

Hey all,

A new patch for Wallpaper Engine was just released that adds the long-awaited playlist/random wallpaper feature. You can now select multiple wallpapers and let them cycle after a certain time span or when logging in. A new option in the tray menu lets you quickly skip to the next wallpaper too. To use the playlist, just check the checkbox on wallpapers to add them to the list.





All settings, including the wallpapers and general options, are now also stored per Windows user.



The audio visualizers have been improved with a faster FFT library (FFTS) and tweaked settings, to visualize lower frequencies better. Check out some cool visualizers here:

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=845902785

Or build your own with some extensive tips from here:

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=837435817

Speaking of audio, it is now possible to globally disable audio streams from videos in the advanced options:



This will allow you to use video wallpapers next to music players that use the 'WASAPI exclusive mode' like Foobar2000.

Lastly, I have added NVAPI to the Steam launcher process, which I use to automatically create a predefined Nvidia application profile. This profile will set the wallpaper processes to use the integrated GPU, preventing video tearing and black screen issues (the ones without Windows error code). The user does not have to manually assign the executables anymore.

- Kristjan

• Added playlist and random wallpaper feature.
  
• Added advanced option to disable audio streams. This allows videos to play with Foobar exclusive mode WASAPI plugin etc.
  
• Added per Windows user application settings.
  
• Added a warning to high-priority mode that it is experimental and may not work on every system.
  
• Added a button to reset the entire config more easily.
  
• Added NVAPI application profile to Steam launcher.
  
• Vietnamese language.
  
• Added automated file trimming to log files (max size is 10 MB, trimmed on UI startup).
  
• Added some experimental options to tweak the audio FFT.

• Web wallpaper performance not dependent on FPS anymore (unless the web wallpaper implements it explicitely).
  
• Countless DPI fixes and hacks for web wallpapers.
  
• Improved UI performance when resizing the window.
  
• Fixed some stability/import/packing issues with models that do not have textures.
  
• Fixed local storage/cookies not being persisted.
  
• Fixed Workshop details being overwritten when publishing updates (now the editor pulls the most recent data from Steam).
  
• Fixed model compiler crashing on huge models.
  
• Fixed Steam publish process getting soft locked if Steam reports an error.

• Changed FFT library to improve performance.
  
• Tweaked FFT settings to achieve a higher resolution for low frequencies.
  
• Changed all wallpaper related processes to use 'below normal' CPU priority.
  
• Lots of translation updates.
  
• Disabled Dx11 in Chromium for web wallpapers because it is incompatible with the playlist fade effect DWM hack.

Make sure to fully close Wallpaper Engine when updating. If you are having issues, try verifying the files over Steam first.

Hey all,

Another small update for Wallpaper Engine has been released that is focused on fixing some issues that have come up:

The web engine (CEF/Chromium) has been updated to the latest version. This should fix loading of certain web pages and some DPI scaling related issues (the web wallpaper not being fullscreen or not registering clicks). If you are still having these problems, please let me know. Automatic pausing when Microsoft Edge is fullscreen, i.e. playing a video, should be fixed too.

I replaced the shimmering particles wallpaper with a new dynamic version that allows color changing and is designed to support stretching over three monitors (resolution of 5760 x 1080).



The Windows color adjustment on Windows 10 can now additionally be configured to overwrite the Windows settings for title/task bar colors. You can choose to keep the current Windows settings or overwrite them.



The tag "multi-monitor optimized" is gone now, because it was almost exclusively being abused. A new tag was added, "Unspecified", which is the default genre. The tag input control has also been replaced with a simple drop down menu, to reduce tag abuse:



I also got in touch with EVGA about excluding Wallpaper Engine from EVGA Precision X so the crashing issues when both applications are running should be gone with their next update.



If everything goes as planned, the next update will finally introduce the playlist/random feature in about 2 to 3 weeks.

Cheers,
Kristjan

• Fixed Traditional Chinese flag.
  
• Potentially fixed Edge fullscreen not pausing videos.
  
• Potentially fixed a audio recording crash if an application in exclusive mode is started.
  
• Fixed web wallpaper not covering the entire monitor on some systems.
  
• Fixed web wallpaper clicking on some systems (I hope).
  
• Fixed certain web pages not loading by updating CEF.

• Made Windows color adjustment work without overriding the taskbar/title bar color settings.
  
• Made it possible for web wallpapers to read the application language from the 'language' property.
  
• Replaced shimmering particles wallpaper with a dynamic scene that supports coloring and stretching over triple screens.
  
• Added a warning message when the user attempts to play video on Windows N with missing video components (prompts to install the Media Feature Pack).
  
• Changed tags input into a drop down.
  
• Removed Multi-Monitor tag, add Unspecified tag.
  
• Added a CEF file check that warns the user when Steam only partially updated the application (which leads to problems).

Make sure to fully close Wallpaper Engine when updating. If you are having issues, try verifying the files over Steam first.

Hey all,

Another small update for Wallpaper Engine has been released that is focused on fixing some issues that have come up:

The web engine (CEF/Chromium) has been updated to the latest version. This should fix loading of certain web pages and some DPI scaling related issues (the web wallpaper not being fullscreen or not registering clicks). If you are still having these problems, please let me know. Automatic pausing when Microsoft Edge is fullscreen, i.e. playing a video, should be fixed too.

I replaced the shimmering particles wallpaper with a new dynamic version that allows color changing and is designed to support stretching over three monitors (resolution of 5760 x 1080).



The Windows color adjustment on Windows 10 can now additionally be configured to overwrite the Windows settings for title/task bar colors. You can choose to keep the current Windows settings or overwrite them.



The tag "multi-monitor optimized" is gone now, because it was almost exclusively being abused. A new tag was added, "Unspecified", which is the default genre. The tag input control has also been replaced with a simple drop down menu, to reduce tag abuse:



I also got in touch with EVGA about excluding Wallpaper Engine from EVGA Precision X so the crashing issues when both applications are running should be gone with their next update.



If everything goes as planned, the next update will finally introduce the playlist/random feature in about 2 to 3 weeks.

Cheers,
Kristjan

• Fixed Traditional Chinese flag.
  
• Potentially fixed Edge fullscreen not pausing videos.
  
• Potentially fixed a audio recording crash if an application in exclusive mode is started.
  
• Fixed web wallpaper not covering the entire monitor on some systems.
  
• Fixed web wallpaper clicking on some systems (I hope).
  
• Fixed certain web pages not loading by updating CEF.

• Made Windows color adjustment work without overriding the taskbar/title bar color settings.
  
• Made it possible for web wallpapers to read the application language from the 'language' property.
  
• Replaced shimmering particles wallpaper with a dynamic scene that supports coloring and stretching over triple screens.
  
• Added a warning message when the user attempts to play video on Windows N with missing video components (prompts to install the Media Feature Pack).
  
• Changed tags input into a drop down.
  
• Removed Multi-Monitor tag, add Unspecified tag.
  
• Added a CEF file check that warns the user when Steam only partially updated the application (which leads to problems).

Make sure to fully close Wallpaper Engine when updating. If you are having issues, try verifying the files over Steam first.

Hey all,

I've released a small patch that adds a notice about acceptable content for Workshop, full support for 64-bit during auto start and launching from Steam and a huge number of new translations. Thank you everyone who has helped with those!

This notice will be shown when you open the editor, to make it clearer what is accepted on Workshop and what isn't. These rules are pretty much the same for any Workshop on Steam. Workshops have to be suitable for minors, too, so nudity and violence is not allowed, while it is allowed on some games on Steam (which are then rated M or A).



You can now use the 64-bit version of Wallpaper Engine. To switch, close Wallpaper Engine and start it over Steam, while choosing the 64-bit version there. If you configure auto start with this version running, it will then also use the 64-bit version during auto start.



A bunch of new Workshop tags have been added, including "CGI, Cyberpunk, Landscape, Medieval, MMD, Pixel art, Relaxing, Retro". It is now also required to specify at least one tag when uploading your submission. I think most cases should be covered, but if you think there are some urgent tags missing, make sure to let me know. The tags in the editor also have translations now, next to the original English version shown on Workshop.



Full changelog:

• Added support for 64 bit auto start and Steam launcher.
  
• Added localization for Swedish.
  
• Added localization for Traditional Chinese.
  
• Added localization for Spanish.
  
• Added localization for Lithuanian.
  
• Added localization for Japanese.
  
• Added localization for Thai.
  
• Added localization for Czech.
  
• Added localization for French.
  
• Added localization for Korean.
  
• Added localization for Finnish.
  
• Added a warning if run on a system that falls below the minimum OS requirements.
  
• Added a modal to the editor that informs about the Workshop rules.
  
• Added a quick link for the editor to the browse window.
  
• Localized the tags in the editor.
  
• Added new tags: CGI, Cyberpunk, Landscape, Medieval, MMD, Pixel art, Relaxing, Retro.

• Changed the publish process to require at least one genre tag being set.
  
• Changed the tag auto-complete box to show all suggestions when clicking.

• Fixed web wallpaper mouse position being incorrect with varying DPI settings.
  
• Fixed image deselection in wallpaper properties.
  
• Potentially fixed the "startup error code 3" issue. Now Wallpaper Engine will continue loading in this case and not quit.
  
• Attempted to fix a crash that occured if an external application closed the wallpaper windows (for videos).
  
• Attempted to fix a crash in the editor that occured if it was used without Steam running.

Cheers,
Kristjan