Share and export
Wallpapers and avatars
Make a wallpaper for any screen, or an avatar, from a piece.
The wallpaper maker turns a piece into a still image made for a particular screen: your laptop, your phone's lock screen, a tablet, an ultrawide monitor, or a profile picture. It doesn't crop a screenshot of the stage. It runs the piece again laid out like the target screen, at that screen's exact resolution, so a 3D scene, a shader or a 2D sketch composes itself for that shape.
What the preview shows is what gets saved.
Opening the wallpaper maker
- In the studio, press W, click Wallpaper & avatar on the bar at the bottom of the stage, or choose Wallpaper & avatar from the Export menu.
- On a piece's page, click Wallpaper in the row along the top. Anyone can make a wallpaper from a shared piece.
The piece on stage pauses while the maker is open, and the maker uses its controls as you've set them. It isn't available while a piece shows an error.
Making a wallpaper
Choose the kind of screen
The tabs along the top are Desktop, Phone, Tablet, Avatar and Custom. The maker opens on the kind of screen you're using.
Pick the screen
The first choice is the screen you're on, labelled This screen, This phone or This tablet and "Detected from the screen you're on". Below it are popular models. The link under the list, such as All 13 phones, shows every one: Macs and common displays, iPhones and Android phones, iPads and Android tablets, each at its native resolution. Sizes too large for your device to render are greyed out.
Turn it if you need to
The rotate button on the preview switches between Portrait and Landscape, for a tablet on its side or a phone held sideways.
Find the moment
Press Space or click Pause on the preview to freeze the frame you want. Restart (new variation) starts the piece again, which gives a fresh arrangement for pieces that use randomness.
Check the composition
The preview shows a faint sketch of what the system lays on top: a menu bar and dock on a desktop, the clock on a phone or tablet. Use it to keep the important part of the piece clear. Hide preview UI removes the sketch. It's never part of the file.
Choose a format and save
Under Format, pick PNG (lossless) or JPEG (a smaller file at 95% quality), then click Download PNG or Download JPEG.
Under the button, the maker gives a one-line reminder of how to set the image as your wallpaper from the device you're on, for example where to find it in System Settings on a Mac, or in Photos on an Android phone.
Saving on an iPhone or iPad
On an iPhone or iPad the main button is Save to Photos. It opens the share sheet, where you choose to save the image to Photos. Then, in Photos, open it, tap Share, then Use as Wallpaper. If rendering took long enough that the browser wants a fresh tap, the maker says "Ready. Tap Save to Photos again to finish." The small button next to it downloads the file instead.
Elsewhere, where the browser can share files, a small button next to the download opens the share sheet.
Making an avatar
Open the Avatar tab
The avatar renders in a compact layout, so lines and features stay bold at profile-picture sizes.
Choose a size and shape
Under Size, pick 512, 1024 or 2048 px. Under Shape, pick Circle or Square. A circle saves as a PNG with transparent corners.
Frame it
Use Zoom, up to 3×, or scroll over the preview to zoom. Drag the preview to move the crop.
Save it
Click the download button and upload the file as your profile picture. Most apps crop avatars to a circle, so keep the subject in the middle.
Any size
The Custom tab makes an image of any size, for a banner, a print or a wall of screens.
- Aspect ratio: 16:9, 16:10, 21:9, 32:9, 3:2, 4:3, 1:1, 4:5 (a portrait post), 9:16 (stories), 9:19.5 (phones), 3:1 (an X header) and 4:1 (a LinkedIn banner).
- Resolution: HD, 2K, 4K or 5K on the long side.
- Size in pixels: type a width and height, from 64 up to 8,192 on a side.
The footer always shows the size and shape you're about to save.
Limits that matter
How large an image can be depends on the device making it: up to about 16 megapixels on a phone or tablet, and about 25 on a computer. A size beyond that says "Too large for this device": pick a smaller one, or make it on a computer.
If the file had to be enlarged, the maker says why after saving: the graphics card capped the render, you zoomed past full detail, or the piece draws at a lower resolution itself. Zoom out a little, or pick a smaller size, for a crisper file.
Related
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