HUGE Vista Wallpaper bug

can't believe no one has mentioned this yet.

 

  Well, I first noticed this while making the Aero Executive wallpapers,  If ANYone can rememdy it I'd love to see\hear it.. But I think I have pretty much found a major flaw in Vista customization.

The image speaks for itself... but obviously I'm taking about how faded , bland, lack of quality the image is.  :NOTSURE:

Its not as noticable on Vista type scenic walls but most certainly is in this kind.

To test it on ur system..download the Aero Exec walls.. from https://www.wincustomize.com/skins.aspx?skinid=35315&libid=8 and test the original in an imageviewer, PS or XP and then set it as ur wallpaper in Vista... huge difference  X-( 

   Any ideas anyone?

 

90,095 views 31 replies
Reply #1 Top
I notice the same thing with dreams. They look lighter and washed out. I end up bumping the chroma up and dropping the gamma a little trying to compensate but it's still not perfect. :NOTSURE: 

I also find that when you choose a position setting for the wall that crops it, it will always be a little out of focus.

I'm running NVIDIA video cards; I wonder if ATI cards have the same results?
Reply #2 Top
I wonder if ATI cards have the same results


Anyone with a non nvidia card wanna chime in?

Reply #3 Top
My laptop is nvidia but my main machine is ATI...but it's XP.

And damn that is a totally crappy ass bug. FAIL
Reply #4 Top
I've got a laptop with an ATI x1400 vid card, latest drivers and Vista SP1. I can see no difference between looking at the wall in Windows Live Gallery, Photoshop CS3 or having set the wall as my desktop background.

Could be a major bug with NVIDIA drivers... :p
Reply #5 Top
I think if you set the wallpaper to one of the first three options you don't get this, the rest give you jpeg artifacts. This also happens if you set the wallpaper from Windows Explorer or Windows Photo Gallery instead of the Appearance Control Panel.
Reply #6 Top
what options Purrball? I have tried all the stretch, tile, center etc.. all the same.
Reply #7 Top
I don't see it in Vista Home with Nvidia card and Vista Ultimate with ATI card. Compared with desktop, Window Photo Gallery, PaintShopPro X2 and Photoshop CS3.
Reply #8 Top
Id be interested on ur Nvidia set up ALMonty to see a screenshot of the LED walls center area once I realease them.
Reply #9 Top
Longshot... are your video card settings set for quality rather than performance?
Reply #10 Top
Well, its set at default, changing anything just bollocks everything up..looks perfect everywhere else set at default.. except wallpapers, I'm definately leaning towards this being an nvidia problem as everyone with Nvidia cards has it, unfortunately not enough people without Nvidia cards have come forward.
Reply #11 Top
i have nvidia 9800 GTX and am experiencing the same phenomenon. it IS strange, because it happened on 7800 GT but it did NOT occur on my 8800 GTS, though i had completely different versions of drivers, and even Vista (Home on both of my weaker cards and Ultimate on 9800 GTX)... i really can't figure out why.
but as a matter of fact, my XP also seems to be unable to resize images set as wallpapers correctly, and i don't know why. at first, it did its job as it should, but after a while it got screwed up. can u maybe help me? (so i don't have to manually resize every images larger than screen res to the correct size ^^)
Reply #12 Top
Id be interested on ur Nvidia set up ALMonty to see a screenshot of the LED walls center area once I realease them.


No problem John. If you want to send it to me now I'd be happy to check it out. I'm going away for work tomorrow morning and won't be home until Friday. [email protected]
Reply #13 Top
I am running Vista 64 bit on nvidia 8800gtx and downloaded your wall pack and opened the 1920 version in photo viewer and then set it as wallpaper and I must admit on my system it looks BETTER as a wall than the view in photo viewer.
Reply #14 Top
I've never noticed any 'washout' or misalignment or pixelization or anything wrong for that matter on mine.

Running Vista Ultimate (SP1) with an 8800 nVidia card (latest drivers) and a 24" 1080 ultraclear.

I'll double check but pretty sure it has more to do with the drivers then the actual OS itself.
Reply #15 Top
hum.. ok so I did notice a funny 'stryation' effect to the horizontal lines on the executive wallpaper.. I took a screenshot, chopped it in 1/2 with the actual wallpaper itself.

This is full sized so you'll have to enlarge it to notice, on the left is the screenshot on the right is the actual wallpaper, its divided right down the center with a red stroke. (never even noticed this before, very strange.)

Reply #16 Top
what options Purrball? I have tried all the stretch, tile, center etc.. all the same.


You need to set it from the Control Panel.. Lemme check it out on my machine.
Reply #17 Top


Here's mine, note how I applied it (NOT from explorer or photo gallery) and the option I used.
Reply #18 Top
ok, applying from the (right click) Personalize (like Purrball suggested) did take out the funny striations and looks as it should now. Before was applied through the explorer window with 'Set as Desktop Background'.
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Reply #19 Top
Cool SK, did it help you John?
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Reply #20 Top
I'll be damned, I browsed to it from Personalize... and Voila... perfect....

So, I guess we must deduct.. right click > Set as Background.. doesnt work worth a crap in Vista.

Good job guys.. ya'll may want to start posting this fix while uploading your work, I'm sure going to.

@ SK I think its hard to notice because it seems to affect single pixel stuff , not nearly as noticable on 'normal' walls.
Reply #21 Top
I'll be damned, I browsed to it from Personalize... and Voila... perfect....

So, I guess we must deduct.. right click > Set as Background.. doesnt work worth a crap in Vista.


No Vista here; what results do you get changing walls with WB config, it is suppose to be better than thru Windows settings.
Reply #22 Top
never once used WB to change walls.. always used right click set as... I suppose to use WB you have to put wallpapers in windows wallpaper directory.. maybe I'll just throw all my walls in there instead of on my external.
Reply #23 Top
never once used WB to change walls.. always used right click set as... I suppose to use WB you have to put wallpapers in windows wallpaper directory.. maybe I'll just throw all my walls in there instead of on my external.

No you can add your wallpaper folders through the wallpaper config.
Reply #24 Top
ok, thx :)
Reply #25 Top
yeah thanks guys, now look better with your helps! :CONGRAT: