What It Takes For A Photo To Be Good Wallpaper

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The past few photos I've used for the computer wallpaper have been from Wales and so I was determined to find a local (Wellington) based photo this time. And to be fair it was hard work. I trawled through the Flickr "Wellington" group and despite there being some mighty fine photos nothing would work as a background and then it struck me - it's not about being a good photo!

For a photo to be good (as in useful, not get in the way but still make you go, "Nice!" when you login) it has to:
  • big big enough - you will notice that pixellation if you merely stretch it to fit)
  • compose of one main colour - one that fits your colour scheme is good but not a must
  • not have a lot of busy detail - you'll lose your desktop icons in them
  • be slightly "background" - obvious really but it's hard to find
  • be of a mood - I like 'calm' but get one that fits the mood you want to have EVERY time you log in
  • have the rights to let you use it - check the licensing

Did I find a local photo that fit these criteria - I sure did, and from someone I know, Debs who is a Wellington photographer, Webstocker and frequent werewolf/villager:

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