14 DAY TRIAL // The elementary OS Freya developers are now looking to get some wallpapers from the community, which will eventually be added to the final version of the operating system.
Getting wallpapers from the community is a fairly common practice and many developers use this method to get some really nice background images for their operating systems. Most of the time, users will come up with some very beautiful suggestions, which are far better than what you would get from a small number of devs.
This also ensures the active participation in the project from members of the community, which are able to see some of their stuff added in their favorite distro.
The conditions
As you can expect, there are a few criteria that have to be met in order to have your image accepted, which are more of a technical nature. The wallpaper won’t be accepted automatically if you meet the requirements, but at least it will be considered.
"Check out existing wallpapers to see what we're into. For starters, we typically prefer simple, pleasing photographs of nature with a shallow depth of field. Wallpapers that are less busy, have a single focal point, and are generally more out of focus near the edges are more likely to be chosen."
"Also keep in mind the desktop environment: elementary OS has a transparent panel at the top, so wallpapers with less-bright, lower-contrast top areas will look best. If the area under the panel is too bright or high-contrast, it automatically get masked with a dark translucent overlay. We also use a small white dock at the bottom, and icons hang over the top edge of the dock. Wallpapers with less-busy, lower contrast areas near the bottom will look better," is noted in the submission form.
Users will have to specify a name, an email address, and who the rights owner for that image is. It's also important to let the elementary OS team use the image by specifying the license type. It's also recommended that users provide a description of the image they just sent. The more details there are, the better chance a photograph has to be added to the OS.
Don't ask when elementary OS Freya is coming out
If you are running an elementary OS release, you already know that the developers don't provide details or launch dates. They don't even give ballpark estimates. We can say only one thing for sure – elementary OS Freya already has a Beta out the door and they are looking for wallpapers, so that means that launch is not too far away.