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Behind Windows

Live video right behind your work can be distracting. So while windows cover a display, PanoPaper lets the video step back into a calm backdrop - and brings it back in full the moment you clear the desktop. Set it up in Settings ▸ General ▸ Behind windows; changes show at once.

Dim

Darkens the video, from Off to 80% - even at 80% you can still make out the picture. It starts at 35%.

Fade

Lays the color (see below) over the video like tinted glass. The more you fade, the less video shows through; at 100% the display shows the plain color, like a solid-color wallpaper. It starts Off.

Tint

Gives the video the color's hue while it keeps its own light and dark - like a photo printed in one color. At 100% the whole picture is in shades of the color. It starts Off.

Color

Fade and Tint share one color, teal at first. Click the color well to choose another, or click 'Pick from Wallpaper…': the video disappears for a moment and a magnifier appears, so you can click any color of your normal wallpaper - the video then blends right into your desktop.

The three combine: for example, Tint at 100% in your wallpaper's color with a little Dim gives a quiet, matching backdrop.

With no windows in front

When no windows cover a display - after Show Desktop, or on a Space with no windows - the video plays as is. Turn on 'Also apply when no windows cover the desktop' to keep Dim, Fade and Tint then too. It is greyed out while all three are Off.

A display counts as covered as soon as a window is open on it - any app's, PanoPaper's Settings window included. Show Desktop moves the windows aside, so it counts as clear.

A calmer frame rate

Behind windows, the video plays at 15 frames per second, which is plenty for a backdrop and saves energy. With a clear desktop, it plays every frame the camera sends. This does not depend on the settings above.

The camera's sound can be quieter behind windows too - see Camera Sound.