To change your desktop background in KDE, open the KDE
Control Center, click on Look and
Feel and then on Background. The
Background category of the KDE
Control Center will look like Figure 4-3.
The KDE Control Center is divided into two
main panels. On the left, you'll find categories, and on the right,
(the main panel), you will see the corresponding elements you can
modify for a category. The categories may be collapsed when you first
open the control center. Click on the + to expand
the categories.
In the Background category, you can change the
background colors from a single color to a two-color gradient, and
determine the appearance of the gradient (vertical, horizontal,
etc.) by selecting from the Mode drop-down menu.
Click on the color bars next to Color 1 and
Color 2 to choose your background (you don't have
to select two colors if you don't want to). Now click on
Setup. If you choose Background
Program or Pattern from the Mode drop-down list, you will now see a dialog asking you
to make further selections.
 | Automatic Preview |
|---|
| | Whenever you make a selection for your background, you'll
automatically see a preview of the effect in the dialog. |
The KDE Control Center's
Background category allows you to set different
backgrounds for each desktop. When the Common
Background option is unchecked in the
Desktop panel, the labels for each of your
desktops will be highlighted. Click on a label to customize the
corresponding desktop. Checking the Common
Background label will apply your background selection to
all your desktops. Note that you can add both colors and/or wallpaper
to each of your desktops, as long as the Common
Background option is unchecked.
Click on the Wallpaper tab to choose a
pre-selected pattern or photo for your desktop. In the drop-down list
next to Mode, you can select how you want the
image to appear: centered, tiled (the pattern is repeated across your
desktop), and others.
If you want something closer to a total makeover, try changing the
theme of your workspace.
Applying a new theme to your workspace can change the look and feel of
your panel, buttons, menus, and even the background.
To begin, select the Theme Manager category (see
Figure 4-4). By default, you have several
themes, but there are quite a few more themes available at http://kde.themes.org.
If you want to install a theme you have downloaded, click on the
Add button. In the dialog which opens, locate
the name of the theme file you have downloaded. Double-click on it or
highlight the file and click on OK. Your theme
will be installed and will appear in the list of themes in the middle
of the screen. Select a theme to see a preview. Click on
OK to apply the theme to your desktop and close
the control center. Click on Apply to apply the
theme without closing the control center.
