You can start the KDE Control Center from either the Main Menu K icon
( => ) or from the panel, by
clicking on the KDE Control Center icon, which looks like:
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 4-5.
The KDE Control Center is divided into two main panels. On the left,
you will 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 dropdown menu.
Click on the color bars next to Color 1
and Color 2 to choose your
background (you do not have to select two colors if you
do not want to). Now click on Setup.
If you choose Background Program
or Pattern from the
Mode dropdown list, you will
now see a dialog asking you to make further selections.
 | Automatic Preview |
|---|
| | Whenever you make a selection for your background, you will
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 dropdown
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(Figure 4-6). 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.
