3111 You've probably noticed that sometimes when you download an application, the disk image window will have a graphic or pictorial background rather than a plain white field. With OS X, you can actually apply a similar effect to any window, giving it not only a cool, customized look, but also making it easier to distinguish among a stack of open windows.

You can use a PDF or JPG graphic file that you might have on hand, or one that you create expressly for the purpose. The caveat is that it must be sized appropriately to the desired size of your open window, since the Finder will not resize or scale it in this usage. Proportions of about 650 x 450 pixels make a good starting point for experimentation. Use a graphics program to create the proper sized image. I find the great little freeware image editing program Toyviewer very convenient for this sort of thing, since it provides a live preview readout of pixel proportions in both its Resize dialog and on the picture window itself.

To get the image into a folder background, open the folder window in icon view, then choose Show View Options from the View menu (or press command > J) to make the folder window configuration dialog appear. Click the "this window only" button (unless you want the image to appear in all folders), click the "Picture " button at the bottom of the dialog box, then click the "Select" button and navigate using the Finder dialog to the graphic you have prepared.

The Graphic will be displayed in a preview window. Click the "Select" button and the graphic will now appear in the background of your folder window.

You will probably have to resize the window a bit in order to make it fit the picture background precisely.

You're done!

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Charles W. Moore

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