# rocksdanister/lively

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18,243 stars · 1,236 forks · C# · gpl-3.0

## Links

- GitHub: https://github.com/rocksdanister/lively
- Homepage: https://rocksdanister.com/lively
- awesome-repositories: https://awesome-repositories.com/repository/rocksdanister-lively.md

## Topics

`csharp` `desktop` `desktop-wallpaper` `dynamic-desktop` `dynamic-wallpaper` `fluent-design` `live-wallpaper` `screensavers` `wallpaper` `wallpaper-app` `wallpaper-changer` `wallpaper-engine` `wallpaperengine` `wallpapers` `widgets` `windows-10` `windows-11` `windows-app` `winui` `winui3`

## Description

Lively is a desktop wallpaper engine for Windows that renders videos, web pages, and interactive shaders as dynamic, animated backgrounds. It functions by creating a transparent window layer behind desktop icons, utilizing native system handles to integrate content directly into the workspace.

The application provides tools for system personalization, including the ability to adjust taskbar transparency and application themes to modify the visual style of the operating system. It also includes a command-line interface that allows for the automation of background playback and system configuration settings through external scripts.

The software leverages native multimedia frameworks and hardware acceleration to process high-definition video and graphical content. It manages these background elements and system settings through an inter-process communication system that coordinates between the user interface and the background service.

## Tags

### Operating Systems & Systems Programming

- [Desktop Applications](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/operating-systems-systems-programming/desktop-environment-frameworks/desktop-environment-components/desktop-applications.md) — Provides a platform for rendering videos, web pages, and interactive shaders as dynamic animated backgrounds on the desktop.
- [Taskbar Customization Utilities](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/operating-systems-systems-programming/desktop-environment-frameworks/desktop-environment-components/desktop-environments-ui/window-management-utilities/taskbar-customization-utilities.md) — Adjusts taskbar transparency and system theme settings to create a cohesive visual style across the operating system.
- [System Interface Personalization](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/operating-systems-systems-programming/kernel-core-internals/system-programming-primitives/system-abstractions/os-specific-integration-modules/windows-system-integrations/system-interface-personalization.md) — Modifies operating system interface elements like taskbar transparency and themes for improved visual consistency.
- [Desktop Automation](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/operating-systems-systems-programming/desktop-environment-frameworks/desktop-environment-components/desktop-automation.md) — Automates background playback and system appearance settings through a command-line interface.

### User Interface & Experience

- [Desktop Applications](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/user-interface-experience/desktop-applications.md) — Supports displaying videos, web pages, and shaders as animated backgrounds to enhance the desktop workspace. ([source](https://github.com/rocksdanister/lively/wiki))
- [Desktop Environment Customizers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/user-interface-experience/desktop-environment-customizers.md) — Personalizes the desktop environment by displaying interactive web pages and videos as animated backgrounds.
- [Embedded Web Renderers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/user-interface-experience/web-based-rendering-engines/embedded-web-renderers.md) — Embeds a web browser engine to render interactive web pages and graphical shaders as dynamic desktop backgrounds.
- [Interface Appearance Customization](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/user-interface-experience/terminal-user-interfaces/visual-styling-presentation/interface-appearance-customization.md) — Allows users to adjust taskbar transparency and application themes to customize the visual style of the operating system interface. ([source](https://github.com/rocksdanister/lively/wiki))

### Graphics & Multimedia

- [Media Decoders](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/graphics-multimedia/media-processing-analysis/media-decoders.md) — Decodes and streams high-definition video files directly onto the desktop surface using native multimedia frameworks.
- [Hardware-Accelerated Rendering](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/graphics-multimedia/graphics-engines-rendering/rendering/engines/graphics-pipeline-architectures/hardware-accelerated-rendering.md) — Offloads video decoding and shader processing to the GPU for high-performance background rendering.

### System Administration & Monitoring

- [CLI System Management](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/system-administration-monitoring/cli-system-management.md) — Provides command-line interfaces to control background playback and system settings for automation workflows. ([source](https://github.com/rocksdanister/lively/wiki))

### Software Engineering & Architecture

- [Overlay Rendering Architectures](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/software-engineering-architecture/overlay-rendering-architectures.md) — Creates a transparent window layer behind desktop icons using native system handles for seamless integration.