Ubuntu Default Background Not Working in KDE4

[Tiwanaku]

I like KDE, but I also like Ubuntu's default background. Unfortunately, they do not seem to mix.

Here is a link to the background .PNG, which displays just fine in Firefox, the GIMP, and GTK+ apps in general:


Here is how the image looks when selected as KDE4's background image (yes, almost no relation to the original PNG):


To show how KDE cannot handle it at all, notice how it doesn't get a thumbnail in Dolphin:


This isn't a general problem; most PNG's work just fine in KDE, as also shown in Dolphin. So what is it that's so different about the Ubuntu default GNOME background that it's giving KDE such trouble?

[Snowhog]

Re: Ubuntu Default Background Not Working in KDE4

IIRC, Dolphin has a 'max image size' setting for thumbnail views (which can be changed). Based on the bottom image, the four image files total 2.2Mb. The warty-final-ubuntu.png image may be larger than the default size limit set in Dolphin for thumbnail previews.

[Tiwanaku]

Re: Ubuntu Default Background Not Working in KDE4

Good thought, but that can't be the issue here. I checked the settings, and it's set to not show the preview of any file five megabytes or larger, and the PNG is only around 500 kilobytes. In addition, that wouldn't explain why it simply won't work as a desktop background; I have a feeling that the two issues are related.

[dibl]

Re: Ubuntu Default Background Not Working in KDE4

Not quite on the point of your problem with the Ubuntu wallpaper, but for KDE here is the site to find all kinds of wallpaper:

http://www.kde-look.org/

You can also take a photo/image, use gimp to size it to your desktop size, save it as a JPEG or PNG, and use that for a completely custom wallpaper.


EDIT: I just saved the 1920x1440 image, then opened it in gimp and "scaled" it to 1600x1200, and set it as my desktop wallpaper. It works.

[Tiwanaku]

Re: Ubuntu Default Background Not Working in KDE4

Yeah, in the meantime I did just as you suggested, and got a decent other wallpaper at kde-look.org, but I don't see how every other program (including KDE's own Gwenview!) can view a PNG, but not KDE's desktop or Dolphin. Perhaps I ought to try the same PNG out on another distro with KDE 4.3, and file a bug if it doesn't work instead of just complaining on the forums. I'm just kind of surprised that nobody else has noticed that problem; I guess not many people want to use the default GNOME Ubuntu background on KDE.

[dibl]

Re: Ubuntu Default Background Not Working in KDE4

I guess not many people want to use the default GNOME Ubuntu background on KDE.

That's probably a reasonable supposition.

[Rog131]

Re: Ubuntu Default Background Not Working in KDE4

The problem is > Bug #296538: warty-final-ubuntu.png is actually a jpeg

If you rename the warty-final-ubuntu.png to the warty-final-ubuntu.jpg Dolphin & Plasma wallpaper can show and use it.


Hmm:

kfile .../warty-final-ubuntu.png

.../warty-final-ubuntu.png: PNG Image (image/png)

file .../warty-final-ubuntu.png

.../warty-final-ubuntu.png: JPEG image data, JFIF standard 1.01

The "file" is looking inside of the "warty-final-ubuntu.png" but the "kfile" is staring the .png extension.


man file:

NAME
file - determine file type

man kfile:

NAME
kfile — A commandline tool to read and modify metadata of files

[Tiwanaku]

Re: Ubuntu Default Background Not Working in KDE4

Thank you! That apparently very old bug is indeed the root of the problem; they really ought to get around to fixing it sometime. I changed the extension to .jpg and now it works just fine everywhere.

[dibl]

Re: Ubuntu Default Background Not Working in KDE4

Aha!

Yes, when I opened that Ubuntu 1920x1440 image with gimp, gimp "saw" it as a JPEG, and when I resaved it as 1600x1200, it saved as a JPEG. I guess that is why it worked. Thanks Rog!