How to get desktop background picture changed periodically? [duplicate]

Solution 1:

If you use it to manage your photos and like it easy I recommend to use Shotwell, which should be installed by default.

Open it:

Select the photos you want to be set as background slideshow:

Open File → Set as Desktop Slideshow or press Ctrl+B:

Adjust time settings:

Done.

Solution 2:

Wallch

In software center there are two wallpaper changer - wallch for Gnome-Shell/Unity/Gnome-Classic and Wally for KUbuntu.

Lets concentrate on Wallch.

Sadly the version of Wallch in the software centre is outdated and has many issues especially with 14.04! There's a repository with the recent version.

To install, add the repository (you don't need to do this on 16.04):

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:wallch/wallch-daily

Then install Wallch:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install wallch

Then start from Dash:

Lets now launch the application preferences:

Let's untick the bubble notification - its annoying - at the same time you could disable sounds!

At the same time you can define the start-up options:

Save - and add a folder of pictures - in this example, use /usr/share/backgrounds for the default wallpapers that come with Ubuntu

Now we've got two choices:

Start up choice 1

(thanks @Naruto)

keep wallch in in the launcher

exit wallch and start changing wallpapers

Start up choice 2

start wallch on login without needing to have a launcher

From the dash:

Then create a new startup application with the command wallch --constant

N.B. - for some computers this will not work. The solution is to introduce a delay to the startup of the wallch daemon as per the following Q&A:

Wallch not auto-cycling backgrounds on log in

Solution 3:

For 11.04 and previous versions

There's a program for creating wallpaper slideshows called CREBS. Check out this article about it: http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2010/05/crebs-the-ultimate-wallpaper-slideshow-application

A simpler app that has fewer features but is easier to use can be found here: http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Wallpaper+Slideshow?content=125178

Solution 4:

  Variety

Homepage: http://peterlevi.com/variety
Github: https://github.com/varietywalls/variety

Variety is a wallpaper manager for Linux systems. It supports numerous desktops and wallpaper sources, including local files and online services: Flickr, Wallhaven, Unsplash, and more.

Where supported, Variety sits as a tray icon to allow easy pausing and resuming. Otherwise, its desktop entry menu provides a similar set of options.

Variety also includes a range of image effects, such as oil painting and blur, as well as options to layer quotes and a clock onto the background.

Install

It's available in the Universe repo. To install it, run

sudo apt install variety

Also you can install it from Peter Levi's PPA by running

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:peterlevi/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install variety