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Paperloom
Live (video) wallpaper app for Ubuntu and Linux Mint, built primarily for Cinnamon. Think Wallpaper Engine, but native to the Linux desktop, GUI-only, and engineered to cost almost nothing in CPU and RAM while idle.
RustLinuxmpvX11WaylandDesktop App
Early development, but the core works end to end on X11: open the app, import an MP4, click "Set as wallpaper", and it plays full-screen as your real desktop background. A Wayland backend is implemented but has not yet been run against a real compositor.
Key Features
- Plays any MP4, including short seamless loops, as the desktop background
- Auto-pauses on fullscreen apps, screen lock, low battery, or a window covering the desktop
- Gallery library with multi-file import
- Online tab that browses motionbgs.com and downloads with resume and retry
- Packaged as a .deb with a desktop entry and icon
Technologies
- Rust workspace: GUI, engine, fetch, and shared crates
- libmpv for playback (libmpv2 crate)
- X11 backend, plus a Wayland layer-shell + EGL backend
- Custom GUI theme, not a stock toolkit look
- cargo-deb packaging
Why It Exists
Live wallpapers on Linux usually mean a command-line tool or a heavy process running all the time. Paperloom is GUI-first and treats idle cost as a feature: when the wallpaper isn't visible, rendering is paused instead of burning CPU for nothing.