Live Wallpaper Optimizer

Batch-convert and optimize video files for Wallpaper Engine/Or any high resolution wallpaper you have, using FFmpeg. Drop any mix of video formats into a folder, run the script, and get ready .mp4 files in an optimized/ subdirectory.

Requirements

• ffmpeg and ffprobe (both must be on $PATH)
• bash 4+

Install on Arch:

sudo pacman -S ffmpeg

Install on Debian-Based distros:

sudo apt install ffmpeg

Install on Windows:

You should visit ffmpeg website

Usage

1. Open wallpaper_optimizer.sh and set INPUT_DIR to the directory containing your wallpapers:

   INPUT_DIR="/path/to/your/wallpapers"

2. Run it:

   chmod +x wallpaper_optimizer.sh
   ./wallpaper_optimizer.sh

3. Optimized files land in <INPUT_DIR>/optimized/.

What It Does

Encoding

Setting	Value	Why
Codec	H.264 (libx264)	Wallpaper Engine's built-in player expects H.264
Profile/Level	High 4.2	Broad hardware decode support, HDR-friendly profile
Resolution	1920×1080	Standard wallpaper size; scales + crops to fit
Pixel format	yuv420p	Maximum compatibility with players and hardware decoders
CRF	23	Visually lossless at 1080p; good size/quality tradeoff
Preset	slow	Better compression per bitrate vs faster presets
Max bitrate	8 Mbps	Caps spikes so complex scenes don't cause decode stutter
Buffer size	16 MB	VBV buffer for the maxrate cap
GOP	~2 seconds	Smooth seeking/looping without bloating file size
Keyframe min	1 × FPS	Prevents keyframes closer than 1 second
faststart	✅	Moves the moov atom to the start so playback begins instantly

FPS Handling

• Source > 60 fps → capped to 60 fps (avoids unnecessary decode overhead)
• Source ≤ 60 fps → kept as-is (no frame duplication)

Opus Audio → AAC

Wallpaper Engine uses the BASS audio library, which can't decode Opus. The script detects Opus audio and transcodes it to AAC at 256 kbps — transparent quality for the typical low-bitrate wallpaper audio track.

Smart Remux Path

Files that are already H.264, already 1920×1080, already under 10 Mbps, and have no Opus audio are remuxed (stream-copied) instead of re-encoded. No quality loss, instant operation.

Skip Existing

If the output .mp4 already exists, the file is skipped. Safe to re-run.

Input Formats

.mp4 .mkv .mov .avi .webm .m4v — anything FFmpeg can read in these containers.

Customization

Edit the variables at the top of the script:

TARGET_WIDTH=1920       # output width
TARGET_HEIGHT=1080      # output height
TARGET_FPS=60           # fps cap
CRF=23                  # quality (lower = better, 18–28 typical range)
PRESET="slow"           # x264 preset: ultrafast → veryslow
MAXRATE="8M"            # peak bitrate cap
BUFSIZE="16M"           # VBV buffer
AUDIO_FALLBACK_CODEC="aac"
AUDIO_FALLBACK_BITRATE="256k"

Directory Structure

your_wallpapers/
├── video1.mp4          ← input (any supported format)
├── video2.mkv
├── video3.webm
└── optimized/          ← created by the script
    ├── video1.mp4      ← output (already optimized → remuxed)
    ├── video2.mp4      ← output (re-encoded)
    └── video3.mp4

License

Do whatever you want with it.