- Submissions for the default background
Submissions for the default background for karmic
For Karmic we would like to include a set of high quality desktop backgrounds which are organized according to a predefined set of adjectives which describe emotional atmospheres, slogans (so to speak) for the way an image makes you feel.
In order to accomplish this we call on anyone and everyone to submit images which are freely licensed and follow the guidelines for inclusion.
The default desktop background for Karmic
We are looking for help with the default background, a design brief with more information can be found here. Any and all questions should be directed to me.
-- kwwii 2009-05-15 12:46:46
Sydney Dust Storm, September 2009
Suggestion: I'm pretty sure some of these might make nice backgrounds 
-- Jonathan Harker
Comments
Kubuntu-bubble
Notes from the creator. From jaunty to karmic. When Karmic is released it will be winter in the north and things will be icy. When Jaunty was released it was hotter and there was rain. Since ice was formed the Kubuntu logo is now stuck in an ice bubble! This work is under the General Public liscense available at http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html
Launchpad user https://launchpad.net/~ktech May be upgraded soon. If chosen contact using launchpad for more aspect ratios and resolutions.
Kubuntu-ice
Launchpad user https://launchpad.net/~ktech May be upgraded soon. If chosen contact using launchpad for more aspect ratios and resolutions. This work is under the General Public liscense available at http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html
Ocean
-- djzielony 2009-07-17 17:25:53
I created this this work some time ago. I like it as my wallpaper, so I decided to share it. I hope you like it.
This work by DjZielony is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
Comments
Freedom for Free
By Daniel Martins based on the "The Spirit of Freedom" by Denís Fernández Cabrera. This work is licensed under GPL v2. In other words, use it for whatever you want, as you want... I just don't care.
-- gdanielmartins 2009-07-10 14:13:43
Comments
Koala Lotus
CONCEPT:
The title for the latest release immediately got me thinking about an image of a koala meditating. Some playful sketches led to this vector koala that I modulated in various ways over textured backgrounds. The circular shape suggests the ubuntu logo and could be made to interact with that in various ways. Also note the anatomically correct hands and feet.
This submission by RMKD is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
-- RMKD 2009-06-30 18:23:00
Comments
* I like simple backgrounds that are orange and have Koala's, it's just liking tradition, so I love the Simplified version (second one I guess). The line art work is really wonderful, however I find the background image distractingly burry. --jb510 2025-02-28 12:17:56 * Great artwork! I think the best out of every one on this page, and don't forget I've got one here that seems to be doing well! The first two, the simplified ones, are the best out of the ones you've got here, in my opinion. -- bryanlbasil 2025-02-28 12:17:56
Karmic Mist
CONCEPT:
Karmic Mist is a study of Ubuntu colors stroked against a dark canvas. The symbolism is the positive energy of the Ubuntu community.
This submission by JohnBaer was created with GIMP and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
-- JohnBaer 2025-02-28 12:17:56
Comments
Karmic Rock
CONCEPT:
One of the many positive attributes of Ubuntu is its "rock solid" performance. Karmic rock is a metaphor representing Ubuntu's high quality and usability.
This submission by JohnBaer was created with GIMP and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
-- JohnBaer 2025-02-28 12:17:56
Comments
Eucalyptus Wood (Graphic Design)
Inspired by sealv. I love the concept, the palette, and the shape. However, the raw photo needed some treatment, and this is a first pass.
-- Baryn 2025-02-28 12:17:56
Comments
-Awesome, can you also upload your source file? --sealv
- Sure thing. The PSD I'm hoping that the UX designers can take notice of the light reds and elephant grays in this image. They would be suitable transitions away from the brown-dominated past, and make light of the Karma and the Koala at the heart of this release. In this image, we have new colors literally blended with brown and orange, still staple to the Ubuntu identity. -- Baryn 2025-02-28 12:17:56
-Awesome! I love it, after 2 weeks of use. And I switch wallpapers like crazy. --sealv2025-02-28 12:17:56
New Era Rising Sun
Full size
after Bryan suggestions
Full size
CONCEPT:
* The Karma of Ubuntu is the growing of a new era in computers operating systems, the growing of a new era in Africa and all over the world. Ideals of freedom in software and in the life. The Karmic Koala default desktop back-ground rapresents the new era rising sun.
* Karmic Koala New Era Rising Sun desktop represents a sun rising and associates it to the alluring Circle of Friends of ubuntu logo. The sun is rising in an African scene: typical colors and worm (reds, oranges, yellows), tranquil hills on the horizon, numbs above the horizon, and numbs reflect themselves in a clean lake below the horizon. In the intentions of the designer probably you'll desire to be there.
Feel free to ask me every kind of file types or any mod. This work by professional designer Marco Seb. and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
-- marcopalla 2009-06-17 17:47:43
Comments
This is the most artistic background on this page, in my opinion. Brilliant. My only criticism is that it utilizes darker colours with a higher contrast. It's beautiful as a thumbnail, but when I set it as my wallpaper, I found that it lacked a certain depth that I think that darker colours can bring out.
-- bryanlbasil 2025-02-28 12:17:56
Look to the sky
A new concept, for the upcoming Karmic Koala, of Ubuntu.
In previous distributions Ubuntu used orange and brown colours. That reminded me of a solid rock, which is really stable. But this stability was lacking of dynamism.
We now know, that Ubuntu is a stable, and great operating system, so as the Karmic Koala comes alive, we can get into the air!
This work by norbs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
-- moldovannorbert 2009-06-13 19:54:15
Comments/Look to the sky
It looks very nice! But isnt it a bit small? -eliass
Thank you! What do you mean by small? (That it is in 1024x768 resolution?) -norbs
Bark
Koala Bark V2 is a response to the comment i had on V1 that the Ubuntu Logo looked tacked on and the koala's ears need some work. In addition to that i have adjusted the blending and the position of the Ubuntu Logo as well as the blending of the koala. I have also Done a Version of the first version of koala bark but with out the logo. Any suggestions and comments will be greatly appreciated.
Source by David Iliff.
This work by samohtm is based on a photo with a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License and inherits the same.
-- samohtm
Comments/Bark
Nice source image. Good work on color and contrast, but the ears of the koala need work. The bark doesn't have enough resolution. The Ubuntu logo is a bit much and looks tacked on. -- t-w- 2009-05-06 19:57:57
I like it a lot, could you make a version 2 without the Ubuntu logo in place, id est only the Koala as like v1.2? -- lordmetroid 2009-08-13 23:25:09
Eucalyptus Leaves
-- KGGY kovacs.g.gy@gmail.com
Comments/Eucalyptus Leaves
* Lacks a license. Please read the rules for submission -- james2432 2009-06-03 12:18:44
Silhouette
Based on a Photo by David Iliff as above.
Bamboobrushes by hawksmont
I could provide the .xcf file and the .svg of the Koala if anybody wants to.
next try:
Full size
the colour of the brown background could be changed easily.
Full size
This work by michote is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
-- michote
Comments/Silhouette
This is beautiful. I love the bamboo, especially. This is great work. -- bryanlbasil 2025-02-28 12:17:56
Very nice. Good colours and very well balanced. The bamboo and the tree are perfect. I would love to see this entry with some slight changes. The background could do with a stronger gradient/shadow to create more depth, and without the logo. I know it's called 'Silhouette' but I think the Koala could use some subtle lines in a similar way like the bamboo on the left. -- arusha
You know that koalas don't eat bamboo, right?
-- mikelward 2009-06-06 01:59:16
Eucalyptus Wood
Wood is human, warm, and somehow rather comforting. The eucalyptus tree bark is also rather beautiful.
I have tried to satisfy most if not all requirements put forth here. To see it in action please see these screenshots: (1),(2).
Source Image by John H. Kim, licensed as CC Attribution 2.0 Generic (Link to Flickr Page)
The XCF source file via sharebee
License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License
-- sealv
Comments/Eucalyptus Wood
This is really nice. I've just set it as my wallpaper! -- mikelward 2009-06-06 01:59:16
This is my favorite one so far. Very very nice. Good job! -- hpis2cool 2009-06-16 16:09:58
Coala del karma
Default backgrounds may not seem terribly important, but they give the real first impression to any new user. They translate the look and feel of the entire operating system at default into one single image.
The goal of this background is to do just that, while maintaining the required appeal of anything that is thrown onto your desktop.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
-- bryanlbasil Wiki
Comments/Coala del karma
The third version with Ununtu Logo and Koala is my favorite of everything on this page right now. Call me traditional but I like Orange and the totem animal being there somewhere. I might like to see the tree and Koala a little larger and set to the right instead of the left just so my icons don't automatically drop in on top of the pretty art work. jb510 2025-02-28 12:17:56
- In my opinion this is the best so far! Good Work! -- eliass
Very nice work. Definitely my front runner of all the community backgrounds thus far. The background is warm and refreshing. It compliments the Breathe Icon Set and darker themes very well. -- dashua 2025-02-28 12:17:56
First one is great, but looks kinda bland(nothing really interesting going on). Second one brings something new to the table: Real Life(the photo border on the bottom), which the previous default backgrounds lacked, simply put it's awesome! For the third one the koala almost looks like he doesn't belong there(too contrasty with the white/brown) if it were more subtle it would be the "awesomest" in my opinion. Also the backgrounds are lacking a license please put one up so it will have the chance of being selected. -- james2432 2025-02-28 12:17:56
Looks great and is consistent with previous wallpapers: simple, interesting, inuntrusive, and textured. -- mikelward 2009-06-06 01:59:16
I think that it could be better without the ubuntu logo ;). By the way, good job! -- l3on 2009-06-07 20:04:03
Inspired by dashua's comment above, I downloaded the Breathe icon set and proceeded to download a few of the backgrounds to test with. I decided to check this out on my larger wide screen to get the full experience intended and after a quick reboot I saw this at full res for the first time and got immediately mesmerized by the fine textural quality throughout the composition. I am particularly impressed with your control of light for emotional effect, which I think is especially true coming from the currently very dark login screen. /// Another aspect of this composition which I enjoy dearly is the interplay of manmade and organic materials. The crackling texture from the top right corner reminds me of drums made by natives from a tribe close to home, yet at the same time it seems like a very thin membrane of an organic lifeform, and before long they were nowhere to be found, but we can feel the energy which appears to flow all around. /// like this piece quite a bit. To say the least, I have never felt meditative looking at a 'desktop wallpaper' so kudos with that! Among all three versions, I feel that the first one is the strongest. The addition the landscape and clearly identifiable objects escaped from dreamland a bit too quickly, but most of all the horizon in the last two comps feels a bit like a barrier blocking the viewers from entering the seductive atmosphere. I also think that the logo is unnecessary or at least needs to be muted. /// The strength of this composition lies in your masterful handling of implied vs suggestive detail. Visual work with a soul is always nice to come by, and can't wait to your next iteration. -- seeminglee 2009-06-11 01:37:24
@ admin to this page / workflow: it would be great if submissions can be accompanied by detail cropped to a close scale of the original as a supplement and visual reference aid, such that we can more readily evaluate the visual intent of these creations. -- seeminglee 2009-06-11 01:37:24
See-ming Lee: I don't quite see how detail images would help. There is no way around the fact that you have to look at the full size images to evaluate them. This page is already very long, with many images, slow load, much scrolling. It will be even after a split. For this reason, I would not like to see additional images per submission. -- t-w- 2009-06-11 07:41:23
Tranquil Aspiration / See-ming Lee
Variation: Fire
This work by See-ming Lee is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic License
Variation: Earth
This work by See-ming Lee is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic License
Concept Notes
I created this design direction after reading your design brief several times and visited your brand site for identity guidelines.
The design brief mentioned that you are seeking 'an abstract, stylistic study of interaction of light and materials' and provided desired attributes as well as examples from your own efforts and those from your competitors. It is unfortunate in my mind, however, that aurora imagery appears almost synonymous to computer backgrounds in the past few years.
I would like to take this opportunity to offer a different approach to abstract light studies. (attached above)
The basic design elements are all made up by spiral lines, intended to suggest the idea of elaboration, moving from a central idea and influence its surrounding. The composition is abstract by nature without using any photography as references. I drew all the lines in Inkscape while aspiring to create something that is both tranquil and desirable. In this sense, this design can also be seen as a reflection of mind state at the time of composition.
I had some trouble finding the correct color balance of the particular shades of brown so after creating the principal elements in Inkscape, I overlaid the design on top of a minimal background that was shipped with the Jaunty release. I liked the interplay of the straight lines with the spirals so I kept them in my final composition to give some texture to the background.
The design came with two variations. Variation 'fire' is my original vision, but after comparing it with other backgrounds in your other releases, I noted that I need to desaturate the image quite a bit, and there you have variation 'earth'. It's an unfortunate compromise, as the brownish corporate colors are not colors we associate with the word 'light,' which I believe is also the reason why your past approaches illustrated in the design brief was not as successful as they could have been.
Progress documents related to this design were posted on my Flickr stream with the tag Ubuntu.9.10.bg.tranquil. Source materials are available but I thought that I should probably clean them up for public use.
Any comments and feed back would be much appreciated.
Source
http://code.google.com/p/sml-ubuntu-themes/
-- seeminglee 2009-06-08 06:37:07
Comments/Tranquil Aspiration
- It's a bit busy, but it is absolutely beautiful. Wow. Great artwork, See-ming Lee. It is clear from this work alone that you are an astounding artist.
-- bryanlbasil 2025-02-28 12:17:56
Looks good, but the image on your Flickr account is published under CC Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic? And here you write CC-BY-SA? You should correct this discrepancy. MadsRH 2025-02-28 12:17:56
- @MadsRH License changed to Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic as CC-BY-SA appears to be a requirement for the submission (inferred from other entries). My preference in general is for CC-BY-NC-ND as SA has caused problems for my photography in the past.
-- seeminglee 2009-08-06 11:20:45
Karmic Eucalyptus
the second is for dual head 3840x1200 resolution. I know its not in the list of recommended resolutions. I have just put it as wallpaper here and it looks nice. So give it a try
-- parityb 2009-07-13 19:45:54
This work by pixeltrap is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
Comments
Koala on Fog
-- PTL 2009-07-20 04:09:58
This work by PTL is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
Concept
For Ubuntu the ease of use is mandatory. This leads to simplicity in the use and the administration of the system. It is the idea of my simple wallpaper. The koala tries to hide in the fog, just as the technical aspects of Ubuntu do so to the new user, which makes his/her life easier. On the other hand, there is still much to do to reach the goal of the distro and so, the koala looks into the future, waiting for another release.
I hope you like it.
Comments
Bamboo
These are very simple images, but simplicity is not necessarily bad in a wallpaper.
I have the XCF's for each of these, but haven't been able to upload them yet. I will.
-- mac9416 2009-07-13 19:45:54
This work by mac9416 is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
Comments
Beyond 1
This background uses oranges and reds, colors similar to the Ubuntu theme (assuming it stays the same). After playing some space games recently, such as Vega Strike, a space theme would be nice. Perhaps some rendered stars in the background?
This work by samcan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
-- samcan 2009-07-23 23:14:00
Comments
Beyond 2
This background uses oranges and reds, colors similar to the Ubuntu theme (assuming it stays the same). After playing some space games recently, such as Vega Strike, a space theme would be nice. It also has some rendered stars in the background.
This work by samcan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
-- samcan 2009-07-23 23:55:55
Comments
Beyond 3
This background is a different take on the space theme of my previous two backgrounds (perhaps this should be called Beyond: Next Generation?). It depicts two planets orbiting a star, with a backdrop of the galaxy, with some star clouds. There is also a binary system in the upper left corner.
One texture image comes from NASA -- terms of use. I believe we can include it in a free software project.
This work by samcan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
-- samcan 2009-07-24 20:55:25
Comments
Beyond 4
(This is a modified version of Beyond 3, with city lights on the larger planet.) This background is a different take on the space theme of my previous two backgrounds (perhaps this should be called Beyond: Next Generation?). It depicts two planets orbiting a star, with a backdrop of the galaxy, with some star clouds. There is also a binary system in the upper left corner.
Two texture images come from NASA -- terms of use and terms of use. I believe we can include them in a free software project. Otherwise, I can modify the images to turn off relevant layers, etc.
This work by samcan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
-- samcan 2009-07-25 01:26:26
Comments
ubuntu sunrise
====My three submissions for the desktop catagory. Sunrise, Wired differently and circles were created in blender, karmic was made with the gimp. Feel free to use in any catagory, or modify them, i'm new at this, but had fun ====
This work by handlebar is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
Comments
I come through and review the new submissions every few days, and once in a while one just reaches out and grabs me. Your fourth submission (circles) is one of those. I have already added it to my background collection. One of the things that I like so much about it is the deep, deep brown shade (at least it appears that way on my monitor) that appears to have some almost scarlet undertones. Very nice job! -- blueyonder64 2025-02-28 12:17:56
Circles, I feel, has a little too much contrast, which could distract from any icons sitting on the desktop. They also would become deformed if stretched to fit an irregular display. I do however really like your karmic.png -- I agree that the slight burgundy hue really adds life to the standard Ubuntu brown. I'd love to see this as the default Karmic wallpaper. Great job. -- topdownjimmy 2009-08-27 15:21:42
I love the third and the forth! Between the two the forth one is "better"(to my likings anyways) -- james2432 2009-09-24 11:08:35
I could see how it might be a distraction for some people using Ubuntu's standard desktop, but I use Netbook Remix which is just transparent enough to let the hints of the design come through. So in that application it works out great for me. But still, with the majority of the artwork on the opposite side of the background from where most people's icons would be kept, I can't see that it would be too much of a distraction. But again, that's just me.
-- blueyonder64
Daniels default submissions
first wallpaper, smoth and human
second wallpaper, more bright than first
This work by handlebar is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
-- handlebar 2009-08-12 22:44:40
Olivia's Default Background
A simple arrangement of eucalyptus leaves, which, upon further examination, reveals a subtle koala silhouette. Although this wallpaper sticks with the brown Ubuntu theme, it also has a splash of green to add some variety. This background looks nice even with desktop icons, as it is uncluttered and has a muted fog-like background.
-- ogalbraith 2009-09-02 05:39:54
This work by Olivia Galbraith is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
Comments
Karmic Koala by Goce Mitevski
Other versions are available on this deviantART page.
-- goce-mitevski 2009-10-18 14:40:34