Modding Mac OS X

Changing the Look of Finder Windows

TOOLS YOU NEED

For working through the examples in this section, you’ll need the following application:

• Finder

Next to using a different background for your Desktop or adding a new screensaver, one of the easiest changes you can make to your Mac is to update the appearance of your Finder windows. No matter what Finder view you’re using (Icon, List, or Column), you can set background colors or images to be used in the Finder views and apply them to individual Finder windows, or across the board to every Finder window you open.

These steps walk you through the process of setting a custom image.

1. Start by selecting a fairly desaturated image. A good image will have lots of white in it; this helps you see your icons and text over the picture. Pick an image that isn’t too big (say, up to 640 or 800 pixels at its largest dimension).

2. Open a Finder window and navigate to the folder whose background you want to change. Open that folder and display its contents using the icon view (View → As Icons, ⌘-1).

3. Select that Finder window and choose View → Show View Options (⌘-J). A small floating window appears, as shown in Figure 1-18.

4. Select the “This window only” radio button. For this example, you don’t want to add your picture to every Finder window. However, if you find that you like the change you’ve made, you can always come back here and change the setting so the picture gets applied to all Finder windows.

5. At the bottom of the floating window is the Background ...