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Selected Wallpapers: For Desktop & Web-Design

By Smashing Editorial, December 7th, 2006 in Graphics | 138 Comments | Forum

Creative wallpapers can serve as a nice source of inspiration. Particularly if you are having another creativity block, but don’t really have enough time to take a walk or browse through Flickr pools. However, it isn’t easy to find some really nice wallpapers - the choice is too big, and there are simply too many sources.

Over the last few days we’ve searched for the best posters, wallpapers, galleries and background images on the Web and collected them in an overview below. Especially Mac-Users will find some nice sources. Feel free to suggest further resources in the comments section. Links checked: June/03 2008.

Art. Lebedev Studio Posters
Cool arty barcode posters/wallpapers - in sizes up to 1600×1200
Greg Martin
Gallery of Art - great Wallpapers in sizes up to 2560 x 1024
Greg Martin 2
Great Wallpapers by Greg Martin in sizes up to 1600 x 1200
Patrick Bennett
Free Wallpapers - in sizes up to 1600 × 1050
Blurburger Desktops
Cartooney wallpapers - in sizes up to 1920 x 1200
BSDnexus
OpenBSD, FreeBSD and NetBSD wallpapers - in sizes up to 1600 x 1200
Caedes Desktop Backgrounds
A collection of great desktop wallpaper and desktop backgrounds. Over 12000 images: photography, 3D computer art, fractal, abstracts, nature, and space - in sizes up to 1600 x 1200
Design Wallpapers
Free Wallpapers - in sizes up to 1280 x 1024
Desktopography
Wallpapers For Designers - in sizes up to 1280 x 1024
deviantART Wallpaper
Great Wallpapers in 27 categories: Fractals, Vector, Fantasy, Dark, Games, Automotive, Abstract, Anime, Freehand, Light, Minimalistic, Landscapes, Science Fiction, Technical, Tiles, Multi Display, Females, Music, Macabre & Horror, 3 Dimensional
Dieselstation
Exotic Car Wallpapers - in sizes up to 1900×1200
Digital Blasphemy Free 3D Wallpapers
Free 3D wallpaper - in sizes up to 1600 x 1200, and 1920 x 1200 (widescreen)
Outer Space Wallpaper
Outer Space pictures for Windows desktop wallpaper - in sizes up to 1024 X 768
Dual Screen Wallpaper
Free Dual Screen Wallpapers in 5 categories: nature, abstract, space, Random, vehicles - in sizes up to 2650×1024
endeffect 2006 - RIOT!
Cool Wallpapers - in sizes up to 1600×1200
eWallpapers.net
Free wallpapers,desktop wallpapers, divided into categories: 3D, Aircrafts/Planes, Animals, Anime, Girls, Cars, Computers, Games, Holidays, Motorcycles, Movies, Music, Nature, Sports, World - in sizes up to 2560 x 1600
e-wallpapers.info
The best wallpapers on the net - divided into categories: Abstract, Cartoon, Cold Colors, Dark, Fantasy, Landscapes, Light, Mac OS X, Minimalistic, Nature, Sky, Warm Colors, Widescreen, Windows Vista
Firefox Wallpapers
Cool FireFox Wallpapers - in sizes up to 1600 x 1200
Flickr’s Desktop Wallpaper Pool
Over 2,608 Flickr users have posted their favorite wallpaper photos. Minimum 1024×768 resolution
National Geographic
National Geographic Wallpapers divided into categories: animals, archaeology and paleontology, black-and white photography, people, science and technology, underwater, culture, history
Free Movie Wallpaper
James Bond, Star Trek, Borat, Harry Potter, Rocky and some more.
Graffiti Wallpaper
Free high-quality desktop wallpaper in 10 categories: Animal, Flower, Graffiti, Landscape, Plant, Random, Statue, Texture, Tree - in sizes up to 1920 x 1200
HubbleSite
Plaster snapshots of the universe across your computer screen. Wallpaper lets you wander the universe from your desktop.
InterfaceLIFT
Free High-Resolution Widescreen Wallpaper -in sizes up to 2560×1600
joejoe’s Wallpapers
A huge selection of great wallpapers, divided into categories: Abstract, Animals, Apple, Black and White, Desert, City, Grass, Landscape, Mac, Leaves, Plants, Sky, Snow, Space, Water, Sunsets
Jeffrey Klassen - Infrared
Amazing infrared photo gallery. These infrared photos/wallpapers are absolutely beautiful! - in sizes up to 1600 x 1200
Jeffrey Klassen - Water
These water drop photos/wallpapers are amazing! - in sizes up to 1600 x 1200
Klowner’s Wallpapers
Collection of Linux wallpapers and others - in sizes up to 1600 x 1200
MediaInspiration Wall Papers
Free Wallpapers - in sizes up to 1024 X 768
Pixelgirl
Desktop Images - in sizes up to 1920×1200
Simpsons Wallpapers
Bart, Homer, Marge, Mr.Burns - Simpsons & Springfield Wallpapers - in sizes up to 1280 x 960
skeedz.com - wallpaper
High quality wallpapers - in sizes up to 1280 x 1024
Socksoff
Free high quality wallpapers for Windows and Mac - in sizes up to 1600×1200
Space.com
Wallpapers for your Desktop in categories: Apollo, Mars, Moon, Earth, Hubble Space Telescope, 3-D Space Art, Stars and Galaxies, Solar System, Saturn’s Rings - in sizes up to 1280 x 1024
Michael Swanson
Macro Wallpaper Images - in sizes up to 1920 x 1200
Terra Galleria
20 Free Wallpapers pictures from the Terra Galleria photo gallery - in sizes up to 1600 x 1200
Travel Wallpapers
Free Travel Wallpapers in 5 categories: 5 categories: The Beach, Blue, Landscapes, Cities, Towns & Buildings, Images of Gods - in sizes up to 1024 X 768
Waldo’s Wallpaper
Ultra High resolution original 3D computer desktop wallpapers
Wallpaper at 555 [DESIGN]
Free Wallpapers - in sizes up to 1024 x 768
Zeldman Presents: Desktop Pictures | Wallpaper
Desktop images for your pleasure - in sizes up to 1600 x 1024
Vladstudio - Wallpapers Gallery
Free desktop wallpapers, high resolution, widescreen and dual-monitor images - in sizes up to 2560 x 1600
Wallpapers
Free Widescreen Desktop Wallpapers by Steve Truett -in sizes up to 2560 x 1600

Mac Wallpapers

Desktopia
Freeware - Desktopia is a brand new customization concept for MacOS X: if you are one of those that are always seeking for a new ways to improve the look of your mac then desktopia is the right choice. hanks to it’s very simple and unobtrusive interface you will be able to configure desktopia to automatically change your desktop picture based on a specified time of the day.
OSXplanet Project
OSXplanet is a cocoa program that is based on the popular program, xplanet (by Hari Nair). It is able to generate live images of the earth as well as other planets in the solar system with additional informations such as the current clouds, storms, satellites, volcanos, earthquakes and times and locations of cities.
Apple OS X Wallpapers
Mac OS X Default Aqua, Abstract, Nature Wallpapers - in sizes up to 1280 x 1024 and wide screen
Blue Crystal 7
The “Blue Crystal” desktop collection contains a bunch of elegant, high quality wallpapers. The 7th edition of the blue crystal desktop collection is inspired by the amazing default desktops included in Apple’s Mac OS 10.4 Tiger and contains three high resolution (2560×1600) desktops - Aqua, Aqua light and Graphit.
deviantArt
Mac/PC OS Wallpaper - in sizes up to 1920 x 1200
Wallpapers - abstract and digital art
Abstract and digital art wallpapers - in sizes up to 1600 x 1200
joejoe’s Wallpapers
48 Mac Wallpapers - in sizes up to 1600 x 1200
Tux’n'tosh
Mac/Linus Desktop Wallpapers - in sizes up to 1280 x 854
Mac OS X Tiger Wallpapers
Free Tiger Wallpapers - in sizes up to 2560 x 1600
The Apple Collection
Mac Desktop Pictures with Apple Logos. Wallpapers - in sizes up to 1920 x 1200
Think different
Here you find some nice Desktop Pictures for the Mac, Think different, Apple and more - in sizes up to 1600 x 1200

Published in Graphics, December 7th, 2006
Tags: apple, backgrounds, downloads, free, mac, pictures, wallpapers

1.

Nate Stephenson (December 7th, 2006, 7:02 am)

No offense, but there are waaaaaay better wallpapers than the ones listed here. I’d say some are really mediocre.
2.

Nate Stephenson (December 7th, 2006, 7:03 am)

btw, just have a look around Link [www.deviantart.com]
3.

Ivo (December 7th, 2006, 1:14 pm)

Very nice collection. Thank you for your advices.
4.

uzbek (December 7th, 2006, 4:22 pm)

Great job. I’ve just bookmarked this page. Nice for a ref.
5.

Magazine (December 7th, 2006, 4:49 pm)

@Nate Stephenson: this is why you are here :) We appreciate every feedback from our readers! :)
6.

Penguin Pete (December 7th, 2006, 7:48 pm)

Nah, ignore Nate. Deviant Art is the MySpace of art galleries. These galleries listed here are the find.
7.

Sanath (December 7th, 2006, 10:19 pm)

Hi !

This is a Very Goood !
8.

Owen (December 7th, 2006, 11:04 pm)

Great collection. Just wondering has anybody seen wallpapers designed for ‘portrait mode’ use, they seem quite difficult to find :( Owen
9.

Ivan Minic (December 8th, 2006, 1:00 am)

Great collection
10.

Peter (December 8th, 2006, 1:54 am)

Was this :

Link [www.drweb.de]

the inspiration for this post ?
11.

Allan Siew (December 10th, 2006, 3:26 pm)

Great collection of wallpaper links! Thanks!
12.

zoel (December 11th, 2006, 10:49 am)

I’ve just bookmarked this page. cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
13.

Thomas (December 14th, 2006, 2:06 am)

@Peter said: Was this: Link [www.drweb.de]

the inspiration for this post?

not only inspiration, but done by the same authors. smashingmagazine.com is just another production by the drweb.de people.
14.

Subramanian Manish (January 11th, 2007, 9:00 pm)

This is a very fantastic website for growing designers
like me. A huge thanks and compliment to those who have made it possible for us. Thanks again…..
15.

Vijay Gajjar (January 13th, 2007, 4:55 pm)

This is what I have been searching…………………………………

Thanks a lot…

I would like to know whether it is updated every month.
Iam also looking for some best tutorial websites I will be happy if you guide me on this……
16.

Okan (January 28th, 2007, 9:47 am)

Great collection. Just wondering has anybody seen wallpapers designed for ‘portrait mode’ use, they seem quite difficult to find :(
17.

Özcan (January 28th, 2007, 9:55 am)

Great job. I’ve just bookmarked this page. Nice for a ref.
18.

Güneş (January 28th, 2007, 9:57 am)

No offense, but there are waaaaaay better wallpapers than the ones listed here. I’d say some are really mediocre.
19.

visionFez (January 29th, 2007, 11:06 pm)

Aloot of good free wallpapers at Link [www.calxibe.com] to :D
20.

Mert (January 30th, 2007, 2:47 am)

Good Website. My looking everyday. thank you
21.

İbrahim (January 30th, 2007, 2:49 am)

thank you very much for this good page
22.

mexivita (March 11th, 2007, 9:11 am)

Hi, please take a look to my Wallpapersite: Link [www.mexivista.de] Every month i will show one wallpaper with calendar and more.
23.

Ali (March 13th, 2007, 11:46 pm)

I’d say some are really mediocre
24.

rayan (March 24th, 2007, 2:44 am)

come on i need a website about a movey backgrounds with action
25.

helmut (March 27th, 2007, 9:39 pm)

amazing collection, thanks for the Hubble link!!!
26.

SB (May 12th, 2007, 3:49 pm)

Gr8 link collection, to goood!!!
27.

katie (May 23rd, 2007, 4:52 am)

THE BEST.

i especially recommend travel (voyage) and nature
28.

chinna (May 25th, 2007, 7:23 pm)

Great collection of wallpaper resources. An aggregator of all the good wallpaper resources on the web
29.

evren (May 31st, 2007, 12:21 pm)

that’s a spectacular web site including the most valuable wallpapers i’ve ever seen…
30.

Nisha (June 13th, 2007, 4:41 pm)

Please add some Dj type ( Scratcher ) and thingd like that as wall papers. Then We will surely buy that online. We will pay as much as money to buy the wall papers.
31.

Juergen Bessei (June 29th, 2007, 7:24 pm)

Hi folks!

I enjoyed the links on your site. I publish some wallpapers/desktop background pictures from my journeys around the globe on my private website at:

Link [www.australien-ozeanien.de]

(There are also selected pictures in very high resolution on my poster site).

If you like it I’ll be glad to have a link on your selected-wallpaper-site.

Thanks

Juergen
32.

nandkishor (July 25th, 2007, 8:10 pm)

I have enjoyed this site
33.

ptamaro (September 21st, 2007, 10:29 pm)

Pretty good sets here. Seems like the opinions above are based on how much surfing folks do, how long they’ve been surfin’ and, of course, subjective opinion… Some are really well done, but others may not be worthy of a smash. Covers the gamut though. Thanks.
34.

selfaccess (September 29th, 2007, 1:47 am)

nice wallpapers.

the other sites are nice too.
35.

elmira (November 7th, 2007, 12:32 am)

they are really cool :-)
36.

aceguy79 (November 9th, 2007, 3:02 pm)

just awesome guyz
37.

neweru (December 20th, 2007, 5:55 pm)

very nice as always
imo best wallpapersite is wallpaperstop.com
38.

Praveen (January 19th, 2008, 8:58 am)

Its very mazing and mindblowing
39.

adi (February 7th, 2008, 2:16 am)

amazing guys!!n keep up the good works!!!
40.

artlover (February 14th, 2008, 10:55 am)

these are cool. you should have stuff in more colors. some dark colors, like expressing depression, and light colors like expressing love or happiness. but like i said,, cool pic.’s!
41.

jahanzeb (February 20th, 2008, 9:29 am)

nice wallpapers
42.

Ahmed VAhyd (March 30th, 2008, 3:44 am)

its very nice -
hurray
43.

abdul (April 27th, 2008, 8:52 pm)

real good work, it excellent to look at, its different,
i can say that i only use these backgrounds in my whole life.
44.

Kang (June 8th, 2008, 10:33 am)

that is amazing which bridge is that
45.

Erfan Alam (July 10th, 2008, 10:12 pm)

i just find what i want. thanks and good luck
46.

eye.candy (July 15th, 2008, 8:01 pm)

Very nice wallpapers! really good ones.
47.

mm (July 18th, 2008, 7:25 pm)

very good , every thing
48.

niksi (July 19th, 2008, 3:07 am)

Very nice wallpapers!
49.

Nancy (July 29th, 2008, 12:48 am)

Ohhhhhhhh really so nice wallpaper collection you have really so attractive.
50.

werewolf (August 7th, 2008, 9:01 pm)

very Very nice wallpapers!
51.

Khan (August 22nd, 2008, 11:17 pm)

nice wallpapers
52.

Abu (August 31st, 2008, 7:21 am)

very very nice da….. so sweet
53.

Katy (September 11th, 2008, 9:10 am)

hey i love the wallapers and will totally use them!!!
very very very awesomeness
54.

chives (October 11th, 2008, 10:42 pm)

ei..has anyone seen a volleyball-related wallpaper?tnx.. : )
55.

guna (October 15th, 2008, 11:18 pm)

wow. wonderful pictures…..
56.

UnKnown (October 27th, 2008, 4:34 pm)

hello i love the wllpapers i just think that you should have a bit more natural ones like with dogs in them and trees and wild life !!!
57.

mohan (November 26th, 2008, 5:17 pm)

superb collection..better i will use them for my new web…..thanx…….
58.

CHarles (December 8th, 2008, 8:07 am)

The finest wallpapers collections i have ever seen, thanks
59.

wahtever (January 11th, 2009, 1:32 am)

BORING
60.

shrikant (January 15th, 2009, 5:30 am)

best
61.

harsha (February 1st, 2009, 11:42 am)

Max collectins The finest time wallpapers collections i have ever seen. i like this. thanx lot.
62.

maya (February 3rd, 2009, 1:41 am)

nice pic i like them
63.

Diana (February 4th, 2009, 7:14 am)

GREAT GREAT
64.

alex (February 8th, 2009, 9:13 am)

RUBBISH. who wants stupid wallpapers?
65.

raj (February 23rd, 2009, 1:33 am)

hi
friends
this are very nice
66.

Wasim Chadhar (February 28th, 2009, 8:07 am)

Excellent, this is what! I desire.
M y real Choice.
67.

muneerkasri (March 2nd, 2009, 2:03 am)

very nice
68.

Adams (March 3rd, 2009, 6:03 pm)

Thanks for sharing, I like them very much,very beautiful.
69.

pavan padu (April 8th, 2009, 10:14 pm)

the wallpaper nice
70.

Pradeepika (April 19th, 2009, 12:24 am)

good & unique wallpapers
71.

RAMAKANTH (April 21st, 2009, 5:15 am)

HIIIIIII EVERYONE,
THIS IS VERY VERY GOOD.THANKS A LOT.
72.

Muhammad Abid Ashraf (April 23rd, 2009, 1:09 am)

Excellent but I want some more like yeah dil mange more…………………………………………………….
73.

Emily (May 16th, 2009, 8:56 am)

kewl i already have the one with the grass and the water on it because i have a mac !
74.

kuku (June 4th, 2009, 6:05 am)

hay! nice collection
I fell it as very realistic images and are very beautiful.
75.

Rupesh Doiphode (June 6th, 2009, 6:47 am)

the wallpepars is nice and lovely
76.

saudi arabia (June 10th, 2009, 6:01 pm)

Good job
Thank u
77.

paresh (June 19th, 2009, 12:31 am)

No very bad pictures . pictures for pictures
78.

jeff g. (June 23rd, 2009, 2:52 pm)

Bookmarked this page! great pics!
79.

jayasree (July 2nd, 2009, 9:43 am)

nice picture