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How to make a video wallpaper loop seamlessly (no jump when it restarts)

A video wallpaper plays the same clip over and over. If the last frame doesn't match the first one, you see a little jump every time it starts again. Once you notice it, you can't stop seeing it. Here's why it happens and how to fix it.

Why the jump happens

Most clips were never made to loop. When the video ends, the player goes straight back to frame one, so anything that was moving (a train, clouds, a character's hair) suddenly snaps back to where it started.

Three ways to fix it

1. Cut at a matching moment. Look for a point near the end where the picture is almost the same as the start (the camera is still, the character is back in the same pose) and end the clip there. Short, calm clips work best.
2. Blend the end into the start (crossfade). The last half second to two seconds fade into the opening frames, so there's no hard cut left to see. This works for almost any clip, especially slow scenery, rain, snow and clouds.
3. Boomerang. Play the clip forward and then backward. It always loops perfectly; it suits gentle motion like swaying grass or water, less so people walking.

How to do it in Wallsmith

1. Open your clip, or pick one of your Wallpaper Engine wallpapers on the left.
2. On the Loop tab, set Start and End to the part you like.
3. Under Loop, choose Seamless. Click Find the best loop point and Wallsmith picks the end frame that matches the start best.
4. Adjust Crossfade (0.2 to 2 seconds). Longer is softer; shorter keeps more of the original motion. The preview plays the loop live so you can watch the restart.
5. Prefer forward-and-back? Choose Boomerang instead.
6. Export, then set the MP4 as your wallpaper, or tick Put the result into this wallpaper to replace a Wallpaper Engine wallpaper (the original is backed up).

Free or Pro? Trimming is free. Seamless loop and boomerang are part of Wallsmith Pro ($5 once). With the free version you can still use tip 1 and trim at a matching moment.

Tips

• Avoid clips with a camera cut near the end: blending two different shots looks like a ghosted double image.
• Fast motion needs a shorter crossfade; slow scenery looks best with a longer one.
• If you also raise the frame rate (60, 120 or 144 fps), Wallsmith makes the in-between frames across the loop point too, so the restart stays smooth.