Vivarium
0.1 Overview

Live wallpaper, cut from your own footage.

Download for macOS What it does

Vivarium finds the loop points in a clip you already own, trims to them, and cycles the result behind your windows. Backdrop is a wallpaper store. Vivarium is a wallpaper maker.

$14.99 once · no subscription

v4.1 macOS 15.0+ Apple silicon direct download no account
0.2 Loop engine

Every clip has a frame that matches an earlier one.

The engine scans for that pair, trims to it, and fades the seam under a threshold you set. What comes out cycles without a cut. The source file is never rewritten.

01 source in
Vivarium's Create pane with a source clip loaded scene: source clip

Any clip you drop in. ProRes, H.264, HEVC.

full length · untouched on disk

02 loop points detect
in 00:04.12 out 00:11.88

Drag either end. The match score updates as you move.

match 0.982
03 result Seamless
A finished Vivarium loop running on the desktop scene: loop · running

Cycles behind your windows at a speed you set.

seam 0 frames · pauses on battery

Note — Trims are non-destructive. Vivarium stores loop points beside the file, so the same clip can hold several loops and the original is left alone.

0.3 In place

Behind everything you already have open.

A wallpaper is only as good as it looks under a full screen of windows. Vivarium sits below the desktop icons, pauses when it is covered, and stops on battery.

occlusion-aware · deep pause when covered per-display · per-video frame rate
0.4 Surfaces

Four places a loop can go.

Same engine, four surfaces. Pick one to see how it reads with the ring on.

0.4.1 Active

Library

Every loop you have cut, in one grid. Sorted by length, tone, or the display it was made for.

one grid · one window

0.4.2 Lock

Lock screen

Mirror the desktop loop to the lock screen. Direct-download builds only.

mirror · direct download only

0.4.3 Rotate

Playlists

Group loops and let them rotate on a schedule you set. Five minutes to a day.

wall-clock · survives sleep

0.4.4 Per screen

Displays

Per-monitor assignment. A different loop on each screen, or one stretched across all of them.

multi-display aware

0.5 Comparison

A maker, not a storefront.

Subscription wallpaper apps rent you a catalog. Vivarium sells the tool once and gets out of the way.

row Vivarium Subscription apps Price $14.99 once Monthly, renewing Subscription None Required to keep watching What you get A loop engine A catalog Your own footage Any clip you drop in Rarely, if at all Loop detection Automatic, then editable Pre-cut for you Offline Everything, no account Sign-in required Send to iPhone Still image, by Apple's rule Still image too Updates Every future version While subscribed
0.6 Pricing

Pay once. Keep the engine.

The same two panes you will see in the app after installing, so the purchase looks familiar when it arrives.

engine Included

Free

Cut loops and run one on the desktop. No account, no watermark.

  • Import clips, detect loop points
  • One desktop loop at a time
  • Pause on battery and low power
Download the engine
unlock Lifetime

$14.99

once · no subscription

  • Playlists with scheduled rotation
  • A different loop on every display
  • Lock-screen mirror
  • Every future version
Unlock Vivarium
0.7 Requirements

What it needs, and what it will not do.

Three limits worth knowing before you download. They are here rather than in the footer.

System
macOS 15.0 or later
Architecture
Apple silicon
Version
4.0 (build 17)
Formats in
ProRes · H.264 · HEVC
Distribution
direct download · notarized
Account
none, ever
Download for macOS Release notes

Note — The lock-screen mirror ships in the direct-download build only. Store sandboxing blocks the API it uses.

Note — Send to iPhone exports a still frame. Apple does not allow moving wallpaper from third-party apps, so nothing animates on the phone.

Note — macOS 15.0 is the floor. Earlier systems have no wallpaper API Vivarium can drive without a helper daemon, and it will not ship one.