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Scene Inspector
The Scene Editor (Live) (formerly the Scene Inspector) shows every object in a scene wallpaper (layers, effects, particle systems, models, sounds), lets you inspect their textures, shaders and properties, and edit them live while the wallpaper plays. Open it with Scene Editor (Live) in the Details panel, or Window › Scene Editor (Live) (⌥⌘I) for the wallpaper on screen.
The Mode picker at the top switches what you edit. Only scene wallpapers can leave the Wallpaper mode.
| Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| Wallpaper | Edits the running wallpaper |
| Screen Saver | Edits its own copy and records a seamless loop of it as your screen saver (Record) |
| iPhone & iPad Export | Previews the scene as an iPhone or iPad lock screen and exports a Live Photo |
| Android Export | Frames the scene for an Android device and exports a .mpkg for Wallpaper Engine's Android app |
The Screen Saver and export modes edit their own copy, so your desktop doesn't change.
In the Android Export tab, Send over Wi-Fi… lets the phone download the package from your Mac: scan the QR code or open the address in the phone's browser, on the same network. Sharing stops 15 minutes after the last request, or with Stop Sending.
| Area | Contents |
|---|---|
| Sidebar | Versions and Scene Objects. Each object has a kind icon and a visibility switch (Hide/Show object). A search field at the top filters by name, kind, paths, effects and parameters; ⌘K focuses it. |
| Detail | The selected object's type, source, material, textures (decoded previews), shaders and effects, plus JSON editors |
| Move & Align column | Toggled from the toolbar; moves, sizes and aligns the selected object |
| Toolbar | Copy Path (copies the wallpaper folder; shows "Copied"), Move & Align, Reset Edits |
The window title shows the selected object's name. The window is at least 1120 × 560.
For each effect on the selected object:
- An enable checkbox and an info tip.
- A disclosure with the effect's mask preview.
- Combos (shader options) with grouped choices and their requirements.
- Colour pickers, sliders (with a linked X/Y toggle for vectors) and number fields.
- Sync to Music and Music Amount, to drive a parameter from audio.
A parameter the author bound to a user property keeps that binding and shows no inspector control, as in Wallpaper Engine's editor. Edit it in Details instead. An edit under a timeline or script replaces only the static value; the animation still runs.
- Object Properties JSON editor with Save.
- Particle System and Material JSON editors with Save.
- Layer Details for video layers.
- Use This Version when a scene has several versions.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Move Element | Position readout and arrow buttons |
| Arrow keys | Move the selected object while the detail or the Move & Align column has focus: 10 px, Shift 50 px, Control 1 px |
| Size | 0.05× to 5×, with Reset to 1x |
| Blend mode | For image layers |
| Align Element | Horizontal Left/Center/Right, vertical Top/Center/Bottom |
- Reset Edits (toolbar) asks "Reset Scene Editor (Live) Edits", then drops every edit (object JSON, origin, scale, visibility, package-file JSON, effect overrides and their music sync). The wallpaper's properties are kept.
- Reset in the Details panel resets the properties and the inspector edits. See Library and Installed.
Edits are stored per display, like properties (see Displays and playback rules).
Note
Wallpaper Engine has no equivalent of the Scene Editor (Live); it is an OWE tool. To make your own version of a wallpaper (add layers and effects, animate a timeline, write SceneScript), use the Wallpaper Editor (Edit Wallpaper under the library grid, or Window › Wallpaper Editor, ⌥⌘E); its edits are kept beside the wallpaper, never in its files, and Save as Local Wallpaper… writes a copy with them. Edits live in OWE's settings, never in the wallpaper's files (except renaming the title in Details).
Read more (for developers): Scene pipeline and Architecture (Scene/UI)