Live Wallpaper & Ghost Video Overlay
for Windows 11 / 10
Motion above everything. · BackDrop_
Float any MP4, MKV or AVI above your Windows desktop as a transparent video overlay. Click-through. 100% offline. No account, no subscription.
Now playing: ✨ BEAUTY
Accepted payment methods
✨ Simplified preview — the real app packs way more inside.
TRUE CLICK-THROUGH
Mouse & keyboard pass directly through the video layer.
REAL-TIME EFFECTS
Dial brightness, contrast, and saturation in-app live.
HONEST LIMITS
Windows only. Linux | Mac soon.
Patrick Chen
Sublimearts.io — Indie Maker
Sound familiar?
You already know the pain. BackDrop_ exists because of it.
⏳ Your 'watch later' list is a broken promise
Hundreds of episodes. Films you paid for. Series you downloaded. You keep adding and never watching — because work always wins and the day ends before the screen time begins.
🖥️ Opening a video player means losing your desk
One click on VLC and your entire workspace collapses. Every window pushed aside, focus gone, five minutes of window re-arranging. Most days you close it before pressing play.
🚫 Picture-in-Picture doesn't work for local files
Browser PiP is locked to heavy browser streaming platforms. Third-party tools want subscriptions, account links, cloud processing. None of them open the files already sitting on your drive.
Watch it in action
First version demo — a more cinematic production video is in the works. The app speaks for itself.
Running in 60 seconds
A zero-friction setup. Start working immediately.
Install BackDrop_
Signed installer. No account, no cloud, no setup beyond clicking install. Windows confirms the DigiCert EV signature. Done in under 60 seconds.
Drop your video
Any file or folder. BackDrop_ starts it as a ghost overlay over your entire desktop immediately.
Dial the opacity
Slide from barely-there to fully visible. Match it to whatever you're doing — code, spreadsheets, calls.
Work normally
Your mouse ignores the video. Your keyboard types through it. Zoom still works. The video just plays.
Everything you need. Nothing you don't.
The power is in the precision. No fluff.
🎬 Any Video, Any Format
MP4 · MKV · AVI · MOV · WMV · FLV · WEBM. If VLC plays it, BackDrop_ plays it. No conversion, no upload, no processing lag.
👻 True Click-Through
The overlay is invisible to your mouse. Click, scroll, drag, sketch — everything passes straight through to your desktop seamlessly.
📋 Playlist Engine
Load an entire folder. Shuffle. Repeat. BackDrop_ rotates videos throughout the day without you ever touching a play button.
🎛️ Opacity Control
Fade from 5% to 100% in real time with hardware-accelerated rendering. No restart, no pauses, no delay.
✨ Real-Time Effects
Brightness · Contrast · Saturation applied live to the video. Dial in the perfect mood to match your lighting conditions.
⌨️ Global Hotkeys
Ctrl+Shift+H hide/show · Ctrl+Shift+→ next · Ctrl+Shift+F fullscreen. Total seamless control from within any running app.
🎨 Five System Themes
Catppuccin · Midnight · Forest · Ocean · Sunset. The core control panel is beautifully matched to your custom setup environment.
🔕 System Tray First
Minimizes completely to system tray. No taskbar icon to clutter your visual space. Starts on boot, stays out of your way.
Built by Patrick Chen — one developer.
"BackDrop_ exists because I wanted to watch content while debugging Python at 2am and VLC kept destroying my workspace. Three months of evenings later, here it is."
"There's no team. No venture backers. No recurring subscription. If this solves a problem you actually have — a €14.90 license is the most direct way to say thank you, and it keeps indie software alive."
Why not just use Wallpaper Engine?
Honest comparison. Not a takedown.
| Feature | BackDrop_ | Wallpaper Engine |
|---|---|---|
| Price | €14.90 one-time | ~€3.99 (Steam) |
| Your own videos | ✅ Any format | ✅ Yes |
| Built-in content library | ❌ None (bring your own) | ✅ Large workshop |
| Ghost overlay above apps | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Click-through | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Opacity control | ✅ Full (5–100%) | ⚠️ Limited |
| Real-time effects (B/C/S) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Windows Defender warnings | ✅ None (EV signed) | ✅ None |
| Privacy / offline | ✅ 100% local, no account | ⚠️ Steam account |
| Resource usage | ✅ Lightweight (VLC) | ⚠️ Heavier |
| Ghost overlay mode | ✅ Exclusive feature | ❌ Not available |
BackDrop_'s ghost overlay mode — video floating above your apps — is a feature Wallpaper Engine doesn't have. If that's what you need, there is no alternative.
One price. Everything. Forever.
A real-deal test drive first. Then secure lifetime access.
FREE
No credit card or registration required.
- 7 days full local access
- No credit card required
- No user database or online sync
- All features & outputs unlocked
€14.90
€18.99Use key on up to 3 personal machines.
- Unlimited lifetime runs
- Free automatic updates inside v1.x
- Single key, zero online call homes after lock
- Priority human support directly from Patrick
Featured on Nick Launches
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Trending on BuildHop: BackDrop_
Top 1 Daily Winner on Startup FastFeatured on Nick LaunchesFeatured on LaunchBuffFeatured on tools.cafeFeatured on LaunchstagFeatured on DanielLaunchesAs seen on Launch LlamaTrending on BuildHop: BackDrop_Top 1 Daily Winner on Startup FastFeatured on Nick LaunchesFeatured on LaunchBuffFeatured on tools.cafeFeatured on LaunchstagFeatured on DanielLaunchesAs seen on Launch LlamaTrending on BuildHop: BackDrop_Top 1 Daily Winner on Startup FastFeatured on Nick LaunchesFeatured on LaunchBuffFeatured on tools.cafeFeatured on LaunchstagFeatured on DanielLaunchesAs seen on Launch LlamaTrending on BuildHop: BackDrop_Top 1 Daily Winner on Startup FastWhat it doesn't do. Yet.
We'd rather you know upfront. Honesty counts.
No Built-In Content Library
You must bring your own local video files. There is no custom marketplace, no streaming connection, and no workshop of community wallpapers.
Windows Platform Only
Built directly on top of Win32 low-level hooks. macOS and Linux desktop features are not supported in version 1.1.2.
No Dynamic GIF Support
You cannot play .gif files directly. Convert them to MP4 first. It takes 10 seconds via any free online converter tool.
One Active Display/Monitor Only
It covers your primary display screen. Independent videos rendering on secondary displays is scheduled for a future v1.x update.
Questions
Clear, straightforward answers about our engine.
Q:Does it slow down my computer?
VLC handles playback with minimal CPU overhead. 1080p works comfortably on any mid-range setup from 2018 or newer. 4K files require robust processing because hardware-level decodes are temporarily disabled to calculate custom opacity controls.
Q:Does it work with dual monitors?
Yes — it covers your primary active display. Rendering custom independent video feeds per monitor is scheduled for a future v1.x update.
Q:Will Windows Defender flag it?
No. The installer file is fully signed with a validated DigiCert Extended Validation (EV) certificate issued to Sublimearts.io. SmartScreen trusts and runs it instantly.
Q:What happens when the trial ends?
The active loop stops and request license window triggers on startup. No files are altered or removed. Simply apply your lifetime license key to activate instantly.
Q:Will it interfere with my work apps?
Absolutely not. Features true click-through capability — verified and tested to sit comfortably under active apps like VS Code, Excel, Zoom, Slack, and Chrome.
Q:Can I hide it during a video call?
Instantly. Tap the ESC key to vanish layout feeds in under 0.2s. Hit Ctrl+Shift+H keyboard combinations to recall rendering feeds silently.
Q:Is my content private?
Completely secure. All files are evaluated and read completely locally on your hardware. Absolutely zero cloud uploads, registrations, or network telemetry tracking.
Your desktop has been static long enough.
Try BackDrop_ free for 7 days. No card required, no account setup, no pressure at all.
Windows 10 / 11 · EV Code Signed · v1.1.2 · Built by Patrick Chen
Sublimearts.io — Worldwide