Performance Tuning¶

gSlapper is designed to be efficient, but there are several options to optimize performance for your system.

Frame Rate Control¶

Frame Rate Cap¶

Control the maximum frame rate to reduce GPU/CPU usage:

gslapper --fps-cap 30 -o "loop" DP-1 video.mp4

Available options: - 30 - 30 FPS (default, good balance) - 60 - 60 FPS (smoother, more resource intensive) - 100 - 100 FPS (maximum smoothness)

When to Adjust¶

Lower FPS (30): Older hardware, battery-powered devices, multiple monitors
Higher FPS (60-100): High-end GPUs, single monitor, smooth video playback

Auto-Pause/Stop¶

Reduce resource usage when wallpapers are hidden:

Auto-Pause¶

Pauses playback when certain applications are fullscreen:

gslapper -p -o "loop" DP-1 video.mp4

Configure apps in ~/.config/mpvpaper/pauselist:

firefox
chromium
mpv
vlc

Auto-Stop¶

Completely stops playback when wallpaper is hidden:

gslapper -s -o "loop" DP-1 video.mp4

Configure apps in ~/.config/mpvpaper/stoplist:

games

Video Optimization¶

Codec Selection¶

Use hardware-accelerated codecs when available:

H.264 - Widely supported, good performance
H.265/HEVC - Better compression, requires more processing
VP9 - Open format, good compression

Video Resolution¶

Lower resolution videos use fewer resources:

# Use 1080p instead of 4K for better performance
gslapper -o "loop" DP-1 video_1080p.mp4

Image Optimization¶

Static Images¶

Static images are very efficient. For best performance:

Use appropriate resolution (don't use 8K images on 1080p displays)
Prefer JPEG for photos (smaller file size)
Use PNG only when transparency is needed

Transitions¶

Transitions add some CPU overhead:

Shorter durations (0.5-1.0s) use fewer resources
Longer durations (3.0s+) are smoother but use more CPU
Disable transitions if performance is critical

Multi-Monitor Performance¶

Running multiple instances uses more resources:

Tips¶

Mix static and video - Use static images on secondary monitors
Lower FPS on secondary - Use --fps-cap 30 on non-primary monitors
Use auto-pause - Pause wallpapers when not visible

# Primary monitor: 60 FPS video
gslapper --fps-cap 60 -o "loop" DP-1 video.mp4 &

# Secondary monitor: 30 FPS video
gslapper --fps-cap 30 -o "loop" HDMI-1 video2.mp4 &

# Tertiary monitor: Static image (most efficient)
gslapper -o "fill" eDP-1 image.jpg &

GPU Acceleration¶

gSlapper uses GStreamer's hardware acceleration when available:

NVIDIA¶

Ensure proper drivers and GStreamer plugins:

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S gst-plugins-bad gst-plugins-ugly

# Verify hardware acceleration
gst-inspect-1.0 nvdec

AMD/Intel¶

Hardware acceleration is typically automatic with Mesa drivers.

Memory Usage¶

Video Wallpapers¶

Memory usage depends on video resolution and codec
1080p videos: ~50-100 MB
4K videos: ~200-400 MB

Static Images¶

Very low memory usage
Typically < 50 MB regardless of image size

Monitoring Performance¶

Verbose Output¶

Use verbose mode to see performance information:

gslapper -vv -o "loop" DP-1 video.mp4

Look for: - Frame processing times - Texture allocation messages - Pipeline state changes

System Monitoring¶

Monitor resource usage:

# CPU and memory
htop

# GPU usage (NVIDIA)
nvidia-smi -l 1

# GPU usage (AMD/Intel)
radeontop  # or intel_gpu_top

Troubleshooting Performance Issues¶

High CPU Usage¶

Lower frame rate cap: --fps-cap 30
Use auto-pause: -p
Reduce video resolution
Disable transitions

High Memory Usage¶

Use static images instead of videos
Lower video resolution
Check for memory leaks (restart periodically)

Stuttering/Frame Drops¶

Lower frame rate cap
Check GPU drivers are up to date
Ensure hardware acceleration is working
Close other GPU-intensive applications