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

1. Mix static and video - Use static images on secondary monitors
2. Lower FPS on secondary - Use --fps-cap 30 on non-primary monitors
3. 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

1. Lower frame rate cap: --fps-cap 30
2. Use auto-pause: -p
3. Reduce video resolution
4. Disable transitions

High Memory Usage

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

Stuttering/Frame Drops

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