Customize OS X

It's nice to put a picture of your choosing on your desktop, but if you really want to make your Mac more personal, here's a quick tip for using Visage to customise your desktop, log-in panel, and more. I picked up this tip from the fabulous Lifehacker blog. Go to Sanity Software at keakaj.com/visage.htm. Download and extract Visage. Then click on Visage.prefpane. Let OS X know if you want the preference to be available to all users or just you, then press Install. You'll need to put in your password, then the Visage option will show up in system preferences. Click on it and let OS X know it's OK. The first panel of options is desktop effects. You can put all kinds of things in motion behind your desktop. I tried RSS feeds, photos, and album art. There are several others. The next pane changes the log-in background by allowing you to add your own image. Similarly the log-in panel lets you replace the Apple logo with a picture of your choosing. There's also a panel to customise alert messages for things like shut down confirmation, restart etc. Just a few things to make that Mac feel a little bit like your own. That's it for this Quick Tip. I'm Tom Merritt, CNET.com. APPLEBYTE CUSTOM INTROS Hey Brian, I know you like to personalize your stuff. But just changing the picture on your desktop isn't enough. Here's a quick tip for using Visage to customize your desktop, log-in panel and more. I picked up this tip from the fabulous Lifehacker blog. XXXX OUT Just a few things to make that Mac feel a little bit like your own. Back to you Brian. I'm Tom Merritt for CNET.com.