(Generated with PixelPoSH)

PixelPoSH

PixelPoSH is a PowerShell module that generates customizable, random SVG backgrounds using the PSSVG DSL (no System.Drawing). It includes patterns like bubbles, concentric circles, stripes, squares, two kinds of waves, and two types of lowpoly. You can add overlay text (single or multi-line), choose colours from palettes (local or colormind.io), and optionally rasterize to PNG using external tools. It's perfect for quickly generating backgrounds for desktops, websites, or any project that could use a splash of color and creativity. PixelPoSH also supports colored text!

Now works on Windows, macOS, and Linux with PowerShell 7+.!

Example images

Please see the EXAMPLES.md for sample output.

Features

• Generate SVG at any size (crisp at any resolution).
• Multiple patterns: Bubbles, Circles, Stripes, Squares, PaletteWave, GradientWave (and optional Low-Poly/Delaunay if enabled).
• Overlay text with colour, size, multi-line support, and right-aligned anchoring.
• Optional PNG export via rsvg-convert, magick (ImageMagick), or inkscape.
• colormind.io API integration for fetching color palettes.

Prerequisites

• PowerShell 7+ (Core)
• PSSVG module

  Install-Module PSSVG -Scope CurrentUser

• (Optional for PNG and the ansible) One of:

  • librsvg (rsvg-convert)
  • ImageMagick (magick)
  • Inkscape (inkscape)

Installation

Clone the repo and import the module:

git clone https://github.com/dabeastnet/PixelPoSH.git
Import-Module ./PixelPoSH/PixelPoSH.psm1

Usage

New-RandomImage creates an SVG and saves it to a path. If you don’t specify a path, it defaults to your OS temp directory (e.g., /tmp/Background.svg or %TEMP%\Background.svg).

By default, a random pattern is chosen from: Bubble, Circle, Stripe, Square, PaletteWave, GradientWave, LowPolyGradient, LowPolyPalette . For each mode you define yourself, it will randomly select one of the modes.

Examples

Below you can find some examples:

Parameters

The following are the available parameters, with it's default values:

        [int]$ImageWidth = 800,
        [int]$ImageHeight = 600,
        [string]$Path = ([System.IO.Path]::Combine([System.IO.Path]::GetTempPath(), 'Background.svg')),
        [string]$Text,
        [int]$TextSize = 40,
        [string]$TextColor = '#FFFFFF',
        [switch]$Bubble,
        [switch]$Circle,
        [switch]$Square,
        [switch]$Stripe,
        [switch]$PaletteWave,
        [switch]$GradientWave,
        [switch]$LowPolyGradient,
        [switch]$LowPolyPalette,
        [string]$PngPath, #Patch to save the PNG to
        [switch]$RasterizeToPng, #Switch to rasterize
        [string]$PngBackground = 'none'   # or '#ffffff' if you want opaque PNGs by default

Tip: Multi-line text works using backtick-n: `n (see example below).

Quick examples

Default 800×600 SVG (random pattern)

This command creates an 800x600 svg with a randomly selected pattern and saves it to C:\temp or /tmp/.

New-RandomImage

1920×1080 SVG with Squares and custom text

New-RandomImage -ImageWidth 1920 -ImageHeight 1080 `
  -Square -Text 'Sample Text' `
  -Path "$HOME/Pictures/square-bg.svg"

Allow either Bubble or Square (randomly picked)

New-RandomImage -Bubble -Square

Multi-line, coloured text

New-RandomImage -Text "LOLOLOL`nPixelPoSH is 9001`nLOLOLOL" -TextSize 60 -TextColor "#AAFFFF"
# The (backtic) `n is used as a newline indicator

SVG + PNG

New-RandomImage -GradientWave `
  -Path "$HOME/Pictures/bg.svg" `
  -PngPath "$HOME/Pictures/bg.png"

Color palettes

By default, the module tries to fetch a random palette from colormind.io. If offline/unavailable, it uses a built-in set of 100 palettes.

To refresh the embedded palettes, run Get-StaticPalettes.ps1. It writes a Base64 JSON to a file; copy the contents into the Get-ColorPalette subfunction’s $B64Palettes string in PixelPoSH.psm1.

function Get-ColorPalette {
    # ...
    #region B64
    $B64Palettes = "[BASE 64 ENCODED PALETTES GO HERE]"
    #endregion B64
    # ...
}

Encoding tip: JSON is typically UTF-8. Decode with [Text.Encoding]::UTF8.GetString([Convert]::FromBase64String(...)).

Advanced example

Here is an example to display machinename, IP and uptime on the image (Windows example).

#Fetch the info
$IP = (Get-NetIPConfiguration | Where-Object { $_.IPv4DefaultGateway -ne $null -and $_.NetAdapter.Status -eq 'Up' }).IPv4Address.IPAddress
$Uptime = (get-date) - (gcim Win32_OperatingSystem).LastBootUpTime
$FormattedUptime = "{0} days, {1} hours, {2} minutes" -f $Uptime.Days, $Uptime.Hours, $Uptime.Minutes, $Uptime.Seconds

#Generate the image in a yellow text
New-RandomImage -Text "$env:COMPUTERNAME`nIP Address: $IP`nUptime: $FormattedUptime" -TextSize 30 -TextColor "#FFF500"

PNG export (optional)

If you enable PNG export in the module, it will try tools in this order: rsvg-convert → magick → inkscape.

Install one of:

• Ubuntu: sudo apt update && sudo apt install librsvg2-bin
• macOS (Homebrew): brew install librsvg (or brew install imagemagick)
• Windows (winget): winget install ImageMagick.ImageMagick (Q16 build with SVG support)

Docker usage

A prebuilt image is published to Docker Hub at dabeastnet/pixelposh. It includes PowerShell 7, PSSVG, and librsvg (rsvg-convert) so you can generate SVG and PNG without installing anything locally.

Pull

docker pull dabeastnet/pixelposh:latest
# (Optional) always fetch the newest tag:
docker run --pull=always dabeastnet/pixelposh:latest pwsh -c '$PSVersionTable.PSVersion'

Generate an SVG

mkdir -p out
docker run --rm -v "$PWD/out:/out" dabeastnet/pixelposh:latest \
  pwsh -NoProfile -c "
    Import-Module ./PixelPoSH/PixelPoSH.psm1;
    New-RandomImage -GradientWave -Text 'Hello Docker' -Path /out/bg.svg
  "

Generate a PNG (rasterized from SVG inside the container)

docker run --rm -v "$PWD/out:/out" dabeastnet/pixelposh:latest \
  pwsh -NoProfile -c "
    Import-Module ./PixelPoSH/PixelPoSH.psm1;
    New-RandomImage -PaletteWave -Text 'Hello PNG' -Path /out/bg.svg -RasterizeToPng -PngPath /out/bg.png
  "

Notes

• The module inside the image lives at ./PixelPoSH/PixelPoSH.psm1 (already on $PSModulePath when you Import-Module with a relative path as shown).
• Default font stack is Arial, Helvetica, DejaVu Sans, sans-serif. You can mount your own fonts if you need a specific face.
• Prefer :latest (with --pull=always) for convenience, or pin a specific tag/digest for reproducibility.

Ansible usage

An opinionated playbook is provided under /ansible to:

1. (Best effort) read the target’s resolution
2. Generate a random PNG on the controller using PixelPoSH
3. Copy it to each target
4. Set it as the desktop background (Windows / GNOME / XFCE)

Layout (repo)

/ansible
├─ inventory                 # your hosts (ini or yaml)
├─ files/
│  └─ PixelPoSH.psm1         # the module the controller imports
└─ pixelposh_wallpaper_playbook.yml

Make sure ansible/files/PixelPoSH.psm1 matches the version you want to use. The playbook imports it directly from that path on the controller.

Run it

From the repo root (or adjust paths accordingly):

ansible-playbook -i ansible/inventory.yml ansible/pixelposh_wallpaper_playbook.yml

If Linux targets require sudo

Provide a sudo password (only needed for the wallpaper-apply step when you’re not connecting as the desktop user):

ansible-playbook -i ansible/inventory.yml ansible/pixelposh_wallpaper_playbook.yml -K

…or set in group_vars (recommend encrypting with Ansible Vault):

# ansible/group_vars/linux.yml
ansible_become: yes
ansible_become_method: sudo
ansible_become_password: YOUR_SUDO_PASS

What the playbook does (quick reference)

• Generates the image on the controller in ansible/files/_out/<hostname>.png

• Copies it to the target:

  • Windows → C:\Windows\Web\Wallpaper\pixelposh.png
  • Linux → /tmp/pixelposh_<hostname>.png

• Sets the wallpaper:

  • Windows: Win32 SystemParametersInfo(SPI_SETDESKWALLPAPER) via PowerShell
  • GNOME: gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.background picture-uri{,-dark} file:///… (runs as the desktop user; uses the user’s DBus session)
  • XFCE: xfconf-query updates all last-image keys

Troubleshooting tips

• GNOME didn’t change: ensure a desktop session is active for the target user and that /run/user/<uid>/bus exists. If you SSH as another user, the playbook must become_user: <desktopuser> for the gsettings step.
• Windows didn’t change: confirm WinRM is configured and the account has rights to update HKCU; a reboot/logoff isn’t required, but Explorer sometimes caches—lock/unlock the session if needed.
• PNG generation failed: the controller needs PowerShell 7 and the module at ansible/files/PixelPoSH.psm1. The playbook uses rsvg-convert/ImageMagick only if you enable PNG rasterization in your module; our script path uses the built-in rasterization helper.

Contributing

Contributions to PixelPoSH are welcome! Please feel free to submit pull requests or create issues for bugs and feature suggestions on our GitHub repository.

License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 - see the COPYING file for more details.