When Microsoft proposed Windows 10 in the world, many were happy to put Windows 8 aside. The new operating system was of superior quality and the fresh start was a joy. One of the first things many do in these situations is to change it background, which on Windows 10 is an image of a blue light shining through a Windows logo, which is literally a window. This is the usual computer-generated 3D rendering… or not? For the “maybe you didn’t know” series, today we would like to point out a curiosity that has been technically known for some time but which we believe many have missed. The background – which you see above – was actually made with a real window.
No tricks or digitalized effects (well, up to a certain point as we’ll see) and certainly no AI with too many fingers. The Windows 10 wallpaper is absolutely a photograph and there is also a video that shows the creation process clearly.
It was who created this image Bradley Munkowitz, also known as GMUNK. In the behind the scenes video you can see how the effect we see in the image of Windows 10 was recreated.
The process of creating Windows 10 wallpaper
Munkowitz explains how he and his team used one physical mirror, lasers and smoke machines to produce the image, taking thousands of exposures with different colored filters and combining the best ones into a single final composite.
The team placed a laser projector behind the Windows 10 physical logoshooting various patterns on the window and playing with volumetric smoke to maximize the effect.
The result is not only beautiful to see, but nowadays it is even more significant given that AI is increasingly taking the place of human creativity (with many errors and problems), while losing that creative quality that distinguishes us.
