aether_prodigy_low_res.mp4

Aether

A visual theming application for Omarchy. Create beautiful desktop themes through real-time color manipulation, wallpaper integration, and template-based theme generation.

Key Features

• Intelligent Color Extraction - Advanced ImageMagick-based algorithm with automatic image classification (monochrome, low-diversity, chromatic)
• Smart Palette Generation - Adaptive strategies ensure readability and preserve image aesthetics
• Image Filter Editor - Apply blur, exposure, vignette, grain, and 12 presets before color extraction
• Wallpaper Browsing - Integrated wallhaven.cc browser, local wallpaper manager, and favorites system
• Color Presets - 10 popular themes: Dracula, Nord, Gruvbox, Tokyo Night, Catppuccin, and more
• Advanced Color Tools - Harmony generator, gradients, and adjustment sliders (vibrance, contrast, temperature)
• Color Lock System - Protect specific colors while experimenting with adjustments
• Blueprint System - Save and share themes as JSON files
• Neovim Themes - 37 LazyVim-compatible themes with preset matching
• Shader Manager - 80+ GLSL screen shaders for hyprshade (color grading, effects, era vibes)
• Accessibility Checker - Real-time WCAG contrast ratio validation
• Customizable UI - Live theme reload and CSS variable system
• Multi-App Support - Hyprland, Waybar, Kitty, Alacritty, btop, Mako, and 15+ more applications

Requirements

• GJS (GNOME JavaScript bindings)
• GTK 4
• Libadwaita 1
• libsoup3 - HTTP client library for wallhaven API
• ImageMagick - Intelligent color extraction and image filter processing
• hyprshade - Screen shader manager (optional, for shader effects)
• Omarchy - Distro

Installation

1. Install system dependencies:

sudo pacman -S gjs gtk4 libadwaita libsoup3 imagemagick

2. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/bjarneo/aether.git
cd aether

3. Run Aether:

./aether

To open with a specific wallpaper:

./aether --wallpaper /path/to/image.png
# or short form
./aether -w /path/to/image.png

4. (Optional) Install desktop entry:

cp li.oever.aether.desktop ~/.local/share/applications/

Or install via AUR:

yay -S aether
# or
paru -S aether

Usage

Command Line Options

./aether [OPTIONS]

Options:
  -h, --help                    Show help message
  -w, --wallpaper=FILE          Path to wallpaper image to load on startup
  -l, --list-blueprints         List all saved blueprint themes
  -a, --apply-blueprint=NAME    Apply a blueprint by name
  --widget-blueprint            Show floating blueprint selector widget

Examples:

./aether --wallpaper ~/Pictures/wallpaper.jpg
./aether -l
./aether -a BLUEPRINT_NAME
./aether --widget-blueprint  # Floating widget for quick blueprint switching

Basic Workflow

1. Create a palette:

   • Upload a wallpaper and extract colors with intelligent ImageMagick algorithm
   • (Optional) Edit wallpaper with filters before extraction
   • Browse wallhaven.cc, local wallpapers, or favorites
   • Choose from 10 color presets
   • Generate color harmonies or gradients

2. Customize colors:

   • Adjust individual colors with the color picker
   • Use sliders: vibrance, contrast, brightness, hue, temperature
   • Lock colors to protect them from slider adjustments

3. Apply theme:

   • Click "Apply Theme" button
   • Aether processes templates and writes to ~/.config/omarchy/themes/aether/
   • Runs omarchy-theme-set aether to apply across all configured applications

Changes apply instantly via live reload.

Screen Shaders

Aether includes many GLSL screen shaders for hyprshade. Shaders are automatically installed to ~/.config/hypr/shaders/ when you run Aether. Use the Shader Manager in the Settings sidebar to toggle effects, or bind them directly in your Hyprland config.

Shader Location: ~/.config/hypr/shaders/

Add your own .glsl files to this directory and they will automatically appear in the Shader Manager list. For GLSL shader tutorials, see The Book of Shaders, Shadertoy, or LearnOpenGL - Shaders.

Manual Binding Example:

# In ~/.config/hypr/hyprland.conf
bind = $mainMod, F1, exec, hyprshade toggle grayscale
bind = $mainMod, F2, exec, hyprshade toggle retro-glow
bind = $mainMod, F3, exec, hyprshade off

Shader Categories:

• Color corrections (grayscale, sepia, duotone, tritone)
• Temperature adjustments (warm-tone, cool-tone, amber, blue-light-reduce)
• Saturation effects (saturate, desaturate, color-pop, pastel)
• Era vibes (40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s)
• Artistic looks (golden-hour, cyberpunk-neon, vintage-film, faded-memory)
• Nature themes (forest-green, ocean, arctic-blue, desert-sand, autumn-leaves)
• Accessibility (protanopia, deuteranopia, tritanopia, high-contrast)

Color Extraction Algorithm

Aether uses an advanced ImageMagick-based extraction system that:

• Automatically classifies images as monochrome, low-diversity, or chromatic
• Adapts palette generation strategy based on image characteristics
• Ensures readability through intelligent brightness normalization
• Preserves image aesthetics by prioritizing hue accuracy
• Caches results for instant re-extraction (< 0.1s)

Development

# Run directly
./aether
# or
gjs -m src/main.js

# Format code
npm run format

Template System

Templates in templates/ support variable substitution:

• {background}, {foreground} - Base colors
• {color0} through {color15} - ANSI colors
• {color5.strip} - Color without # prefix
• {color5.rgb} - Decimal RGB format (e.g., 203,166,247)

Blueprint Format

Blueprints are JSON files stored in ~/.config/aether/blueprints/:

{
  "name": "My Theme",
  "timestamp": 1234567890,
  "palette": {
    "wallpaper": "/path/to/wallpaper.png",
    "lightMode": false,
    "colors": ["#1e1e2e", "#f38ba8", "..."]
  }
}

Troubleshooting

App won't start:

pacman -S gjs gtk4 libadwaita libsoup3
gjs -m src/main.js  # Check for errors

ImageMagick not found:

pacman -S imagemagick
magick --version  # Verify installation

Wallhaven not loading:

• Check internet connection and libsoup3 installation
• Rate limit: 45 requests/minute without API key
• Add API key in settings for higher limits
• Clear cache: rm -rf ~/.cache/aether/wallhaven-*

Contributing

Aether is designed to be extensible. Key areas:

• Templates: Add new apps in templates/ directory
• Presets: Add themes to src/constants/presets.js
• UI Components: Extend components in src/components/
• Color Tools: Enhance color-harmony.js or color-adjustment-controls.js
• Theming: Add CSS variables in theme-manager.js

See CLAUDE.md for detailed architecture documentation.

License

MIT

Creator

Bjarne Øverli