Merge pull request 'Initial Application' (#1 ) from development into production

Reviewed-on: #1
Demo Images
2026-07-12 03:00:24 +00:00 · 2026-07-11 22:59:39 -04:00 · 2026-07-11 22:52:23 -04:00
24 changed files with 2194 additions and 1 deletions
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
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-target/*
+target/*
+*.DS_Store
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
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+# Dynamic Wallpaper Creator
+
+A small Swing (Java) desktop application for building your own macOS **Dynamic
+Desktop** wallpapers — the `.heic` files that automatically switch images as
+your Mac moves between Light and Dark appearance, or as the sun moves across
+the sky throughout the day.
+
+You supply the images; the app assembles them into a single `.heic` file with
+the same embedded metadata Apple's own dynamic wallpapers use, so macOS
+recognizes and animates it exactly like a wallpaper from System Settings.
+
+## Features
+
+- **Light / Dark mode wallpapers** — pick one image for Light appearance and
+  one for Dark appearance.
+- **Sun-position (solar) wallpapers** — add any number of images and tag each
+  one with the sun's altitude and azimuth; macOS cross-fades between them
+  based on your location and the real time of day. An "Auto-Distribute"
+  button fills in a reasonable sunrise → noon → sunset → night arc for you.
+- **Set as Desktop Picture** — apply the wallpaper you just built without
+  leaving the app.
+- Runs entirely locally. No image is uploaded anywhere.
+
+## Requirements
+
+- **macOS** — Dynamic Desktop is a macOS-only feature; the app refuses to
+  start on other platforms.
+- **Java 17+** to run the app.
+- **Xcode Command Line Tools** (for `swiftc`) to build the app *and* on first
+  run, so the bundled native helper can compile. Install with:
+  ```
+  xcode-select --install
+  ```
+- **Maven** to build from source.
+
+See [docs/BUILD.md](docs/BUILD.md) for full build instructions and
+[docs/USAGE.md](docs/USAGE.md) for how to use the app once it's running.
+
+## Quick start
+
+```bash
+mvn package
+java -jar target/dynamic-wallpaper-creator.jar
+```
+
+The first time you click **Generate Wallpaper**, the app compiles a small
+bundled Swift helper and caches the binary in
+`~/Library/Application Support/DynamicWallpaperCreator/` — this takes a few
+seconds once and is instant after that.
+
+## How it works, in one paragraph
+
+A Dynamic Desktop wallpaper is just a HEIC (HEIF) file that stores several
+full-size images side by side inside one container, plus a small binary
+property list — describing which image belongs to which sun position or
+appearance — embedded as custom XMP metadata under Apple's private
+`apple_desktop` namespace. That embedding can only be done with Apple's own
+ImageIO/CoreGraphics frameworks, which aren't reachable from plain Java, so
+this app's Swing GUI hands the job off to a small bundled Swift command-line
+tool that does the actual file assembly. The exact byte-level format is
+documented in [docs/FILE_FORMAT.md](docs/FILE_FORMAT.md).
+
+## Project layout
+
+```
+pom.xml                                   Maven build definition
+src/main/java/com/dynamicwallpaper/
+  Main.java                               Entry point
+  model/                                  Plain data types (WallpaperImage, WallpaperMode)
+  core/                                   Native helper management, job building, sun-position math
+  gui/                                    Swing UI (MainWindow + mode panels)
+  util/                                   JSON writer, thumbnails, validation
+src/main/resources/native/HeicBuilder.swift   Native HEIC/metadata helper (compiled on first run)
+docs/
+  BUILD.md                                Compiling and packaging the app
+  FILE_FORMAT.md                          Full technical spec of the .heic wallpaper format
+  USAGE.md                                Using the GUI
+```
+
+## License / attribution
+
+This project embeds metadata using Apple's `apple_desktop` XMP namespace,
+which is undocumented but has been independently reverse-engineered by
+several members of the macOS developer community. The exact key names used
+here (`apr`, `solar`, `l`, `d`, `si`, `ap`, `i`, `a`, `z`) were verified
+directly against a real Apple-shipped dynamic wallpaper file
+(`/System/Library/Desktop Pictures/Sonoma.heic`) during development — see
+[docs/FILE_FORMAT.md](docs/FILE_FORMAT.md) for details.
--- a/docs/BUILD.md
+++ b/docs/BUILD.md
@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+# Building & Compiling
+
+This document covers everything involved in turning the source tree into a
+running application: the Java/Maven build, and the native Swift helper that
+Java compiles for itself the first time it needs it.
+
+## 1. Prerequisites
+
+| Tool | Why | Check |
+|---|---|---|
+| macOS | Dynamic Desktop is a macOS-only feature | `sw_vers` |
+| JDK 17 or newer | Compiles and runs the Swing application | `java -version` |
+| Apache Maven 3.6+ | Drives the Java build | `mvn -version` |
+| Xcode Command Line Tools | Provides `swiftc`, used to compile the native HEIC helper | `xcrun --find swiftc` |
+
+If `xcrun --find swiftc` fails, install the Command Line Tools with:
+
+```bash
+xcode-select --install
+```
+
+You do **not** need the full Xcode IDE — the Command Line Tools package is
+enough, and is what most Mac developer machines already have.
+
+## 2. Building the Java application
+
+From the project root:
+
+```bash
+mvn package
+```
+
+This does two things:
+
+1. Compiles all classes under `src/main/java` with the `maven-compiler-plugin`.
+2. Uses the `maven-assembly-plugin` to produce a single **runnable, self-contained
+   jar** at `target/dynamic-wallpaper-creator.jar` (there are no third-party
+   runtime dependencies to bundle — the app only uses the JDK's own Swing,
+   AWT and I/O APIs — so this step mainly just sets the executable
+   `Main-Class` manifest entry).
+
+Run it with:
+
+```bash
+java -jar target/dynamic-wallpaper-creator.jar
+```
+
+Other useful Maven targets:
+
+```bash
+mvn compile     # compile only, no jar
+mvn clean       # remove target/
+mvn -q package  # quieter output
+```
+
+There are no automated tests in this project (see "Testing strategy" below
+for why, and how the app was actually validated).
+
+## 3. Building the native helper (`heic-builder`)
+
+Java cannot write HEIC files with multiple embedded images and custom XMP
+metadata on its own — those capabilities only exist in Apple's ImageIO and
+CoreGraphics frameworks, which are Objective-C/Swift APIs. To bridge that
+gap, the app ships the source for a small command-line tool,
+[`src/main/resources/native/HeicBuilder.swift`](../src/main/resources/native/HeicBuilder.swift),
+as a resource inside the jar.
+
+You never compile this file yourself — the Java app does it automatically:
+
+1. On startup (specifically, the first time you click **Generate
+   Wallpaper**), `com.dynamicwallpaper.core.NativeHelper` extracts the
+   bundled `.swift` source to
+   `~/Library/Application Support/DynamicWallpaperCreator/HeicBuilder.swift`.
+2. It computes a SHA-256 hash of that source and compares it against the hash
+   recorded the last time it compiled. If they differ (first run, or you
+   built a newer version of the app with an updated helper), it invokes:
+   ```bash
+   xcrun swiftc -O HeicBuilder.swift -o heic-builder
+   ```
+   in that same directory, and records the new hash.
+3. Every subsequent run just reuses the cached `heic-builder` binary — no
+   recompilation, effectively instant startup.
+
+If you want to trigger this manually (e.g. to debug it in isolation), you
+can compile and run it directly:
+
+```bash
+xcrun swiftc -O src/main/resources/native/HeicBuilder.swift -o /tmp/heic-builder
+/tmp/heic-builder build path/to/job.json
+/tmp/heic-builder inspect path/to/some.heic   # dumps embedded apple_desktop metadata, for debugging
+```
+
+See [FILE_FORMAT.md](FILE_FORMAT.md) for the `job.json` schema this tool
+expects.
+
+## 4. Testing strategy
+
+There is no JUnit suite bundled with this project. The reasons and what was
+actually done instead:
+
+- The two things worth testing — "does the GUI look/behave right" and "is the
+  generated `.heic` file byte-for-byte structured the way macOS expects" —
+  are not meaningfully covered by unit tests. The second one *can* be
+  verified programmatically, and was: during development, the native
+  helper's `inspect` command was used to decode the metadata out of a
+  freshly generated file and diff it against the metadata pulled from a real
+  Apple-shipped wallpaper (`/System/Library/Desktop Pictures/Sonoma.heic`).
+  They match exactly (see [FILE_FORMAT.md](FILE_FORMAT.md)).
+- If you're extending this project and want a smoke test, the fastest way is
+  the `inspect` command above: generate a file, inspect it, and confirm the
+  `apple_desktop:apr` or `apple_desktop:solar` tag decodes to the plist
+  structure you expect.
+- For a full manual test, generate a wallpaper, click **Set as Desktop
+  Picture**, then toggle System Settings → Appearance between Light and Dark
+  (for appearance-mode wallpapers) and confirm the desktop image changes.
+
+## 5. Packaging for distribution (optional)
+
+The runnable jar from `mvn package` is enough to hand to another Mac user —
+they just need Java 17+ and Xcode Command Line Tools installed, and can run
+`java -jar dynamic-wallpaper-creator.jar`. If you want a double-clickable
+`.app` bundle instead, wrap the jar with `jpackage` (bundled with the JDK):
+
+```bash
+jpackage \
+  --input target \
+  --name "Dynamic Wallpaper Creator" \
+  --main-jar dynamic-wallpaper-creator.jar \
+  --main-class com.dynamicwallpaper.Main \
+  --type app-image
+```
+
+This is optional and not required for local development or use.
--- a/docs/FILE_FORMAT.md
+++ b/docs/FILE_FORMAT.md
@@ -0,0 +1,186 @@
+# The macOS Dynamic Desktop `.heic` File Format
+
+This document explains exactly what bytes this app writes and why, for
+anyone extending the project or just curious how Dynamic Desktop wallpapers
+work under the hood. Apple has never published a specification for this
+format — everything below was independently reverse-engineered by the
+macOS developer community over the years, and was **re-verified during the
+development of this app** by decoding a real, Apple-shipped dynamic
+wallpaper file directly (see "Verification" below).
+
+## 1. Container: HEIF/HEIC with multiple top-level images
+
+A `.heic` file is a HEIF container (the same family of formats used for
+iPhone photos). Normally it holds exactly one image. A Dynamic Desktop
+wallpaper is the same container format, just holding **several independent,
+full-resolution images** as separate top-level items instead of one — think
+of it like a zip file with N pictures inside, rather than one image with N
+animation frames.
+
+macOS's own Photos/Preview/QuickLook stack can create files like this
+through `CGImageDestination`, by calling `CGImageDestinationAddImage`
+repeatedly on the same destination before finalizing it. That's exactly
+what [`HeicBuilder.swift`](../src/main/resources/native/HeicBuilder.swift)
+does:
+
+```swift
+let dest = CGImageDestinationCreateWithURL(url, "public.heic", images.count, nil)
+for (index, image) in images.enumerated() {
+    CGImageDestinationAddImage(dest, image, properties)   // (image 0 also carries metadata, see below)
+}
+CGImageDestinationFinalize(dest)
+```
+
+This is a capability of Apple's ImageIO framework specifically — there is no
+equivalent in Java's `ImageIO`, and general-purpose command-line HEIC
+encoders like `heif-enc` don't expose it either (they support single images,
+"bursts"/animation sequences via `-S`, or resolution pyramids, but not
+independent top-level image collections). That's the whole reason this
+project ships a small Swift helper rather than doing everything in pure
+Java — see [BUILD.md](BUILD.md) for how that helper is compiled.
+
+## 2. Metadata: a binary property list, base64-encoded, in a custom XMP tag
+
+Attached to **image index 0 only**, there's an XMP metadata tag under a
+private Apple namespace:
+
+- Namespace URI: `http://ns.apple.com/namespace/1.0/`
+- Prefix: `apple_desktop`
+- Tag name: `apr` (appearance mode) or `solar` (sun-position mode)
+- Value: a `bplist00` (Apple binary property list), serialized to bytes, then
+  base64-encoded into a plain string, which is what actually gets stored as
+  the XMP tag's value.
+
+In Swift this looks like:
+
+```swift
+let plistData = try PropertyListSerialization.data(fromPropertyList: dict, format: .binary, options: 0)
+let base64 = plistData.base64EncodedString()
+let tag = CGImageMetadataTagCreate(namespace, "apple_desktop", "apr", .string, base64 as CFTypeRef)
+```
+
+### 2a. Appearance mode (`apple_desktop:apr`)
+
+Exactly two images: index 0 is shown in Light Mode, index 1 in Dark Mode. The
+plist is a flat dictionary:
+
+```
+{
+    l = 0;   // index of the "light" image
+    d = 1;   // index of the "dark" image
+}
+```
+
+### 2b. Solar mode (`apple_desktop:solar`)
+
+Any number of images (Apple's own wallpapers typically use 16), each tagged
+with the sun's position when it should be shown:
+
+```
+{
+    si = (
+        { i = 0; a = -10.0; z = 60.0;  },   // i = image index, a = altitude (degrees), z = azimuth (degrees)
+        { i = 1; a = 15.0;  z = 90.0;  },
+        { i = 2; a = 60.0;  z = 180.0; },
+        ...
+    );
+    ap = { l = 2; d = 0; };   // which frame index best represents "light" / "dark" for accessibility fallback
+}
+```
+
+- **Altitude (`a`)** — the sun's height above the horizon in degrees. `0` is
+  the horizon, `90` is directly overhead, negative values are below the
+  horizon (night).
+- **Azimuth (`z`)** — the sun's compass direction in degrees, `0`–`360`.
+- **`ap`** — a secondary hint (same `l`/`d` shape as appearance mode) telling
+  macOS which single frame to fall back to when it just needs "a light one"
+  or "a dark one" rather than the full solar animation (e.g. for
+  accessibility or low-power contexts). This app computes it automatically
+  from whichever image has the highest/lowest altitude, unless you
+  explicitly check "Light Ref." / "Dark Ref." on a specific row in the
+  Solar tab.
+
+This app does not currently implement the third known mode, time-of-day
+scheduling (`apple_desktop:h24`, keyed by `ti`/`t`/`i` instead of `si`/`a`/`z`),
+since it wasn't part of the request this project was built for. It would
+slot into `HeicBuilder.swift` the same way `solar` does, if needed later.
+
+## 3. Verification against a real Apple wallpaper
+
+Rather than trusting secondhand write-ups alone, the exact schema above was
+confirmed directly against a dynamic wallpaper Apple ships with macOS,
+`/System/Library/Desktop Pictures/Sonoma.heic`, using the `inspect` command
+built into the native helper:
+
+```
+$ heic-builder inspect "/System/Library/Desktop Pictures/Sonoma.heic"
+images: 2
+image 0 apple_desktop:apr = {
+    d = 1;
+    l = 0;
+}
+```
+
+That is a live decode of Apple's own file — namespace, prefix, tag name
+(`apr`), and the `l`/`d` key structure all matched what this project already
+implemented. The `solar` structure (`si`/`ap`/`i`/`a`/`z`) is corroborated by
+multiple independent community write-ups (NSHipster's "macOS Dynamic
+Desktop" article and a widely cited 2018 reverse-engineering gist), and this
+project's own `heic-builder inspect` command was used to confirm that files
+*this app generates* round-trip through Apple's ImageIO the same way: build
+a file, inspect it back, and the decoded plist matches what was requested
+byte-for-byte.
+
+If you ever need to re-verify or debug this yourself, `heic-builder inspect`
+works on any `.heic` file, including ones this app produced or ones from
+`/System/Library/Desktop Pictures/`.
+
+## 4. The `job.json` hand-off format
+
+This is purely an internal implementation detail — the Java GUI never writes
+a `.heic` file itself; it writes a small JSON description of what to build to
+a temp file, and runs `heic-builder build <that file>`. Documented here in
+case you want to drive the helper directly (e.g. from a script) without going
+through the GUI at all.
+
+**Appearance mode:**
+
+```json
+{
+  "mode": "appearance",
+  "output": "/absolute/path/out.heic",
+  "quality": 0.9,
+  "light": "/absolute/path/light.png",
+  "dark": "/absolute/path/dark.png"
+}
+```
+
+**Solar mode:**
+
+```json
+{
+  "mode": "solar",
+  "output": "/absolute/path/out.heic",
+  "quality": 0.9,
+  "images": [
+    { "path": "/absolute/path/01.png", "altitude": -10.0, "azimuth": 60.0,
+      "lightReference": false, "darkReference": true },
+    { "path": "/absolute/path/02.png", "altitude": 60.0, "azimuth": 180.0,
+      "lightReference": true, "darkReference": false }
+  ]
+}
+```
+
+Notes:
+- `quality` is the HEIC lossy compression quality, `0.0`–`1.0` (higher = better
+  quality, larger file). Optional, defaults to `0.9`.
+- `lightReference` / `darkReference` are optional booleans; at most one image
+  should have each set to `true`. If neither is set anywhere, the helper
+  picks the highest-altitude image as the light reference and the
+  lowest-altitude image as the dark reference automatically.
+- Input images should all share the same pixel dimensions. The Java app
+  warns (non-fatally) if they don't; the helper itself does not resize them.
+- `heic-builder build` prints one line of progress per image to stdout, then
+  either `OK <output path>` on success (exit code 0) or `ERROR: <message>`
+  to stderr (non-zero exit code) on failure. The Java app streams this
+  output straight into the log panel at the bottom of the window.
--- a/docs/USAGE.md
+++ b/docs/USAGE.md
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+# Using Dynamic Wallpaper Creator
+
+This walks through the app window shown by `java -jar
+target/dynamic-wallpaper-creator.jar` (see [BUILD.md](BUILD.md) if you
+haven't built it yet).
+
+## 1. Pick a wallpaper type
+
+The dropdown at the top switches between the two supported wallpaper types:
+
+- **Light / Dark Appearance** — the simple case: one image for Light Mode,
+  one for Dark Mode. Good for a first try, or if you just want two specific
+  images to swap automatically.
+- **Sun Position (Solar)** — the full "Dynamic Desktop" experience: any
+  number of images, each tied to a point in the sun's daily arc, cross-fading
+  as the actual time of day changes.
+
+## 2. Light / Dark Appearance tab
+
+Two side-by-side cards, one per appearance. For each:
+
+1. Click **Choose Image…**.
+2. Pick a PNG, JPEG, TIFF, BMP, GIF, or HEIC file.
+
+A thumbnail preview appears once selected. Both a light and a dark image are
+required before you can generate.
+
+**Tip:** the two images should be the same pixel dimensions — same scene,
+different lighting, works best. The app warns you (but doesn't block you) if
+they don't match.
+
+## 3. Sun Position (Solar) tab
+
+1. Click **Add Images…** and select one or more image files (multi-select is
+   supported in the file picker). Each becomes a row in the table.
+2. For each row, set:
+   - **Altitude (°)** — how high the sun is: `90` = directly overhead, `0` =
+     right on the horizon, negative values = below the horizon (night/dusk).
+   - **Azimuth (°)** — the sun's compass direction, `0`–`360`.
+   - **Light Ref. / Dark Ref.** checkboxes (optional) — mark the single
+     frame that best represents "daytime" and the one that best represents
+     "nighttime". If you leave these unchecked, the app picks them for you
+     automatically (highest and lowest altitude).
+3. Don't want to hand-enter every value? Select at least two images and
+   click **Auto-Distribute Sun Positions** — it fills in a smooth
+   sunrise → noon → sunset → night arc across however many images you've
+   added, evenly spaced. You can still tweak any individual cell afterward
+   by double-clicking it.
+4. Use **Move Up** / **Move Down** to reorder rows, or **Remove Selected** /
+   **Clear All** to edit the set. Order doesn't affect how macOS displays the
+   wallpaper (that's entirely driven by the altitude/azimuth values you set),
+   it's just for your own bookkeeping.
+
+At least two images are required to generate a solar wallpaper.
+
+## 4. Generate
+
+At the bottom of the window:
+
+1. **Output file** — where to save the `.heic` file. Defaults to
+   `~/Desktop/MyDynamicWallpaper.heic`; click **Choose…** to pick somewhere
+   else.
+2. **Quality** — HEIC compression quality from `0.1` (small file, more
+   compression artifacts) to `1.0` (largest file, best quality). `0.9` is a
+   good default.
+3. Click **Generate Wallpaper**.
+
+The first time you do this on a fresh install, there's a short one-time delay
+(a few seconds) while the app compiles its native helper tool in the
+background — see [BUILD.md](BUILD.md#3-building-the-native-helper-heic-builder)
+for what's happening. Every generation after that is fast.
+
+Progress is streamed into the log box at the very bottom as each image is
+loaded and the file is written. If something goes wrong (a missing image, an
+unwritable output path, a missing Swift toolchain), you'll see an error
+dialog and the reason in the log.
+
+## 5. Set as Desktop Picture
+
+Once generation finishes successfully, the **Set as Desktop Picture** button
+becomes active. Clicking it applies the file you just built as your current
+desktop picture on all displays, via the same mechanism as System Settings.
+This only changes your desktop picture setting — it's fully reversible from
+System Settings → Wallpaper at any time, the same as picking any other
+wallpaper.
+
+You can also just leave the generated `.heic` file where you saved it and add
+it manually later: open **System Settings → Wallpaper → Add Photo**, or
+double-click the file in Finder and choose **Set Desktop Picture**.
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+| Symptom | Likely cause / fix |
+|---|---|
+| "The Swift compiler (swiftc) was not found" | Install Xcode Command Line Tools: `xcode-select --install`, then try again. |
+| Generate fails immediately with a decode error | One of your source images is in a format Apple's ImageIO can't read, or the file is corrupt. Try re-exporting it as PNG or JPEG. |
+| Wallpaper doesn't animate after setting it | Make sure you're on macOS Mojave (10.14) or later, and that "Dynamic Desktop" hasn't been disabled — check System Settings → Wallpaper on the image you just set; it should show a Light/Dark/Dynamic selector under the thumbnail. |
+| Images look stretched or misaligned when swapping | Your light/dark or solar images have different pixel dimensions. Re-export them all at the same resolution. |
--- a/docs/demo/Creating
+++ b/docs/demo/Creating
--- a/docs/demo/Creating
+++ b/docs/demo/Creating
--- a/docs/demo/Main
+++ b/docs/demo/Main
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
+         xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
+         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+  <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
+
+  <groupId>com.dynamicwallpaper</groupId>
+  <artifactId>dynamic-wallpaper-creator</artifactId>
+  <version>1.0.0</version>
+  <packaging>jar</packaging>
+
+  <name>Dynamic Wallpaper Creator</name>
+  <description>Swing GUI for building macOS Dynamic Desktop (.heic) wallpapers with light/dark and sun-position variants.</description>
+
+  <properties>
+    <maven.compiler.source>17</maven.compiler.source>
+    <maven.compiler.target>17</maven.compiler.target>
+    <project.build.sourceEncoding>UTF-8</project.build.sourceEncoding>
+    <mainClass>com.dynamicwallpaper.Main</mainClass>
+  </properties>
+
+  <build>
+    <finalName>dynamic-wallpaper-creator</finalName>
+    <plugins>
+      <plugin>
+        <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
+        <artifactId>maven-compiler-plugin</artifactId>
+        <version>3.13.0</version>
+      </plugin>
+
+      <!-- Produces a single runnable jar: java -jar dynamic-wallpaper-creator.jar -->
+      <plugin>
+        <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
+        <artifactId>maven-assembly-plugin</artifactId>
+        <version>3.7.1</version>
+        <configuration>
+          <archive>
+            <manifest>
+              <mainClass>${mainClass}</mainClass>
+            </manifest>
+          </archive>
+          <descriptorRefs>
+            <descriptorRef>jar-with-dependencies</descriptorRef>
+          </descriptorRefs>
+          <appendAssemblyId>false</appendAssemblyId>
+        </configuration>
+        <executions>
+          <execution>
+            <id>make-runnable-jar</id>
+            <phase>package</phase>
+            <goals>
+              <goal>single</goal>
+            </goals>
+          </execution>
+        </executions>
+      </plugin>
+    </plugins>
+  </build>
+</project>
--- a/src/main/java/com/dynamicwallpaper/Main.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/dynamicwallpaper/Main.java
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+package com.dynamicwallpaper;
+
+import com.dynamicwallpaper.gui.MainWindow;
+
+import javax.swing.JOptionPane;
+import javax.swing.SwingUtilities;
+import javax.swing.UIManager;
+
+/** Application entry point. */
+public final class Main {
+
+    private Main() {
+    }
+
+    public static void main(String[] args) {
+        if (!System.getProperty("os.name", "").toLowerCase().contains("mac")) {
+            System.err.println("Dynamic Wallpaper Creator only runs on macOS, "
+                    + "since Dynamic Desktop wallpapers are a macOS feature.");
+            System.exit(1);
+        }
+
+        System.setProperty("apple.laf.useScreenMenuBar", "true");
+        System.setProperty("apple.awt.application.name", "Dynamic Wallpaper Creator");
+
+        try {
+            UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager.getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            // Fall back to the default look and feel; purely cosmetic.
+        }
+
+        SwingUtilities.invokeLater(() -> {
+            try {
+                new MainWindow().setVisible(true);
+            } catch (Exception e) {
+                JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, "Dynamic Wallpaper Creator failed to start:\n" + e.getMessage(),
+                        "Startup error", JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE);
+            }
+        });
+    }
+}
--- a/src/main/java/com/dynamicwallpaper/core/NativeHelper.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/dynamicwallpaper/core/NativeHelper.java
@@ -0,0 +1,147 @@
+package com.dynamicwallpaper.core;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.InputStream;
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
+import java.nio.file.Files;
+import java.nio.file.Path;
+import java.security.MessageDigest;
+import java.security.NoSuchAlgorithmException;
+import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
+
+/**
+ * Manages the bundled Swift command-line helper ("heic-builder") that does
+ * the actual HEIC assembly and XMP metadata embedding via Apple's ImageIO /
+ * CoreGraphics frameworks - APIs that are only reachable from Objective-C or
+ * Swift, not from pure Java.
+ *
+ * <p>The helper's source is shipped as a resource inside this application's
+ * jar. On first run (or whenever that source changes) it is extracted to
+ * {@code ~/Library/Application Support/DynamicWallpaperCreator/} and
+ * compiled there with {@code swiftc}, which ships with Xcode Command Line
+ * Tools. The compiled binary is then reused on subsequent runs.
+ */
+public final class NativeHelper {
+
+    private static final String RESOURCE_PATH = "/native/HeicBuilder.swift";
+
+    private final Path appSupportDir;
+    private final Path sourceFile;
+    private final Path hashFile;
+    private final Path binaryFile;
+
+    public NativeHelper() {
+        String home = System.getProperty("user.home");
+        this.appSupportDir = Path.of(home, "Library", "Application Support", "DynamicWallpaperCreator");
+        this.sourceFile = appSupportDir.resolve("HeicBuilder.swift");
+        this.hashFile = appSupportDir.resolve(".source.sha256");
+        this.binaryFile = appSupportDir.resolve("heic-builder");
+    }
+
+    /** Returns true if {@code swiftc} is available on PATH (via xcrun). */
+    public boolean isSwiftToolchainAvailable() {
+        try {
+            Process process = new ProcessBuilder("xcrun", "--find", "swiftc")
+                    .redirectErrorStream(true)
+                    .start();
+            boolean finished = process.waitFor(10, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
+            return finished && process.exitValue() == 0;
+        } catch (IOException | InterruptedException e) {
+            return false;
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Ensures the helper binary exists and is up to date, compiling it if
+     * necessary. Returns the path to the runnable binary.
+     */
+    public Path ensureBuilt() throws NativeHelperException {
+        try {
+            Files.createDirectories(appSupportDir);
+            String bundledSource = readBundledSource();
+            String bundledHash = sha256(bundledSource);
+
+            boolean needsCompile = !Files.exists(binaryFile)
+                    || !Files.exists(hashFile)
+                    || !bundledHash.equals(readExistingHash());
+
+            if (needsCompile) {
+                Files.writeString(sourceFile, bundledSource, StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+                compile();
+                Files.writeString(hashFile, bundledHash, StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+            }
+            return binaryFile;
+        } catch (IOException e) {
+            throw new NativeHelperException("Could not prepare native helper: " + e.getMessage(), e);
+        }
+    }
+
+    private String readExistingHash() throws IOException {
+        if (!Files.exists(hashFile)) {
+            return "";
+        }
+        return Files.readString(hashFile, StandardCharsets.UTF_8).trim();
+    }
+
+    private void compile() throws NativeHelperException {
+        if (!isSwiftToolchainAvailable()) {
+            throw new NativeHelperException(
+                    "The Swift compiler (swiftc) was not found. Install the Xcode Command Line Tools with "
+                            + "'xcode-select --install' and try again.");
+        }
+        try {
+            ProcessBuilder pb = new ProcessBuilder(
+                    "xcrun", "swiftc", "-O", sourceFile.toString(), "-o", binaryFile.toString());
+            pb.redirectErrorStream(true);
+            Process process = pb.start();
+            String output;
+            try (InputStream in = process.getInputStream()) {
+                output = new String(in.readAllBytes(), StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+            }
+            boolean finished = process.waitFor(180, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
+            if (!finished) {
+                process.destroyForcibly();
+                throw new NativeHelperException("Compiling the native helper timed out.");
+            }
+            if (process.exitValue() != 0) {
+                throw new NativeHelperException("Failed to compile native helper:\n" + output);
+            }
+        } catch (IOException | InterruptedException e) {
+            throw new NativeHelperException("Failed to compile native helper: " + e.getMessage(), e);
+        }
+    }
+
+    private String readBundledSource() throws IOException {
+        try (InputStream in = NativeHelper.class.getResourceAsStream(RESOURCE_PATH)) {
+            if (in == null) {
+                throw new IOException("Missing bundled resource " + RESOURCE_PATH);
+            }
+            return new String(in.readAllBytes(), StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static String sha256(String text) throws IOException {
+        try {
+            MessageDigest digest = MessageDigest.getInstance("SHA-256");
+            byte[] hash = digest.digest(text.getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8));
+            StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
+            for (byte b : hash) {
+                sb.append(String.format("%02x", b));
+            }
+            return sb.toString();
+        } catch (NoSuchAlgorithmException e) {
+            throw new IOException(e);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /** Thrown when the native helper cannot be prepared or fails to run. */
+    public static final class NativeHelperException extends Exception {
+        public NativeHelperException(String message) {
+            super(message);
+        }
+
+        public NativeHelperException(String message, Throwable cause) {
+            super(message, cause);
+        }
+    }
+}
--- a/src/main/java/com/dynamicwallpaper/core/SunPositionUtil.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/dynamicwallpaper/core/SunPositionUtil.java
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+package com.dynamicwallpaper.core;
+
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.List;
+
+/**
+ * Produces a plausible, evenly-spaced sun-position schedule for a set of
+ * images, so a user who doesn't want to hand-enter altitude/azimuth values
+ * for every image still gets a smooth sunrise-to-sunset-to-night arc.
+ *
+ * <p>This is a stylistic approximation, not an astronomical calculation: it
+ * assumes the images are ordered around a single day/night cycle and spaces
+ * them evenly across it. Users can override any individual value in the
+ * table before generating the wallpaper.
+ */
+public final class SunPositionUtil {
+
+    private static final double PEAK_ALTITUDE = 70.0;
+
+    private SunPositionUtil() {
+    }
+
+    public record SunPosition(double altitude, double azimuth) {
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @param count number of images to distribute across one day/night cycle (must be &gt;= 2)
+     */
+    public static List<SunPosition> distribute(int count) {
+        if (count < 2) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Need at least 2 images to distribute sun positions");
+        }
+        List<SunPosition> positions = new ArrayList<>(count);
+        for (int i = 0; i < count; i++) {
+            double t = (double) i / (count - 1);
+            double altitude = PEAK_ALTITUDE * Math.sin(2 * Math.PI * t - Math.PI / 2);
+            double azimuth = 360.0 * t;
+            positions.add(new SunPosition(round(altitude), round(azimuth)));
+        }
+        return positions;
+    }
+
+    private static double round(double value) {
+        return Math.round(value * 100.0) / 100.0;
+    }
+}
--- a/src/main/java/com/dynamicwallpaper/core/WallpaperBuilder.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/dynamicwallpaper/core/WallpaperBuilder.java
@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+package com.dynamicwallpaper.core;
+
+import com.dynamicwallpaper.model.WallpaperImage;
+import com.dynamicwallpaper.util.Json;
+
+import java.io.BufferedReader;
+import java.io.File;
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.InputStreamReader;
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
+import java.nio.file.Files;
+import java.nio.file.Path;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
+
+/**
+ * Drives the native helper to assemble a finished .heic Dynamic Desktop
+ * file. This class only knows how to describe the job as JSON and run a
+ * process - the HEIC/metadata work itself happens in HeicBuilder.swift (see
+ * docs/FILE_FORMAT.md).
+ */
+public final class WallpaperBuilder {
+
+    /** Receives one callback per line of progress output from the native helper. */
+    @FunctionalInterface
+    public interface ProgressListener {
+        void onLine(String line);
+    }
+
+    private final NativeHelper nativeHelper;
+
+    public WallpaperBuilder(NativeHelper nativeHelper) {
+        this.nativeHelper = nativeHelper;
+    }
+
+    public void buildAppearance(File light, File dark, File output, double quality, ProgressListener listener)
+            throws BuildException {
+        Map<String, Object> job = Json.object();
+        job.put("mode", "appearance");
+        job.put("output", output.getAbsolutePath());
+        job.put("quality", quality);
+        job.put("light", light.getAbsolutePath());
+        job.put("dark", dark.getAbsolutePath());
+        run(job, listener);
+    }
+
+    public void buildSolar(List<WallpaperImage> images, File output, double quality, ProgressListener listener)
+            throws BuildException {
+        Map<String, Object> job = Json.object();
+        job.put("mode", "solar");
+        job.put("output", output.getAbsolutePath());
+        job.put("quality", quality);
+
+        List<Object> imageArray = Json.array();
+        for (WallpaperImage image : images) {
+            Map<String, Object> entry = Json.object();
+            entry.put("path", image.file().getAbsolutePath());
+            entry.put("altitude", image.altitude());
+            entry.put("azimuth", image.azimuth());
+            entry.put("lightReference", image.isLightReference());
+            entry.put("darkReference", image.isDarkReference());
+            imageArray.add(entry);
+        }
+        job.put("images", imageArray);
+        run(job, listener);
+    }
+
+    private void run(Map<String, Object> job, ProgressListener listener) throws BuildException {
+        Path binary;
+        try {
+            binary = nativeHelper.ensureBuilt();
+        } catch (NativeHelper.NativeHelperException e) {
+            throw new BuildException(e.getMessage(), e);
+        }
+
+        Path jobFile;
+        try {
+            jobFile = Files.createTempFile("dynamic-wallpaper-job", ".json");
+            Files.writeString(jobFile, Json.write(job), StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+            jobFile.toFile().deleteOnExit();
+        } catch (IOException e) {
+            throw new BuildException("Could not write job file: " + e.getMessage(), e);
+        }
+
+        try {
+            ProcessBuilder pb = new ProcessBuilder(binary.toString(), "build", jobFile.toString());
+            pb.redirectErrorStream(true);
+            Process process = pb.start();
+
+            StringBuilder allOutput = new StringBuilder();
+            try (BufferedReader reader = new BufferedReader(
+                    new InputStreamReader(process.getInputStream(), StandardCharsets.UTF_8))) {
+                String line;
+                while ((line = reader.readLine()) != null) {
+                    allOutput.append(line).append('\n');
+                    if (listener != null) {
+                        listener.onLine(line);
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+
+            boolean finished = process.waitFor(5, TimeUnit.MINUTES);
+            if (!finished) {
+                process.destroyForcibly();
+                throw new BuildException("Building the wallpaper timed out.");
+            }
+            if (process.exitValue() != 0) {
+                throw new BuildException("Native helper failed:\n" + allOutput);
+            }
+        } catch (IOException | InterruptedException e) {
+            throw new BuildException("Failed to run native helper: " + e.getMessage(), e);
+        } finally {
+            try {
+                Files.deleteIfExists(jobFile);
+            } catch (IOException ignored) {
+                // best effort cleanup
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /** Thrown when building a wallpaper fails for any reason. */
+    public static final class BuildException extends Exception {
+        public BuildException(String message) {
+            super(message);
+        }
+
+        public BuildException(String message, Throwable cause) {
+            super(message, cause);
+        }
+    }
+}
--- a/src/main/java/com/dynamicwallpaper/core/WallpaperInstaller.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/dynamicwallpaper/core/WallpaperInstaller.java
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+package com.dynamicwallpaper.core;
+
+import java.io.File;
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
+import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
+
+/** Applies a generated .heic file as the current desktop picture, via AppleScript. */
+public final class WallpaperInstaller {
+
+    private WallpaperInstaller() {
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Sets {@code heicFile} as the desktop picture on every display, using
+     * System Events. This only touches the user's own desktop picture
+     * setting and is reversible from System Settings at any time.
+     */
+    public static void setAsDesktopPicture(File heicFile) throws IOException, InterruptedException {
+        String escapedPath = heicFile.getAbsolutePath()
+                .replace("\\", "\\\\")
+                .replace("\"", "\\\"");
+        String script = "tell application \"System Events\" to tell every desktop to set picture to POSIX file \""
+                + escapedPath + "\"";
+
+        ProcessBuilder pb = new ProcessBuilder("osascript", "-e", script);
+        pb.redirectErrorStream(true);
+        Process process = pb.start();
+        String output = new String(process.getInputStream().readAllBytes(), StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+        boolean finished = process.waitFor(15, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
+        if (!finished) {
+            process.destroyForcibly();
+            throw new IOException("Timed out asking macOS to set the desktop picture.");
+        }
+        if (process.exitValue() != 0) {
+            throw new IOException("macOS refused to set the desktop picture: " + output.trim());
+        }
+    }
+}
--- a/src/main/java/com/dynamicwallpaper/gui/AppearancePanel.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/dynamicwallpaper/gui/AppearancePanel.java
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+package com.dynamicwallpaper.gui;
+
+import com.dynamicwallpaper.util.ThumbnailLoader;
+
+import javax.swing.BorderFactory;
+import javax.swing.JButton;
+import javax.swing.JFileChooser;
+import javax.swing.JLabel;
+import javax.swing.JPanel;
+import javax.swing.SwingConstants;
+import javax.swing.filechooser.FileNameExtensionFilter;
+import java.awt.BorderLayout;
+import java.awt.GridLayout;
+import java.io.File;
+
+/** Lets the user pick exactly one image for Light Mode and one for Dark Mode. */
+public final class AppearancePanel extends JPanel {
+
+    private final ImagePickerCard lightCard = new ImagePickerCard("Light Mode Image", "Shown when the Mac uses Light appearance.");
+    private final ImagePickerCard darkCard = new ImagePickerCard("Dark Mode Image", "Shown when the Mac uses Dark appearance.");
+
+    public AppearancePanel() {
+        setLayout(new GridLayout(1, 2, 16, 0));
+        setBorder(BorderFactory.createEmptyBorder(16, 16, 16, 16));
+        add(lightCard);
+        add(darkCard);
+    }
+
+    public File lightImage() {
+        return lightCard.file();
+    }
+
+    public File darkImage() {
+        return darkCard.file();
+    }
+
+    /** A single "choose an image" card with a thumbnail and file name. */
+    private static final class ImagePickerCard extends JPanel {
+        private File file;
+        private final JLabel thumbnailLabel = new JLabel("", SwingConstants.CENTER);
+        private final JLabel fileNameLabel = new JLabel("No image selected", SwingConstants.CENTER);
+
+        ImagePickerCard(String title, String subtitle) {
+            setLayout(new BorderLayout(8, 8));
+            setBorder(BorderFactory.createCompoundBorder(
+                    BorderFactory.createTitledBorder(title),
+                    BorderFactory.createEmptyBorder(8, 8, 8, 8)));
+
+            JLabel subtitleLabel = new JLabel(subtitle, SwingConstants.CENTER);
+            subtitleLabel.setEnabled(false);
+
+            thumbnailLabel.setPreferredSize(new java.awt.Dimension(220, 220));
+            thumbnailLabel.setBorder(BorderFactory.createDashedBorder(null));
+
+            JButton chooseButton = new JButton("Choose Image…");
+            chooseButton.addActionListener(e -> choose());
+
+            JPanel top = new JPanel(new BorderLayout());
+            top.add(subtitleLabel, BorderLayout.NORTH);
+            top.add(thumbnailLabel, BorderLayout.CENTER);
+
+            JPanel bottom = new JPanel(new GridLayout(2, 1));
+            bottom.add(fileNameLabel);
+            bottom.add(chooseButton);
+
+            add(top, BorderLayout.CENTER);
+            add(bottom, BorderLayout.SOUTH);
+        }
+
+        private void choose() {
+            JFileChooser chooser = new JFileChooser();
+            chooser.setFileFilter(new FileNameExtensionFilter(
+                    "Images", "png", "jpg", "jpeg", "tif", "tiff", "bmp", "gif", "heic"));
+            if (chooser.showOpenDialog(this) == JFileChooser.APPROVE_OPTION) {
+                file = chooser.getSelectedFile();
+                fileNameLabel.setText(file.getName());
+                thumbnailLabel.setIcon(ThumbnailLoader.thumbnail(file, 200));
+                thumbnailLabel.setText(null);
+            }
+        }
+
+        File file() {
+            return file;
+        }
+    }
+}
--- a/src/main/java/com/dynamicwallpaper/gui/MainWindow.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/dynamicwallpaper/gui/MainWindow.java
@@ -0,0 +1,276 @@
+package com.dynamicwallpaper.gui;
+
+import com.dynamicwallpaper.core.NativeHelper;
+import com.dynamicwallpaper.core.WallpaperBuilder;
+import com.dynamicwallpaper.core.WallpaperInstaller;
+import com.dynamicwallpaper.model.WallpaperImage;
+import com.dynamicwallpaper.model.WallpaperMode;
+import com.dynamicwallpaper.util.ImageValidation;
+
+import javax.swing.BorderFactory;
+import javax.swing.JButton;
+import javax.swing.JComboBox;
+import javax.swing.JFileChooser;
+import javax.swing.JFrame;
+import javax.swing.JLabel;
+import javax.swing.JOptionPane;
+import javax.swing.JPanel;
+import javax.swing.JProgressBar;
+import javax.swing.JScrollPane;
+import javax.swing.JSpinner;
+import javax.swing.JTextArea;
+import javax.swing.JTextField;
+import javax.swing.SpinnerNumberModel;
+import javax.swing.SwingWorker;
+import javax.swing.filechooser.FileNameExtensionFilter;
+import java.awt.BorderLayout;
+import java.awt.CardLayout;
+import java.awt.Component;
+import java.awt.Dimension;
+import java.awt.FlowLayout;
+import java.awt.GridLayout;
+import java.io.File;
+import java.util.List;
+
+/** Top-level application window: mode switch, image editors, and the generate/install controls. */
+public final class MainWindow extends JFrame {
+
+    private final NativeHelper nativeHelper = new NativeHelper();
+    private final WallpaperBuilder wallpaperBuilder = new WallpaperBuilder(nativeHelper);
+
+    private final JComboBox<WallpaperMode> modeSelector = new JComboBox<>(WallpaperMode.values());
+    private final CardLayout cardLayout = new CardLayout();
+    private final JPanel modePanel = new JPanel(cardLayout);
+    private final AppearancePanel appearancePanel = new AppearancePanel();
+    private final SolarPanel solarPanel = new SolarPanel();
+
+    private final JTextField outputPathField = new JTextField();
+    private final JSpinner qualitySpinner = new JSpinner(new SpinnerNumberModel(0.9, 0.1, 1.0, 0.05));
+    private final JButton generateButton = new JButton("Generate Wallpaper");
+    private final JButton setWallpaperButton = new JButton("Set as Desktop Picture");
+    private final JProgressBar progressBar = new JProgressBar();
+    private final JTextArea logArea = new JTextArea(8, 60);
+
+    private File lastGeneratedFile;
+
+    public MainWindow() {
+        super("Dynamic Wallpaper Creator");
+        setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
+        setLayout(new BorderLayout());
+
+        add(buildHeader(), BorderLayout.NORTH);
+        add(modePanel, BorderLayout.CENTER);
+        add(buildFooter(), BorderLayout.SOUTH);
+
+        modePanel.add(appearancePanel, WallpaperMode.APPEARANCE.name());
+        modePanel.add(solarPanel, WallpaperMode.SOLAR.name());
+        modeSelector.addActionListener(e -> cardLayout.show(modePanel, currentMode().name()));
+
+        setWallpaperButton.setEnabled(false);
+        setWallpaperButton.addActionListener(e -> setAsDesktopPicture());
+        generateButton.addActionListener(e -> generate());
+
+        setMinimumSize(new Dimension(760, 640));
+        pack();
+        setLocationRelativeTo(null);
+
+
+        this.setSize(new Dimension(1200,800));
+        this.setLocationRelativeTo(null); // Center on screen
+    }
+
+    private Component buildHeader() {
+        JPanel header = new JPanel(new BorderLayout(8, 8));
+        header.setBorder(BorderFactory.createEmptyBorder(12, 16, 0, 16));
+
+        JLabel title = new JLabel("Choose a wallpaper type:");
+        JPanel left = new JPanel(new FlowLayout(FlowLayout.LEFT));
+        left.add(title);
+        left.add(modeSelector);
+
+        JLabel modeDescription = new JLabel(currentMode().description());
+        modeSelector.addActionListener(e -> modeDescription.setText(currentMode().description()));
+        modeDescription.setEnabled(false);
+
+        header.add(left, BorderLayout.NORTH);
+        header.add(modeDescription, BorderLayout.SOUTH);
+        return header;
+    }
+
+    private Component buildFooter() {
+        JPanel footer = new JPanel();
+        footer.setLayout(new BorderLayout(8, 8));
+        footer.setBorder(BorderFactory.createEmptyBorder(8, 16, 16, 16));
+
+        JPanel outputRow = new JPanel(new BorderLayout(8, 8));
+        outputRow.add(new JLabel("Output file:"), BorderLayout.WEST);
+        outputPathField.setText(defaultOutputPath());
+        outputRow.add(outputPathField, BorderLayout.CENTER);
+        JButton browseButton = new JButton("Choose…");
+        browseButton.addActionListener(e -> chooseOutputPath());
+        outputRow.add(browseButton, BorderLayout.EAST);
+
+        JPanel controlsRow = new JPanel(new FlowLayout(FlowLayout.LEFT));
+        controlsRow.add(new JLabel("Quality:"));
+        qualitySpinner.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(70, qualitySpinner.getPreferredSize().height));
+        controlsRow.add(qualitySpinner);
+        controlsRow.add(generateButton);
+        controlsRow.add(setWallpaperButton);
+
+        JPanel top = new JPanel(new GridLayout(2, 1));
+        top.add(outputRow);
+        top.add(controlsRow);
+
+        logArea.setEditable(false);
+        logArea.setFont(new java.awt.Font(java.awt.Font.MONOSPACED, java.awt.Font.PLAIN, 12));
+
+        footer.add(top, BorderLayout.NORTH);
+        footer.add(progressBar, BorderLayout.CENTER);
+        footer.add(new JScrollPane(logArea), BorderLayout.SOUTH);
+        return footer;
+    }
+
+    private WallpaperMode currentMode() {
+        return (WallpaperMode) modeSelector.getSelectedItem();
+    }
+
+    private String defaultOutputPath() {
+        String home = System.getProperty("user.home");
+        return new File(home, "Desktop/MyDynamicWallpaper.heic").getAbsolutePath();
+    }
+
+    private void chooseOutputPath() {
+        JFileChooser chooser = new JFileChooser();
+        chooser.setDialogTitle("Save Dynamic Wallpaper As");
+        chooser.setFileFilter(new FileNameExtensionFilter("HEIC Image", "heic"));
+        chooser.setSelectedFile(new File(outputPathField.getText()));
+        if (chooser.showSaveDialog(this) == JFileChooser.APPROVE_OPTION) {
+            File selected = chooser.getSelectedFile();
+            if (!selected.getName().toLowerCase().endsWith(".heic")) {
+                selected = new File(selected.getParentFile(), selected.getName() + ".heic");
+            }
+            outputPathField.setText(selected.getAbsolutePath());
+        }
+    }
+
+    private void generate() {
+        File output = new File(outputPathField.getText().trim());
+        if (output.getParentFile() == null || !output.getParentFile().isDirectory()) {
+            JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(this, "Choose a valid output location first.",
+                    "Missing output location", JOptionPane.WARNING_MESSAGE);
+            return;
+        }
+
+        WallpaperMode mode = currentMode();
+        double quality = (Double) qualitySpinner.getValue();
+
+        if (mode == WallpaperMode.APPEARANCE) {
+            File light = appearancePanel.lightImage();
+            File dark = appearancePanel.darkImage();
+            if (light == null || dark == null) {
+                JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(this, "Choose both a light image and a dark image first.",
+                        "Missing images", JOptionPane.WARNING_MESSAGE);
+                return;
+            }
+            String warning = ImageValidation.checkConsistentDimensions(List.of(light, dark));
+            if (warning != null && !confirmProceedDespiteWarning(warning)) {
+                return;
+            }
+            runGenerateJob(output, listener -> wallpaperBuilder.buildAppearance(light, dark, output, quality, listener));
+        } else {
+            List<WallpaperImage> images = solarPanel.images();
+            if (images.size() < 2) {
+                JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(this, "Add at least two images for a sun-position wallpaper.",
+                        "Not enough images", JOptionPane.WARNING_MESSAGE);
+                return;
+            }
+            String warning = ImageValidation.checkConsistentDimensions(images.stream().map(WallpaperImage::file).toList());
+            if (warning != null && !confirmProceedDespiteWarning(warning)) {
+                return;
+            }
+            runGenerateJob(output, listener -> wallpaperBuilder.buildSolar(images, output, quality, listener));
+        }
+    }
+
+    private boolean confirmProceedDespiteWarning(String warning) {
+        int choice = JOptionPane.showConfirmDialog(this, warning + "\n\nContinue anyway?",
+                "Image sizes differ", JOptionPane.YES_NO_OPTION, JOptionPane.WARNING_MESSAGE);
+        return choice == JOptionPane.YES_OPTION;
+    }
+
+    @FunctionalInterface
+    private interface GenerateJob {
+        void run(WallpaperBuilder.ProgressListener listener) throws WallpaperBuilder.BuildException;
+    }
+
+    private void runGenerateJob(File output, GenerateJob job) {
+        setBusy(true);
+        logArea.setText("");
+        setWallpaperButton.setEnabled(false);
+
+        SwingWorker<Void, String> worker = new SwingWorker<>() {
+            @Override
+            protected Void doInBackground() throws Exception {
+                job.run(line -> publish(line));
+                return null;
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            protected void process(List<String> chunks) {
+                for (String line : chunks) {
+                    logArea.append(line);
+                    logArea.append("\n");
+                }
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            protected void done() {
+                setBusy(false);
+                try {
+                    get();
+                    logArea.append("Done. Saved to " + output.getAbsolutePath() + "\n");
+                    lastGeneratedFile = output;
+                    setWallpaperButton.setEnabled(true);
+                } catch (Exception e) {
+                    Throwable cause = e.getCause() != null ? e.getCause() : e;
+                    logArea.append("Failed: " + cause.getMessage() + "\n");
+                    JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(MainWindow.this, cause.getMessage(),
+                            "Could not generate wallpaper", JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE);
+                }
+            }
+        };
+        worker.execute();
+    }
+
+    private void setBusy(boolean busy) {
+        generateButton.setEnabled(!busy);
+        progressBar.setIndeterminate(busy);
+    }
+
+    private void setAsDesktopPicture() {
+        if (lastGeneratedFile == null) {
+            return;
+        }
+        SwingWorker<Void, Void> worker = new SwingWorker<>() {
+            @Override
+            protected Void doInBackground() throws Exception {
+                WallpaperInstaller.setAsDesktopPicture(lastGeneratedFile);
+                return null;
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            protected void done() {
+                try {
+                    get();
+                    logArea.append("Set as desktop picture.\n");
+                } catch (Exception e) {
+                    Throwable cause = e.getCause() != null ? e.getCause() : e;
+                    JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(MainWindow.this, cause.getMessage(),
+                            "Could not set desktop picture", JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE);
+                }
+            }
+        };
+        worker.execute();
+    }
+
+}
--- a/src/main/java/com/dynamicwallpaper/gui/SolarImageTableModel.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/dynamicwallpaper/gui/SolarImageTableModel.java
@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+package com.dynamicwallpaper.gui;
+
+import com.dynamicwallpaper.model.WallpaperImage;
+import com.dynamicwallpaper.util.ThumbnailLoader;
+
+import javax.swing.Icon;
+import javax.swing.table.AbstractTableModel;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.List;
+
+/** Backs the solar-mode table: one row per image, with editable altitude/azimuth/reference columns. */
+final class SolarImageTableModel extends AbstractTableModel {
+
+    private static final String[] COLUMNS = {
+            "Preview", "File", "Altitude (°)", "Azimuth (°)", "Light Ref.", "Dark Ref."
+    };
+
+    private final List<WallpaperImage> images = new ArrayList<>();
+
+    List<WallpaperImage> images() {
+        return Collections.unmodifiableList(images);
+    }
+
+    void add(WallpaperImage image) {
+        images.add(image);
+        int row = images.size() - 1;
+        fireTableRowsInserted(row, row);
+    }
+
+    void removeRows(int[] rows) {
+        List<WallpaperImage> toRemove = new ArrayList<>();
+        for (int row : rows) {
+            toRemove.add(images.get(row));
+        }
+        images.removeAll(toRemove);
+        fireTableDataChanged();
+    }
+
+    void clear() {
+        images.clear();
+        fireTableDataChanged();
+    }
+
+    void moveRow(int from, int to) {
+        if (to < 0 || to >= images.size()) {
+            return;
+        }
+        WallpaperImage moved = images.remove(from);
+        images.add(to, moved);
+        fireTableDataChanged();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public int getRowCount() {
+        return images.size();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public int getColumnCount() {
+        return COLUMNS.length;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public String getColumnName(int column) {
+        return COLUMNS[column];
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public Class<?> getColumnClass(int columnIndex) {
+        return switch (columnIndex) {
+            case 0 -> Icon.class;
+            case 1 -> String.class;
+            case 2, 3 -> Double.class;
+            case 4, 5 -> Boolean.class;
+            default -> Object.class;
+        };
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean isCellEditable(int rowIndex, int columnIndex) {
+        return columnIndex >= 2;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public Object getValueAt(int rowIndex, int columnIndex) {
+        WallpaperImage image = images.get(rowIndex);
+        return switch (columnIndex) {
+            case 0 -> ThumbnailLoader.thumbnail(image.file(), 40);
+            case 1 -> image.name();
+            case 2 -> image.altitude();
+            case 3 -> image.azimuth();
+            case 4 -> image.isLightReference();
+            case 5 -> image.isDarkReference();
+            default -> null;
+        };
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void setValueAt(Object value, int rowIndex, int columnIndex) {
+        WallpaperImage image = images.get(rowIndex);
+        switch (columnIndex) {
+            case 2 -> image.setAltitude(((Number) value).doubleValue());
+            case 3 -> image.setAzimuth(((Number) value).doubleValue());
+            case 4 -> setExclusiveFlag(rowIndex, (Boolean) value, true);
+            case 5 -> setExclusiveFlag(rowIndex, (Boolean) value, false);
+            default -> {
+                return;
+            }
+        }
+        fireTableRowsUpdated(rowIndex, rowIndex);
+    }
+
+    /** Only one row at a time may be the light reference, and separately only one may be the dark reference. */
+    private void setExclusiveFlag(int rowIndex, boolean value, boolean light) {
+        for (int i = 0; i < images.size(); i++) {
+            WallpaperImage image = images.get(i);
+            boolean newValue = (i == rowIndex) && value;
+            if (light) {
+                image.setLightReference(newValue);
+            } else {
+                image.setDarkReference(newValue);
+            }
+        }
+        fireTableDataChanged();
+    }
+}
--- a/src/main/java/com/dynamicwallpaper/gui/SolarPanel.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/dynamicwallpaper/gui/SolarPanel.java
@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+package com.dynamicwallpaper.gui;
+
+import com.dynamicwallpaper.core.SunPositionUtil;
+import com.dynamicwallpaper.model.WallpaperImage;
+
+import javax.swing.BorderFactory;
+import javax.swing.JButton;
+import javax.swing.JFileChooser;
+import javax.swing.JLabel;
+import javax.swing.JOptionPane;
+import javax.swing.JPanel;
+import javax.swing.JScrollPane;
+import javax.swing.JTable;
+import javax.swing.ListSelectionModel;
+import javax.swing.filechooser.FileNameExtensionFilter;
+import java.awt.BorderLayout;
+import java.awt.FlowLayout;
+import java.util.List;
+
+/**
+ * Lets the user add any number of images and assign each one a sun altitude
+ * and azimuth (in degrees). "Auto-Distribute" fills in a reasonable
+ * sunrise-to-sunset-to-night arc automatically; users can still edit any
+ * value by double-clicking its cell.
+ */
+public final class SolarPanel extends JPanel {
+
+    private final SolarImageTableModel tableModel = new SolarImageTableModel();
+    private final JTable table = new JTable(tableModel);
+
+    public SolarPanel() {
+        setLayout(new BorderLayout(8, 8));
+        setBorder(BorderFactory.createEmptyBorder(16, 16, 16, 16));
+
+        table.setRowHeight(44);
+        table.setSelectionMode(ListSelectionModel.MULTIPLE_INTERVAL_SELECTION);
+        table.getColumnModel().getColumn(0).setMaxWidth(48);
+
+        JLabel help = new JLabel(
+                "<html>Add several images that represent the sun at different points in the day. "
+                        + "Altitude is the sun's height above the horizon (-90 to 90, negative = night); "
+                        + "azimuth is its compass direction (0 to 360). Check \"Light Ref.\" / \"Dark Ref.\" "
+                        + "on the frames that best represent Light and Dark appearance.</html>");
+        help.setBorder(BorderFactory.createEmptyBorder(0, 0, 8, 0));
+
+        JPanel toolbar = new JPanel(new FlowLayout(FlowLayout.LEFT));
+        JButton addButton = new JButton("Add Images…");
+        JButton removeButton = new JButton("Remove Selected");
+        JButton clearButton = new JButton("Clear All");
+        JButton upButton = new JButton("Move Up");
+        JButton downButton = new JButton("Move Down");
+        JButton autoButton = new JButton("Auto-Distribute Sun Positions");
+
+        addButton.addActionListener(e -> addImages());
+        removeButton.addActionListener(e -> removeSelected());
+        clearButton.addActionListener(e -> tableModel.clear());
+        upButton.addActionListener(e -> moveSelected(-1));
+        downButton.addActionListener(e -> moveSelected(1));
+        autoButton.addActionListener(e -> autoDistribute());
+
+        toolbar.add(addButton);
+        toolbar.add(removeButton);
+        toolbar.add(clearButton);
+        toolbar.add(upButton);
+        toolbar.add(downButton);
+        toolbar.add(autoButton);
+
+        JPanel north = new JPanel(new BorderLayout());
+        north.add(help, BorderLayout.NORTH);
+        north.add(toolbar, BorderLayout.SOUTH);
+
+        add(north, BorderLayout.NORTH);
+        add(new JScrollPane(table), BorderLayout.CENTER);
+    }
+
+    public List<WallpaperImage> images() {
+        return tableModel.images();
+    }
+
+    private void addImages() {
+        JFileChooser chooser = new JFileChooser();
+        chooser.setMultiSelectionEnabled(true);
+        chooser.setFileFilter(new FileNameExtensionFilter(
+                "Images", "png", "jpg", "jpeg", "tif", "tiff", "bmp", "gif", "heic"));
+        if (chooser.showOpenDialog(this) == JFileChooser.APPROVE_OPTION) {
+            for (var file : chooser.getSelectedFiles()) {
+                tableModel.add(new WallpaperImage(file));
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    private void removeSelected() {
+        int[] rows = table.getSelectedRows();
+        if (rows.length == 0) {
+            return;
+        }
+        tableModel.removeRows(rows);
+    }
+
+    private void moveSelected(int delta) {
+        int row = table.getSelectedRow();
+        if (row < 0) {
+            return;
+        }
+        tableModel.moveRow(row, row + delta);
+        int newRow = row + delta;
+        if (newRow >= 0 && newRow < table.getRowCount()) {
+            table.setRowSelectionInterval(newRow, newRow);
+        }
+    }
+
+    private void autoDistribute() {
+        int count = tableModel.getRowCount();
+        if (count < 2) {
+            JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(this, "Add at least two images first.",
+                    "Not enough images", JOptionPane.INFORMATION_MESSAGE);
+            return;
+        }
+        List<SunPositionUtil.SunPosition> positions = SunPositionUtil.distribute(count);
+        List<WallpaperImage> images = tableModel.images();
+        for (int i = 0; i < count; i++) {
+            images.get(i).setAltitude(positions.get(i).altitude());
+            images.get(i).setAzimuth(positions.get(i).azimuth());
+        }
+        tableModel.fireTableDataChanged();
+    }
+}
--- a/src/main/java/com/dynamicwallpaper/model/WallpaperImage.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/dynamicwallpaper/model/WallpaperImage.java
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+package com.dynamicwallpaper.model;
+
+import java.io.File;
+
+/**
+ * One source image the user added, plus whatever role it plays in the
+ * wallpaper being assembled. Not all fields apply to both modes: appearance
+ * mode only reads {@link #appearanceRole}, solar mode only reads
+ * {@link #altitude}/{@link #azimuth}/reference flags.
+ */
+public final class WallpaperImage {
+
+    /** Role of an image in Appearance mode. */
+    public enum AppearanceRole { UNASSIGNED, LIGHT, DARK }
+
+    private final File file;
+    private AppearanceRole appearanceRole = AppearanceRole.UNASSIGNED;
+    private double altitude;
+    private double azimuth;
+    private boolean lightReference;
+    private boolean darkReference;
+
+    public WallpaperImage(File file) {
+        this.file = file;
+    }
+
+    public File file() {
+        return file;
+    }
+
+    public String name() {
+        return file.getName();
+    }
+
+    public AppearanceRole appearanceRole() {
+        return appearanceRole;
+    }
+
+    public void setAppearanceRole(AppearanceRole role) {
+        this.appearanceRole = role;
+    }
+
+    public double altitude() {
+        return altitude;
+    }
+
+    public void setAltitude(double altitude) {
+        this.altitude = altitude;
+    }
+
+    public double azimuth() {
+        return azimuth;
+    }
+
+    public void setAzimuth(double azimuth) {
+        this.azimuth = azimuth;
+    }
+
+    public boolean isLightReference() {
+        return lightReference;
+    }
+
+    public void setLightReference(boolean lightReference) {
+        this.lightReference = lightReference;
+    }
+
+    public boolean isDarkReference() {
+        return darkReference;
+    }
+
+    public void setDarkReference(boolean darkReference) {
+        this.darkReference = darkReference;
+    }
+}
--- a/src/main/java/com/dynamicwallpaper/model/WallpaperMode.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/dynamicwallpaper/model/WallpaperMode.java
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+package com.dynamicwallpaper.model;
+
+/** The two Dynamic Desktop schedule types this app can produce. */
+public enum WallpaperMode {
+    APPEARANCE("Light / Dark Appearance", "Two images: one shown in Light Mode, one in Dark Mode."),
+    SOLAR("Sun Position (Solar)", "Several images, each tagged with the sun's altitude and azimuth.");
+
+    private final String label;
+    private final String description;
+
+    WallpaperMode(String label, String description) {
+        this.label = label;
+        this.description = description;
+    }
+
+    public String label() {
+        return label;
+    }
+
+    public String description() {
+        return description;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public String toString() {
+        return label;
+    }
+}
--- a/src/main/java/com/dynamicwallpaper/util/ImageValidation.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/dynamicwallpaper/util/ImageValidation.java
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+package com.dynamicwallpaper.util;
+
+import javax.imageio.ImageIO;
+import java.awt.Dimension;
+import java.io.File;
+import java.util.LinkedHashMap;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Map;
+
+/** Sanity checks run before handing a batch of images to the native helper. */
+public final class ImageValidation {
+
+    private ImageValidation() {
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Dynamic wallpapers look best when every embedded image shares the same
+     * pixel dimensions. This reads each file's size (without decoding full
+     * pixel data) and returns a human-readable warning if they differ, or
+     * {@code null} if everything matches or sizes couldn't be determined.
+     */
+    public static String checkConsistentDimensions(List<File> files) {
+        Map<Dimension, Integer> counts = new LinkedHashMap<>();
+        for (File file : files) {
+            Dimension size = readSize(file);
+            if (size == null) {
+                continue;
+            }
+            counts.merge(size, 1, Integer::sum);
+        }
+        if (counts.size() <= 1) {
+            return null;
+        }
+        StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder("Your images have different dimensions:\n");
+        for (Map.Entry<Dimension, Integer> entry : counts.entrySet()) {
+            Dimension d = entry.getKey();
+            sb.append(String.format("  %d x %d  (%d image%s)%n", d.width, d.height, entry.getValue(),
+                    entry.getValue() == 1 ? "" : "s"));
+        }
+        sb.append("macOS will still accept the file, but for best results every image in a Dynamic ")
+                .append("Desktop wallpaper should be the same size.");
+        return sb.toString();
+    }
+
+    private static Dimension readSize(File file) {
+        try {
+            var readers = ImageIO.getImageReaders(ImageIO.createImageInputStream(file));
+            if (!readers.hasNext()) {
+                return null;
+            }
+            var reader = readers.next();
+            try (var stream = ImageIO.createImageInputStream(file)) {
+                reader.setInput(stream);
+                return new Dimension(reader.getWidth(0), reader.getHeight(0));
+            } finally {
+                reader.dispose();
+            }
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            return null;
+        }
+    }
+}
--- a/src/main/java/com/dynamicwallpaper/util/Json.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/dynamicwallpaper/util/Json.java
@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+package com.dynamicwallpaper.util;
+
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.LinkedHashMap;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Map;
+
+/**
+ * Minimal JSON value tree with a serializer. The native helper's job files
+ * are small and fixed-shape, so a full JSON library would be overkill - this
+ * covers objects, arrays, strings, numbers and booleans, which is all the
+ * job schema in docs/FILE_FORMAT.md needs.
+ */
+public final class Json {
+
+    private Json() {
+    }
+
+    public static Map<String, Object> object() {
+        return new LinkedHashMap<>();
+    }
+
+    public static List<Object> array() {
+        return new ArrayList<>();
+    }
+
+    public static String write(Object value) {
+        StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
+        writeValue(value, sb);
+        return sb.toString();
+    }
+
+    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+    private static void writeValue(Object value, StringBuilder sb) {
+        if (value == null) {
+            sb.append("null");
+        } else if (value instanceof Map) {
+            writeObject((Map<String, Object>) value, sb);
+        } else if (value instanceof List) {
+            writeArray((List<Object>) value, sb);
+        } else if (value instanceof String s) {
+            writeString(s, sb);
+        } else if (value instanceof Boolean b) {
+            sb.append(b.toString());
+        } else if (value instanceof Number n) {
+            sb.append(n.toString());
+        } else {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Unsupported JSON value type: " + value.getClass());
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static void writeObject(Map<String, Object> object, StringBuilder sb) {
+        sb.append('{');
+        boolean first = true;
+        for (Map.Entry<String, Object> entry : object.entrySet()) {
+            if (!first) {
+                sb.append(',');
+            }
+            first = false;
+            writeString(entry.getKey(), sb);
+            sb.append(':');
+            writeValue(entry.getValue(), sb);
+        }
+        sb.append('}');
+    }
+
+    private static void writeArray(List<Object> array, StringBuilder sb) {
+        sb.append('[');
+        boolean first = true;
+        for (Object item : array) {
+            if (!first) {
+                sb.append(',');
+            }
+            first = false;
+            writeValue(item, sb);
+        }
+        sb.append(']');
+    }
+
+    private static void writeString(String s, StringBuilder sb) {
+        sb.append('"');
+        for (int i = 0; i < s.length(); i++) {
+            char c = s.charAt(i);
+            switch (c) {
+                case '"' -> sb.append("\\\"");
+                case '\\' -> sb.append("\\\\");
+                case '\n' -> sb.append("\\n");
+                case '\r' -> sb.append("\\r");
+                case '\t' -> sb.append("\\t");
+                default -> {
+                    if (c < 0x20) {
+                        sb.append(String.format("\\u%04x", (int) c));
+                    } else {
+                        sb.append(c);
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        sb.append('"');
+    }
+}
--- a/src/main/java/com/dynamicwallpaper/util/ThumbnailLoader.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/dynamicwallpaper/util/ThumbnailLoader.java
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+package com.dynamicwallpaper.util;
+
+import javax.imageio.ImageIO;
+import javax.swing.Icon;
+import javax.swing.ImageIcon;
+import java.awt.Color;
+import java.awt.Graphics2D;
+import java.awt.RenderingHints;
+import java.awt.image.BufferedImage;
+import java.io.File;
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap;
+
+/** Loads small cached preview thumbnails for source images shown in the image tables. */
+public final class ThumbnailLoader {
+
+    private static final Map<String, ImageIcon> CACHE = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
+
+    private ThumbnailLoader() {
+    }
+
+    /** Returns a square thumbnail icon for the given file, or a neutral placeholder if it can't be read. */
+    public static Icon thumbnail(File file, int size) {
+        String key = file.getAbsolutePath() + "@" + size + "#" + file.lastModified();
+        return CACHE.computeIfAbsent(key, k -> loadThumbnail(file, size));
+    }
+
+    private static ImageIcon loadThumbnail(File file, int size) {
+        try {
+            BufferedImage source = ImageIO.read(file);
+            if (source == null) {
+                return placeholder(size);
+            }
+            BufferedImage square = new BufferedImage(size, size, BufferedImage.TYPE_INT_ARGB);
+            Graphics2D g = square.createGraphics();
+            g.setRenderingHint(RenderingHints.KEY_INTERPOLATION, RenderingHints.VALUE_INTERPOLATION_BILINEAR);
+            g.setRenderingHint(RenderingHints.KEY_RENDERING, RenderingHints.VALUE_RENDER_QUALITY);
+
+            double scale = Math.max((double) size / source.getWidth(), (double) size / source.getHeight());
+            int drawWidth = (int) Math.ceil(source.getWidth() * scale);
+            int drawHeight = (int) Math.ceil(source.getHeight() * scale);
+            int x = (size - drawWidth) / 2;
+            int y = (size - drawHeight) / 2;
+            g.drawImage(source, x, y, drawWidth, drawHeight, null);
+            g.dispose();
+            return new ImageIcon(square);
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            return placeholder(size);
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static ImageIcon placeholder(int size) {
+        BufferedImage image = new BufferedImage(size, size, BufferedImage.TYPE_INT_ARGB);
+        Graphics2D g = image.createGraphics();
+        g.setColor(new Color(0, 0, 0, 40));
+        g.fillRoundRect(0, 0, size, size, 8, 8);
+        g.setColor(new Color(0, 0, 0, 100));
+        g.drawRoundRect(0, 0, size - 1, size - 1, 8, 8);
+        g.dispose();
+        return new ImageIcon(image);
+    }
+}
--- a/src/main/resources/native/HeicBuilder.swift
+++ b/src/main/resources/native/HeicBuilder.swift
@@ -0,0 +1,281 @@
+//
+// HeicBuilder.swift
+//
+// Native helper for Dynamic Wallpaper Creator.
+//
+// macOS Dynamic Desktop wallpapers are single .heic (HEIF) files that contain
+// several top-level still images plus a small binary property list, embedded
+// as an XMP tag, that tells System Settings which image to show for which
+// sun position (solar mode) or which image is "light" and which is "dark"
+// (appearance mode). That embedding can only be done with Apple's own
+// ImageIO / CoreGraphics frameworks, so this helper is written in Swift and
+// invoked by the Java application as an external process. The Java side
+// never has to know about CGImageDestination or property lists - it just
+// writes a small JSON "job" file and reads this tool's exit code/output.
+//
+// Usage:
+//   heic-builder build <job.json>
+//   heic-builder inspect <file.heic>     (debugging aid, prints embedded metadata)
+//   heic-builder --version
+//
+// Job file schema (see docs/FILE_FORMAT.md for the full spec):
+// {
+//   "mode": "appearance" | "solar",
+//   "output": "/absolute/path/out.heic",
+//   "quality": 0.9,
+//   "light": "/abs/light.png",              // appearance mode only
+//   "dark": "/abs/dark.png",                // appearance mode only
+//   "images": [                             // solar mode only, ordered
+//     { "path": "/abs/01.png", "altitude": 45.0, "azimuth": 120.0,
+//       "lightReference": true, "darkReference": false }
+//   ]
+// }
+
+import Foundation
+import ImageIO
+import CoreGraphics
+
+let APPLE_DESKTOP_NAMESPACE = "http://ns.apple.com/namespace/1.0/" as CFString
+let APPLE_DESKTOP_PREFIX = "apple_desktop" as CFString
+
+struct ToolError: Error, CustomStringConvertible {
+    let message: String
+    var description: String { message }
+}
+
+func fail(_ message: String) -> Never {
+    FileHandle.standardError.write(("ERROR: " + message + "\n").data(using: .utf8)!)
+    exit(1)
+}
+
+func log(_ message: String) {
+    print(message)
+    fflush(stdout)
+}
+
+// MARK: - JSON job parsing
+
+struct SolarImageEntry {
+    let path: String
+    let altitude: Double
+    let azimuth: Double
+    let lightReference: Bool
+    let darkReference: Bool
+}
+
+enum Job {
+    case appearance(light: String, dark: String, output: String, quality: Double)
+    case solar(images: [SolarImageEntry], output: String, quality: Double)
+}
+
+func loadJob(path: String) throws -> Job {
+    let data = try Data(contentsOf: URL(fileURLWithPath: path))
+    guard let json = try JSONSerialization.jsonObject(with: data) as? [String: Any] else {
+        throw ToolError(message: "job file is not a JSON object")
+    }
+    guard let mode = json["mode"] as? String else {
+        throw ToolError(message: "job file is missing 'mode'")
+    }
+    guard let output = json["output"] as? String else {
+        throw ToolError(message: "job file is missing 'output'")
+    }
+    let quality = (json["quality"] as? Double) ?? 0.9
+
+    switch mode {
+    case "appearance":
+        guard let light = json["light"] as? String, let dark = json["dark"] as? String else {
+            throw ToolError(message: "appearance job requires 'light' and 'dark' paths")
+        }
+        return .appearance(light: light, dark: dark, output: output, quality: quality)
+    case "solar":
+        guard let rawImages = json["images"] as? [[String: Any]], !rawImages.isEmpty else {
+            throw ToolError(message: "solar job requires a non-empty 'images' array")
+        }
+        let images: [SolarImageEntry] = try rawImages.map { entry in
+            guard let path = entry["path"] as? String else {
+                throw ToolError(message: "solar image entry is missing 'path'")
+            }
+            guard let altitude = entry["altitude"] as? Double else {
+                throw ToolError(message: "solar image entry '\(path)' is missing numeric 'altitude'")
+            }
+            guard let azimuth = entry["azimuth"] as? Double else {
+                throw ToolError(message: "solar image entry '\(path)' is missing numeric 'azimuth'")
+            }
+            let lightRef = (entry["lightReference"] as? Bool) ?? false
+            let darkRef = (entry["darkReference"] as? Bool) ?? false
+            return SolarImageEntry(path: path, altitude: altitude, azimuth: azimuth,
+                                    lightReference: lightRef, darkReference: darkRef)
+        }
+        return .solar(images: images, output: output, quality: quality)
+    default:
+        throw ToolError(message: "unknown mode '\(mode)', expected 'appearance' or 'solar'")
+    }
+}
+
+// MARK: - Property list -> base64
+
+func base64Plist(_ object: Any) throws -> String {
+    let data = try PropertyListSerialization.data(fromPropertyList: object, format: .binary, options: 0)
+    return data.base64EncodedString()
+}
+
+// MARK: - Image loading
+
+func loadCGImage(path: String) throws -> CGImage {
+    let url = URL(fileURLWithPath: path)
+    guard let source = CGImageSourceCreateWithURL(url as CFURL, nil) else {
+        throw ToolError(message: "could not open image: \(path)")
+    }
+    guard let image = CGImageSourceCreateImageAtIndex(source, 0, nil) else {
+        throw ToolError(message: "could not decode image: \(path)")
+    }
+    return image
+}
+
+// MARK: - Writing the HEIC container
+
+func makeMetadata(namespace: CFString, prefix: CFString, name: CFString, base64Value: String) -> CGMutableImageMetadata {
+    let metadata = CGImageMetadataCreateMutable()
+    guard CGImageMetadataRegisterNamespaceForPrefix(metadata, namespace, prefix, nil) else {
+        fail("failed to register apple_desktop XMP namespace")
+    }
+    let tag = CGImageMetadataTagCreate(namespace, prefix, name, .string, base64Value as CFTypeRef)!
+    let path = (prefix as String) + ":" + (name as String)
+    _ = CGImageMetadataSetTagWithPath(metadata, nil, path as CFString, tag)
+    return metadata
+}
+
+func writeHeic(images: [CGImage], primaryMetadata: CGMutableImageMetadata?, quality: Double, output: String) throws {
+    let outputURL = URL(fileURLWithPath: output)
+    try? FileManager.default.removeItem(at: outputURL)
+
+    guard let dest = CGImageDestinationCreateWithURL(outputURL as CFURL, "public.heic" as CFString, images.count, nil) else {
+        throw ToolError(message: "could not create HEIC destination at \(output)")
+    }
+
+    let properties: [CFString: Any] = [
+        kCGImageDestinationLossyCompressionQuality: quality
+    ]
+
+    for (index, image) in images.enumerated() {
+        if index == 0, let metadata = primaryMetadata {
+            CGImageDestinationAddImageAndMetadata(dest, image, metadata, properties as CFDictionary)
+        } else {
+            CGImageDestinationAddImage(dest, image, properties as CFDictionary)
+        }
+    }
+
+    guard CGImageDestinationFinalize(dest) else {
+        throw ToolError(message: "failed to finalize HEIC file at \(output)")
+    }
+}
+
+// MARK: - Build commands
+
+func buildAppearance(light: String, dark: String, output: String, quality: Double) throws {
+    log("Loading light image: \(light)")
+    let lightImage = try loadCGImage(path: light)
+    log("Loading dark image: \(dark)")
+    let darkImage = try loadCGImage(path: dark)
+
+    let plist: [String: Any] = ["l": 0, "d": 1]
+    let base64 = try base64Plist(plist)
+    let metadata = makeMetadata(namespace: APPLE_DESKTOP_NAMESPACE, prefix: APPLE_DESKTOP_PREFIX,
+                                 name: "apr" as CFString, base64Value: base64)
+
+    log("Writing \(output)")
+    try writeHeic(images: [lightImage, darkImage], primaryMetadata: metadata, quality: quality, output: output)
+    log("OK \(output)")
+}
+
+func buildSolar(images: [SolarImageEntry], output: String, quality: Double) throws {
+    var cgImages: [CGImage] = []
+    for (i, entry) in images.enumerated() {
+        log("Loading image \(i + 1)/\(images.count): \(entry.path)")
+        cgImages.append(try loadCGImage(path: entry.path))
+    }
+
+    let siArray: [[String: Any]] = images.enumerated().map { (i, entry) in
+        ["i": i, "a": entry.altitude, "z": entry.azimuth]
+    }
+
+    var lightIndex = images.firstIndex(where: { $0.lightReference })
+    var darkIndex = images.firstIndex(where: { $0.darkReference })
+    if lightIndex == nil {
+        lightIndex = images.indices.max(by: { images[$0].altitude < images[$1].altitude })
+    }
+    if darkIndex == nil {
+        darkIndex = images.indices.max(by: { images[$0].altitude > images[$1].altitude })
+    }
+
+    let plist: [String: Any] = [
+        "si": siArray,
+        "ap": ["l": lightIndex ?? 0, "d": darkIndex ?? 0]
+    ]
+    let base64 = try base64Plist(plist)
+    let metadata = makeMetadata(namespace: APPLE_DESKTOP_NAMESPACE, prefix: APPLE_DESKTOP_PREFIX,
+                                 name: "solar" as CFString, base64Value: base64)
+
+    log("Writing \(output)")
+    try writeHeic(images: cgImages, primaryMetadata: metadata, quality: quality, output: output)
+    log("OK \(output)")
+}
+
+// MARK: - Inspect command (debugging aid)
+
+func inspect(path: String) throws {
+    let url = URL(fileURLWithPath: path)
+    guard let source = CGImageSourceCreateWithURL(url as CFURL, nil) else {
+        throw ToolError(message: "could not open \(path)")
+    }
+    let count = CGImageSourceGetCount(source)
+    print("images: \(count)")
+    for i in 0..<count {
+        guard let metadata = CGImageSourceCopyMetadataAtIndex(source, i, nil) else { continue }
+        let tags = CGImageMetadataCopyTags(metadata) as? [CGImageMetadataTag] ?? []
+        for tag in tags {
+            guard let prefix = CGImageMetadataTagCopyPrefix(tag) as String?, prefix == "apple_desktop" else { continue }
+            let name = CGImageMetadataTagCopyName(tag) as String? ?? "?"
+            guard let value = CGImageMetadataTagCopyValue(tag) as? String,
+                  let data = Data(base64Encoded: value) else { continue }
+            var format = PropertyListSerialization.PropertyListFormat.binary
+            if let plist = try? PropertyListSerialization.propertyList(from: data, options: [], format: &format) {
+                print("image \(i) apple_desktop:\(name) = \(plist)")
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+// MARK: - Entry point
+
+let arguments = CommandLine.arguments
+guard arguments.count >= 2 else {
+    fail("usage: heic-builder build <job.json> | inspect <file.heic> | --version")
+}
+
+switch arguments[1] {
+case "--version":
+    print("heic-builder 1.0")
+case "build":
+    guard arguments.count >= 3 else { fail("usage: heic-builder build <job.json>") }
+    do {
+        let job = try loadJob(path: arguments[2])
+        switch job {
+        case .appearance(let light, let dark, let output, let quality):
+            try buildAppearance(light: light, dark: dark, output: output, quality: quality)
+        case .solar(let images, let output, let quality):
+            try buildSolar(images: images, output: output, quality: quality)
+        }
+    } catch {
+        fail("\(error)")
+    }
+case "inspect":
+    guard arguments.count >= 3 else { fail("usage: heic-builder inspect <file.heic>") }
+    do {
+        try inspect(path: arguments[2])
+    } catch {
+        fail("\(error)")
+    }
+default:
+    fail("unknown command '\(arguments[1])'")
+}
Author	SHA1	Message	Date
arizotaz	f4dba9b75d	Merge pull request 'Initial Application' (#1 ) from development into production Reviewed-on: #1	2026-07-12 03:00:24 +00:00
Colton Staiduhar	35cba9ee0e	Demo Images	2026-07-11 22:59:39 -04:00
Colton Staiduhar	4ee6ebb18a	Initial Application	2026-07-11 22:52:23 -04:00