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Apple really outdid itself when it came time to make screensavers for the Apple TV, its streaming set-top box for televisions.
Back in 2015, when Apple unveiled the fourth-generation Apple TV, one of the standout features was how it could play gorgeous screensavers filmed in various spots around the globe in stunning 4K at 60 frames per second. Apple actually used drones and helicopters to film those "Aerial" screensavers; in 2018, it added the International Space Station as a source to get incredible videos of our planet from above the atmosphere.
Officially, the Apple TV is the exclusive home for these incredible screensavers. But unofficially, there's an easy way to get all of Apple's Aerial screensavers on your computer, whether it's running Windows or Mac.
Now, you just need to download the right file based on your computer's operating system.
If you're on a Mac, visit this webpage and click the link that says "Aerial.saver.zip."
If you're on a Windows computer, visit this webpage and follow the instructions under "Installation."
Since the Windows version follows a specific process that basically involves copying and pasting text, we'll show you the rest of this process on a Mac.
On your Mac, unzip the downloaded file, and then click the file that's created called "Aerial.saver." This will automatically open your System Preferences app.
Your System Preferences app will ask if you want to install this for all users, or just one user.
I'd recommend just installing this software for a single user, since installing it for all users means you need to enter passwords every time the software is updated.
In System Preferences, click "Desktop & Screen Saver," and if you scroll to the very bottom of the left pane you should see a new "Aerial" option.
If you click "Screen Saver Options" on the right side of that pane, you'll be treated to a ton of new options.
On this page, you can select all the videos you want to see in your screensaver, with an option to download them to your computer as well.
You can also choose the ideal video format, and if you want each screensaver to fade in and out.
There are a ton of other options to play with, like the ability to show location information, or the time, or to alter brightness during these screensavers. You can even have Aerial videos that play based on time, so daytime videos only play during the day, and nighttime videos at night.
You can even have it so nighttime videos play when your Mac is in Dark Mode.
The results speak for themselves. While the screensavers themselves are videos, we'll show some stills to give you a preview of what you're getting. Here's the Great Wall of China.
These are the Longji Rice Terraces in China.
Here's the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
Here's a view from the ISS, flying over the Sahara and Italy.
Here's a shot approaching the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, located in Dubai.
This is the Ilulissat Icefjord in Greenland.
This is Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong.
Here's an incredible shot above Los Angeles International Airport.
And here's a shot of New York City, filmed from the Upper East Side.
Thankfully for your computer, the Apple TV adds new screensavers all the time.
