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# RL Grime's Core music video screensaver using Quartz Composer
- URL: https://blog.justinbull.ca/using-quartz-composer-to-make-a-screensaver-out-of-rl-grimes-core-music-video/
- Published: 2014-11-16T20:11:06.000Z
- Updated: 2014-11-16T20:14:07.000Z
- Author: Justin Bull
- Tags: #Import 2026-10-25 02:45

**TL;DR you can [download the RL Grime screensaver I build here](https://www.justinbull.ca/private/void/?ref=blog.justinbull.ca)** (Mac OS X only)

---

### RL Grime's music video

For some reason my brain absolutely loves looping over [this same song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04ufimjXEbA&ref=blog.justinbull.ca) over and over again. It's called *Core* by [RL Grime](https://twitter.com/rlgrime?ref=blog.justinbull.ca) and the visuals are **stunning**. According to the YouTube description, the music video was directed by [David Rudnick](http://davidrudnick.org/?ref=blog.justinbull.ca) & [Daniel Swan](http://danielswan.co.uk/?ref=blog.justinbull.ca). Props to those two.

![Music video's warning screen loop](https://blog.justinbull.ca/content/images/2014/11/02_danger_loop.gif)

I extracted the above loop from the music video and, using [HandBreak](https://handbrake.fr/?ref=blog.justinbull.ca), converted the file to a H.264 video in a MP4 container.

Ok, so, I have this mesmerizing loop but how do I get it on my computer as a screensaver? **Enter Quartz Composer**.

### XCode's Quartz Composer

![Quartz Composer screenshot](https://blog.justinbull.ca/content/images/2014/11/Screen-Shot-2014-11-16-at-2-56-21-PM.png)

Quartz Composer is a crazy simple way to process and render graphics on Mac and iOS. In the above screenshot, that's literally all I had to build for my screensaver.

#### Steps

1. Open Quartz Composer (requires XCode, a separate download for XCode 6.1)
2. File → New from Template, choose *Screen Saver*
3. Delete all nodes but the *Clear*, *Billboard*, and *Resize Image if in Preview* nodes
4. Drag and drop the video file in question into the editor's field, it should create a new node
5. Click the *Image* output on the Movie Importer node (the video node) and connect it to the Macro Patch's *Image* input
6. **Done!**

This is all you need to loop a video as a screensaver for Mac OS X. Simply Export the file and you're good to go!

### Installing the Screen Saver

Take your exported Quartz Composer screen saver and plop it into `~/Library/Screen Savers`. You can get there by pressing `⌘ + Shift + G` while in Finder.

Next open up System Preferences → Desktop & Screen Saver, and you'll see your newly installed screen saver available from the list

![](https://blog.justinbull.ca/content/images/2014/11/Screen-Shot-2014-11-16-at-3-07-06-PM.png)

### Caveats

Note that the screen saver you created does not actually store the video, it only references it. **You cannot delete or move the video file!**

Personally I moved the video file into the `Screen Savers` folder and referenced it there.