Isn’t it about time to “personalize” your dashboard with photos of your family, your favorite vacation spot, etc.? This workshop explains how on your Ford Navigation system.
I've looked all over for wallpapers that can work and have been wildly unsuccessful. I've found a couple, but they weren't my style. I also find they look a ton better if they have dark edges so it melds more naturally in to the dash. If anyone wants any, PM me and I can send them across! Here are a few samples. They look better in the car. When Sync 3 is fully loaded, insert the USB stick; Wait until an “installation complete” message appears (it may take approximately 1 minute). This should now have produced a new log file; Return to your PC and complete your update by uploading the log file onto the Ford website. Nov 23, 2015 Want to know how to change the wallpaper of the SYNC™2 touch screen? Learn about this function and more with our Ford How-To videos. Explore all owner resources for your Ford. Looking for the best 800x384 Wallpaper? We have 74+ amazing background pictures carefully picked by our community. If you have your own one, just send us the image and we will show it on the web-site. Feel free to download, share, comment and discuss every wallpaper you like.
Many Ford owners with the MyFord Touch screen navigation systems aren’t aware that they can personalize their “home” screen. This is a workshop on personalizing your dashboard.
If you have the Ford touch-screen NAV system with SYNC… this would be systems in the 2010 (or newer) Fusion, Escape, F-150, F-250, F-350, Taurus, Flex, Mustang vehicles. Take your digital photos to your home computer or laptop (hopefully you have a software program such as Adobe AfterEffects, Photoshop or some other photo editing program). Take your images into a .jpg format — in some cases you can use .gif, .png or .bmp formats. Maximum file size is 1.5MB, maximum number of photos for your “dashboard library” is 32. Recommended dimensions are 800 pixels wide by 378 pixels high. Vertical photos don’t work so well – sometimes you can edit two or more vertical photos together to create one wide-format photo.
Ford Sync Wallpaper Size
Once you have you photos edited to those parameters, transfer/copy them to a CD/R or DVD/R disk. Please note: Your PC, when you place in a recordable CD, will ask how you wish to “format” the disk (especially on Windows 7).
- Insert a disc into your computer’s CD or DVD drive.
- In the dialog box that appears, click Burn files to disc.
- In the Burn a disc dialog box, type a name for your new disc.
- Click Show formatting options, and select “Mastered.” Don’t use the “Live File System” (that’s best for music and game files).
- Click Next to prepare the disc.
Then take that disk to your vehicle. While parked in a driveway, turn it on. Touch the “Home” icon and bring up the “Home” screen. Push the white arrow in either corner until you see the Ford logo. Now, touch the screen on the logo and let go. The screen changes to the “Editing” function. Insert the disk into the CD player and the system will read the files. It will show the file name of the photos on the disk. Touch the name of the photo, it will show the image on the left side of the screen. Touch the “Add” button to add the file to the hard drive in the dashboard. You’ve got some editing functions (like rotating the orientation of the photo or pushing it left or right). Then when you push the “Home” button, use the white arrow buttons to scroll through the screens until you come to one of your personal photos. You can add up to 32 photos to the “library” (based on file size). When you are done, push one of the Nav system hard button, like “Radio.” You can always get back to that edit screen by pushing your finger on the screen when the logo or image is showing.
Yes, you may have favorite photos on your iPhone that you want to put on the Nav home screen. However, those files need to be transferred to your home computer through the photo software to get it into the right format. Yes, iPhones and Droid-based phones have proprietary code that prevents directly transferring images into the Nav system.
Here is a quick video that shows more about this… placing personal photos on Ford touch-screen Nav home screens. (Special thanks to Thoroughbred Ford of Kansas City for the video)
The process is similar, but different for the MyFord Touch system. This includes the Edge, the Explorer, the Fiesta and the Focus since 2011. To do this, go to the Settings button. Push Vehicle and then Display and then Edit Wallpaper. This system will go to files stored on a USB jump drive or SD-card (not from a CD-R or DVD-R). The system will slightly darken the image and it will “overlay” over the phone on the main home screen.
For more information on the MyFord Touch system, see this video.
So, isn’t it time to dress up your dashboard and make it just a little more “personal?”
By Vincent Hennigan
My Ford Sync Account
I work everyday as a technology consultant with vehicle owners who are wanting to get the most out of their in-vehicle technology. I am a former news reporter, graphic designer and photographer who has spent more than 8 years in the automotive industry learning about the developments and advancements. This blog is read by people who want to become more “tech savvy” while enjoying their drive time to work, home, school and play.