# Programmatically set background image
**URL:** https://discourse.paraview.org/t/programmatically-set-background-image/2574
**Category:** ParaView Support
**Tags:** python
**Created:** [September 17, 2019, 6:14pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/programmatically-set-background-image/2574 "2019-09-17T18:14:53Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@theodorebaltis](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/theodorebaltis)
#### Post date: [September 17, 2019, 6:14pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/programmatically-set-background-image/2574/1 "2019-09-17T18:14:53Z")
How would one set the background image through python?
I can tell PV to use a background image through:
```python
GetActiveView().UseTexturedBackground = 1
```
But I can’t figure out how to load an image.
```python
repr(GetActiveView().BackgroundTexture)
```
returns `'None'` and once an image is already loaded through the GUI it can be changed through:
```python
GetActiveView().BackgroundTexture.FileName = 'C:\path\to\image.png'
```
Trace doesn’t capture the GUI action and saving a python state fails when a background image is loaded.
---
### Author:  [@mwestphal](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/mwestphal)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2019, 2:17am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/programmatically-set-background-image/2574/2 "2019-09-18T02:17:00Z")
Not supported directly. You have to create the proxy yourself :
```
proxy=servermanager.CreateProxy("textures","ImageTexture")
prop=proxy.GetProperty("FileName")
prop.SetElement(0, "path/to/image.png")
proxy.UpdateVTKObjects()
GetActiveView().BackgroundTexture = proxy
Render()
```
Edit : See the much better solution from @jfavre a few messages down.
---
### Author:  [@theodorebaltis](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/theodorebaltis)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2019, 2:13pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/programmatically-set-background-image/2574/3 "2019-09-18T14:13:33Z")
Thanks Mathieu, I wasn’t aware of how to create proxy objects by these means.
I’ll keep this in mind for any other actions that aren’t captured by Trace.
---
### Author:  [@cory.quammen](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/cory.quammen)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2019, 2:16pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/programmatically-set-background-image/2574/4 "2019-09-18T14:16:49Z")
I have opened an issue here: [https://gitlab.kitware.com/paraview/paraview/issues/19335](https://gitlab.kitware.com/paraview/paraview/issues/19335)
---
### Author:  [@jfavre](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/jfavre)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2019, 2:35pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/programmatically-set-background-image/2574/5 "2019-09-18T14:35:05Z")
I use the following code which seems a bit simpler:
```
texture = servermanager.rendering.ImageTexture()
texture.FileName = "earth_2048x1024.jpg"
GetActiveView().UseTexturedBackground = 1
GetActiveView().BackgroundTexture = texture
Render()
```
---
### Author:  [@theodorebaltis](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/theodorebaltis)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2019, 2:41pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/programmatically-set-background-image/2574/6 "2019-09-18T14:41:15Z")
Indeed that does seem more akin to the general paraview.simple format.
Thanks Jean “Fav-re” (There’s Something About Mary/Brett Favre reference)
---
### Author:  [@mwestphal](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/mwestphal)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2019, 2:18am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/programmatically-set-background-image/2574/7 "2019-09-19T02:18:39Z")
@jfavre : Indeed, I always forgot about this simpler interface. Your solution is the right one.