Trio of Friends Set Out to Recreate the macOS Big Sur Wallpaper - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Trio of Friends Set Out to Recreate the macOS Big Sur Wallpaper

Last year, YouTuber and photographer Andrew Levitt teamed up with his friends Jacob Phillips and Taylor Gray to recreate all of Apple's default wallpapers included in macOS Catalina.

big sur recreate

Photo Credit: Jacob Phillips

Following Apple's unveiling of macOS Big Sur at the WWDC conference in June, they again set out to recreate Apple's newest default wallpaper, with no preparation, within just one week.

The task was even more challenging this time, however, as the default ‌macOS Big Sur wallpaper showcases the dramatic rugged mountainous area of California's Central Coast region from an elevated vantage point 4,000 feet over the ocean.

After doing some research, Levitt and his friends found out that a drone wouldn't be able to get the shot, and regardless, flying drones off the coast of Big Sur is against the law. So the team got in touch with a helicopter pilot, who coincidentally turned out to be the same pilot that flew out Apple's own photographer to get the original shot.


After having to deal with thick fog on the first attempt, the team headed out a second time and managed to get the same shot. Check out the original video for some dramatic footage captured on the Big Sur coastline.

Follow the creators on Instagram: Andrew Levitt, Jacob Phillips, and Taylor Gray.

Related Forum: macOS Big Sur

Popular Stories

All Screen iPhone 2030 Feature Sans Text

iPhone 18 Pro: Nine Reasons Not to Upgrade This Year

Monday September 7, 2026 5:01 am PDT by
Apple is set to unveil new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models on Wednesday, September 9, and the devices are expected to feature a design that's largely similar to the iPhone 17 Pro models, with a peppering of enhancements inside. Major changes are not expected until next year, when Apple is expected to introduce a radically redesigned 20th-anniversary iPhone. If you're thinking of...
apple surprise and shine event

Apple Event Today: iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo Cheat Sheet

Tuesday September 8, 2026 10:24 am PDT by
Apple's biggest event of the year is almost here, and all eyes are on Cupertino. With the first foldable iPhone expected to headline Apple's "Surprise and Shine" event on Wednesday, September 9, at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, the rumor mill has been running full throttle, fuelled by the biggest single design change in the life of the iPhone. To get you up to speed, here's a quick reference...
Four iPhone 18 Pro Colors Mock Feature

iPhone 18 Pro: Release Date and Pre-Orders

Monday September 7, 2026 6:01 pm PDT by
Apple has announced that it will be holding an event on Wednesday, September 9 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, with the company widely expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, its first-ever foldable iPhone Ultra, and more. Now that we know the event date, we can make an educated guess about when iPhone 18 Pro pre-orders will begin, but there is a bit of a wrinkle this year....

Top Rated Comments

80 months ago

But...why?

Exactly. Got nothing more productive to do I guess.
If adventurers and artists had to be concerned with productivity, the world would lose the great wealth of work created by asking "why not?"
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
80 months ago

But...why?

Exactly. Got nothing more productive to do I guess.
It's more productive than making snarky comments on message boards.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AngerDanger Avatar
80 months ago

But...why?

Exactly. Got nothing more productive to do I guess.
Fun.

Also, the challenge of seeing how closely they can recreate a shot.

Also also, they’ve got a YouTube channel and are probably make ad money off of their video about it.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Brent McCombs Avatar
80 months ago
Are we sure these aren’t just Samsung photographers?
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
phenste Avatar
80 months ago
The Catalina/general macOS wallpaper recreation was…already a year ago?

Current state of affairs really making time go by way faster than it should.

(note: this is fantastic, as have been all prior ones!)
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DinkThifferent Avatar
80 months ago
The youtube video's they make are really work of art! Great angles, shots, music and all in 4K!
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)