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

M5 Vision Pro Thumb 2

Apple Has Given Up on the Vision Pro After M5 Refresh Flop

Wednesday April 29, 2026 11:31 am PDT by
Apple has all but given up on the Vision Pro after the M5 model failed to revitalize interest in the device, MacRumors has learned. Apple updated the Vision Pro with a faster M5 chip and a more comfortable band in October 2025, but there were no other hardware changes, and consumers still weren't interested. The Vision Pro has been criticized for its high price tag and its uncomfortable...
Four iPhone 18 Pro Colors Mock Feature

iPhone 18 Pro to Launch in September With These 10 New Features

Tuesday April 28, 2026 9:35 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not launching until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. It was initially reported that the iPhone 18 Pro models would have fully under-screen Face ID, with only a front camera visible in the top-left corner of the screen. However, the latest rumors indicate that only one Face ID component will be moved under the...
airpods pro 3 design

'AirPods Ultra' Rumored to Feature a Major Upgrade Over AirPods Pro

Thursday April 30, 2026 8:40 am PDT by
In a social media post this week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated that Apple is planning to release new AirPods with cameras "for Siri." Last month, Gurman said these AirPods will likely be priced above the current AirPods Pro 3, which Apple sells for $249. As a result, he said Apple is likely considering using "AirPods Ultra" branding for the camera-equipped AirPods. "AirPods Ultra"...

Top Rated Comments

75 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)
75 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
75 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
75 months ago
Are we sure these aren’t just Samsung photographers?
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
phenste Avatar
75 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
75 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)