Design Atlas
Type
asset library
Verdict
Useful
Licence
Conditional licence, proprietary paidproprietary-paid$49 one-time for the full library / commercial use allowed, no redistribution or reuse in asset packs or templates, no refunds; free pack under a personal-use licence; Gradient Lab free
Agent channels
llms-txt
Pricing
freemium
Reviewed

← Atlas · Topics: assets, landing-pages, 3d-and-shaders

Backgrounds Supply ​

Type
asset library
Verdict
Useful
Licence
Conditional licence, proprietary paidproprietary-paid$49 one-time for the full library / commercial use allowed, no redistribution or reuse in asset packs or templates, no refunds; free pack under a personal-use licence; Gradient Lab free
Agent channels
llms-txt
Pricing
freemium
Reviewed

What it is ​

Backgrounds Supply is a paid library of abstract background images made by Kailash, an independent designer who launched it in 2025. It mixes handcrafted gradients, AI-generated abstract visuals and a set of animated MP4 backgrounds, grouped into named collections such as Serenox, Surrealis, Perplex, Smudge, ASCII and Portals. Its llms.txt counts 1,359 backgrounds in 31 collections, 36 of them animated. Files are mostly 16:9 PNGs at roughly 3K, with some at native 4K. One payment unlocks the whole library in a members' app, including monthly additions. The marketing site is built with Framer, and checkout runs through Lemon Squeezy.

When to open it ​

Open it when a hero section, pitch deck, social post or product mockup needs a polished abstract backdrop and you would rather pay once than prompt an image model and clean up the results. The free Gradient Lab is worth a visit on its own when you need an animated gradient for a hero.

Most useful ​

  • Gradient Lab: a free in-browser shader tool with more than 20 modes (mesh, smoke, aurora, plasma, rays, prism, caustics, marble, halftone and more), presets you can recolour, grain and motion controls, and export as PNG or looping MP4 up to 4K, or as an embed snippet
  • Animated Backgrounds collection: 36 MP4 loops for hero sections and screens. Some include audio
  • Free pack: about 100 full-resolution previews picked from every collection, downloadable after an email sign-up, so you can judge quality before buying
  • Collections by mood: each set holds a consistent look, which helps when a site or deck needs several matching backgrounds

Using it with agents ​

The site publishes an llms.txt with the catalogue, pricing, licence summary and collection links, so an agent can explain what is on offer. There is no API, MCP server or CLI, and downloads need a signed-in account. Pick and download the files yourself, commit them to the repo (converted to WebP or AVIF), and let the agent wire them in as hero backgrounds.

Watch out for ​

  • The licence forbids redistributing the files, offering them for download, or putting them in another asset library, background pack or template, so don't ship them inside a theme or starter kit
  • Counts differ across the site: the FAQ says 1,167 backgrounds in 24 collections, the homepage 1,273 in 29, and llms.txt 1,359 in 31
  • The free pack uses a personal-use licence, not the commercial one that comes with the purchase
  • All sales are final, and many images are AI-generated rather than hand-made
  • Large 3K PNGs and MP4 loops are heavy for web heroes, so compress them and add a still fallback

Reusable ideas ​

  • Sell a single lifetime unlock and use a free tool (the Gradient Lab) as the way people discover the product
  • Group backgrounds into named collections with one mood each, so buyers can pick matching sets
  • Offer a free sample from every collection instead of low-resolution, watermarked previews
  • Pair every still with a looping video version for hero sections

Fffuel, Paper Shaders, Supahero, Venust Backgrounds