Better Blur DX can be manually built on openSUSE. There are no pre-built packages available, so you’ll need to compile from source.
Installation
Install Dependencies
Install the required development packages: Wayland (Recommended)
X11
sudo zypper in -y git cmake-full gcc-c++ kf6-extra-cmake-modules \
kcoreaddons-devel kguiaddons-devel kconfigwidgets-devel \
kwindowsystem-devel ki18n-devel kiconthemes-devel kpackage-devel \
frameworkintegration-devel kcmutils-devel kirigami2-devel \
"cmake(KF6Config)" "cmake(KF6CoreAddons)" \
"cmake(KF6FrameworkIntegration)" "cmake(KF6GuiAddons)" \
"cmake(KF6I18n)" "cmake(KF6KCMUtils)" "cmake(KF6KirigamiPlatform)" \
"cmake(KF6WindowSystem)" "cmake(Qt6Core)" "cmake(Qt6DBus)" \
"cmake(Qt6Quick)" "cmake(Qt6Svg)" "cmake(Qt6Widgets)" \
"cmake(Qt6Xml)" "cmake(Qt6UiTools)" "cmake(KF6Crash)" \
"cmake(KF6GlobalAccel)" "cmake(KF6KIO)" "cmake(KF6Service)" \
"cmake(KF6Notifications)" libepoxy-devel kwin6-devel
sudo zypper in -y git cmake-full gcc-c++ kf6-extra-cmake-modules \
kcoreaddons-devel kguiaddons-devel kconfigwidgets-devel \
kwindowsystem-devel ki18n-devel kiconthemes-devel kpackage-devel \
frameworkintegration-devel kcmutils-devel kirigami2-devel \
"cmake(KF6Config)" "cmake(KF6CoreAddons)" \
"cmake(KF6FrameworkIntegration)" "cmake(KF6GuiAddons)" \
"cmake(KF6I18n)" "cmake(KF6KCMUtils)" "cmake(KF6KirigamiPlatform)" \
"cmake(KF6WindowSystem)" "cmake(Qt6Core)" "cmake(Qt6DBus)" \
"cmake(Qt6Quick)" "cmake(Qt6Svg)" "cmake(Qt6Widgets)" \
"cmake(Qt6Xml)" "cmake(Qt6UiTools)" "cmake(KF6Crash)" \
"cmake(KF6GlobalAccel)" "cmake(KF6KIO)" "cmake(KF6Service)" \
"cmake(KF6Notifications)" libepoxy-devel kwin6-x11-devel
X11 support is deprecated and not actively tested. Wayland is recommended.
openSUSE uses a combination of package names and CMake package specifiers for dependencies.
Clone the Repository
Clone the Better Blur DX source code:git clone https://github.com/xarblu/kwin-effects-better-blur-dx
cd kwin-effects-better-blur-dx
Build the Effect
Compile the effect:mkdir build
cd build
cmake .. -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr
make -j$(nproc)
sudo make install
mkdir build
cd build
cmake .. -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr -DBETTERBLUR_X11=ON
make -j$(nproc)
sudo make install
The -DBETTERBLUR_X11=ON flag is required to build for X11.
Enable the Effect
After installation:
- Open System Settings > Desktop Effects
- Disable any existing blur effects
- Enable Better Blur DX
System Upgrades
Important: After upgrading Plasma or KWin, you must rebuild the effect.The effect is compiled against a specific KWin version. After system upgrades:cd kwin-effects-better-blur-dx
rm -rf build # Remove old build directory
mkdir build
cd build
cmake .. -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr
make -j$(nproc)
sudo make install
Always remove the build directory when rebuilding the effect to avoid cache issues.
Updating to Latest Version
To update to the latest development version:
cd kwin-effects-better-blur-dx
git pull
rm -rf build
mkdir build
cd build
cmake .. -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr
make -j$(nproc)
sudo make install
Build Options
Customize the build with these CMake options:
cmake .. -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr -DBETTERBLUR_X11=ON
Uninstalling
To remove Better Blur DX:
cd kwin-effects-better-blur-dx/build
sudo make uninstall
Troubleshooting
Missing Dependencies
If CMake reports missing packages:
# Search for the package
zypper search <package-name>
# List available cmake() packages
zypper search 'cmake(KF6*)'
Build Errors
If compilation fails:
-
Clean build: Remove the build directory and try again
rm -rf build
mkdir build
cd build
-
Check KWin version: Ensure you have Plasma 6.5 or 6.6
-
Verify dependencies: Make sure all development packages are installed
Effect Not Loading
If the effect doesn’t appear:
-
Check installation:
ls /usr/lib*/qt6/plugins/kwin/effects/plugins/libbetterblur.so
-
View logs:
journalctl --user -u plasma-kwin_wayland.service -f
-
Restart KWin: Log out and back in
Compiler Issues
If you get compiler errors:
# Ensure gcc-c++ is installed and up to date
sudo zypper in --force-resolution gcc-c++
g++ --version # Should be at least g++ 11
openSUSE Tumbleweed vs Leap
This guide works for both:
- Tumbleweed: Rolling release with latest Plasma
- Leap: Stable release (ensure you have Plasma 6.5+)
For Leap, you may need to enable additional repositories for Plasma 6:
# Check your Plasma version
plasmashell --version
Next Steps
Learn how to configure Better Blur DX in the Configuration section.