diff --git a/Assets/archive/starting-background-pre-2026-11-06.jpg b/Assets/archive/starting-background-pre-2026-11-06.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4a5feb0
Binary files /dev/null and b/Assets/archive/starting-background-pre-2026-11-06.jpg differ
diff --git a/Assets/starting-background.jpg b/Assets/starting-background.jpg
index 4a5feb0..e23965e 100644
Binary files a/Assets/starting-background.jpg and b/Assets/starting-background.jpg differ
diff --git a/Services/LayoutStore.Settings.cs b/Services/LayoutStore.Settings.cs
index fcdaf09..2ff1d56 100644
--- a/Services/LayoutStore.Settings.cs
+++ b/Services/LayoutStore.Settings.cs
@@ -63,6 +63,12 @@ public partial class LayoutStore : IDisposable
 
     public void SaveShowMonetaryMetrics(bool show) => UpsertSetting("Metrics.ShowMonetary", show ? "1" : "0");
 
+    /// <summary>Which vintage of the shipped default scene art this layout was stamped with. Bumped when
+    /// a bundled background is replaced, so existing layouts re-seed instead of keeping the old art.</summary>
+    public int LoadDefaultArtVersion() => int.TryParse(GetSetting("Art.DefaultVersion"), out var v) ? v : 1;
+
+    public void SaveDefaultArtVersion(int version) => UpsertSetting("Art.DefaultVersion", version.ToString());
+
     public bool LoadAutoChromaScreen() => GetSetting("Video.AutoChromaScreen") == "1";
 
     public void SaveAutoChromaScreen(bool enabled) => UpsertSetting("Video.AutoChromaScreen", enabled ? "1" : "0");
diff --git a/ViewModels/MainViewModel.Background.cs b/ViewModels/MainViewModel.Background.cs
index dd53414..37135bb 100644
--- a/ViewModels/MainViewModel.Background.cs
+++ b/ViewModels/MainViewModel.Background.cs
@@ -427,9 +427,30 @@ public partial class MainViewModel
     /// <summary>Heals every scene to the locked Background model after a layout
     /// load: keeps the correct flavor per scene at index 0 named "Background",
     /// drops duplicates/stale rows, re-seeds missing ones.</summary>
+    /// <summary>Bump when a bundled background image is replaced. Layouts stamped with an older version
+    /// re-seed their DEFAULT art on next load; a creator's own custom background is never touched.</summary>
+    private const int CurrentDefaultArtVersion = 2;
+
+    /// <summary>Re-stamp the shipped art for scenes still using the default. Without this, a replaced
+    /// <c>starting-background.jpg</c> reaches new installs only: the asset is hash-keyed into the layout
+    /// database on first seed, so an existing profile keeps showing the old image forever.</summary>
+    private void HealDefaultArtVersion()
+    {
+        if (_layoutStore.LoadDefaultArtVersion() >= CurrentDefaultArtVersion) return;
+
+        foreach (var background in AllBackgrounds())
+        {
+            if (!background.UseDefaultBackground) continue;   // the creator chose their own art
+            background.AssetId = null;                        // seed re-stamps it below
+        }
+
+        _layoutStore.SaveDefaultArtVersion(CurrentDefaultArtVersion);
+    }
+
     private void HealBackgrounds()
     {
         NormalizeBackgrounds(Scenes);
+        HealDefaultArtVersion();
         foreach (var scene in Scenes)
         {
             _sceneGraph.InvalidateBake(scene);