Super saver

Photo screensavers in Vista
The photo screensaver in Windows Vista is more powerful than that of its predecessor, as it can use photos from the internet or videos stored on the computer. Right-click on the Desktop and select Personalize. Left-click on the blue title text ‘Screen Saver’, then left-click on the dropdown menu and select Windows Live Photo Gallery. Click on the Settings button.

Make sure the button option ‘Use photos and videos from’ is selected and then click on Browse. Select the folder with the photos you want to use as the screensaver and click on OK. The theme option can be used to add pan and zoom or sepia effects to the photos, or select Random for variation or the ‘Shuffle contents’ option to display the photos out of order.

Click on the Save button to accept the options and close the window.

More versatile images
Although the Windows screensavers can show personal photos, the options for manipulating them are limited. Photocafe is a free download that is more creative with the photos on display and can take images from the internet. Photocafe can be downloaded for free here. Once the file has finished downloading, double-click on it and follow the installation wizard.

After this has finished, Photocafe will be available in the screensaver menu in Display Properties. Click on the Settings button to see all the options.

Editing photos for screensavers
Just as some images need editing before being printed, some may need to be changed to suit use as a screensaver. For these demonstrations we will use Paint.net, an improved version of the Paint software supplied with Windows. It can be downloaded here. It requires the .NET Framework software. More information on installing this can be found here.

To install Paint.net, double-click on the download and then on Next. Click on the I Agree option and then on Next again to start the installation. This may take a few minutes. Click on Finish when it is done.
To start, click on the Start button, then on All Programs and Paint.NET. Before editing the pictures, save them first with a different name. Click on the File menu and select Save As….

Enter a new name and click on Save, leaving the original file unaffected.

Cut to fit
Cropping a photo removes unwanted areas around the subject and it’s simple to do. Left-click on the top-left icon in the Tools toolbar. Position the cursor at the top left of the area you want to keep, press the left mouse button and, without letting go, drag the mouse to the bottom-right corner of the area to keep and let go.

You will find that the area selected now has a moving dotted line around it and is shaded blue.

Don’t worry, as this is just to highlight it and will not affect the image. Click on the Image menu and select Crop to Selection. If the cropping is not right, press Ctrl and Z together to undo the change and start again.
Digital cameras can often lack contrast, leaving the results a little dull and uninspiring. Fortunately, the Auto Levels tool provides a quick fix. Click on the Adjustments menu and select Auto Levels.

Small blemishes are easy to remove with the Clone Stamp tool. This takes a part of the image and copies it elsewhere on the image. This relies on there being an undamaged part of the image but it’s easy to use. The Clone Stamp tool is the eighth icon down on the left of the Tools toolbar. Find an area that you want to use to cover the damaged one, hold down the Ctrl key and click on the left mouse button.

Now release the Ctrl key, move the cursor over the blemish and draw by holding down the left mouse button and moving the mouse. The tool essentially copies the area around the original selection. Release the button and then click again to start from the first selection. Windows Vista comes with several animated screensavers that have a more modern look than those that have been in Windows XP.