What is a screensaver?

A screensaver is the screen that sometimes pops up whenever you leave your computer unattended for more than a couple of minutes. It may be a blank screen, it may be a series of pictures or some other compilation of sounds and images.

You have the ability to turn your screensaver on and off.

What you need

Creating a screensaver for your PC is a relatively simple process, and there are plenty of software packages available to automate the entire process for you.

All you need is one or more images, perhaps some music files and a screensaver-making program. You don't even have to supply your own images - most screensaver programs come with a range of images, or you can download images from any of the thousands of public domain image sites online.

WebShots is one of the most popular (free) Windows-based screensaver making tools around, and is ideal for those who want to jump into the creation process, without having to worry about finding images.

The first step in downloading the software is to select from a range of themed photo galleries, including galleries devoted to animals, space, sunsets and, of course, the typical bikini models!

Once you make your selection, the software (approximately 1.5Mb, including the images) download is automatically initiated.

Once installed (you do this by simply clicking on the Download link on the homepage, then following the instructions), the software launches automatically. The collection of images in your photo gallery is displayed on-screen (as preview-sized "thumbprints"), ready for use.

At the bottom right corner of the WebShots window is a collection of four buttons. The two arrow buttons are used for shuffling the order of the photos. Highlight a photo by clicking on it once, and click on the left or right button to move it up or down the order of photos.

The "info" button (with an "i" icon) displays the details of each photo, including how large it appears on your screen and file size. The "screen" button (with an icon resembling a computer screen) provides one-click wallpapering - just highlight an image, click on the screen button and the image is loaded as your desktop wallpaper (in other words, this image will appear in the background behind all the icons when you first switch on your computer).

You can create multiple photo collections (by searching WebShot's online collection of images or adding your own) and select a different photo collection as your screensaver at any time. The WebShots site offers a large, searchable collection of images to work with.

Step 3 is a screensaver tool that allows you to create screensavers in, you guessed it, three steps. A quick download (less than 1Mb), the simple three-step process is easy to master. A number of sample images of well-known celebrities, such as Marilyn Monroe and Brad Pitt, are included, so you can take the software for a test drive immediately.

First, provide a title for your screensaver and then select the image or images you want to work with. To do so, click the Insert button, navigate to the folder containing your image(s), highlight the image file and click the Open button.

Next, click the Step 2 tab, which contains a range of optional settings that you can configure, including adding sound, changing the intervals between the display of each image and re-sizing images. You don't need to alter any of these settings to create a basic screensaver.

Finally, click on the Step 3 tab and click the Create button.

An executable (.exe) file is created and saved on your hard drive, with the same name as the title you provided. To load the screensaver, just run the file by double clicking it. You can also email your handiwork to friends!

Other screensaver software

Ace Screensaver www.zbsoft.net
GraFX Saver www.cdhnow.com/gs.html
A+ Screensaver Creator www.softdd.com/screens
Easy 3D Creator www.easy3dcreator.com

Mac

My Picture Screensaver m.flahault.free.fr
PhotoCircus www.scriptsoftware.com/PhotoCircus/index
iScreensaver Designer xochi.com