Author Topic: Screensaver Maker Recommendations? (Read 29,814 times)

mouser · « **on:** October 03, 2006, 10:30 PM »

I'd like to ask for some recommendations for programs that can be used to make screensavers from your images..
(I want to make some screensavers from nudone's cody pics)

Requirements:

It doesnt have to be free, but it cant be over $30 or so.
It must support multiple monitors
It must be capable of building a nice installer that can be shared with others.

Suggestions?

nite_monkey · « **Reply #1 on:** October 03, 2006, 11:25 PM »

you cant make it yourself, but you can use googles screensaver, I use it now, and it is running on both my monitors, but your probly wanting to make and exe to install it on a difrent computer, so GS wouldnt work would it?

Gerome · « **Reply #2 on:** October 03, 2006, 11:32 PM »

Hello,

IMO, the best installer is Innosetup and its best GUI front-end is IsTool

I use them both since more than 5 years now and never had any problem under Win95... Vista RC

Silent install can be also done with Innosetup!

You can add Delphi units code to your Innosetup script, it works like a charm!

Latest info : both are free!

Enjoy!

mouser · « **Reply #3 on:** October 03, 2006, 11:43 PM »

i use inno setup and istool for all of my programs.
but im looking for a screensaver maker not an installer.

tinyvillager · « **Reply #4 on:** October 04, 2006, 12:29 AM »

http://www.2flyer.com/

Screensaver Factory
http://www.blumentals.net/scrfactory/

Screensaver Wonder 4
http://www.blumentals.net/scrwonder/ I have this one,and it's decent,you can add images but not flash.
It's also the cheapest $19.85

lanux128 · « **Reply #5 on:** October 04, 2006, 01:58 AM »

i go for simpler solutions, with IrfanView.

Deozaan · « **Reply #6 on:** October 04, 2006, 04:39 AM »

Make one in Flash and use ScreenSwift

app103 · « **Reply #7 on:** October 04, 2006, 05:19 AM »

Axialis Professional Screensaver Producer (corporate edition) is the best one ever.

bad news: it's $60
good news: I own it and can do the screensavers you need.

It can do slideshow screensavers, but I don't really go for that kind, personally.

I had some plans on making some sort of Cody screensaver...but not a simple slide show one. I wanted to do something much more animated.

A sample screensaver that I made for a friend:

He lives in Ireland where they don't have Oreo cookies...and he is obsessed with them. He kept bugging me every day to send him some Oreos till I made an entire theme for his desktop of Oreos, complete with this screensaver:

InstallOreosScreensaver.exe

Another I made for myself:

It incorporates 2 personal jokes that you wouldn't understand and I am not going to explain. But it's kind of funny any way.

InstallFlyingWatermelons.exe (this one has music)

And one I made for a friend that works for Sun, for his only Windows PC that he has at home:

InstallDancingSuns.exe (the animation on this one was kind of difficult to do and I still didn't get it quite right.)

Gerome · « **Reply #8 on:** October 04, 2006, 07:16 AM »

Quote from: mouser

...
Requirements:
...
* It must be capable of building a nice installer that can be shared with others.

Suggestions?

Quote from: mouser on October 03, 2006, 11:43 PM

i use inno setup and istool for all of my programs.
but im looking for a screensaver maker not an installer.

So what ??????????

Gerome · « **Reply #9 on:** October 04, 2006, 07:22 AM »

Hi,

Quote from: lanux128 on October 04, 2006, 01:58 AM

i go for simpler solutions, with IrfanView.

From the same vein, there is the most excellent one aka XNView

GeorgeH · « **Reply #10 on:** October 06, 2006, 04:35 PM »

Mouser,

I highly recommend Picture and Sound. Click on the following link to read my review:

http://georgeh123.blogspot.com/2004/11/screensaver-picture-and-sound-show.html

George

mouser · « **Reply #11 on:** October 06, 2006, 05:22 PM »

Georige you rock

i somehow forgot to add your page to my daily visits, and i see i have suffered from that mistake

Mizraim · « **Reply #12 on:** October 06, 2006, 06:39 PM »

Quote from: app103 on October 04, 2006, 05:19 AM

He lives in Ireland where they don't have Oreo cookies...and he is obsessed with them. He kept bugging me every day to send him some Oreos till I made an entire theme for his desktop of Oreos, complete with this screensaver:

What software do you use to make your own themes?

app103 · « **Reply #13 on:** October 06, 2006, 06:50 PM »

Quote from: Mizraim on October 06, 2006, 06:39 PM

What software do you use to make your own themes?

He was a WinME user...I was able to set the colors and export it on mine. Included the wallpaper, msn accessories, screensaver, icons, etc and just zipped it all up for him and let him worry about putting it all together.

It's not like making XP themes....9x is simple and doesn't really need any special software.

JavaJones · « **Reply #14 on:** October 07, 2006, 01:33 AM »

I've used the free version of 2Flyer (older version is the only one that's free, I think) and it works pretty well. Decent range of options, uses images, can set music, transitions, etc. It doesn't do animation as far as I know, so it may not be able to do what you want.

I think first explaining the kind of screensaver you want to make - the requirements of the actual "show" - would be good so people can make better recommendations as there are really a ton of these kinds of apps. Are you going to include animation or just stills? Audio? Video? Why is multi-monitor support required, and do you want it to just duplicate onto the 2nd monitor, stretch, or just blank it out? What other features might be needed besides those mentioned?

- Oshyan

mouser · « **Reply #15 on:** October 07, 2006, 03:07 AM »

im just interested in making a screensaver using the big images nudone made for us.
so just images, no music or animation.
i want a solution that will build a nice installer for me so i dont have to manually make one.
multimonitor support is required because i want to use it too and i have multimonitor.

as for what i want it to do on 2nd monitor in terms of stretch, blank, etc - the answer is i want it to present the user with options in terms of speed, transitions, and multimonitor choices. this is partly why im asking for recommendations - i'm interested in that screensaver maker has the best options for this kind of stuff.

JavaJones · « **Reply #16 on:** October 07, 2006, 03:39 AM »

Well, I don't know about multimonitor, but 2Flyer was the best "reasonable" (not excessively complicated) and cheap/free solution I found. Maybe you can take a hit on the multi-mon support.

- Oshyan

ajp · « **Reply #17 on:** October 09, 2006, 11:32 PM »

Quote from: Gerome on October 04, 2006, 07:22 AM

>>i go for simpler solutions, with IrfanView.
From the same vein, there is the most excellent one aka XNView

But actually, IrfanView CAN make slideshow screensavers. XNView still rocks (it has become my image viewer of choice), but I keep IrfanView for all the things it does that XNView cannot (screensavers, for example)

mouser · « **Reply #18 on:** December 26, 2006, 07:37 PM »

What I finally went with (gpotoshow) and two other great ones:

http://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=6035.0

Betsy · « **Reply #19 on:** January 15, 2007, 12:23 AM »

Quote from: mouser on October 03, 2006, 10:30 PM

I'd like to ask for some recommendations for programs that can be used to make screensavers from your images..
(I want to make some screensavers from nudone's cody pics)

Requirements:
It doesnt have to be free, but it cant be over $30 or so.
It must support multiple monitors
It must be capable of building a nice installer that can be shared with others.

Suggestions?

I have used the free version of Wallpaper Master for years and love it. http://jamesgart.com/wallpaperchanger/ .