With an increasing number of people owning digital cameras there are an even bigger number of photos stuck on computers without ever being seen. abScreensavers.com's Random Photo Screensaver is here to help: it dusts off those pictures and puts them back on your screen!

New in version 3.3

Version 3.3 finally introduces metadata (EXIF/IPTC/XMP) features requested by users and on my own to do list for a long time.

• Automatic image rotation depending on EXIF rotation settings.
• Quick metadata feature showing customisable EXIF/IPTC/XMP entries. You can of course switch this feature off in the settings if you want to.
• Show customisable quick EXIF/IPTC/XMP information.
• Show fully detailed EXIF/IPTC/XMP settings. Against fully customisable, including layout and position.
• Fixed multi monitor bug where desktop did not extended to negative coordinates.
• Exclude files using regular expressions.
• Last but not least Random Photo Screensaver is now open source.

Screensaver Features

RPS 3 has been completely rewritten providing better performance under the hood and some exciting new features:

• Transition effects: 10+ different animated transition effects, making the screen saver more entertaining to look at.
• Dual screen / Multiple monitor support: multi monitor support is provided making full use of all dual monitor, triple monitor and larger setups. See the multiple monitors screensaver page for more information.
• Wallpaper: In addition to changing your computers wallpaper daily or after each screen saver run, it's now possible to specify a separate folder used for wallpapers.
• Random or sequential display: In version 3 you can still display all images randomly, but there now is also an option to display your images sequentially in the order they appear on your computer. The screensaver remembers the last image shown and continues where it left off the next time it starts.
• Quicker startup and better performance Even with a large number (10,000+) of images, the Random Photo Screensaver still displays the first image within seconds. The rewrite also resulted in a significant reduction of the processing power required. It is also possible to specify multiple image directories.
• More and better supported file types: jpeg, gif, bmp and png.

The main features of the old screen saver are still here:

• Plug-n-play installation The screen saver is easy to install and the default settings make it ready for a slideshow of your own photo's straight after installation.
  In the off change you don't like it, it comes with a full uninstaller too.
• Did you miss a photo? You can browse back and forwards using the arrow keys. You can pause and restart the slideshow using a simple keyboard shortcut.
• Photograph names The name of the photograph can be displayed in the corner of the screen.
• Calendar View a calendar of the current month and/or coming and previous months. You can freely rearrange the calendars and you can set two levels of transparency for a smooth look. The simple hit of a button will high-light, hide or low-light your calendars.
• Clock View a clock with the current time or screensaver running time to tell how long you've been away from your computer. The clock can also be disabled.
• Hidden photos It doesn't show any photographs from folders or images which are hidden using the system attribute. Of course you can disable this feature if you prefer.
• Exclude subfolders You can exclude any subfolders such as thumbnail folders.
• Fit to full screen Default all photos are displayed full screen. This can be disabled this for small photos.
• Full control / completely configurable Customize most of the settings exactly to your liking.

I should warn you using this screensaver you run the risk of staring at your screen waiting for the screen saver to kick in!

New in version 3.2

Version 3.2 introduces additional requests from users:

• Option to move images from monitor to monitor in sequence.
• Start / stop shortcut key to control the slideshow.
• One or more calendars can be displayed on the screen. The calendar can show the current, previous and coming months. Each calendar can easily be positioned and resized to your liking.

Windows Versions

The Random Photo Screensaver is tested in Windows XP and Windows Vista. A user confirmed RPS also worked in Windows 7 (Release Candidate RC 7100). It most likely also works in Windows 2000, but this hasn't been tested. If you successfully (or unsuccessfully) get the Random Photo Screensaver to work on other versions of Windows, please drop me a line.

To Do

I still have a number of things on my to do list. Hopefully I'll be adding these features in the near future. Let me know whether you like these or other features, the greater the demand for a feature, the more likely I'm going to implement it.

• EXIF & PICT filter Add the ability to filter photo based on metadata. Using string searches or regular expressions.
• Video Add the ability to play (part off) videos found.
• Animated effects Make it possible to add your own effects + Add ability to choose effects to use.
• (Flickr) RSS FeedsHave the screensaver use photos from an RSS Feed.
• Display RAW files, like CRW & CR2 from Canon and other DSLR cameras.

Let me know if you have any other suggestions or if you would like to see any of the above ideas. I'm more likely to implement ideas if there are more people looking for it.

License

The random photo screensaver is open source donationware with free 30 day trail. Try it for 30 days, after 30 days either make a donation or remove it from your computer.

Download Random Photo Screensaver 3.3.7 (620kB)

You can subscribe to the Random Photo Screensaver Newsletter if you would like to be updated of new releases.

Download Random Photo Screensaver 3.3.7 (620kB)