|
|||||
Screensaver Building SoftwareIn this section I'm going to show you some of the software I've found for building screensavers. I found all of this stuff by searching for 'screensaver software' on Google, so you should have no trouble getting hold of it. I've included the links to the sites I downloaded it from as well as the cost, whether it is freely available or whether there is a trial available. They are not listed in any particular order, so don't assume the last one is the worst, or anything.
Ace ScreensaverAvailable from : http://www.zb2000.com Available as : fully functional shareware version with 15 day time limit Cost of full version : $15.00 Other Stuff : Flash Savermaker and 3d Cube Screensaver. Using Ace ScreensaverThe download and install of Ace Screensaver v. 2.40 went with no problems, and using it was also straightforward. Although it does not have some of the advanced features of more expensive offerings from other vendors, it does have some useful features and, importantly, it works quickly and easily.
As you can see from the screen shot above, there are only 4 steps involved in producing your finished product. Begin with the 'Images' tab to select the images you want to include. You can select them as a group and then choose the order you want them to appear in the finished screensaver. You can also preview at this stage to see what things will look like. Moving on to the 'Options' tab allows you to select
The 'Sounds' tab allows you to attach a sound file to play while the screensaver is running.. Finally, the 'Transition' tab allows you to select from an impressive list of over 80 transitions for each image. You are now ready to create the screensaver file. Click on 'Project' in the top menu and select 'Save Project as' This will save your project in a format that allows Ace Screensaver to re-load it in future to make any changes you may wish, such as adding more images or changeing transition times etc. Now click on 'Project' again and this time select 'Build and Send' This will allow you to give your screensaver a name, select a folder to save it to and create a self-extracting .exe file which you can then pass on to others. One click on the 'Zip and Send' button will then create a zip file and open your email client with it attached and ready to send! All in all, for $15.00 I found this to be an excellent product, well worth checking out the 15 day free trial.
Step3Available from : http://www.screensavershot.com/ Available as : fully functional trial version with 7 day time limit Cost of full version : $19.90 Other Stuff : Loads of free screensavers. This is another very usefull and inexpensive tool to produce screensavers. Things could not really get much easier than this. As it's name suggests, there are only three steps to screensaver heaven!
Step one has the usual 'add images' feature, but also has a couple of very useful additions. There is a text box to allow you to enter a title for your masterpiece, but more useful is the 'Add Text' button. This allows you to enter a different caption for each slide with a choice of font, color and text size etc. This could be usefull for placing your url or name on screen. After selecting your images and entering any text, move on to Step 2. As the title on the tab suggests, everything here is optional and you are quite safe in missing out this step completely. However, there are some useful items here, so let's have a look.
The third and final step is probably the easiest. Simply click on the 'Preview' button to see how things look, then when you're happy select the folder to save it in and click the 'Click Here' button to create an exe file ready to pass on. The only thing I can think of to grumble about on this one is the fact that you only get 7 days to try it, but let's face it, the thing is so easy to use it can't really take you much more than 7 minutes to try it out.
Why not grab a no-charge copy of my Manx Norton screen saver yourself so that you can see exactly what we're talking about? I'll send you:-
Don't worry, I promise not to give your details to anyone and I won't spam you! Please remember that free e-mail suppliers like Hotmail, Yahoo etc. have pretty vicious spam catchers. If you use one of these, please check your 'Junk' folder in case we get zapped!
Now, I said earlier that there were lots of ways to make some money from your If you filled in the little form above and got hold of the goodies I promised, I'll also send an occasional e-mail with other great ideas for you to try. In the mean time, if you want a dozen more excellent ideas right now, take a look at this:-
|
