Copyright: Copyright (c) 1999, Firehand Technologies Corporation, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.


General

Use Ember Screensaver as current system screensaver

When checked, this option causes the Ember screensaver to install itself as your current system screensaver; when unchecked, this option causes the Ember screensaver to remove its registration as your current system screensaver.  Note that you can also set the Ember screensaver as your current system screensaver (or remove its registration as your current system screensaver) using the Screensaver tab on your system’s Display Properties dialog (accessible through your system Control Panel).

Folder Selection

The controls in this section allow you to specify the folder displayed by the Ember screensaver. Select the Use last slideshow folder for screensaver radio button to cause the screensaver to utilize as its source folder whatever folder was last opened for slideshow display.  Select the Use this folder for screensaver radio button to cause the Ember screensaver to open and utilize a specific folder as its source (chosen by clicking the Select… button found in this section).

Display Mode

The controls in this section allow you to specify the display mode used by the screensaver.  Selecting the Default Size radio button causes each image in turn to be displayed within the screensaver display window in its native dimensions.  If the image size is such that it will not fit within the display window, it is “cropped” so that it will fit.  Selecting the Descale to Fit radio button causes each image in turn to be displayed within the screensaver window in its native dimensions if its native dimensions are such that they will fit entirely within the window’s display area.  Otherwise, the image is shrunk so that it will fit entirely within the display window.  Selecting the Best Stretch radio button causes each image in turn to be displayed within the screensaver display window stretched to best fit the window’s display area while preserving the image’s relative dimensions.  Selecting the Unconstrained Stretch radio button causes each image in turn to be displayed within the screensaver display window stretched to entirely fit the window’s display area (without preserving the image’s relative dimensions).

Wait (in minutes)

This control allows you to specify the system “time-out” value that must elapse without keyboard or mouse activity before Windows runs the screensaver.  Note that this value may also be specified using the Screensaver tab on your system’s Display Properties dialog (accessible through your system Control Panel).  Moreover, when the screensaver options dialog is open from the Display Properties dialog, the Wait (in minutes) control does not appear on the General tab – simply because it is available on the Display Properties dialog.


Sequencing

File Arrangement

The controls in the File Arrangement section control the order in which the screensaver displays files.  Files can be displayed in ascending or descending alphabetical order, or can be arranged in ascending or descending order by their disk sizes or last write dates.

In the full, registered version of Ember, a random arrangement option is also supported by the screensaver module so that you can view your files in a randomized order.  Note that the random arrangement option is not available in the Evaluation Edition.

Subfolder Usage

The controls in the Subfolder Usage section control how the screensaver treats supported files located in subfolders nested under the currently-selected folder.

If the Ignore subfolders option is selected, the screensaver simply ignores any supported files other than those contained directly in the selected folder.

If the Iterate through subfolders option is selected when the screensaver is invoked to run, it will first display any displayable files in the currently-selected folder, then it will iterate through supported files in any subfolders (and subfolders nested to any depth within those subfolders). This allows the screensaver to present files in an entire directory tree, rather than just in a single folder.

When the Random option is selected from the File Arrangement drop list, it becomes possible to select a third subfolder usage option: Treat folder tree as single, random file domain.   When this option is selected, the screensaver will choose files for sequential display by randomly selecting a folder from within the folder tree that has the selected folder as its "root," and then randomly selecting a supported file from that randomly selected folder.  In essence, when this option is selected, the screensaver randomizes the contents not just of the selected folder, but randomizes the entire folder tree. This setting often makes for the most interesting screensaver presentation.

Presentation Speed

Presentation speed of the screensaver is controlled by a slider control.  Each tic mark on the slider represents a delay of approximately one second.  Moving the slider to the right increases presentation speed (ie, decreases the period for which each file is displayed); moving the slider to the left decreases presentation speed (ie, increases the period for which each file is displayed).  Note that the presentation speed slider only affects the length of time the screensaver pauses when displaying still and animated image file types (ie, JPEGs, GIFs, BMPs, TIFFs, etc.)  When the Firehand Media Xtension is added to your registered Ember Ultra installation, the screensaver becomes capable of playing multimedia files (MPEGs, AVIs, WAVs, MIDIs, MOVs, MP3s, etc.).  However, when playing multimedia files, the screensaver does not use a fixed pause interval – rather, it automatically advances to the next file when the current multimedia file reaches its end.


Appearance

Enhance images when stretching

When the Enhance images when stretching option is enabled, TrueColor images are “resampled” when the screensaver is set to “Best Stretch,” “Descale to Fit,” or “Unconstrained Stretch” view mode and the image must be enlarged or shrunk prior to being displayed.  Resampling typically results in a much smoother appearance of the resized image.  However, resampling is very computationally intensive and will result in somewhat slower display performance.

Background Color

The background color of the screensaver window is specified using the color button found in the Background Color section of the Appearance tab.  The currently selected background color is displayed on the button’s face.

Note that if you wish to dynamically “match” the background color to each image displayed in the screensaver, you can select the “Derive color from image corner” option.  When selected, this option by-passes manual background color selection and causes the screensaver to inspect the upper left-hand corner of each displayed image before the image is rendered.  The screensaver then sets the background color on which the image is displayed to exactly match the color found at this location.  Besides making the presentation somewhat more interesting– because the background color is not “fixed” – selecting this option often provides a more natural background matte for each image because the background is derived from a color actually used in each image.

Transition Effect

Transition effects are invoked whenever one file is removed from the screensaver’s display window and another appears.  Transition effects provide a smoother and more interesting flow to the presentation.

The screensaver features a number of transition effects which can be selected via the Transition Effect drop list.  These include a Pixel Fade, a Color Fade, Shutters (vertical, horizontal), a Box Reveal, Wipes (vertical and horizontal), an Expansion, a Contraction, a Slide, and a Peel. Each of these effects can be customized via the Settings… button found in this section.

For maximum visual variety, the full, registered version of the screensaver also features a setting that causes an effect to be selected at random whenever a transition is triggered.

Note: When using the random transition effect setting, note that an effect is chosen at random whenever a transition is triggered.  However, the settings for that transition are as specified in the settings dialog associated with that transition effect.  This allows you to specify settings appropriate for each transition on your particular system – ie you will typically opt for more transition “steps” on a faster computer – while still being able to enjoy the visual variation provided by randomly-selected transitions.


Background Audio

Audio Selection

The Audio Selection section of the Background Audio tab of the Screensaver Options dialog features a number of controls that allow you to choose the audio track or file you wish to accompany your screensaver presentation.

Select None if you do not wish to play accompanying audio with your screensaver.

Select Audio File if you wish to play an audio file when your screensaver runs, and then choose the specific audio file you wish to play using the file selection dialog that appears when you depress the Select… button.  Note that the screensaver supports the playback of any type of audio file for which you have an appropriate MCI audio driver installed on your computer.  Usually, you will select a standard Windows .WAV file or a MIDI music file to accompany your screensaver presentation.  However, you may have MCI facilities on your computer for other audio file types as well.

Important: If you have installed the Firehand Media Xtension Add-In, the Ember screensaver uses Windows DirectShow services for background audio playback instead of standard MCI services.  Not only does this ensure smooth integration of your background audio track with any foreground audio files that may play in the course of your screensaver presentation, but it also significantly expands the selection of audio file formats that may be used as your background track.  In particular, when the Media Xtension Add-In is installed, you can utilize an audio file in the popular .MP3 audio format as your screensaver background audio track.  (This is not possible when the Media Xtension Add-In is not present, unless you happen to have an .MP3 MCI driver installed on your computer.)

Select CD Audio if you wish to play an audio track (or set of tracks) from an audio CD placed in your computer’s CDROM drive.  Then, click the Select… button to choose the specific track or set of tracks with which you wish to accompany your screensaver.  Choose the Play tracks Sequentially radio button on the CD Track Selection dialog to play, in sequence, each track on the CD in the disc drive when the screensaver begins playing.  Choose the Randomize CD radio button to “shuffle” all of the tracks on the CD and then play each in turn to accompany the presentation.  Choose the Play specified track only radio button to specify, by track number, a particular CD audio track with which you wish to accompany the presentation.

Loop playback

When the Loop Playback option is selected, the screensaver automatically replays the audio selection when that audio selection reaches its end.  When this option is not selected, the audio selection simply halts when the screensaver is playing and the audio selection reaches its end.


Text

Title Text

When enabled, the Display folder name at top of page option causes the name of the currently-open folder to be shown at the top of the screensaver window.  The title text can be styled by selecting font attributes from the font selection dialog that appears when the Set… button in this section is clicked.

Filename Captions

When enabled, the Display filename captions beneath images option causes the name of the currently-displayed file to be drawn beneath the file in the screensaver window.  The filename caption text can be styled by selecting font attributes from the font selection dialog that appears when the Set… button in this section is clicked.


Wallpaper Placement

Screensaver sets last displayed image as wallpaper

When checked, this command causes the screensaver to change the desktop wallpaper whenever it closes: the last displayed image is installed as your desktop wallpaper using the other settings on this tab.

Sizing

The controls in the Sizing section control how the last displayed image is scaled on the desktop when installed as the system wallpaper upon screensaver termination. There are four sizing options.  If the Default Size radio button is selected, the image is installed as the desktop wallpaper in its native dimensions.  If the Descale to Fit radio button is selected, the image is installed as the desktop wallpaper in its native dimensions if its dimensions are small enough that it can be displayed on the desktop without being “cropped”; otherwise, the image is shrunk until it can be displayed on the desktop without being cropped.  If the Best Stretch radio button is selected, the image is installed as the desktop wallpaper enlarged or shrunk to best fit the desktop display area while preserving the relative dimensions of the image to avoid introducing distortion.  If the Unconstrained Stretch radio button is selected, the image is installed as the desktop wallpaper enlarged or shrunk to entirely fit the desktop display area (without preserving the relative dimensions of the image).

Position

The controls in the Position section of the Wallpaper Placement tab control how the last displayed image is positioned on the desktop when installed upon screensaver termination.  There are two positioning options.  If the Centered radio button is selected, the image is installed centered on the desktop.  If the Tiled radio button is selected, the image is replicated, left-to-right, top-to-bottom, until the desktop is entirely covered.

Match desktop to background color

Selecting the Match desktop to background color checkbox causes the screensaver to update the color of the Windows desktop to match the current background color used in the screensaver window when it installs an image as the desktop wallpaper.  Note that this color may be fixed (if you have selected a fixed background color on the Appearance tab), or a color that has been matched to the current image (if you have selected the “Derive color from image corner” option on the Appearance tab).