Screensaver problems

Question

Hello Forum,
It pains me to write this, but am having problems displaying my custom screen saver. My screens resolution is 1280x1024, and my art board exports at that size, am exporting at 72 p/inch s well, and although it displays perfectly when used as a background when I use the same image as a screen saver it becomes pixelated and somehow blurry. Tried adjusting a million things but I think I'm missing something? Can anyone offer any advice?
By the way I am using an old cube with OSX 10.4.11 if that helps
Thanks in advance,
chichi

Answer 1

When I download and do minor edits (as rotations, mostly; a few
re-sized for posting via email, very few for posting to web pages)
of images from either of my digital cameras, they go into a date
structured folder based on the date of image capture.
This folder and any additional folders of edited images that I keep
in the computer are available for me to point the Screensaver and
Desktop system preference panel to use as a source. Never fails.
Are you writing a new ScreenSaver module of your own, to run
your images as a screen saver via the System Preference panel?
If so, there are rules that differ between most upgrade versions of
Mac OS X; as time goes on and changes in them occurred. See:
http://cocoadevcentral.com/articles/000088.php to build one.
• Mac 101: Change your screen saver (or make your own)
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2485
The 'screensaver' use of images is different than 'desktop' images.
A higher resolution should not matter too much, if the image does
cover the screen in both situations, as screen saver & also desktop.
The effect of using the same image as 'wall-paper' vs. using it as a
full-screen screensaver (where images can fade from one to next,
like a slideshow effect) may appear differently, between these two.
(How a folder of images, destined to be used as 'screensavers' to
run like the defaults, in a movie-like mode, is created will make a
difference in factors such as resolution, esp between images in it.
I prefer to not make 'screen savers' per-se and use images as
desktop and folder backgrounds instead. Takes less time.)
And this is a default system choice, to select a folder of images.
So, if this fails to work and you do not use iPhoto (I do not, either)
then there may be a problem with how the images were edited - or
the software you used leaves a proprietary mark on the image files.
For images I've decided to have appear in my Mac as desktop images
they go into a file named something like 'misc desktop images' and I
can add or remove those few, sort of a default choice. Otherwise, my
choice for desktop and folder background images can range up to a
few thousand images taken with my old Nikon D70 DSLR, & Panasonic.
And from any dated folder of either camera's derived image content.
Have you tried using another image editor, and have it load the images
into a new-named folder, after minor corrections, to see if the Mac's OS
can handle the file correctly? For minor edits, I use a freeware in Tiger
10.4.11, it can do more than I need; it is ToyViewer 5.0. Works well &
it does not leave any proprietary marks on the resulting images.
So, you may have an issue. Have you tried other folder names, instead
of 'screensaver' to see if a new folder, and correct user access to that,
makes a difference? If you have user account permission or privilege
issues with a folder you create and place in the Hard disk drive, you may
be able to change them via Get Info & look into Ownership & Permissions.
{Not sure if there are any system default folders already named
SCREENSAVER but I am sure to not name anything of mine
similar to a system-generated folder.}
There are different ways of using the file hierarchy of the user account, as
well as those in the system; the image quality should not change due to
location of the single image, but how it was edited or handled via software
may be related to the problem in this instance.
When did this issue first start happening? Was there an update or software
added to the system, just prior to this problem's appearance in the computer?
Does a second user account (given admin access and its own image folder)
also make odd or lower than expected resolution of images? It should not,
unless the image issue is related to third-party software editing that some how
isn't correct.
Anyway, I have to be offline and +take someone who can't drive+ shopping.
That can take anywhere from two hours to two days. So much for coupons.
And being told how to drive, shortcuts, and risks to take, is part & parcel of
the journey's path. In poor conditions among amateur-class drivers.
Good luck & happy computing!
+{ edited }+