How to Make a Screen Saver from a Picture on a Computer

You can invest $80 in a small digital picture frame or you can use the huge one you already own--your computer monitor. Windows XP and Vista both have an easy-to-use feature that turns your screen saver into a personal photo slide show. You can instruct the program to show all your photos or to cycle through just the ones you choose--say, that special visit to Aunt Martha's house on the Cape.

Instructions

1. 

   To create a slideshow that zeros in on a special occasion or person, start by making a new folder in My Pictures. Open "My Pictures." Right click and select New > Folder. Label it clearly for later use. Now, copy and paste the photos you want to appear in your screen saver into your new folder.

2. 

   Direct the screen saver to use your photos. In XP, go to the desktop and right click. Choose Properties > Screen Saver > My Pictures Slide Show.

3. In Vista, from the desktop, select Personalize > Screen Saver > Photos.

4. In both operating systems, the screen saver will now default to a slide show which cycles through all your photos. To personalize the show further, however, click "Settings." Here, you can browse to the special folder of photos you created. This will limit your slide show to these special photos. In Settings, you can also instruct the computer to show your photos in various ways and at what speed. For example, Vista allows the user to show photos in black and white, as an album, fade or pan and zoom, among other choices.

5. Once you've made your selections, click "OK." Your computer will now cycle through your photos, and you even have the option of using the arrow keys to advance or return to one.