This screensaver & desktop changer for Gallery 2 uses the random Image Block functionality in Gallery 2 to download images from your Gallery installation and use them as a Windows screensaver, and to select a random image for your Windows desktop background. GLoSS also now provides functionality to upload JPEGs to a Gallery installation.
Current features
- Local user-configurable caching and offline mode (displays random pictures from local cache when offline).
- Allows you to specify the max size of the images to be displayed as a percentage of the available screen real estate.
- Supports multiple monitors - can choose to have the screensaver fill a screen or the whole desktop. I use UltraMon, so with my screensaver, I can choose to have one screensaver fill the whole virtual desktop, or have two copies of my screensaver running in different monitors.
- Authentication against username/password protected Gallery2 installations.
- Ability to select random images only from specific albums in your Gallery2 installation
- Ability to change your Windows desktop background at regular, user-selectable intervals to a random image from your Gallery2 installation.
- Gallery access is performed in background threads, thereby maintaining responsiveness.
- Control over fade-in/out of images, image centre-ing, desktop blanking on startup, collage effect vs. single images, etc.
- EXIF Info display widget on Desktop Changer
- High quality image resampling using a Lanczos Kernel filter when resizing images (will be particularly apparent when resizing small images to fill the screen)
- Store history of desktop and screensaver image changes
- Prevention of screensaver startup when particular application is active (user configurable)
- Drag 'n' drop image onto Thumbnail Widget to change desktop image
- Double-click on image in Thumbnail Widget to open image in default viewer
- Optional balloon hint on desktop image change
- Google Earth 4 integration - live display of current desktop image location (geocoded images only); display of locations of geocoded cached images
- Upload of JPEGs to Gallery, including resizing of images prior to upload using a high-quality Lanczos Kernel filter, and ability to create albums in Gallery where permissions allow.
- Browsing and selection of images directly from albums in a Gallery.
Requirements
- Gallery2 (only been tested against G2.1.1)
- Image Block module (for Galleries prior to G2.2)
- Remote module
- Requires Windows 2000 or Windows XP [Only been extensively tested in development on Windows XP]
- (Optional) Google Earth integration requires version 4.0.2080 or later of Google Earth.
You can find more information and download the latest version here: http://gloss.ildica.com/.
Feedback, donations and encouragement welcome!
Conor
GLoSS: Gallery2 Local Screen Saver & Desktop Changer
Posted: Mon, 2006-05-29 00:47
Posts: 54
Just gave it a shot on Win2k. Doesn't even show up in the list of screensavers, I'm afraid
Any plans to add functionality for version of windows other than XP?
Posts: 166
Not at this stage, I'm sorry.
I don't have a Win2K machine to test it on.
I know of one person who tested it on a Win98 machine and at least it showed up in the list of screensavers.
Are you sure you copied gloss.scr into your default Windows installation folder? I can't remember - that folder could be C:\WINNT\ on Win2k?
Conor
Posts: 54
Well, I'd be happy to test for you, of course. ;)
But yah, I'm pretty sure I put it in the right spot. Lots of other .scr files hanging about. Ah well.
edit:
I tested it on my XP laptop. Works great with a G2.1.1 install, didn't seem to work with a G2.0.x install (probably due to API changes, I assume). Just more incentive for me to get around to upgrading that G2.0.x install. ;)
Posts: 166
If I can find a Win2K machine, I'll look into it, but I can't make any promises. ;-)
Conor
GLoSS: Gallery2 Local Screen Saver
Posts: 166
Excellent!
Yeah, I should probably be more specific about which versions of G2 it runs against.
This is really just a personal project, but I thought I'd make it available for others if they like it. The flipside is that that means that the incentive for me to test on different client OSs and against different G2 versions is low. ;-)
Keep an eye on the website, since I'll probably add a few more bits to the screensaver, but I'll also be working on the related Desktop Changer next.
Cheers,
Conor
GLoSS: Gallery2 Local Screen Saver
Posts: 35
I have gallery 2.1.1 w/ xp and it works great. Can you have it blank the background with a picture or color? Also instead of a collage can you have it just fit the window (option to retain aspect ratio is preferred). The collage is nice but unless you are close you can't see the pictures good. I'm looking to do a digtial picture frame for my parents and the other screensavers out there either freeze up or can't handle all the pictures I have on my site.
Thanks for putting something like this together it really looks nice and I love the dual monitor support. I would like to run this at work but I need it to blank the screen first.
Stephen
Posts: 166
Thanks for the feedback!
Yeah, another user had mentioned the digital picture frame idea too.
I've a list of things I'm working through (actually, when I get round to it, I'll put a list on my website of features I'm aiming to work on), so I'll add your ideas to my list.
I've nearly got some decent resizing functionality working (maintaining the aspect ratio is a given for me, given it's photos we're talking about!), so I should be able to allow you to select different settings such as center pictures, resize large pictures to fit screen etc.
I'll make blanking the screen configurable too.
Off on holiday for the next week, so it'll probably be 2 weeks before I get another version posted.
Thanks,
Conor
GLoSS: Gallery2 Local Screen Saver
Posts: 35
Just had another thought. I know with the latest version I can pick and choose my albums which is really nice but if I add new albums I then have to manually add them. If I could choose a parent album check a box for all child albums that would be awesome. Then each time the screensaver kicks of you can just scan the albums again for any new albums.
Stephen
Posts: 35
You posted a reply while I was writing the one above. Thanks man and can't wait.
Stephen
Posts: 166
I'll add it to the list, but I'm not sure if I want to do this.
If I did this, I'd have to retrieve an updated list of albums from your Gallery every time the screensaver kicked in, which can be quite an expensive operation timewise.
I've another user who says he's got about 35000 images in his Gallery (so presumably a fairly large number of albums too!), and he says it take about 80-100 seconds to retrieve the list of albums from his Gallery.
Keep the ideas coming though... ;-)
Cheers,
Conor
Posts: 35
I understand not wanting to do it everytime if you have that many. With a digital picture frame (I'm building one as we speak) that reboots once a day in the middle of the night and auto logon, I would be sure to get all the newest photos. Maybe just make it an option to update and auto select new photos/albums in any album already selected. That way you can choose.
You know I just thought of something. If I don't select an album and just just use a username that only has access to what I want to show, whenever I reboot it will re-login and that will do what I want it to right?
Thanks again man.
Stephen
Posts: 35
Hmm.. that doesn't look like it will work unless take anonymous access off all the albums. So ya.. that option to update would be really nice.
Stephen
Posts: 166
Like I said, I've added it to the list, but it's a low priority task for me.
Here's a list of some upcoming features.
Here's another potential workaround...
Set GLoSS to just hit one specific DigitalPictureFrame album.
Then for each image in your Gallery that you want to appear, use the Gallery linking ability to link each image into your DigitalPictureFrame album.
It's a bit more admin work for you in your Gallery, but the end result will be an automatically updated collection of images in your picture frame, while still maintaining your album structure in your Gallery.
HTH,
Conor
Posts: 166
Latest version now available on the website below, along with the first version of my Desktop Changer.
Feedback gratefully received, although I won't be responding for the next week or so.
Cheers,
Conor
GLoSS: Gallery2 Local Screen Saver
Posts: 35
Nice job man. It's so close to what I've been looking for it's like you are reading my mind, thanks man.
I've found 2 (possible) issues.
1) Portrait Pictures: If the picture is portrait and not landscape you can see portions of the previous pictures where the current picture doesn't fit. If possible the spaces where the picture doesn't cover should be blanked out with black (or be able to choose a color). Also the Portrait pictures aren't always centered.
2) Re-size: Not sure if it's a bug, I haven't tested enough, but one of two things is happening. Either the smaller pictures are not being re-sized to fit the screen (i.e. 640x480 pic on a screen with 1024x768 res) or it doesn't always re-sized like it's suppose to.
I think you are only resizing pics if they are too big. A nice feature would be to re-size the pics if they are to small to fit the screen. I know you might get some pixelation on some pics. It would be great to have another option like the re-size large but re-size small instead (keeping aspect ratio of course).
FYI the options I have selected are
Fill Screen
Resize Large Pictures (100%)
Centre Images
Great job man. Keep up the great work.
Stephen
Posts: 35
It just dawned on me you can change the cache location. That means I can put a share out on the network and have ALL my computers at home SHARE the same cache. Less bandwidth usage. VERY NICE. I'm going to test that when I get home.
Stephen
Posts: 35
That worked great!
I tried the desktop change and for whatever reason the desktop changer doesn't change the desktop. I have it set to change every 15 mins. It doesn't ever change. Also if I click the change desktop option from the menu it gives me a granulated image that looks like it has your website address on it. I can set the desktop if I manually load one from cache.
Stephen
Posts: 35
FYI: I tested the latest version of the screen saver on my w2k sp4 machine and it works great.
Stephen
Posts: 166
Ooops, my configuration dialog is misleading you. I know the Centre Image checkbox is there, but it doesn't do anything yet, sorry! I'll fix that in the next version hopefully. And another option will be to blank on each new image rather than the collage effect, so that should solve both those issues.
Yes, you're correct that I'm only resizing images if they're too big. It's not a bug. The functionality that I've got for resizing images is only really aimed at resizing oversize images, not small images, so to add that functionality is a low priority for me. I'll add it to the list, but can't promise anything.
Fill Screen is probably slightly misnamed. It means that the random location of the images for the collage effect will ultimately fill the screen rather than each individual image.
Cheers,
Conor
GLoSS: Gallery2 Local Screen Saver
Posts: 166
That's a bit strange. I tested my desktop changer on a relatively clean Windows 98 install yesterday and it worked fine.
I'll have a look and see if I can see any issues, but the fact that it can happily load one manually from the cache is a bit strange.
Cheers,
Conor
GLoSS: Gallery2 Local Screen Saver
Posts: 35
After playing with the desktop changer a bit it looks like it may have a problem sometimes with trying to load a picture thay may not be in cache or something. When I installed it on my new computer it took it about 2 days to start working. I do have about 4000 pics on my website thou. Right now with the pictures not being resized to fill the screen the blank for each new image I don't think I will use. If some pictures only fill the 1/4 of the screen it would look funny. I can't wait for the next version thou. Keep up the great work.
Stephen
Posts: 166
Weird. Not sure about why it took a while to start working.
Centering the image and blanking the screen should be in the next version. I will have a look at resizing small images at some stage, but I'm not sure how easy it will be for me (it's a different process with the code I've got compared to large images).
The feedback and encouragement's good, thanks for keeping it coming!
Cheers,
Conor
GLoSS: Gallery2 Local Screen Saver
Posts: 35
What are you coding this screensaver in? Are you going to make the source open? I'm not a fantastic programmer but I dabble in a quite a few languages, maybe I can help.
Stephen
Posts: 166
Delphi 7.
Hadn't thought about it too much. Somebody mentioned in another screensaver thread about opensourcing a screensaver and collaborating on it, but to be honest, this is a bit of pet project for me right now.
Anyways, I've been very busy this week, and have pretty much everything you wanted working. ;-) Resizing small images, blanking the desktop on startup and between images, etc.
I'll try and get the latest version on the website early next week, but to whet your appetite, there's a list here of the main stuff in it: http://gloss.ildica.com/changelog.php
Cheers,
Conor
GLoSS: Gallery2 Local Screen Saver
Posts: 35
Next week.. man I looked at the features and I want it NOW!!
Sounds great man I can't wait. I'll let you know how it goes after I install it.
Stephen
Posts: 11
Thanks Stephen for letting us know very soon! Wanna know how it is too
Posts: 166
Alright guys,
Latest version 0.6.0 is on my website, and is a fairly major update.
Enjoy! I've put a little form on the website on the way to the download link since I'm interested in how many people are downloading GLoSS, so if you feel like entering some entirely optional information, that would be great; it's purely for my own interest.
Let me know how you get on...
Cheers,
Conor
GLoSS: Gallery2 Local Screen Saver
Posts: 35
So far screensaver is working great. The fade is nice, it fade at just the right speed. Question does it just put the color from whatever the background color is? I'll play with the desktop changer later when I get home.
Stephen
Posts: 166
That's correct. It uses the colour that you choose on the Desktop tab in the Display Properties dialog for your computer.
Currently working on pulling out EXIF information from the downloaded image, so that you can choose to display that in a semi-transparent overlay/window on top of the image (this information will also include the description you've given an image in your Gallery)
Cheers,
Conor
GLoSS: Gallery2 Local Screen Saver
Posts: 35
Pulling the caption/title/comment would be great man. I was just thinking of hitting you up about that.
What would be another great feature would be a hot-key that when pressed would open up a web browser go to the current picture on the website. The hot-key would kinda relate back to the picture frame thing.. Mom sees a picture she really likes.. hits key.. it takes her to web-page for that picture.. then she can click on "print on photoworks" or "print on shutterfly" options (wireless keyboard/mouse for her picture frame). If you want to get tricky you could have a hot key that would take you right to the shutterfly/photoworks (option within screen saver) page with the picture already selected.
A hot-key to make the pic you are looking at the current desktop would be awesome. Also it would be nice if I could use the left/right arrow keys to cycle back and forward between like the last 10 pics. My family shares one site so sometimes new pics get thrown up there and I would like to stop or go back to one that I just saw.
So far man this screen saver is FRIGGEN AWESOME and works perfectly on both my W2K and WinXP machines. Keep up the great work.
Stephen
Posts: 4
This is great, it appears to do almost everything I want.
One Bug: When running as a non-administrative user on Win2K the first scan of the albums does nothing, and on the second I get the following error message "Access violation at address 00404872 in module 'gloss.scr'. Read of address 00000008." This prevents me from using. In gloss.exe I get the same error message only the address is 004047E6.
One Suggestion: Add https access (not sure if this is a lot of work, or if you are just leveraging IE)
Thanks for putting this together.
Posts: 166
Thanks for the compliments. ;-)
One major problem with the captions idea is that the Random Image functionality in the G2 ImageBlock module is that all it gives me is a URL to the image and a description. It doesn't seem to give me a Gallery ItemID or any other way of determining any other information about the image (album, comments, etc). Needs more research on my part, but what I'm reluctant to do is do anything that's not completely standard in terms of accessing Gallery installations, otherwise it's a PITA for me in terms of support, helping people install, etc.
Hot keys ideas sounds good in theory. However, it is a standard Windows screensaver, so any key presses simply result in Windows closing the screensaver (I think). However, on a related idea, I'll look into getting the Desktop Changer to store a history if you like of the images that the screensaver shows, and then you can review that history from the tray icon, and e.g. set one as the desktop image, etc.
Cheers,
Conor
GLoSS: Gallery2 Local Screen Saver
Posts: 166
Thanks for that. I haven't personally tested on Win2K (don't have a copy), but I'll do some limited user rights testing on WinXP, and see if I can iron the issues out.
I'm maybe showing my ignorance, but what's the benefit of that? I suspect it might be a bit of work; no, I'm not piggybacking off IE, it's all direct HTTP access to your Gallery.
Cheers,
Conor
GLoSS: Gallery2 Local Screen Saver
Posts: 4
Thanks. It would be great if we could work this out. Let me know if I can help out. I've tried monitoring the application with both filemon and regmon (both from sysinternals) and haven't seen anything unusual so I suspect it must be an windows API call with some kind of access restrictions. But I'm pushing my own knowledge limits here.
I run gallery on my own website which is normally only accessed via secure http (https). It prevents others from monitoring website activitiy, and especially login/password information. Although I'm not too woried about my gallery2 login & data I have other applications which are very sensitive. Fortunately, since I control the webserver, I can create a "window" into the website which can only see the gallery2 installation, so this is not a show stopper for me.
Posts: 12
conor, I just saw that the comments your left for me in another thread. And tried your new release. every works great. two questions:
1) is there anyway to prevent the desktop changer from filling the desktop? My gallery images are 640x640, and they don't looks good when scaled up to 1600x1200
2) Is it possible to give us background color of "black" for the screen saver?
Thanks for the excellent software.
Posts: 166
Thanks for the feedback. ;-)
Latest version on my website (0.6.0) should give you the ability to NOT resize small images. From the tray icon, choose Configure, Desktop Changer, and uncheck the "Resize small images to fit constraints" checkbox.
Again, in version 0.6.0 at least, you should be able to configure the screensaver to "Blank screen on startup", which will use the background colour from your Desktop Properties, Desktop tab.
Or, are you saying you would like to have the ability to set an explicit background colour for the screensaver and override the Windows desktop background colour?
Hope that gets you going.
Cheers,
Conor
GLoSS: Gallery2 Local Screen Saver
Posts: 12
Yes, I uncheck the option, but it is still scaling up all my images.
And for the background, I'd like to have a pure "black" background for the screensaver. My desktop is the default "windows blue", that works good for desktop icons, but not for images. On tthe other hand, setting my desktop to black does not work well for the icons.
Posts: 166
Strange, disabling resizing of small images works for me. I'll see if I can see anything funny in the code, but that's been working fine for me for a while now.
Okay, I'll look into providing the ability to specify a background colour, but it'll be on the list as low-priority. ;-)
Cheers,
Conor
GLoSS: Gallery2 Local Screen Saver
Posts: 12
Conor, I found the culprit. In my Windows Desktop properties tab, the Position was set to stretch. so you won't find it in your code for sure.
This should probably be included in your instructions.
no need for arbitratry colors, just black. that should have been the default, in my opinion.
Posts: 166
Phew, that's a relief. Hadn't thought of the Desktop Stretch setting. ;-)
With hindsight, I think you're right. Changed in the next version.
GLoSS: Gallery2 Local Screen Saver & Desktop Changer
Posts: 35
I agree .. it should be just black.
Stephen
Posts: 166
New version should be available later on this week with the following features:
Keep an eye out for it.
Cheers,
Conor
GLoSS: Gallery2 Local Screen Saver & Desktop Changer
Posts: 35
I'm not sure why but for some reason the 6.0.15 version seems to be locking up after a few hours on my picture frame (XPSP2), my kids computer (also XPSP2) and my work laptop (W2KSP4). On the W2K computer I get a virtual memory error. It may be a small memory leak that causes it to lock up.. can't tell for sure cuz when I exit the screen saver (can be slow) and check the memory it's all been flushed.
BTW can't wait for then next version.
Stephen
Posts: 166
Thanks for the heads-up. I'll look into it...
Cheers,
Conor
GLoSS: Gallery2 Local Screen Saver & Desktop Changer
Posts: 166
As promised, version 0.7.0 of GLoSS is now available for download from my website.
Includes the following new functionality:
SuicideDog, I could see the memory usage building in version 0.6.0 as you describe above, but I don't see the same behaviour with version 0.7.0, so hopefully that issue has been fixed. I'd be interested to hear how you get on.
Cheers,
Conor
GLoSS: Gallery2 Local Screen Saver & Desktop Changer
Posts: 35
Cheers!! Going to go download it now. I will let you know if I have any more memory problems on my picture frame or laptop.
Stephen.
Posts: 35
I can tell you right now.. just looking at it for the last few minutes, I really do notice the much better image quality when pictures are resized. Very nice job.
Stephen
Posts: 35
Did you also change the fading effect. It seems to fade a little slower now.
Stephen
Posts: 166
Mmmm, didn't change it deliberately that I'm aware of. Is it a problem?
Cheers,
Conor
GLoSS: Gallery2 Local Screen Saver & Desktop Changer
Posts: 35
Well on my pictureframe (400mhz) it's a little slow with the transitions now. I going to have to disable it. I really did like the feature. The other machines it's ok on but in my opinion it's a little slow. It seems like it's a nicer fade effect now.. but maybe could speed it up by not making it as smootch (i.e. instead of 30 frames for the transition make it 15 frames)
Stephen