iScreensaver Forums

posted 09-27-2002 09:11 AM            

About this Software
iScreensaver Designer is a screensaver editor and builder. With it, you can take any QuickTime compatible movie (including many formats such as MPEG, MooV, AVI, FLASH, etc.) and turn it into a screensaver for both Macintosh and Windows computers. The software will automatically create an "installer" program for you, for easy distribution of your screensaver via the Internet. The Installer will easily, and automatically, install the software on the end-users computer. You can customize the screensaver control panel and installer windows with your own text and images for a fully-branded corporate look and feel.

Version History:

Version 2.0.5 : Sep 27, 2002
Screensaver
[win] The Uninstall button was failing under NT and XP. Fixed.
[win] The Preview button in the control panel would sometimes show the install dialog under NT and XP. Fixed.

Designer
no changes.

Version 2.0.3 : Dec 04, 2001
Screensaver
[win] Fixes a bug where the windows screensaver wouldn't remember settings changes.

Designer
no changes.

Version 2.0.2 : Nov 16, 2001
Screensaver
[win] Fixes the bug "resuming installation after QuickTime install" which was not actually fixed in 2.0.1.
[win] Unregistered screensavers weren't showing the warning message, leading to a mysterious 5 second black screen. Fixed.

Designer
no changes.

Version 2.0.1 : Nov 14, 2001
Screensaver
[mac] You can no longer exit screensaver with Apple-Q when password protection is on.
[mac] Password string was getting corrupted, now is saved properly.
[mac] Settings return to sensible defaults if you delete the preferences file instead of zero values.
[win] Resuming screensaver installation after QuickTime install now works.
[win] Fixed bug where install would fail if you had more than 4gig of free disk space.
[mac] Better handling of window placement when you change the screen resolution.
[win] Cosmetic issues with preview window under Windows XP.
[win] Fixed bug where screensaver would fail to uninstall.
Designer
[mac] Fixed a bug in the Windows menu that would somtimes show the toolTip window by mistake.
[mac] Closing the project window now quits the application, as on windows.
[mac] If you cancel the quit process (by cancelling a Save dialog) the application recovers properly.
[both] Project window list scrolls to show last item.
[both] Added more tooltips.
[both] Fixed two bugs when saving the unsaved file during a quit/close: Now, adds project to project list, and won't give bogus save error if you cancel.
[win] Fixed some cosmetic issues under Windows XP.

Version 2.0 : Oct 30, 2001
Initial relase.

System Requirements - Macintosh:
MacOS 8.6 thru 9.2, PPC processor, 5MB free disk space, 8MB (screensaver) or 40MB (Designer) free RAM. QuickTime 4.0 (5.0 Recommended).

System Requirements - Windows:
Windows 95*, 98, ME, NT4*, NT2000, XP, Pentium/300 or equivalent, 5MB free disk space, 8MB (screensaver) or 40MB (Designer) free RAM. QuickTime 4 (5.0 recommended).

* some early editions of Windows 95 and NT4 may not have the necessary DLLs (e.g. ActiveX). You can usually update these systems by going to Microsoft.com and using the Update feature, or by installing the latest version of Internet Explorer.

QuickStart: Make your own screensaver fast!
Just follow these easy steps to create your own screensaver.
(1) Click the "Customize" tab at the top of the project window. Name your screensaver.
(2) Click the "Select Movie" tab. Click the "Select" button and then choose a movie file (supported formats include .MOV, .MPG, .SWF, .AVI and others).
(3) Click the "Preview" button to see how your screensaver will look.
(4) Click the "Build" tab at the top of the window. Choose either "Macintosh" or "Windows" or both. Enter names for your screensaver file, and the installer file. Click the "Build" button. You will end up with installer files that are ready for distribution!

Of course, most people will want to further customize their screensaver with images and text and information and links to their own websites.

Movie Formats
Supported formats include anything QuickTime can handle. We recommend that if at all possible, you use Macromedia Flash (.SWF), because it gives you the smallest file size and has the smoothest playback on multiple monitor sizes. Other formats, such as MPEG and AVI will also work. Note: Under Windows, if you don't see your file listed, please be sure to choose the appropriate filter in the file choice dialog (You may choose between SWF, AVI, MPEG, and MOV).

NOTE: for easiest cross-platform development, we recommend that all files used in the screensaver (including still images and movies) are named according to both Macintosh and Windows conventions. This means filenames must have the proper three-letter extension (such as .SWF, .AVI, .MOV, .MPG, .JPG etc.), the entire filename must be 31 characters or shorter, and the filename must not include any punctuation, especially slashes ("/") and colons(":").

Exporting Flash Movies
For best results, when exporting a movie from Macromedia Flash to QuickTime format, use these settings:
* Dimensions: Match Movie
* Alpha : Auto
* Layer : Auto
* Controller: Standard
* Loop : Off
* Paused At Start: Off
* Play Every Frame: Off
* Flatten : On

Movie Options
On the "Customize" tab, please click the "Options" sub-tab located on the screensaver control panel window. You will have several options for how to influence the screensaver playback. Please note that several of these options are only available on the Macintosh version of the Screensaver.

Size Options:
- Actual Size: the movie will play back at the same size it was created. This may be smaller than or larger than the user's actual screen size.
- Proportional: the movie will play back at full screen size, or at the closest approximation which doesn't result in size distortions.
- Fill Screen: the movie will play back at full screen size, even if this results in the size being stretched vertically or horizontally.

Hide Cursor During Sleep:
This is normally checked. If unchecked, this will do two things: first, the cursor will be visible during screensaver operation, and second, the screensaver will not respond to mouse clicks or mouse movement, which allows the user to interact with on-screen buttons. Please visit our support website for more information about creating interactive movies.

Smoother Video: [Macintosh Only]
If checked, playback will use QuickTime's "Play Every Frame" option, which will result in smoother playback on some machines, but may cause audio to be muted.

Mute Audio: [Macintosh Only]
If checked, sound will be off.

Preload into RAM: [Macintosh Only]
If checked, on some computers, the movie will be preloaded into RAM before playback. This will allow the screensaver to function without using the hard disk, and will usually result in smoother playback. NOTE: some operating systems do not support this feature. Also, if the movie file is quite large (approximately over 5MB) there will be a slight delay while the movie is loaded when the screensaver activates.

Branding
You can customize the screensaver installer and control panel windows with your own text, pictures, icons, web links, and help information. Simply type whatever text you want in the various text fields under the "Customize" tab.

NOTE: The customized "Help" text will not be visible unless you have purchased an "Unlimited" license. Thus, for full branding you should be sure to purchase the Unlimited license. You will, however, be able to test this feature without a license.

Locking and Deluxe Content
Want to make money? This software lets you create a "Locked" screensaver. Locked screensavers actually contain two movie files (the normal movie and a "Deluxe" movie). When the user first installs your screensaver, they will only see the normal movie. However, if they enter the correct unlocking code, the Deluxe movie will be visible. You can give away or sell these unlocking codes from your website. The screensaver will contain a button which will let users jump directly to your website.

NOTE: The locking feature will not function unless you have purchased an "Unlimited" license. You will, however, be able to test this feature without a license.

Building for Macintosh and Windows
Just to be clear: iScreensaver Designer can build screensavers for both Macintosh and Windows from a single program. In other words, you can build a Macintosh screensaver while running Windows, and vice-versa! This feature is not available in any other product on the market.

NOTE: If you are building a Macintosh screensaver under Windows, the file will actually be a BINHEX file, which has a .HQX suffix. This file can be directly downloaded or emailed, and all Macintosh computers can automatically decompress the file and run it.

Licenses and Registration
iScreensaver Designer comes in three license modes:

Unlicensed
In the unlicensed mode, all features may be freely tested. There is no time limit on how long you may use the software. However, there are some restrictions: Any screensaver you created while unlicensed will operate in "Demo Mode" only. Demo Mode is just like normal operation, except for two differences: First, when you install the screensaver you will see a message stating that the screensaver was built with an unlicensed copy of iScreensaver Designer. Second, every 30 seconds during operation, for 5 seconds, the screen will show yellow text stating the screensaver is not registered. You may not distribute these screensavers other than for test purposes within your company or with your clients.

Limited License
In the Limited license mode, all features are fully functional (with two exceptions), and the you may distribute up to 10,000 copies of the screensaver. The two features that do not function with a Limited license are the Full Branding and Unlocking Mode. In the Limited mode, the customized Help text shown on the screensaver control panel / help tab will not be shown, instead the standard iScreensaver help text will be shown. Unlocking mode will not function at all. If you want either of these features, (or if you want to distribute more than 10,000 copies) you must purchase an Unlimited License.

Unlimited License
In the Unlimited License mode, all features are fully functional and you may distribute unlimited copies of the screensavers.

To register, just go to our website http://iscreensaver.net and click the "Buy" icon.

Known Issues

• Won't open SWF files under Windows:
  Under some circumstances, under Windows, the Designer program won't open SWF (Shockwave Flash) files. The solution is to export the file as a QuickTime .MOV from Flash (see Exporting Flash Movies above for proper QuickTime settings).

• Password Protection under NT/2000/XP:
  Under some circumstances, if Password Protection is turned On in the Display Properties / Screen Saver Control Panel, when the screensaver activates the display will be blank. The solution is to turn off password protection. We are waiting for Apple to fix for this known problem.

• Files on Servers:
  iScreensaver Designer may not work properly if you use files on networked volumes (servers), of it you run the application (EXE) from a networked volume. For best results, we recommend you copy all files (movies, artwork, icons) to a local hard-drive and keep them in the same folder as the project (.ISC) file itself, and run the EXE from a local hard drive as well.

• QuickTime 5.0:
  Some features of iScreensaver Designer require QuickTime 5.0 or later. QuickTime 5.0 is a free download, so we strongly recommend you upgrade by going to http://apple.com/quicktime/download/

• Files Open in QuickTime Player:
  When building a screensaver, be sure that none of the movie files are open in QuickTime Player at the same time. If they are, the build may appear to succeed, but the resulting screensaver will not be functional.

• QuickTime and Flash ActionScript oddities:
  Some ActionScript commands within Flash do not work properly under QuickTime for Windows. In general, Flash 4.0 ActionScript commands are supposed to work under QuickTime 5.0, but we have found exceptions. For best results, if you are creating a movie that uses Flash and ActionScripts, please test the file under both Windows and Macintosh operating systems.

• Launching Multiple Copies of Designer Under Windows:
  You may get an error if you try to launch multiple copies of the iScreensaver Designer program under Windows. Since Designer can open multiple project windows at once, you don't need to launch the application more than once.

• Disk Space Required:
  During screensaver builds, the iScreensaver Designer program will require at least double (sometimes triple) the amount of disk space as the final size of the screensaver installer program. I.E., if you are building a 5MB screensaver, please be sure you have at least 15MB free on the volume that contains your project file.

• Very Large Memory Partitions on Macintosh
  Giving iScreensaver Designer a preferred memory size of over 64MB may cause crashes and is not recommended.