Set Your Desktop Picture and Screen Saver

You can remind yourself of the great times you had on your family vacation by displaying photos right on the background of your computer’s desktop. With iPhoto, you can easily set your desktop picture to display one of your favorite photos. If your computer is running Mac OS X version 10.2 or later, you can even choose to display an entire album.

You can also use your digital photos to create a custom screen saver. Screen savers protect your computer’s screen by displaying images that change when your computer has been idle for several minutes. The photos appear one after another, like a slideshow.

Tips

Set your picture to your display’s size ratio

You can crop a photo to the correct size ratio for your computer’s display. Select the photo you want to resize, and then click the Edit button. From the Constrain pop-up menu, choose the menu item that includes the word "Display." Use the crosshair pointer to select the part of the image you want to use as your desktop picture, and then click the Crop button.

Change your screen saver preferences

You can change your screen saver settings, such as the amount of time before the screen saver starts, or whether a password is required when waking the screen saver. With the screen saver album selected, click the Desktop button. In the window that appears, click the Screen Saver button, click Options, and make your changes.

Return to a Mac OS X desktop image or screen saver

If you decide you want to return to a Mac OS X desktop picture or screen saver, from the Apple menu, choose System Preferences, and then click Desktop & Screen Saver. Choose one of the folders, and then select one of the images or screen savers that appears.

Customize what items appear in the iPhoto toolbar

You can add or remove items in the iPhoto Toolbar by choosing Show in Toolbar from the View menu. From this menu, you can add or remove items in the Toolbar.

Steps

Use your photos to create a desktop display and screen saver

To use one of your photos as your desktop picture, select a photo and then click the Desktop button. Notice that your background immediately changes to display the photo you’ve selected.
To set your desktop to display several photos and create a screen saver, select an album and then click the Desktop button.
Notice the Desktop and Screensaver System Preference appears. Make sure that the iPhoto Section folder is selected and your photos are displayed in the preview pane.
To change your screen saver, click Screen Saver and choose an album or photo. Click Options to set any display options, and click OK.