wizcreations

Q: Screen Saver doesn't use all Pictures

I am using one of the built-in Apple screen savers to display pictures from a folder of my choosing.  I have the source set to my pictures folder, which contains about 5000 images.  However, anytime the screen saver activates I see the same 20 pictures over and over, sometimes with the same picture visible on the screen in 3 locations simultaneously.

 

How do I get the screensaver to use a larger set of photos (ideally all 5000)?

 

I am using El Capitan OS.

iMac, OS X El Capitan (10.11)

Posted on Oct 14, 2015 4:40 PM

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Q: Screen Saver doesn't use all Pictures

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  • by den.thed,

    den.thed den.thed Oct 14, 2015 5:06 PM in response to wizcreations
    Level 7 (27,646 points)
    Oct 14, 2015 5:06 PM in response to wizcreations

    On the Screen Saver panel click on Source, then select your Photo Library.....

     

    Screen Shot 2015-10-14 at 5.03.17 PM.jpg

  • by wizcreations,

    wizcreations wizcreations Oct 14, 2015 5:57 PM in response to den.thed
    Level 1 (32 points)
    Oct 14, 2015 5:57 PM in response to den.thed

    That is not an option for me.  I just have Default Collections or Choose Folder...

    I'd assume this is because I do not use the Photos app.

  • by den.thed,

    den.thed den.thed Oct 14, 2015 6:44 PM in response to wizcreations
    Level 7 (27,646 points)
    Oct 14, 2015 6:44 PM in response to wizcreations

    wizcreations wrote:

     

    That is not an option for me.  I just have Default Collections or Choose Folder...

     

    What do you get with Choose Folder...?

     

    I'd assume this is because I do not use the Photos app.

     

    What do you use...?

     

    Personally I migrated my iPhoto Library into Photos, but still use iPhoto. So now I can see and use either Library.

     

    Screen Shot 2015-10-14 at 6.31.12 PM.jpg

  • by wizcreations,

    wizcreations wizcreations Oct 14, 2015 6:47 PM in response to den.thed
    Level 1 (32 points)
    Oct 14, 2015 6:47 PM in response to den.thed

    If I select the option "Choose Folder..." a finder window appears and allows me to choose a folder.  I have chosen the Pictures folder, which is where I have my vast collection of photos.

     

    I typically only view my photos when they come up in the screen saver so I don't bother maintaining albums in the Photos app.  If I ever do want to view photos manually, I typically use quick view from the Finder or I'll use Adobe Bridge if I'm feeling like doing something fancy.

  • by den.thed,

    den.thed den.thed Oct 14, 2015 7:00 PM in response to wizcreations
    Level 7 (27,646 points)
    Oct 14, 2015 7:00 PM in response to wizcreations

    I'm not knocking your picture system if it works for you. But if you want to use some or all of them for Screen Saver, then you will need to Import them into Photos.

  • by wizcreations,

    wizcreations wizcreations Oct 14, 2015 7:11 PM in response to den.thed
    Level 1 (32 points)
    Oct 14, 2015 7:11 PM in response to den.thed

    I admit my photo system is archaic, but I'm not sure you are fully understanding my question.  I can already use "some of them" in the screen saver.  The problem is that screen saver is ONLY using "some of them" when it should be using every photo in the folder I have selected.  My question is how do I make it the screen saver use all the photos instead of just a handful out of my selected photo?  If the screen saver programming in OS X simply can't utilize all the photos in the folder I have selected then this is a flaw of OS X more than my archaic photo management practices.  In this case the answer is it can't be done and I accept with sadness that I will view the same 20 photos forever.

  • by den.thed,

    den.thed den.thed Oct 14, 2015 10:13 PM in response to wizcreations
    Level 7 (27,646 points)
    Oct 14, 2015 10:13 PM in response to wizcreations

    wizcreations wrote:

     

    I can already use "some of them" in the screen saver.  The problem is that screen saver is ONLY using "some of them" when it should be using every photo in the folder I have selected.

     

    Are you sure that "some of them" the ones your seeing are not already imported into Photos...?

     

    My question is how do I make it the screen saver use all the photos instead of just a handful out of my selected photo?

     

    Import the ones you want to use into the OS X Photos program.

     

    If the screen saver programming in OS X simply can't utilize all the photos in the folder I have selected then this is a flaw of OS X more than my archaic photo management practices.

     

    Not necessarily, OS X was built to work with and around those other App's that Apple has supplied for us to use.

     

      In this case the answer is it can't be done and I accept with sadness that I will view the same 20 photos forever.

     

    I don't understand your reluctance..? If you Import at least some (a folder or two) into the Photos program, then your screensaver would be awesome instead of boring.

  • by neuralstatic,

    neuralstatic neuralstatic Nov 30, 2015 9:12 AM in response to wizcreations
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Nov 30, 2015 9:12 AM in response to wizcreations

    i am seeing the same issue even in the photos album selection.  maybe there are 20 pics in an album, but in screensaver it only shows and uses 3 of them.

    there is nothing wrong with using a folder as screen saver pictures, btw.  there are good reasons to use this system.  however the screensaver engine seems fussy about which it will use no mater how it is shown them.

     

    currently looking into possible filtering issues like color space, size, etc

  • by JC2004,

    JC2004 JC2004 Jan 2, 2016 9:32 AM in response to neuralstatic
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Jan 2, 2016 9:32 AM in response to neuralstatic

    Hi,

    I recently upgraded to El Capitian - and moved my pics over to Photos as requested by the Capitan!

    Now I cant select my photos for my screen saver. I can navigate to where the Photos (and old iPhoto) folders are but they're greyed out.

    I keep them on a separate drive (ie not my system drive) but its internal in my mac.

    Is there a problem in El Capitan with this or is there something I'm not doing correctly?

     

    Thanks

    JC

  • by silk93,

    silk93 silk93 Feb 2, 2016 2:34 PM in response to JC2004
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 2, 2016 2:34 PM in response to JC2004

    I updated El Capitano last week and can't use my Photos as Screen Saver.   They had been working before the last update.    Photos is greyed out so I don't get to choose it as an option.  Is there a problem with the last upgrade?

  • by Eau Rouge,

    Eau Rouge Eau Rouge Feb 2, 2016 6:49 PM in response to wizcreations
    Level 4 (2,995 points)
    Mac App Store
    Feb 2, 2016 6:49 PM in response to wizcreations

    Are the images you are trying to use in a series of folders, or just dumped in Pictures

    When the screensaver starts it starts in the same place each time, usually in alphabetical or numerical order.

    Try clicking the Shuffle Slide Order option.

  • by dialabrain,

    dialabrain dialabrain Feb 2, 2016 6:52 PM in response to Eau Rouge
    Level 5 (6,401 points)
    Mac App Store
    Feb 2, 2016 6:52 PM in response to Eau Rouge

    Eau Rouge wrote:

     

    Are the images you are trying to use in a series of folders, or just dumped in Pictures

    When the screensaver starts it starts in the same place each time, usually in alphabetical or numerical order.

    Try clicking the Shuffle Slide Order option.

    Absolutely correct. You need to choose the shuffle option.

  • by Eau Rouge,

    Eau Rouge Eau Rouge Feb 2, 2016 7:25 PM in response to JC2004
    Level 4 (2,995 points)
    Mac App Store
    Feb 2, 2016 7:25 PM in response to JC2004

    I think the Screensaver defaults to using the Photos Library that is on the El Capitan install drive.

    So even though Photos is using a different Library on another drive Scrrensaver is looking for

    a Photoslibrary on the El Capitan disc.

    you can check your various libraries and their locations by pressing the option/alt key whilst starting Photos.

  • by whsettle,

    whsettle whsettle Apr 30, 2016 10:58 AM in response to wizcreations
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 30, 2016 10:58 AM in response to wizcreations

    Hi, It's not clear to me how/if this issue was resolved. I have a similar question. I'm running El Capitan 10.11.4 and have a folder within the pictures folder that has about 1,700 jpegs of no greater than 2 mb each. I've chosen this folder as the 'source' with the 'classic' transition. I've chosen 'shuffle'. What I assumed I would have (which you have on Windows machines) is a random choice, without replacement, which means all photos should be available to be chosen, but some photos will show up frequently and others almost never with the others somewhere in-between. Instead, what I get is a subset of photos chosen that are repeated in sequence. If I interrupt the screen saver and then go back to it, I get a different, possibly random choice of photos from the full set, but it is still a subset of the whole. The size of the subsets vary. I noted subsets mostly of 30, but some as small as 15 and one as large as 133. So, it seems the algorithm is not a simple random choice from the full set. It seems silly as this would be a simple bit of code that a beginning programmer could put together. I wonder if there is a parameter setting that can be changed?

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