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User profile for user: MarkinMaryland
MarkinMaryland Author
User level: Level 1
18 points

Using full Photos Library as Screen Saver

I’ve used Mac Photos on my Mac as my Screen Saver, using the Ken Burns effect, for years, since the days of iPhoto. Using 2020 Mac mini with M1 chip and Ventura 13.01. I have always selected “Photos” in Screen Saver options in Systems Settings, and it has worked fine. But about a month ago, when I click on Photos I only get c. 200 photos I took over Thanksgiving coming up in the Screen Saver, and none of the 30,000 from earlier than that. When I click on the option under "Choose a set of photos to use for the slideshow," I get thumbnails of those photos (looks like all 30K as I scroll thru them), but the bigger box above the thumbnails is black with NO PHOTOS printed on it. So I’ve selected People instead, which gives me more photos than 200…but none of the non-People photos I have in my Photos library. I have been tinkering try to fix this without success for weeks. This is important to my wife, who really enjoys the eve-changing random slideshow when the Mac kicks into screensaver mode. Any guidance on how to return to using my full Photos library as my screen saver would be appreciated!

Mac mini 2018 or later

Posted on Jan 8, 2023 12:21 PM

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User profile for user: Richard.Taylor
Richard.Taylor
User level: Level 6
10,812 points

Posted on Jan 9, 2023 8:51 AM

I'm using Monterey, and when I select in ScreenSaver I can choose an album. If it's the same in Ventura (I really need to update...) then, if you want all your pictures, you could make a Smart Album with criteria that includes them all:


I presume you have not pictures taken before Jan 1, 1700. You can check the number matched to be sure it includes them all. Then just choose that album for your Screen Saver.

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User profile for user: Richard.Taylor
Richard.Taylor
User level: Level 6
10,812 points

Jan 9, 2023 8:51 AM in response to MarkinMaryland

I'm using Monterey, and when I select in ScreenSaver I can choose an album. If it's the same in Ventura (I really need to update...) then, if you want all your pictures, you could make a Smart Album with criteria that includes them all:


I presume you have not pictures taken before Jan 1, 1700. You can check the number matched to be sure it includes them all. Then just choose that album for your Screen Saver.

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User profile for user: léonie
léonie
User level: Level 10
197,589 points

Jan 9, 2023 11:10 PM in response to MarkinMaryland

MarkinMaryland wrote:

... Now all I have to do is figure out why so many of these photos show up sideways or upside down when appearing in the screen saver. Thanks again!

The problem is, that Photos does no longer keep previews of all edited versions for the Media browser. So the screensaver of all photos will simply show the original images with out the adjustments or rotation and cropping applied.

I am using an Apple Script to make a slideshow of all photos: Script: A Slideshow With Titles and Locations And Dates in Photos

Perhaps you could modify the script to suit your needs.


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Using full Photos Library as Screen Saver

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