Screensaver Ideal

I’ve spent a lot of time reviewing screensavers that are not necessarily the kind of screensaver I’d choose to have on my desktop. I realize that people use screensavers for a variety of reasons, ranging from entertainment to display.

For one person, a photo screensaver might be the perfect way to turn a sleeping computer into a changing piece of artwork to add to the room’s appeal. For another person, frequently changing silly screensavers are the perfect diversion.

What that means is that while I enjoy the dancing barnyard screensavers, and the pretty flower photo screensavers like I looked at yesterday, and yes, even my favorite July screensaver of the angry red dude, these are not screensavers I’d usually choose to have on my home computer for a long period of time. Temporary amusement is fine, and holiday screensavers certainly have their place, but for the most part, I have very specific requirements for my screensaver needs.

I talked a bit about this when I reviewed the semi-abstract aquarium screensavers a while ago. My conception of the ideal screensaver is one that is attractive, with a limited amount of motion (not too fast). I don’t want anything distracting. What I’m really looking for is something kind of meditative, something that is both calming and enjoyable.

I realize that’s asking a bit much from a short animated screensaver, but there are many out there that do it. Those aquarium screensavers were a perfect example of this accomplishment.

To an extent, photo screensavers can do this, and I think this is the primary intent of most rotating photo screensavers. They often favor tranquil nature scenes that automatically make the viewer relax and breathe a little deeper. For me though, photo screensavers are not as effective in this single goal as many animated screensavers can be.

In my mind, that little bit of motion is essential to the meditative state I’m aiming for. This works especially well with screensavers that are water-based, but it really can be employed under most types of motion. A calming animated screensaver could be something as simple as a cloudy sky, clouds slowly skimming across the screen, maybe changing direction occasionally with the unseen wind. High speed plant growth (there’s a name for this kind of camera trick, but I can’t think of what it is) also creates this type of slow, paced movement.

Photo screensavers are, for me, more effective as photo displays, decoration. There is still a potential calming influence to this, but it comes entirely from the strength of the photo instead of the strength of the screensaver.