Automatic Wallpaper Changer

This program change desktop wallpapers automatically.

This powerful wallpaper changer should satisfy the most demanding desktop decorators. The rather unassuming interface belies a bevy of options that give users the utmost in wallpaper control.

Automatic Wallpaper Changer's interface is not much to look at. Extreme novices (say, your great-grandmother) may not find it immediately evident how the program works, but helpful tool tips pop up when users hover over the screen elements. To most users it should be fairly obvious that on the first screen you can select a directory of photos, adjust the speed of the image change, and set the position of the photo on the desktop. For some this might be enough, but what really makes this program worth paying for are the features revealed in the Preferences menu. In addition to the sorts of options you'd expect, such as stretching and tiling, the Preference screen offers a multitude of other customizations. Some of the stand-outs include the capability to set a separate background image against which the wallpaper images appear, control over the images' opacity, a colorization feature, and a handful of special effects. Users have a tremendous amount of control over which images are displayed, including the capability to filter by date, size, and filename.

The only aspect of the program worth criticizing was a small but annoying lag when applying changes. The program otherwise runs smoothly and inconspicuously, and installs and uninstalls with no problems. Users should note that the trial version lasts 28 days; with so many options to play with, you may find that's not nearly long enough.