Copyright 1998-2005 Seraline Pty. Ltd., Sydney, Australia All Rights Reserved.
What is Photo
Mishmash Screensaver
Settings
Saving an image
License
Customer Support & FAQ
Web Site & Other
Screensavers
Uninstall
Disclaimer
Photo Mishmash Screensaver, for Windows 95/98/NT, uses your own JPEG & PNG images, like photos, web graphics or clipart, and squeezes, stretches and swirls them until they are no longer recognizable. Instead you see forming before your eyes a stunning piece of abstract art. As you watch the images distort, Photo Mishmash will continuously add new images and your own text messages as further ingredients to the mix.
Recommended minimum: Pentium CPU, 16 bit color (Hi-Color).
Images are not displayed when running in 256 color mode, only in High or True Color modes (16 or 24 bit color).
Version 2.1:
Version 2:
General
The settings screens have sliders which you may use to control what Photo Mishmash does.
| Show Image | The further the slider is to the right, the more often a new image will be added to the mix. The choice and use of images is also controlled by the Images page. |
| Show Web Image | How often a web image is displayed if you are on-line at the time the screensaver runs. |
| Distort | How often the screen will be stretched, squeezed & swirled. The kinds of distortions used can be controlled using the Distortions page. |
| Blur | The images are smoothed out, giving a blurred effect |
| Show Text | How often to add a text message to the mix. The type of message, and your own messages, can be specified on the Text and Messages pages. |
| Use Brush Strokes | Re-paints the image using small brush strokes. |
| Use Transparency | Leaves a faint copy of the previous image. |
| Blank screen after specified period | If you are using automatic power-down, or perhaps overnight disk utilities such as back-up, then you may want the screensaver to cease disk activity after a while. |
| Delay between drawings | Set a pause if you prefer to be able to look at the designs before they are possibly wiped by the next drawing. |
Images
Photo Mishmash displays your own images. The file formats supported are JPEG and Windows Bitmaps. JPEG images have file names ending in jpg, jpeg and jpe. Bitmaps end with bmp.
Images only displayed when running in High/True Color mode, and are not displayed when running under 256 color mode.
| Folders to search for images. | This is the list of folders in which Photo Mishmash will search for images. You can add a folder by clicking the Add button and browsing to a folder, then click OK. |
| Add | Allows you to browse you disk for a folder to add to the list. |
| Remove | Removes the selected folder from the list. |
| Remove All | Removes all folders from the list. |
| Search | If you click the Search button, then Photo Mishmash will search all the disk drives you specify, automatically adding any folders in which it finds supported images (jpg, png, bmp). You can use the Search button as often as you like - a folder is not added to the list if it is already there. |
| Images | View the images in a folder. |
| Display order | Images can either be displayed at random, or sorted alphabetically. When sorted, the folders are sorted alphabetically, and all images in the first folder are displayed in order before the images of the second folder, and so on. Photo Mishmash remembers which image is next between runs. You can force it to restart at the first image by clicking on the button labeled "Start at first image next run". This only applies to the very next run, and subsequent runs will proceed through all the images, and then start again at the first. |
| Minimum period between images | The default is to not show more than one
image per minute. You can increase how often images are displayed by
sliding to the left, or by increasing the period up to 5 minutes. This is an important control, depending on how distorted you would like your images to become. The amount of distortion also depends on the average size of your images. If your images are generally small, then you may like to have a new image shown more often (slide to the left). If the images are large, you may like to increase the period between images (slide to right) to allow more time for the distortions to have an effect before being covered by the new image. |
Web Sites
Photo Mishmash can search your favorite web sites for images if it runs while you are on-line. Only the JPEG file format is used, as this is used mainly for photographic or art images rather than for advertisements.
When running, Photo Mishmash will select a web site at random from your list of favorites. It will follow links around the entire site looking for images, rather than just using the initial page you specify. It does not follow links away from the site. If a dead-end is found, such as a page with no further links or images, then another site is chosen at random from your list.
Images are only displayed when running in High/True Color mode, and are not displayed when running under 256 color mode.
The most suitable web sites are those that have a wide range of JPEG images. You can check that the site's images are in JPEG format by watching the file names in your browser's status bar, and checking that they end in "jpg". eg you will see lines such as "loading file123.jpg". Or you can use your browser's View Source option to see if the page's links point to jpg files. Sites using frames may not work well as the screensaver often only sees the menu frame rather than the main pages with the images.
| Do not access the web | Choose this if you do not wish to download images from the web. |
| I use a dial-up modem connection | If you connect to the internet by your telephone line and a modem, select this option. Photo Mishmash will only download images from the web if you are on-line at the time the screensaver is running. |
| I have a permanent internet connection | Choose this if you have a permanent
internet connection, eg on an office network. Do not choose this option if you use a dial-up modem because the screensaver may start a dial-up session. |
| Web sites to search for images. | This is the list of web sites that Photo
Mishmash will search for images. You can add a web site by clicking
the Add button, and entering the web address in the data entry
screen. You do not need to enter the leading "http://" as part of the address
(although you can). eg You can enter www.seraline.com rather than http://www.seraline.com. The web sites are listed alphabetically. |
| Minimum period between images | The default is to not show more than one web image per minute. You can increase how often images are displayed by sliding to the left, or by increasing the period up to 5 minutes. |
Distortions
Photo Mishmash does a variety of distortions to the images. The best way to see what each does is to turn them all off, and then try each of them, one at a time.
| Distort size | Parts of the image are stretched or squeezed, making the screen looks like it's in a House of Mirrors. |
| Swirl | The image is swirled around the screen. |
| Wavy | Give the image a marbled, wavy appearance. |
| Fuzzy | Gives a speckled appearance. |
| Flip left to right | The screen is reversed left-to-right. |
| Flip upside-down | The screen is turned upside-down. |
Text
Photo Mishmash will display different kinds of text messages.
| Your own messages | Displays messages you have entered into the Messages tab. |
| Date & Time | Shows the current date & time, eg 30 Sep 5:00 |
Messages
You may enter up to 9 text messages. They will displayed at random while the screensaver is running. How often they are displayed can be controlled by the Your Own Messages slider on the Text tab, and by the Text slider on the General tab.. The default messages when you install the screensaver include your system's registered name, "Photo Mishmash Screensaver", and our web address. You may remove or change these messages. To delete a message, just clear the field by deleting its characters. The other messages will be moved up to fill the gaps automatically when you save them.
Pressing the Print Screen function key while the screensaver is running will Copy the current screen image to the clipboard, and you can then Paste the image into your paint program for saving. This doesn't work under Windows NT unless the screensaver has been started using a desktop shortcut.
You can also have the screensaver automatically save a copy of each screen to a bitmap file on disk at the end of each pass. Only one file is used, and it is always called Mishmash.bmp. It is overwritten with the new file at the end of each pass. You can then end the screensaver at any time, and load the file Mishmash.bmp into your paint program. It is in Windows Bitmap format.
| Automatically save screenshots to disk | This is off by default. You need to select it if you want Photo Mishmash to save snapshots. |
| Bitmap file to use | The file is always called Mishmash.bmp, but you can specify which folder to save it into by clicking on the Browse button. |
Photo Mishmash Screensaver is NOT a public domain program. It is copyrighted by Seraline Pty Ltd. This software and accompanying documentation are protected by Australian copyright law and also by international treaty provisions.
The purchase fee will license Photo Mishmash Screensaver for use on any computers in your home, and on one computer at work on which you are the main user.
You may not use, copy, rent, lease, sell, modify, decompile, disassemble, otherwise reverse engineer, or transfer the licensed program except as provided in this agreement. Any such unauthorized use shall result in immediate and automatic termination of this license.
You may not provide the software to any other user, nor may you upload the registered version to any online service, such as a bulletin board or internet ftp site or web site.
Seraline Pty Ltd may revoke any permissions granted here, by notifying you in writing. All rights not expressly granted here are reserved to Seraline Pty Ltd.
This software is based in part on the work of the Independent JPEG Group.
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions are available on-line from http://www.seraline.com/faq.htm. Please consult this page before emailing for support.
Seraline provides its registered users with free support via email. If you have a question, please send an email message to support@seraline.com.
Other screensavers are available on Seraline's WWW Home Page:
3aline Screensaver - draws dynamic 3D shapes which move and hover around your screen, creating stunning colorful images with beautiful backgrounds and realistic lighting.
Seractal Screensaver - displays beautiful full-screen fractals.
Seraline Screensaver - displays an endless variety of colorful abstract-art-like images.
Adrift Screensaver - draws floating lines across the screen, creating beautiful patterns.
Serandom Screensaver - a screensaver manager, or randomizer, which allows you to specify how often and how long each of your selected screensavers should run.
Redecorator Fractal Wallpaper Manager - Redecorator can change your desktop wallpaper as often as you like, as well as create seamless tiles and beautiful fractals.
If you used a full Photo Mishmash Setup procedure to install, then you will be able to uninstall Photo Mishmash by using Control Panel / Add/Remove Programs.
Otherwise, delete the file Photo Mishmash.scr from your Windows\System folder. You can find the file using Windows Explorer.
PHOTO MISHMASH SCREENSAVER IS SOLD "AS IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES AS TO PERFORMANCE OR MERCHANTABILITY OR ANY OTHER WARRANTIES WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. BECAUSE OF THE VARIOUS HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE ENVIRONMENTS INTO WHICH THIS PROGRAM MAY BE PUT, NO WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE IS OFFERED. IN NO EVENT SHALL SERALINE P/L OR ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE CREATION, PRODUCTION OR DELIVERY OF THIS SOFTWARE BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE USE OF THE PHOTO MISHMASH SCREENSAVER. IN NO EVENT SHALL SERALINE P/L'S LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES EVER EXCEED THE PRICE PAID FOR THE LICENSE TO USE THE SOFTWARE, REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF CLAIM. THE PERSON USING THE SOFTWARE BEARS ALL RISKS AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE CONSTRUED AND ENFORCED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NSW, AUSTRALIA, AND ANY ACTION BY EITHER PARTY SHALL BE BROUGHT ONLY IN A COURT LOCATED IN NSW, AUSTRALIA.