10/23/2007 Multimedia & Design

What's Windows DreamScene?

Windows DreamScene is a Windows Ultimate Extra you can use to play video that loops on your desktop background as you use your computer.

The video you use for Windows DreamScene can be footage you recorded with a video camera and then edited; a video file you got from someone else; a video that is included in the Windows DreamScene Content Pack or Windows DreamScene Content Pack Favorites; or it might be another video you made, such as a slide show of still photos that's saved as a video file.

To install and use Windows DreamScene, your computer needs to be running Windows Vista Ultimate.

Step 1. Click the Start button , click Control Panel, and then, under Appearance and Personalization, click Change desktop background.

Step 2. On the Choose a desktop background screen, click Browse, find the folder that you saved your slide show in, click your slide show video file, and then click Open.

Step 3. Under How should the picture or video be positioned, click Crop to fit screen, and then click OK.

Crop to fit screen is one of the two new positioning options that are added when Windows DreamScene is installed on your computer. You can use either of these positions even when you're not using Windows DreamScene.

The highlighted area shows the two new desktop background positioning options that are added when Windows DreamScene is installed

Step 4. Optionally, you can hide the icons on your desktop so they don't obstruct your view when the slide show is playing. To hide desktop icons, right-click the desktop, point to View, and then clear the check mark next to Show Desktop Icons.

Step 5. Also optionally, you can pause the slide show so that the point you pause at is displayed as a still picture on your desktop. To pause, right-click the desktop, and then click Pause DreamScene.