Change Your Wallpapers Automatically

excellent
key review info
application features
  • Multiple resizing options: Full Screen, Best Fit and Worst Fit
  • (5 more, see all...)

From the very first bulky computer to today's state of the art PCs, the world has changed very much. Many of us rely on computers to do our jobs and also at home for different activities, becoming an indispensable item in any house. The first thing you notice when you start you computer is the desktop, the place from where you can access and start all the applications and activities you want.

For many people, the desktop background plays an important role when they are using the PC. It can express their current state of mind: joy, pleasure, relaxation, sadness, sorrow, etc., and can lighten up an overcrowded space.

Automatic Wallpaper Changer (AWC) is a simple application that can drive away the monotony of your desktop. It has a simple and intuitive interface and it's packed with various options that will help you setup wallpapers the way you like. The application comes with a 30-day trial period to test its full capabilities with a cost of 5.95 GBP for the full unlimited version.

The first impact when you first run Automatic Wallpaper Changer is the small but efficient main window that allows you to manage the way AWC will handle your wallpapers. The interface is something the average Joe could handle with ease, having comprehensive buttons and features.

The first thing you need to do when you open Automatic Wallpaper Changer is to setup the directories from where the application should get the background pictures. This is done very easily by simply accessing the Add button on the main interface. This will quickly open a browsing window similar to the Explorer window from where you will be able to select the folder you wish to use. You can select only one folder at a time, so if you want to add more, simply repeat the operation.

After you have added all the folders you want containing your favorite pictures, AWC enables you to select the amount of time between the changing procedures of the wallpapers. You can increase or decrease it by using the two small arrows next to the time window or simply input the desired time manually using your keyboard. The timer can be restarted or paused simply by pressing the two buttons next to it: Reset and Pause.

On the lower part of the main window, AWC offers you the possibility to select the Position of the wallpaper on your desktop as follows: Top Left, Top, Top Right, Left, Middle, Right, Bottom Left, Bottom, and Bottom Right.

If your current settings are convenient and you don't want to repeat the whole process again, AWC provides you with a simple option “Save Settings” that will save your current application settings. Also small but useful are the Time Remaining display, that will show you the estimated time till the next background change, and Files Remaining that will display the number of files remaining to be set as wallpapers.

The File menu of Automatic Wallpaper Changer is packed with useful features by providing you shortcuts to some useful highlights of the application. To change the current wallpaper or redisplay the previous one, AWC provides you with two simple shortcuts: Ctrl+G and F3. Also, you can delete the current pic from your hard drive via the Delete option and clear your desktop of any picture using the Clear Desktop (Ctrl+L) option.

Again, we find the Save settings option correspondent to the one on the main window and another option that will help you save your settings as a theme. This could come in handy because you can create different profiles for different themed wallpapers and load them with a simple click.

We have seen some very useful features of this application but it's not over yet. The Preferences window comes packed with numerous options that will let you tune AWC the way you like it. It has four tabs: General, Image Processing, Image Effects and Filtering / Tiling that will stun you with the amount of features you can adjust.

The General tab of the Preferences window enables you to adjust various functionality settings and the way AWC works. All options have an explanation dialogue when you hover your mouse over them, so you know what every setting does at any time. You can also override the default file editor when you choose to edit the file by specifying the path to the desired editor.

From the Image Processing tab, users will be able to modify the way AWC should process the selected images. We can distinguish four areas: Stretching, Stretching method, Show filename and Picture Frame. Using this window, you have a variety of tools that will help you select the best stretching method of your background pictures. Also, you can add a frame (plain or gradient) to your images by selecting the desired color and width. The program can display the current filename path and extension if you want so. Just select the options you wish by enabling the Show filename feature.

The Image Effects tab comes with more features that will allow you to setup your pictures. You can tweak Transparency, Brightness, Contrast and Gamma correction by simply moving the correspondent sliders to left or right depending on how much you want to modify the wallpapers. Besides them, you can add various effects to your pictures, such as Emboss, Minimum, Median, Maximum, Invert and Colourise, as well as Sharpening that will make your background images more special.

Last but not least, the Filtering / Tiling tab of the Preferences window enables you to filter the selected images by date, file name and file size for a better display of your images. Let’s say you have some season or monthly wallpapers that you want to be displayed in order; with the filtering function, AWC will easily display the desired images in the correct order of your choosing. AWC also allows you to tile small pictures simply by adjusting the options of the Tiling feature.

From the Edit menu of the main window, you will be able to copy to your clipboard the current file name or the entire folder list displayed in the main window. Also, you will be able to open the current picture in your default editor by selecting the Open for editing option.


The Good

AWC is a wonderful tool that will easily manage your wallpapers, enabling you at the same time to apply different effects and options that will almost make your desktop alive. It's extremely easy to use, runs on low computer resources and provides users with various options for a better desktop background management.

The Bad

We didn't manage to find anything bad about this application, not even the price, 5.95 GBP being affordable for any user.

The Truth

Automatic Wallpaper Changer is a must-have background changer application, packed with numerous features and tweaks that will let you modify even the unthinkable things of your background pictures.

Here are some snapshots of the application in action:

Review image
Review image
Review image
Review image
Review image
Review image
user interface 5
features 5
ease of use 5
pricing / value 4


final rating 5
Editor's review
excellent