MovingPhotos3D 1.8.1

Check out a toolset for creating 3D virtual spaces with images flying around in three dimensions. Configure the display of pictures according to the specifications of your desktop, work with stand assets or upload data from iPhoto, Aperture 3, iTunes, etc.

MovingPhotos3D is an interesting screensaver that puts your pics on the screen. There are two versions that you can get of this app: one from the developer's website and another one from the Mac App Store. The one from the developer site is a screensaver, and you can access its settings from the Screensaver preferences. It creates a 3D square with your pictures on a black background. The Mac App Store version shows a 3D wall on the screen that rotates around. Both versions use nature pictures by default, but the great thing about them is that you can use your own pictures.

On my system, both versions performed similarly. I first went into the settings to adjust the quality settings. I used "Max" for everything. At first, the screensaver was smooth and it looked great, but as pictures accumulated on the screen, the thing was so slow that it hurt my eyes. It looked like a slideshow being played on a Pentium 1 computer. I tested this on an iCore 5 Mac Mini with 8GB of RAM, and it was slow, believe me. I don't have an integrated graphics card, but still, it shouldn't be that slow. When I adjusted the settings and reduced the quality, it was acceptable, but still not smooth.

In other words, this is a great screensaver. It is amazing on a big screen, but you need a beast of a computer for it to run smooth with your own pictures at best quality.