The SceneSets require an IBM-compatible personal computer (PC). They are not supported on Apple computers at this time, unless they are capable of emulating a PC. You can

Desktop SceneSets should work well on any computer built within the last few years, with a nominal CPU speed of about 500 MHz or greater. Since most of the processing power required by the software is for the nifty transition effects between images, on slower machines disabling transitions may be required (see the Support page if you need help with this.)

Desktop SceneSets will function on PCs running Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000 or Windows XP. Windows 95 and Windows NT are not supported at this time.

You can use any display (monitor) to view your Desktop Scenes, but you will get much better results if you choose the right resolution and settings. Here are some specific points to check.

TIP:  To adjust your display settings, click "Start" and then "Control Panel" (Windows XP) or "Start", then "Settings" and then "Control Panel" (Windows 98, ME and 2000). Then choose the "Display" icon, and click the "Settings" tab.

Color Depth: Most displays can be set to use 8, 16, or 32 bits of color information per pixel. This setting is labeled "Color Quality" or "Colors" in the Windows display control panel. For best results, you should set your color depth to 32 bits. You can use 16-bit color but you may notice banding in the images. Do not use 8-bit color (256 color mode), or the photos will look horrible.

Resolution: The resolution of a display refers to how much information it can show, and is expressed as "WxH" where "W" is the width in pixels (dots) and "H" the height. A wide variety of monitor sizes is used today; the SceneSets are sized at 1024x768 pixels, one of the more common screen resolutions.

If you use a display with a resolution smaller than 1024x768, the SceneSets will be reduced in size to fit your display automatically. However, the quality of the images will be significantly degraded.

If your display runs at a resolution higher than 1024x768, then by default, the images will be automatically enlarged to fit your screen. This makes them easy to see, but reduces image quality slightly. Once you install the SceneSet you can turn off this enlargement if you want the best image quality, at the cost of smaller images with a black border around them, of course. (See the Support page for instructions.)

Calibration: All displays differ in characteristics such as brightness and contrast, and this is also affected by lighting conditions in the room where the display is located. The images in the Desktop SceneSets have been adjusted to look good on a wide selection of displays. However, if your monitor has not been calibrated, it is possible that the images may look too bright or too dark to you. (There's also a matter of taste involved here too -- some people like images brighter than others.)

I have included below a calibration chart that I created to help you adjust your monitor for the best viewing results. It shows the shades of gray from black to white in 5% increments, and 21 levels of the primary colors from black to full saturation. Adjust your monitor's controls so that the calibration image looks good, without the dark boxes being too dark to see or the bright ones seeming "blown out". Ideally, you should be able to differentiate each shade from the one next to it, the black boxes should appear black, and the white box should be pure white..