Originally downloaded March 26, 2007. I can't remember if I ever published my exhaustive comparison of all the Mac OS X tools that do this, or something similar (like running Quartz animations), but I know it doesn't include this freebie, which was just developed this month! Definitely worth a try... The other two freewares that do this, as I recall, are Backlight and the widget called Desksaver Plus. A couple of other great free ones do Quartz compositions.

Update 1/5/08. Yes! Wallsaver started out a year ago as many promising software projects do... a little too buggy for regular use. But now, with the many updates made in the meantime, it's perfect for users who'd like to enjoy their screensavers and slideshows on the desktop rather than walking away just as they're starting. With Leopard, the joys are multiplied, since you can now run slideshows of any iPhoto album as a matter of routine, without any preparation in iPhoto. And Wallsaver can capture those as well as any other movies you happen to have ready for full-screen viewing as a screensaver. Apple should simply build this functionality into the OS... but until they do, Wallsaver is about the most lightweight (it's written in AppleScript), free option out there. The developer has added Sparkle to the software, so staying up with the latest version is a breeze and requires virtually no action on your part.

Version as tested: 1.3.6.