If you are already using it, you might be missing out on one of its best--and most often overlooked--features. I'm talking about the Picasa screensaver, which was formerly a standalone product (Google Photos Screensaver) bundled with the now-discontinued .

The screensaver cycles through the photos of your choice (more on that in a minute) using any of nine impressive visual effects: pan and zoom, cross-fade, checkerboard, and so on. Here's how to set it up:

1. Start Picasa.

2. Click Tools, Configure Screensaver.

3. Windows' standard screensaver tool should appear, with Google Photos Screensaver already selected. Click Settings.