How do I enable desktop effects?

For basic graphical features, you can enable desktop effects by going to System > Preferences > Appearance. Under the Visual Effects column, select None, Normal, or Extra. More information on what is provided in each of these choices can be found in their description.

For more advanced and customizable graphical features, enter this into a terminal:
sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager
There will now be an option in System > Preferences called Advanced Desktop Settings, where you can change preferences to your liking.

For more information on customization of Desktop Effects, please see the Compiz Fusion official site at http://compiz.org.