We have some good news! Digital cameras, easily accessible on-line music, user friendly software, affordable scanners and digital video cameras have turned the creation of video slide shows into a fun and rewarding experience. With a little practice, and with the right software, you will soon be able to transfer your vacation photos and video onto a DVD that you can share family, friends, neighbors, even the world!
Tip #1: Music - It Carries the Message
Music carries a message and sets the tone of the slide show. Finding appropriate music is not easy. In fact , in my opinion the hardest part of creating a slide show is selecting the music.
Only you can determine whether any given piece of music is appropriate for the slide show you are putting together. Here are some general rules to help you in making that selection:
1. Vocals should be clear. Straining to hear the lyrics detracts from the video.
2. Try not to cut the music short. Sometimes there are simply not enough photos to accompany a musical selection and you have to cut the music short. When using a portion of a song look for a natural break in the song to stop it and use a fade out on the music.
3. Keep a running list of songs that you think may work with a your slide show. When I hear a song that I think may work well with one of my own personal slide shows, I write the song down and store it with the photos. Yes this takes a little effort but it sure helps.
Tip #2: Transitions- Practice Restraint.
Every software program will provide you with dozens of options for transitioning from one image to the next . You've probably seem any number of these used in Power Point presentations. Options generally range from subtle cross fades to dramatic fly-ins. My advice, restrain yourself; transitions can be distracting. Be consistent in your use of transitions and select transitions that support the over all theme of the slide show. Is the slide show meant to be humorous or serious? Whichever it is, use appropriate transitions.
For the vast majority of my slide shows I use simple cross fades (click here for a sample) to transition from one image to the next. I only jump to an alternate transition when I want to lend emphasis to an image or I want to play off of the rhythm of the music. It is important to provide some variation to the transitions used otherwise you run the risk of the slide show becoming a bit boring!
Tip #3: Choreograph your photos with the music
It can be time consuming to choreograph every image with the beat of the music especially if you are working with hundreds of photos so I recommend that you synchronize key photos and then simply pace the slide show to the music. If you are using a hard driving, fast paced song, transitions between images should be fast and hard. Perhaps there is no transition between images; you simply pop the images up on the screen in fast succession. Conversely if the tempo of the music is slow; draw out your transitions; use a 3 or 4 second cross fade between images rather than the more standard 2 seconds.
Tip #4: Animate Your Photos by Panning and Zooming
Many software packages now include a pan and zoom feature which allows you to create the illusion of motion with a still image. This is a wonderful feature that can bring life to a stagnate slide show. It is also easy to get carried away with this pan and zoom feature so use with discretion.
Here are a couple of examples of how panning and zooming can be used effectively:
1. Group photos. Showing a still photo of a large group of people on a television screen or monitor does not work well. It is very difficult to make out the individual faces and you don't want to be putting your face up against the screen for a closer look. The solution to this problem is to zoom in on the group to a level where the individuals can be identified and then slowly pan across.
2. The one liner. The humor of a photograph can sometimes be emphasized by capturing a portion of a photo first then slowly panning across or away from the photo to capture the entire scene. For example, you have a photo of a child in tears; why the tears are there is not know till you pan back and reveal the dog eating the child's ice cream cone.
3. Landscapes: Slowly panning across a mountain range or a distant horizon is a wonderful way to emphasis the beauty and grandeur of a scene.
4. Detail: Frequently the magic of a photograph rests in the detail of an object being photographed. Carefully zoom in on a cluster of flowers to reveal hidden details that are not otherwise readily apparent.
Tip #5: Length - Keep Your Audience Wanting More.
This may come as a surprise; but your audience just may not have the same level of enthusiasm for your cleverly crafted slide show as you have. I always try to err on the side of creating slide shows which are too short rather than too long. I'd much rather leave people wanting more rather than have them wondering when the video will end. I suggest to my own clients that they limit the show to twenty minutes. For estimating purposes presume every image is shown for an average of five seconds. A 20 minute slide show will require approximately 240 images.
One Last Comment
Photographs are two dimensional. Synchronize your photographs to sound and you add a third, emotional dimension. Whether it is familiar voice calling out from years ago or a song that brings you back to a special time in your life, sound amplifies memories, and evokes strong emotions. This is the appeal of putting together a slide show or commemorative DVD.
If you are interested in putting together your own slide show, here are a couple of video editing programs I review and recommend. You'll see that I typically reference an accompanying video editing book. These books are excellent tutorials and I urge you to consider picking one up to learn the many little tricks unique to each video editing program.
One of the great benefits of putting together a slide show is that it forces you to organize and back-up your digital photographs and video. The last step in the creation of a digital slide show is to burn it to a DVD. With the slide show on a disc you can easily pass copies along to friends and families. While you are making those copies make one extra one to store is a safe location.
Here is a sample video clip that uses all 5 of the tips I've laid out for you.
