Photo Slideshows for Dummies? Goodbye PowerPoint.
A few months ago, I ran across a site that is simply amazing.
I am often asked how to create a slideshow of still photos from my colleagues. Their immediate question usually starts like this… I have created a PowerPoint slideshow with a bunch of pictures and I’ve added a soundtrack. How can I ‘save’ this as a video? If you are into creating videos yourself, you can probably feel my pain.
I am usually pretty cordial in my explanation as I try to seek their overall goal (okay, after some general sarcastic comments); but after I find their intent, I always start with…. put down the mouse and get away from PowerPoint.
[side note: I do admit that PowerPoint was the “mack daddy” way before that term “mack daddy” even existed; but to be honest, I hope I never have to sit through another PowerPoint presentation. I’m not sure it is PowerPoint’s fault, but the software is taking a bad hit for some very poor presentations and presenters. PowerPoint is not a video editing or video creation software. It is a presentation tool that if used properly can aid in a lecture. Because of the simplicity of the program and the abundant options, most users are inclined to try to incorporate every transition or animation possible–even if it means adding more of the typewritten speech to the slide. Get this, I have even seen some people use PowerPoint as a word processor to create formal reports because it was just so darn easy to drag clipart to another location….Enough of that rant.]
Well, in order to create a video, you have to save it as a video format (PowerPoint does not natively have this ability). Just about any video can be converted to a format for your desired outcome. In most cases, you are either showing the video on your computer or if you a little more savvy, you want to create a DVD for playback on your television.
Instead of turning those still photos into a traditional PowerPoint slide show, try uploading them to Animoto. You can even add a sound track (watch out for copyright issues if you intend on showing the video in public). Creating a video from your stills is a simple as:
- Upload pictures from your computer.
- Add a soundtrack or select a sample from their library.
- Sit back and let Animoto do all the work.
The best thing about this is that you can create an account for FREE. The free account is limited to a 30 second video. Once the video is created, you will receive an email indicating that your video is available (full length videos can take a while to produce). Log back into your account and you can view your video, share it with friends, post it to your own website, or even download it to your computer.
Below is a video created to promote a basketball tournament at our school. The entire process took less than 20 minutes but looks like I spent days on it.
Once downloaded to your computer (as a .mov file), you can view it in the free QuickTime viewer.
Give it a try! You will see why I say “Goodbye PowerPoint”.
