Make a photo slideshow in HD
What you need: Photofilmstrip; Any Windows version (XP to 10) Time required: 30 minutes
There are several free programs that let you convert your photos into slideshows, but Photofilmstrip is one of the easiest we’ve ever used. You can add music, quickly rearrange photos and then export your slideshow as high-definition video. The program also offers some eye-catching motion and transition effects. Even better, you can set the exact duration for each motion and transition.
STEP1
To install the program, go to www.snipca.com/24270. The website is in German but the download links you need are in English. Click the link to download the installable 1 or portable version 2 . The website makes no mention of Windows 10 support 3 , but it does work on it. Open the downloaded setup file, click Run, Yes, select ‘I accept the agreement’ 4 , then keep clicking Next until you need to click Install. After that’s done, click Finish to launch the program.
STEP2
Click the ‘Create new project’ icon 1 , name your slideshow 2 and choose where you want to save it on your PC 3 . If you want to add music to your slideshow, click the ‘Open audio file’ icon 4 , then navigate to and add the audio file(s) you want. The options at the bottom let you set the length of your slideshow 5 . Select Timelapse here if you want to create a timelapse video. Click OK at the bottom right when you’ve finished.
STEP3
To add photos to your slideshow, click the ‘+’ sign with a green label in the centre of your screen, navigate to the folder containing your photos, press Ctrl, click to select the ones you want, then click Open. You’ll now see all your photos arranged in a timeline at the bottom. Click any photo 1 to see two previews 2 . Press Delete 3 to remove any unwanted photo. Click the ‘+’ sign 4 to add more photos if you want. Click and drag any photo in the timeline to move it.
STEP4
The Settings section lets you rotate your photo 1 and add a ‘Black and White’ or ‘Sepia tone’ effect 2 . The top left-hand preview shows the starting point of a moving frame. This displays the section of your photo that will be shown at the start of the motion effect. This then moves to the position shown in the right-hand preview, before the transition to the next photo in your timeline. It’s easy to set these start and end frame points. Click either preview pane, move your mouse wheel up or down to zoom in or out, then click and drag the rectangular frame 3 to the area you want to focus on.
STEP5
There are three types of motion effects you can apply to these frames 1 . Linear moves it at a steady pace; Accelerated starts fast and slows down; and Delayed begins slow then speeds up. You can change the default photodisplay duration (seven seconds) 2 and apply a transition effect 3 from one photo to the next. Fade dissolves one photo into the next one, and Roll makes the next photo slide in from the left. You can change the default transition time (from one second) 4 and add a caption for each photo (optional) by typing in this field 5 .
STEP6
You can’t preview your slideshow as you put it together, but it’s easy to make changes after exporting your file (see next step). To export your slideshow as a video file, click Tools 1 , then ‘Render filmstrip’. In the window that opens, set the file format to MP4 2 , the resolution to HD 3 , the type to NTSC 4 , then click Start 5 . The render progress can take a few minutes depending on the number of photos and the settings you selected.
STEP7
After that’s done 1 , click the folder icon 2 to play the slideshow in your default media player. Alternatively, click the down-pointing green arrow 3 to see more options, including to open the video folder 4 . From here, you can play the file using another media player. Close Photofilmstrip, then click Yes to save your changes. If you need to make changes to your slideshow, simply re-open the program, then select your project name to re-load it. Now make your changes and repeat Step 6 to export your edited slideshow. ●