If you're anyone like me, you've got old photos in boxes, scattered pictures in assorted scrapbooks or albums, a computer hard drive with photos saved in places you don't even remember, maybe even some undeveloped film (who knows what could be on there!). If you're looking for something to do with all of it, why not make a photo slideshow on Dvd replete with music and specials effects? It is a great way to keep a permanent record of all those photos as Dvds can last up to 100 years. There are abundance of associates that will achieve that aid for you (including the author's) or you can do it yourself. If you want to do it yourself, here are some ideas to help you out.
Know Your Audience
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The most prominent aspect in creating any photo montage is in knowing your audience. Ultimately, what you are doing with your montage is telling a story. To tell it effectively, you have to know who you are telling it to. The audience will play a large part in how many pictures you want to include, the type of music you want, and the length of the presentation. Here are a few specific ideas:
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Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote (Black) Feature
- This remote control is designed for Microsoft XBOX 360 Console only
- Control has function buttons to Play Music or watch DVDs right from your console
- Requires 2 x AA batteries
- Compatible With Xbox 360 / Xbox 360 Slim
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* If you plan on showing your montage to a larger audience (like a birthday, wedding reception/rehearsal dinner, or anniversary party) make sure you reconsider how you are going to present it. Is your slideshow going to be a backdrop for the party or is there going to be a time to sit down where everybody will accumulate to watch? If it is a backdrop, you probably want to use more pictures. That way, population can watch parts as they please, mingle, and then come back to watch separate parts as the party moves on. If your montage is going to be displayed with the expectation that most population will stop what they are doing to watch, keep your presentation microscopic to about 4 songs (about 125 to 175 photos). This is a good length to create some nice emotions yet short enough that it will not interrupt the event.
* If you plan on showing your slideshow to a small and intimate audience, the best bet is to make it short and sweet. One to two personal songs with about 75 photographs makes a great surprise gift.
The importance Of Order
There are a variety of approaches you can take in ordering your photographs (thematically, chronologically, etc). What normally has the best flow is a chronological order. Chronological order allows you to encapsulate all facets of a person's life in a way that everybody will understand. It also creates a great nostalgia result early on which will grab your audience's concentration right away.
Music
Generically speaking, songs with lyrics are best. Since the majority of your Dvd will be pictures, having lyrics nothing else but helps to attach the photos to the music. If a single lyric matches up to what is going on in a single photo that is even better.
As to musical genre, that is a matter of personal taste. From experience, though, a mix is normally the most powerful. If you are development an upbeat, light-hearted presentation, then matching music is appropriate. If you are looking for something arresting and emotional, then think of your presentation like it is a great movie. You want a lighter side, a dramatic part, and a great ending. Depending on the number of photos you have, probably one or two up-tempo songs, one or two slower songs, and then the homerun song for the end.
When picking specific songs, it is a good idea to think beyond the more coarse favorite songs. What is the person's favorite song? How about a song from their childhood? Maybe one version of a song works best than someone else (like acoustic versus electric)? There is an wonderful number of music available online; it is a good idea to explore. You will know when you see it in your presentation if it nothing else but fits.
Photo Quality
A big issue connected to creating a photo montage is photo editing. There is abundance of software that can clean up cracks, fix lighting, adjust color, take off spots, etc.; some works best than others (check out http://www.cnet.com for product reviews). The one question no software can fix, though, is a grainy photo. Unfortunately, an out-of-focus photo is going to remain an out-of-focus photo in your slideshow. When you are choosing the photos are going to include, you should pick the clearest ones you have. Keep in mind that your slideshow may have lots of transitions, backgrounds, pan and zooms, etc. So you want photos with a focal point that is as clean as possible. Clean photos help keep the flow of the presentation.
Video
A good way to add some flair to your montage is to add video. If you can find and separate some good video clips, they add a great touch. If you do decree to add video, don't make the clips too long. Remember, you have a story to tell and need to keep it moving. Keep the clip down to about thirty seconds and reconsider using video as a break point in the middle of "chapters" or songs.
Narrate It
Another great touch is to use personal voice recordings in your slideshow. If your presentation is a gift, hearing your voice makes it that much more personal (and memorable). Voice recording can be done on most home computers. Turn on the microphone and go for it!
Quotes and Poems
If you are nothing else but looking to create an emotional montage, use photo captions. They can be personal quotes, preeminent quotes, short poems, etc. anyone your preference, a good quote can help to carry the true meaning behind a confident photo or draw out deep emotions.
Personalize It
What makes any gift special? The view of procedure -- especially the view that comes from you. Since that is the case, some piece of personalization, any way small, is critical. Think of it as your signature on a painting. Either it is a song, a caption, or even a confident photo make sure to make it your own.
The End
Sometimes one of the best parts of a movie is the feature reel at the end (think "Build Me Up, Buttercup" at the end of There's Something About Mary). If you can come up with your own "bloopers reel," it would be an excellent finishing touch to your slideshow.
Back-Up Plan
Once all of your pictures have been scanned, catalogued, and you are ready to start on your montage, don't forget to create a file with just your originals in case you need to go back to them for some reason. It is a good idea to also create a separate folder with your edited photos. That way you have copies of both for a "Doomsday scenario." This also provides you a way to hold all your print photos which can degrade over time (cracking, turning yellow, etc).
Hopefully, these ideas are helpful to you. Creating a photo slideshow is a lot of work but it always turns out to be worth it in the end.
Photo Montage (or Slideshow) Tips and IdeasYelawolf - Let's Roll ft. Kid Rock Video Clips. Duration : 3.97 Mins.Music video by Yelawolf performing Let's Roll. © 2012 Interscope
Tags: Yelawolf, Let's, Roll, Interscope, Rap/Hip-Hop
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