6 Tips to Make Beautiful Photo Slideshows
The Pic-Time Slideshow creator is a powerful and meaningful way to add another layer of emotional depth to your client and art gallery delivery and boost your social media and online presence. It enables you to effortlessly transform any selection of photos from a gallery into a captivating slideshow experience!
Since its launch, Slideshows have become some of the most used and loved features by our photographers. We’re sharing some great tips below plus have asked our professional photographers for their tips that will help guide you towards creating the most emotive and engaging slideshow for your own online galleries.
Tip #1: Create an Interesting Flow with Layouts
You can set the images one by one for a more traditional look, but if you want to create an interesting flow for your Slideshow, use a variety of layouts to create movement. By using the different layouts you can create visual interest and build a stronger narrative with your images.
Choosing the right images will be the first and most impactful way your clients will experience their photos, so select a good range. Don’t forget the details! Setting the scene and mixing close-ups with pulled back shots gives your viewers space to breathe and lets the show-stopper images have the biggest punch.
““I love playing with the different layouts, and duplicating slides with two photos to make an effect of one static and one changing photo.””
(Music: ‘Nice Vibes’ by Neon Beach)
(Music: ‘Borealis’ by Isaac Joel)
Tip #2: Convey Emotion Through Strong Pacing
Slideshows give you a unique opportunity to experiment with storytelling, and playing with the organization and pace is one of the best ways to do that. Remember there’s no right or wrong answer, try a few different ways to see what builds the most interest.
Strong pacing begins with structure. A linear story hooks your viewers in the first few images as well as sets the tone and theme. The next images build up to a climax, followed by the finale. Exploring a non-linear technique, where your images don’t follow a chronological order of events, can also be a fun direction for your slideshow!
““Creating a slideshow is an opportunity to experiment with linear and nonlinear storytelling techniques. Consider introducing characters early, or key things that happened, to set that context ahead of time, before then moving to more linear sequences.””
(Music: ‘The Menace’ by Hill)
(Music: ‘In Dreams’ by Caleb Etheridge)
Tip #3: Match the Energy with Music
Music is the thread that holds your slideshow together. Choose it with intention! You’ll want to consider not only your brand but also the subject matter of the images. This is the spine and the heart of the slideshow.
Each genre or type of music will evoke a different emotion. Something upbeat can give your slideshow energy, while something moodier can make it feel cinematic. Beatmatching is there for you to enjoy, but you should experiment with all options to ensure your photos pop.
Slideshow by Lisa Devlin
(Music: ‘No Fear’ by Caleb Etheridge)
(Music: ‘Cavern’ by Stephen Keech)
Tip #4: Design, Design, Design
Great design adds value and meaning to your Slideshows, it gives you the ability to portray your message in the best way possible. There are different formats you can choose from, keep in mind that vertical videos can reach a large audience when utilized on the right platform.
Your logo and watermark are automatically included in the Slideshow creator. Choose the best fonts and background colors to compliment your work and create titles that provide context and set the scene for your story. Remember – your images tell the story, the slideshow is the home for them to live in.
““I love how you have the option of creating both portrait and landscape versions. I can also add text, layout changes and graphics inside the slideshow interface.””
(Music: ‘Paint You’ by Nu Alkemi$t)
(Custom Music – ‘Trip Around the Sun’ by Sarah Kang)
Tip #5: Use Slideshows for Your Marketing
Sharing your Slideshows on social media is a great strategy for marketing your work. Slideshows allow you to connect with more than just your clients – they’re an easy-to-share product that can be shared with vendors and marketed to new clients. Connect with your audience in an authentic way that elevates your brand from all your social media platforms.
Before you make a new slideshow, it’s important to think about how you plan on sharing it. Different social media channels have different time limits, applications, and benefits. It’s best to decide where you’ll share your slideshow first so you create the right version. At the end of your slideshow you can include your logo to lead your audience to your galleries.
(Music: ‘Morning Light’ by Emorie)
(Music: ‘White Trillium’ by Isaac Joel)
Tip #6: For Mobile, Make it Vertical
To make sure your work is presented in the best way on mobile, create a vertical Slideshow. People are more inclined to watch stories on social media before scrolling through posts in their feed, so vertical format is the way to go! Vertical videos take up the entire screen, so your photos take the center stage.
How long should your vertical slideshow be? What social media platform should you share it to? Here are some parameters for sharing on Instagram & TikTok:
IG Stories
Slides have a 15 second limit, but you can upload a longer video and it will break up your video to seamlessly play over several slides. We recommend saving the long slideshows for IGTV and using something that will only span 2-4 slides for Stories. 9:16 ratio for the video.
IGTV
Videos must be at least 1 minute long. 9:16 ratio for the video, but keep in mind if you want to post it as a preview to your Instagram grid it will crop it to a 4:5 ratio. You will be able to choose the cover photo from the video (or upload your own), add a title and description, and choose the crop of the post preview for your feed.
IG Reels
Videos must be 30 seconds or less. 9:16 ratio for the video, but keep in mind if you want to post it as a preview to your Instagram grid it will crop it to a 4:5 ratio. You can add a caption to your reel, and also choose the crop of the post preview for your feed.
TIKTOK
Videos must be under 1 minute. 9:16 ratio for the video.
Where To Share?
IG Stories may be the most immediate place to share, as your clients and followers are clicking through their social media accounts, but they don’t have a permanent place on your Instagram grid. Instagram Reels and IGTV can both be shared as a post on your grid and exist on your Reels page / IGTV page in your account. You can also share your reel or IGTV video to your story!
Social media fluctuates rapidly, but currently the Instagram algorithm give Reels the biggest boost, so make sure to take advantage of that.
TikTok is a whole other platform, but creates a new sense of community and is often easier to have your videos seen by a larger audience that’s not already following you.
Ready to Start?
We’ve already seen how this amazing new tool can add that extra something to your galleries, and bring your Pic-Time experience into your larger social realm. We hope these tips help give you the confidence to continue experimenting with how slideshows fit into your workflow!
To build your own Pic-Time Slideshow, watch our tutorial here:
For more information, check out our Knowledge Base articles:
How can I create a slideshow in my galleries?
