Creating a captivating video montage or slide show that you can enjoy for years to come is not difficult. Here are some hints that I use while creating my slide shows:

1. Audience: The most important 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. Shorter is sometimes better. Here are a few specific ideas:

* If you plan on showing your montage to a larger audience (like a birthday, wedding reception/rehearsal dinner, or anniversary party) make sure you consider 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 everyone will gather to watch? If it is a backdrop, you probably want to use more pictures. That way, people can watch parts as they please, mingle, and then come back to watch different parts as the party moves on. If your montage is going to be displayed with the expectation that most people will stop what they are doing to watch, keep your presentation limited 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.

2. Quality: While recent advances in digital photo restoration have allowed torn and poorly developed photographs to be brought back to life, there is only so much that the software can do. Pictures that look great printed (correct lighting, framing, developed properly) will also look great while scanned. Pictures that are extremely dark or grainy, while perhaps improved somewhat, will still not appear the best.

3. Variety: Even though you may love all the pictures of your guinea pig, Muffin, you’re audience may not want to sit through all the pictures of him. Instead of showing 10 pictures of Muffin, perhaps choose the best 2 or 3. Using a variety of photographs can keep your audience interest.

4. Horizontal pictures VS Vertical pictures: Given the standard 4:3 dimensions of television monitors, photographs that are horizontal (landscape mode) as opposed to vertical(portrait mode) show better on a TV. While portrait photographs certainly can and SHOULD be used, you should be aware that the background will appear around the photograph. It’s best to use these sparingly throughout the slide show and not clump them all together.

5. Music. Choose music that has meaning to you. Generically speaking, songs with lyrics are best. Also pay attention to how long the music you’re choosing is. If you’re only showing 30 pictures, you might not want to choose a 8 minute song. A mix is usually the most powerful. If you are making an upbeat, light-hearted presentation, then matching music is appropriate. If you are looking for something engaging 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.

6. Motion: Slide shows developed on PowerPoint and other consumer level software will typically be just static photos that go from one picture to the next. Consider having your slide shows created with effects that Pan and Zoom. This can help bring your pictures to life. Memories in Motion will automatically add the panning and zooming to your photos free of charge.

7. Add transitions to your slide shows. Transitions such as fade in/fade out, dissolve, and image peel are also an effective way to move from one photograph to the next. Memories Kept Alive will automatically add transitions to your slide show or video montage free of charge.

8. Personalize It: If you are really looking to create an emotional montage, use photo captions. They can be personal quotes, famous quotes, short poems, a personal note/letter, etc. Whatever your preference, a good quote can help to convey the true meaning behind a certain photo or draw out deep emotions.

9. Test!: If you’re planning on showing your video montage or slide show at an event like a wedding reception, try and test ALL the equipment prior to the big day. Make sure the projector or television, DVD Player or Laptop, and sound is all working.

Creating a captivating slide show or video montage can be done successfully with keeping these tips in mind. Pictures that are preserved to DVD can be enjoyed for years to come.