There’s nothing more upsetting than having a gallery full of disorganized photos. Showing these photos, that celebrate a special moment of your life, to anyone can be an absolute nightmare as you would need to spend hours figuring out where to begin. If you are planning to share the photos with your friends and want to do something unique, creating a slideshow video is a great idea.
Slideshows can pique the interest of the audience about pretty much everything under the sun. Video slideshows also perform very well on social media as they get shared 1200% more compared to text and images alone. Uploading a video slideshow on your landing page can also skyrocket the conversion by 80% or more.
If slideshow videos sound like something you want to try, here is how to do it:
1. Make sure that your story is powerful
A slideshow video without a story can be incredibly boring. After all, no one wants to watch a series of photos on their screen without knowing the background. Choose images that have a theme. For example, if you are planning to share the photos from your trip to the Taj Mahal, ensure to include shots that capture the monument from different angles. Have a couple of photos of the entryway to add a more dramatic effect to the slideshow.
2. Use a video montage tool
The word montage in French means assembly. A video montage is a popular film editing technique that allows filmmakers to edit and rearrange visuals for powerful storytelling. It also allows you to provide context to the audience and convey a lot of information in a short span of time.
Montages can also add a dash of humor to your slideshow videos and make them more engaging for the viewer. However, be careful about the footage you select for making the montage. The visuals should be meaningful and help you narrate a story. Be selective about the photos you choose so that the slideshow video strikes the right chord with your audience.
With a little bit of planning, you can create compelling video montages. With Clipchamp’s free online video editor, you can upload the media files and arrange them in a sequence to look like a slideshow or montage. Once you are happy with the results, export the video and share it directly or upload it on your social media channels.
3. Add background music
A video montage without music can be a bit boring. If you want to provide a better experience to the viewers, pepper the montage with some catchy background music.
Selecting the correct type of music is important to set the mood. For example, if you want to infuse high energy, go for electronic dance music. But if you’re going to get nostalgic, opt for country music. Also, make sure that the music actually connects with your audience. Look at their ages and preferences before you lock in the music. For example, hip hop and dance music may be a big hit with your younger audience, but they may not have the same effect on the older ones.
Lastly, to avoid getting caught in any legal trouble, always opt for royalty-free music. Clipchamp offers you an extensive audio stock library full of royalty-free tracks. Simply put your video editing skills to work and select a track that complements the slideshow video.
4. Use video scrubbing to make sure it flows well
In simple terms, video scrubbing refers to fast-forwarding a video track by moving the cursor across the timeline. This helps you to review the slideshow, edit it to make sure that all the photos you wanted are included in the video, and refine the flow.
Scrubbing also helps you to edit a lot faster — you don’t have to watch the whole slideshow videos multiple times to find a single shot. The scrubbing speed depends on the software you are using. But with a good video editor, it is a seamless process and gets adjusted as per the length of the video.
5. Keep the slideshow short
With the shrinking attention spans of your viewers, the length of the slideshow video is more important than ever. The secret sauce for an engaging video is the length — it should be under ten minutes. Anything longer, and you may run the risk of alienating the audience.
All set to create a mind-blowing slideshow video?
Slideshow videos are an efficient way to display beautiful photos and keep things interesting for the viewers. Basic video editing skills and a good video editor like Clipchamp can help you create slideshows in no time.