Software to create a “simple” slideshow?

[Nick Griffin]

Not to be overly obvious, but I think this sounds like a task for PowerPoint. (Although I greatly prefer Apple’s Keynote.)
However you may have to forget the idea of slow zoom-ins although you could simulate it by dissolves between slides that progressively get larger. Again Keynote would look MUCH better doing this than the rather clunky way that PowerPoint does dissolves.

[Stephen Pickering]

Thanks Nick. Power Point actually hadn’t even crossed my mind because it’s been years since I’ve used it. The client doesn’t have time to do anything in house, so I’ll be giving them a DVD that loops. Last time I used Power Point I recall it being very difficult to export to a usable video format. But I’ll check into this.

I’ve found tons of slideshow software, but by the time I try them all (and clutter up my machine) I’d be better off just whipping it up in Premiere (or PowerPoint).

I don’t have a mac, so Keynote isn’t an option ☹

Thanks Nick!
-Stephen

[Steve Kownacki]

Yes (ugh) to PPT or, I would think, windows photo viewer could create this. Does it need to be a DVD or can it just play out directly from the computer? And you can license PPT by the month too, just like Adobe products.

Steve

[Jim Brown]

It is a shame you don’t have access to a Mac. iPhoto has a slideshow builder that is easy, fast, and exports to .mov. Has several templates including Ken Burns effects that work very well in such a situation. If I had a file of 200 .jpgs I could generate a slide show with background music in less than 5 minutes.

My $.02 worth
Jim

[Kevin Rag]

I second Jim’s suggestion. iPhoto is really simple to use and super fast:)

Kannan Raghavan
The Big Toad Films Pte. Ltd.

[Bill Davis]

THIS kind of thing is why I’m so happy I’ve spent the last 5 years gaining solid expertise in FCP X.

One piece of software I paid $300 for YEARS ago.

Now it does all my video editing.
All my audio recording and editing.
All my still image and graphics sequencing and manipulation.
And all my encoding and internet distribution

ALL on one program – running on one laptop – which makes me confident that I can handle 99% of the creative communications tasks I’ll ever need to do with exceptional ease and quality.

Things are SO much easier now.

Thank you Apple.

Creator of XinTwo – https://www.xintwo.com
The shortest path to FCP X mastery.

[Chuck Johnson]

Animoto will solve your issue. Use it all the time for quick photo montages…accepts short video clips too.
If you don’t want to sign up for the subscription, send me a few dozen pictures in order (001, 002, 003, etc) along with a song (mp3) and I’ll put something together for you.

Chuck
Big Bad Wolf Creative Group
817-429-0818

[Scott Wilson]

I’ve been looking all over and this thread seems to be the best topic for what I’m looking for…

I, too, need to create a slideshow for a corporate event. For the past two years, I have used Apple Photos’ slideshow export with the “Vintage Prints” preset and it has worked very well. Every so often it will combine two photos into one “slide” and it doesn’t really allow you to adjust that… so…

This year I have decided to try and do this in After Effects. But the powers that be need 2 metadata fields to be incorporated so that each photo will show the Person’s Name (description) and their Department (headline). Previously, I exported everything from Lightroom with those fields “burned in” to a new JPG from the Slideshow module and then imported the photos into Apple Photos and did the slideshow from there. But that export renames everything untitled001.jpg, etc, and strips all the metadata out once the file has been exported.

I’ve been looking all over for a solution that will allow me to take those 2 metadata fields and incorporate them into After Effects as EDITABLE / ANIMATABLE text layers (or even just image files) with the photo to create something new and unique, but for the life of me, I cannot figure out a way to do this.

I know I could just copy the metadata into a new text layer… but there are 800+ photos I’m dealing with for this project.

Does anyone know of a piece of software, or a plug-in, or a script that will allow me to do this?

Thank you in advance.

-Scott

[Chuck Johnson]

Scott,

You are halfway there “…Previously, I exported everything from Lightroom with those fields “burned in” to a new JPG from the Slideshow module and then imported the photos into Apple Photos and did the slideshow from there. But that export renames everything untitled001.jpg, etc, and strips all the metadata out once the file has been exported.”

Since your pics are numbered, you can import them sequentially into Animoto or even After Effects and use the Animation tool/layer to automatically sequence them together. You can also specify a dissolve duration in AE.

Just post-score the final and you are done!

Chuck

[Scott Wilson]

Thanks, Chuck.

But the main thing I’m trying to have is the ability to animate the text (name, department) INDEPENDENTLY of the photo, but somehow linked to the photo. Some of the work I’m doing moves each photo around the frame and sometimes partially hides the text on the photo, but if the text were its own layer, it could animate independent of the photo and I could control all the attributes independent of the photo. But still have it linked so I didn’t have to manually copy and paste 1600+ metadata fields into my project.

It just seems like there should be a way to import a JPG, add a text layer, and be able to choose a metadata field to flow into that text layer and edit the font, kerning, color and animate it.

Much like the SLIDESHOW MODULE does in LR, where you click to add a text field and CHOOSE which metadata entry you wish to be displayed and have control over how it is displayed… I would like that ability in AE. Is there no script or Plug-in that will allow this?

-Scott