What makes a slideshow better?

[BarryH]

Being very new to making slideshows, can I ask the more experienced photographers on the WnSoft forums what makes a slideshow better?

I've already learned not to leave watermarks on slides as they are often distracting but I'm not sure if people prefer normal transitions between slides like a simple dissolve or if they prefer more animated transitions. Other things such as how long should you give the viewer to look at each slide, how important is the background music. There's so much to ask.

Hope this all makes sense.
 

[davegee]

Mike,

Using your show as an example, I think that your transitions could be simplified a great deal. Let the quality of the images speak for themselves and link them with subtle dissolve transitions. You will hear much about the "Third Image" and a search of this forum will bring up some info on the subject.

Look at some of the highly rated Landscape Photography shows on SSC and analyse them.

DG

[Barry Beckham]

Mike

The trick is the make your final slide show greater than the sum of the two parts (music and images) and to try an create a little mood if possible. There are a lot of ways to do this, but with a pictorial slide show like yours its the images and the quality of those images that are driving the creative process. Your goal should be to create a smooth flow between images and to do nothing that will interrupt that flow. That's why many have already raised the logo on your images because they do just that, spoil the flow.

Some of the most common ways to try and achieve this is to keep all your images the same size and aspect ratio and 16:9 seems to be the standard these days. With landscapes, try where possible to line up horizons and don't mix and match landscape and portrait format images. As Dave says above investigate the third image, it has the potential to lift the appeal when done right and on a more personal note, use the standard fade 99% of the time

Music is the real key, because if the images come first you have to find some music with that special something, but it has to be able to work in harmony with your images. A brass band and beautiful landscapes are not likely to combine well enough to create a show greater than the sum of the two parts. This is easier said than done, but try to avoid obvious and common music choices. Some delicate sound effects can often help with a mood, but its a very fine line between something great and something awful

The rest is just putting your heart and sole into it over many days. Watch your own show twice a day and see how many days pass before you start tearing it apart. When you stop tearing it apart, then its time to show the world

Welcome to AV  

[JRR]

Mike:

Dave and Barry pretty well said it all.

I would add that the synchronization of the music to the images is very important as well.

I have attached two sets, somewhat duplicative, that I prepared for "lectures" that I did way back in 2008/9. While a few years old, I think they still can be used as guidelines.

 

AV preparation work flow-20090314.pdf

AV Techniques Rev 2008-20090221.pdf

[BarryH]

Thanks for all the help and advice, I'm still digesting it all. What I have seen and read so far makes perfect sense. One thing that really jumped out at me was from JRR's post in one of the linked lectures and that was the wording "Show off your images, not the software".

Dave mentioned to look at some of the highly rated Landscape Photography show and that is what I'll be doing next.

Thanks again for all the help and advice.

Regards
Mike 
 

[Lin Evans]

Hi Mike,

I agree fully with what has been said. What is important to keep in mind is that your shows are for an audience. The exact nature of your presentation will depend then on the type of audience you intend to reach and what you are trying to say. For example, if your show is primarily for photographers the quality and appearance of your slides is paramount. If your show is, for example, for engineers, their might be a different emphasis. If the intent is to tell a story with a moral or ethical message, then the approach might be different still. 

Only you can know your intent and the message you intend to convey so that the entire production is focused for the correct audience. Many users of PicturesToExe place their compositions in competitions and that brings yet another dimension to the whole. Many of my own shows are demonstrations of what PicturesToExe can do rather than slideshows for a particular audience so they may not be representative at all of what makes a good slideshow. For example, what you create for a family party, birthday celebration or wedding will differ greatly. The software is amenable to a wide variety of uses.

The bottom line is that PTE is a powerful environment which allows the user to be the conductor of a symphony which may be amenable to numerous types of audiences. How you use it is up to you since you are the conductor! 

Best regards,

Lin

[Almark]

Everyone is different, I know folk to meticulously plan their approach, note what images they will need and then go out and take the photos.  This can be most useful when your show is telling a story with narration. 

For me the music is key, it is the glue that holds it all together.  I will often come across a track, usually dramatic music from a film and I just know what images will go with it. But everyone is different!

[danmassefrance]

I am very late on this topic... sorry...

The way I see it, and to make it simple : we make slide shows to catch the attention of the audience -  trying to let them have a good time.

To reach that goal, you need three components (like a stool !) : good images, a soundtrack and a story line (to catch and hold the attention of the audience). None of the components is less important than the others.

- The images : this is usually the easiest part, as most of us are primarily photographers.

- The story line : could be very simple, but it must be there, to guide the spectator along, to prevent him from hitting the Esc key (as I very often do...). The best is to have a punch line... but you can do without, as long as the spectator wants to see the next slide. If possible, try to avoid obvious stories (like "My trip to Honolulu"). For most people, this is the most difficult part. If you have fantastic images of a place nobody has ever seen, you may dispense with a story line, but this would be exceptional...

- The sound track. It may be music, recorded sounds, comments, or a mix of the three... If music, avoid at all cost a music which is too well known (most people already have a representation of images on that music.). Recorded sounds are nice - but better if used sparingly. Comments are difficult for many people : they should be said (and not read). And of course they should be recorded with great care : recording a voice is very similar to taking a picture : the recording technique is important, and the post-processing is just as important - except it is much more complicated than the post-processing of images...

And then of course there is the last step, which takes the most time : putting it all together... transitions between images should be adapted to the images, and synchronized with the music. They should be varied, but they should not be "gratuitous". A transition effect with no purpose has a negative impact, and distracts from the show. Simple transitions are very often best.

Finally, take your time... As a rule of thumb, I figure that it takes me a week to code one minute of show (and sometimes much longer...). Show your show to friends (in a forum !) and take note of their reactions - but you don't have to follow all their suggestions : you are the author ! You will be surprised at the number of small details you have overlooked, when you have your nose on the computer screen. And you will be surprised at the improvement you will see after changing just a little detail. "The devil is in the details".

Let your show on the side for a few days, and come back to it. When you reach the point where you see that everything fits together nicely, then you may seat back and enjoy : your job is finished ! And you may be proud of it !

Have fun !

[jkb]

Hi BarryH

I totally agree with everything that Danmassefrance has said.

"The devil is in the details" - is most important, never let anything distract the audience, for then they are brought out of the mood you are trying to create.
This can be as simple as a highlight in the wrong place that catches attention.
Look at each image critically on it's own & see if there is anything that stands out that shouldn't! Especially check the corners & edges.
Then see how each image combines with the next, make sure horizons & lines/angles within the image combine well.

As Almark says the music (soundtrack) is also very important.
Any changes or sound effects should be seamless. If the audience notices you have done something then it has failed!

Try to make it so that when something happens in the music - a crescendo - then something should also happen in the visuals.
This is very easy to do in PTE by looking at the wave form in Timeline.

If you are making a 'PhotoHarmony' type sequence then the images are the most important part & must be of high quality.
Leave them on screen a little longer so the audience can appreciate them.

If you are making an AV - to tell a story, or create a mood/feeling, then it is the overall effect that is most important & the images should flow with very little screen time - keep everything moving along.

 

But the most important aspect of all is that YOU enjoy the whole process, from taking images, finding music, putting the whole show together & enjoying the reactions from your audiences.
If any of it becomes a chore then it is no longer worth it.

Please bear in mind that everything that has been said is to enable you to create shows at the highest level & this may take a long time to acheive.

Work to your own ability & that will grow over time.

 

If you are in the UK then there are many AV clubs, competitions & workshops around the country that you attend for help & inspiration.
Take a look at www.avnews.org.uk on the calendar page to see what is happening.

Jill