5 Slideshow Mistakes

If you want your friends and family to look at your show more than once, here's some things you might want to avoid:

1. Using too many transitions: Sure you want it to look cool... Using transitions will help tell the story. But don't drown out the message with too many. Instead, use 2-3 per song.

2. Using poor quality photos: if the photo is blurry or the lighting too dark, guess what? We will have to look extra close to see what's being displayed. That's too much work for someone who just wants to kick back and enjoy the story you are trying to tell.

3. Displaying photos too long: about 3 seconds is what you want to display before moving on to the next photo. If that's not enough time, they may likely want to see it again. There are times to display photos longer and shorter, and we will cover these in a future post.

4. Using the wrong music: this will make or break a slideshow. Think about the story you want to convey and let the music take the audience through the different moods.

5. Making the slideshow go on and on: let's face it, a 1 hour show probably won't cut it. There's only so much you can tell through an abstract presentation. If you are going to post to facebook about your household, keep it just a few minutes. You can do several of these short vignettes using different themes if you want.

One fun thing to try is to collaborate with friends and family in making a slideshow. The easiest way to do this is to create a show where everyone can add stuff just by logging into an account. You can try this with your family and friends at the Memories Alive site.

Hope these tips are helpful.