Photo Storytelling

Photo storytelling involves displaying photos along with voice and music to tell a story.

Some friends were asking how the Groovlogging Slideshow was made.

(TIP: Check out these profitable Video Blogging Secrets today.)

It was made with the help of photo slideshow software at SoundSlides.com (the Plus version allows you to make your photos "move" a la the Ken Burns effect).

You basically gather a bunch of photos, add a soundtrack, and SoundSlides will automatically create the slideshow for you. Of course, with a bit of additional effort, you can further refine your show. You can change the timing between photos, or change how each photo transitions to the next.

A photo slideshow is like a video... only visually bigger and clearer.

For example, a 30-second mp3 soundtrack accompanied by ten 640 x 480 photos will occupy around 1MB of space. The .wmv video version of that same slideshow weighs in at around 1MB also, but the viewable area will be a much smaller 320 x 240 pixel rectangle. The .wmv version will also appear blurred.

If you need royalty free music to add more oomph to your presentation, you can get songs for as low as $7 each at Stock20.com (each song comes in several length variations).

For your slideshow project, aim for a 2-minute presentation. At four seconds per photo, prepare 30 photos for your show. Assuming you will prepare a title and final slide, that leaves you with 28 pics for your script.

Yes, it helps to write a script. Don't worry... it's just for a two-minute run. How much can you say in two minutes, right?

If you've been thinking about video blogging, or if you want to give those "large" photos of your friends and relatives a more music video-like or documentary feel, try SoundSlides today.

Want to see one example of what can be done with SoundSlides? Please check out the Groovlogging Slideshow.

Compare that "large photo" format with the smaller video below:

Of course, the video contains more than just photo stills. It also has other effects. The main point of this example, however, is for you to compare the online viewing experience of a small rectangle (video) versus a larger one (photo slideshow).

Here's a sample slideshow which accompanies Episode 39 of the Speak Tagalog Podcast, set at a width of 400 pixels.

[ First posted on 10/30/2007 by Manuel Viloria ]