SlideShow programs

David Magahy · #8 05-13-2007, 05:03 AM

I've used FotoMagico for some time now. It was easy to learn, has smooth pans, zooms, rotations and other effects. Downside is it produces enormous files if you have incorporated these Ken Burns effects. Like 0.5Gb and larger for a 5 minute show. Compare that to 60Mb in ProShow Gold. For cross platform playback ProShow or similar is going to be a safer solution. The only output is a Quicktime file whereas proshow does VCD, .exe's, Quicktime/Win Media Player and others.I have version 3 of Gold. I'm not yet on an Intel Mac but will be interested to see if ProShow plus Parallels is a viable solution to fill what I felt was a bit of a void on the Mac platform. (PSG is on a PC laptop currently). Also consider PicturestoExe. It's not bad for the low price.

robert_baker · #9 05-13-2007, 05:15 AM

www.slideshowpro.net and Director is da bomb!

Jerry Skrocki · #10 05-13-2007, 02:07 PM

I created a great looking slide show using iPhoto. Titles, transitions and music. Exported to Quick time, it makes a great movie clip. Transitions, timing and music can be adjusted. The finished clip can be embedded in a PDF document for a professional looking presentation.

Kiran Thind · #11 06-19-2007, 09:47 AM

I find iMovie's slideshows w/ Ken Burns Effect to exhibit "shimmering" on sharp edges. An inexpensive ($49) application which produces much higher quality slideshows (with Ken Burns effect, cross-dissolve transitions, etc) is Photo to Movie.

Louis_McCullagh · #12 07-18-2007, 07:04 AM

Liveslideshow for the mac is the best. i made a movie with 1700 images running 70 minutes with this program. You can set the resolution and get very high quality (screened to 350 people at 14' x 9') but low sized files. I used about 50 clips of sound in the movie.

David Barry · #13 07-18-2007, 12:07 PM

You might want to take a look at PhotoPresenter for the Mac.

http://www.arizona-software.ch/appli...opresenter/en/

(I got it as part of a bundle from MacUpdate (http://www.mupromo.com/) which is worth taking a look at if you are a Mac person. It is only good for the next day and a half.)

I have played with it a bit and it looks really really good. It has the feel of good software and is easy to use. I haven't tried it yet, but it also seems to have terrific openness to customization. You can build your own transitions if you want to! It may not have the ability to define the exact motions of the Ken Burns effects as you can in FotoMagico, but for putting together something interesting in a reasonable time frame it looks hard to beat. Worth having just to look at your own photos!

And at $8 (yes really) the price is hard to beat!

I have no association with any of the entities mentioned here. Just passing on my experience.

DouglasUrner · #14 07-26-2007, 06:23 PM

Take a look at Soundslides Plus it does a very nice, and quick, job producing clean, elegant slideshows. It doesn't have a lot of knobs and dials, so it might not do what you want, but it is also very, very easy to work with. There is a trial available. Even if it doesn't fit the bill for most of what you do, you might want to keep it around for those times when speed is a key factor.