Photo Slideshow Software Review

Why Use Photo Slideshow Software?

Your photos tell a story, and you can share that story using photo slideshows that you personally design and create. Photo slideshow software helps you easily design, share and publish custom slideshows. This software specializes in creating slides filled entirely with photos and videos. It is ideal if you are creating slideshows to display images and videos from your latest family vacation, weddings, memorial tributes and more. These applications provide photo-editing capabilities, several output options and audio tools that are much more powerful than those available within many work-related slideshow applications.

The ability to create truly unique slideshows that tell your story is what makes photo slideshow software valuable. Many of the best applications offer animation tools, clip art, timing controls and voice-recording capabilities. They also provide an extensive number of photo-editing tools so that your photos appear crisp, clear and bright. You can crop, rotate, zoom, and adjust the brightness and contrast of your photos, which are tools that many ordinary slideshow applications lack. With most picture slideshow software, there are handfuls of transitions to choose from, and you can imbed music to give your presentations an even more sentimental feel.

In this site, you will find articles on photo slideshow software and ways to make your photo slideshows stand out. Also, don't forget to take a look at our top-ranked products: PhotoStage Slideshow, PhotoStory on DVD MX Deluxe and ProShow Gold.

Photo Slideshow Software: What to Look For

Not all photo slideshow software is created equal. Generally speaking, the more features and functionality the software offers, the better. A variety of features typically translates into a flexible application that allows you to do more with your photo slideshows. Ease of use is equally important. You want an application that offers ample features without a steep learning curve.

Below are the criteria we used to evaluate the best slideshow software.

Editing Tools
Design features are one of the most important aspects of photo slideshow software. Ideal applications provide a vast array of design capabilities that allow you to create truly unique and stunning slideshow presentations with your pictures. For example, we looked for applications that give you the ability to add text captions and transition effects to slides. Some software has collections of clip art and embellishments you can add to your slideshows. Other design features to seek include timing control so that you can determine how long to display each picture, and the ability to add voice recordings, music and sound clips to your presentations.

Additionally, the quality of the edited photo slideshow is crucial. After putting so much effort into creating a slideshow, the last thing you want is noticeably poor quality. Look for picture slideshow software that consistently produces high quality presentations with clear, sharp photos.

Input & Output Options
The best slideshow software offers a range of input and output options. Vast multimedia file support ensures you can upload images from a variety of sources (e.g., memory cards, CDs, DVDs, etc.) and you can publish your finished slideshows as an assortment of file formats and they are compatible with a variety of viewing devices.

When evaluating output options, we considered the publishing methods, sharing options and movie formats that each application supports. For instance, we determined whether you can upload your slideshows to the web to sites such as YouTube or send them as email attachments directly from the slideshow application. We also considered whether you can burn slideshows to CDs and DVDs and output them as QuickTime movies. Ample input and output options not only increase the overall flexibility of an application, but they also allow you to easily and quickly share your slideshows with family and friends in the manner that's most convenient for you.

Ease of Use
Creating a photo slideshow shouldn't be difficult, frustrating or extremely time consuming. We looked for applications that are easy to use, with intuitive interfaces that are simple to navigate and minimal learning curves so you can create stunning slideshows in a timely manner.

Help & Support
The image slideshow software you choose should be complemented by comprehensive help and support options so you can obtain assistance if questions or technical issues arise as you use the application. Look for direct support via email or telephone, along with useful online resources such as FAQs, product tutorials and user guides.

With photo slideshow software, you can create polished and unique picture slideshows that commemorate special events, loved ones and memorable moments. If you look for products with a combination of the features listed above, you will find the perfect photo slideshow application to meet your needs.

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Software » Multimedia » Photo Slideshow Software Review
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Rank #1#2#3#4#5#6#7#8#9#10
10-9  Excellent
8-6    Good
5-4    Average
3-2    Poor
1-0    Bad
PhotoStage Slideshow PhotoStory on DVD MX Deluxe ProShow Gold PicturesToExe Deluxe PhotoStory on DVD MX CyberLink MediaShow DVD Slideshow Builder My Memories Suite InAlbum Photo MovieTheater
PhotoStage Slideshow PhotoStory on DVD MX Deluxe ProShow Gold PicturesToExe Deluxe PhotoStory on DVD MX CyberLink MediaShow DVD Slideshow Builder My Memories Suite InAlbum Photo MovieTheater
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Lowest Price
Visit PhotoStage Slideshow Pro
$29.99
Visit PhotoStory on DVD MX Deluxe 11
$69.99
Visit ProShow Gold 5
$69.95
Visit PicturesToExe Deluxe 7.5
$75.00
Visit PhotoStory on DVD MX 11
$49.99
Visit CyberLink MediaShow 6 Deluxe
$49.95
Visit DVD Slideshow Builder Deluxe 6.1.11
$69.95
Visit My Memories Suite 3
$29.95
Visit InAlbum 4.0 Deluxe
$29.95
Visit Photo MovieTheater 2.3
$35.95
Ratings
9.55
9.53
9.08
8.78
8.50
8.08
7.95
7.53
7.48
6.83
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
8.88
9.88
10.00
9.88
9.00
10.00
9.38
10.00
8.75
9.38
9.38
8.75
8.13
10.00
8.13
8.75
7.50
8.75
8.75
10.00
6.88
8.75
8.13
9.38
8.75
8.13
7.50
6.25
7.50
6.75
8.75
7.50
6.88
8.13
7.50
7.50
5.00
8.13
7.50
7.50
 
Editing Tools
Slideshow Quality Score 95% 95% 90% 90% 85% 85% 75% 85% 70% 50%
Number of Images Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited 1,100 Unlimited
Transition Effects 35 150 280 60+ 10 31 130+ 11 50 29
Number of Audio Tracks 1 2 2 Unlimited 2 1 2 1 1 2
Number of Backgrounds/Themes None 72 8 None 31 None 450+ 1,500+ 300+ None
Text Captions
Timing Control
 
Import Video Clips
 
Edit Photos
 
Widescreen
   
Voice Recording
 
Embellishments & Clipart
  
Animation Options  
 
Publishing Methods
DVD
CD
Mobile Devices
HD
 
  
Sharing Options
Social Networks
 
YouTube
 
Interactive CD
   
 
Email  
 
Movie Formats
QuickTime
MPEG-4
Windows Media
 
MPEG-2
 
AVI
 
 
Ease of Use
Ease of Use Score 100% 95% 95% 95% 75% 80% 90% 75% 80% 75%
Drag-and-Drop
Undo Functionality
 
 
Video Tutorial
 
 
Download Updates
 
 
Import Wizards
 
 
  
Help & Support
Email
User Guide
FAQs
Telephone
 
    
Supported Configurations
Windows 8
 
Windows 7
Windows Vista
Windows XP