Slideshows

 

Slideshows: Short summary

Slideshows are digital photo galleries where any number of photos or graphics are strung together in a presentation. If music and/or a recorded audio commentary is added, they are then described as audio slideshows.

What is a Slideshow? Detailed summary:

Slideshows allow users to prepare a montage of photos or other images and present them online in a digital format. Any number of images can be linked together to be accessed automatically or via repeated mouse clicks. A slideshow is different from a standard video format in that all images are static, rather than moving, and therefore clearly identifiable.

Slideshows are frequently accompanied by music or commentary and published as an audio slideshow. In addition, many programs can be used to create slideshows with a broad range of design options, including effects, different transitions or image-editing features.

Creating slideshows

To make a slideshow, users will need a selection of images which can then be edited using various tools and arranged in a chosen time sequence. Many of these tools function rather like video editing programs.

A timeline allows different images to be positioned in the right place and also determines the respective duration of each image. Then, the required transitions between the images are defined. Some may have a soft, smooth transition while others may be more animated.

Many programs used to create photo galleries also include image-optimization features. These include color and cropping tools which can be deployed to color-match and crop your photo images as appropriate. In addition, there will often be filter and zoom effects which can be used to highlight particular images or a selected area of an individual image.

With most programs, users can also import audio files and paste them into the timeline, allowing the creation of slideshows accompanied by music or by an audio commentary. Finally, the finished image can be -previewed (in a video format) and, if all is satisfactory, will then be ready for release.

Many content management systems also incorporate a function which allows integrated slideshows to be displayed automatically. This slider function can appear on the homepage or elsewhere on a website and is used to give visitors a visual overview of the variety of content available. To create a slideshow, website owners simply upload the selected images into their CMS. These will then activate and play on the right pages.

Slideshow tools

A variety of tools can be used to create slide shows. In addition to fee-based programs such as Adobe Photoshop or the Ashampoo Slideshow Studio, users will find a wide range of freeware very similar to the now-obsolete Magix Slideshow Maker.

Using Slideshows

Many website owners and web publishers use slideshows to showcase their content. Slideshows have established themselves as a fixed format alongside alternatives such as blog articles. However, photo galleries and slideshows have the advantage that they can present a broad range of stories and themes, and can often reach people more easily than texts. For example, many predominantly visual or emotional issues can be effectively displayed via a good slideshow, and many collections and presentations likewise lend themselves well to the slideshow format.

Many online journalism sites use picture spreads to illuminate a subject in greater depth. Slideshows are often easier to produce than videos and are a convenient medium of expression for journalists who regard pictures as a standard format and use them to tell emotional stories. One of the best known examples of a journalistic product where a slideshow plays an important role is the New York Times’ multimedia story Snow Fall.

Slideshows are also a popular format used in content marketing. They offer the opportunity to present helpful content visually, making it easier to explain complex issues. The SlideShare platform can be used for precisely this purpose and provides online users with a location to upload and share their slideshow material.

Last but not least, many sites use slideshows to display their site content. Many website owners love to use the page display area to host slideshows with plenty of content and animation in order to attract more attention to their site and boost their SEO performance by presenting high quality content.

Conclusion:

Slideshows are digital versions of a photographic slideshow, which are published online with or without audio. They are particularly useful for the visual presentation of content that may reach users more easily than text. A slideshow is generally less expensive to produce than a video.

Both paid-for tools and freeware programs can be used to create slideshows. The slideshow format is commonly used in online journalism as well as in content marketing.