Create Your Own Photo Show DVD

Photo Show DVD's are for people who like to share their photos on screen. These photo shows or photo slide shows are very easy to create using the software provided online at Smilebox, Shutterfly and Animoto. You can then share these shows online or get them on a DVD. Here are some highlights from each program to help you decide which publisher is right for you.

Animoto

Animoto takes your pictures and chosen sound track and makes your pictures into a "movie trailer". The results are awesome. You can make free 30-second videos or purchase an "All Access Pass" to make longer videos. For a 30 second video you will only need 8-14 pictures.

Here is a sample that I made in a few minutes:

Go Here to make your own 30-second video!!

Smilebox

Smilebox is not a typical photo book publisher, but provides photo slide shows, ecards, postcards, and digital scrapbook pages for their members. They are a membership site, and have three types of membership:

Basic Design is free. You cannot print the slide show, but you can email it. The show will have ads included.

Premium Design is $3.99 per design. You own and can reuse the slide show all you want. There are no ads and the show is a full screen show.

Club Smilebox has a free 14 day trial then it is $5.99 a month or $39.99 a year. You can make as many slide shows as you want.

Creating a slide show or photo show DVD involves a brief software download. Within this software you can then choose one of several themes and then choose a design within that theme. Be careful to make sure that the design you choose allows you to include as many pictures as you'd like since some of the designs do limit the number of pictures that you can use.

The next step is to choose the pictures that you'd like to include in the photo show. Chosen pictures are saved along the side screen. After choosing all the pictures you can then proceed to adding pictures to the chosen design. What is different with Smilebox than Shutterfly and dotPhoto is that you need to add each picture to the slide show in the order you want. With Shutterfly and dotPhoto you arrange the pictures in order in a folder and then all of the pictures are automatically added into the slide show. As you add the pictures you can also add captions. If you choose to edit you can change the music and the slide transitions.

When you are done with the slide show you can send your creation by email, post it to a blog or website, print it at home, or save it as a JPG file (the last two options are only available if you use a Premium Design or join Club Smilebox). If you save it as a JPG file you could then use the pages in a photo book of your choosing.

I have not mentioned that you have the option of adding video to each page instead of a pictures. Since I have not had the chance to do this I have not expanded on this here.

Create free digital photobooks, invitations, scrapbooks, and slideshows and photo show DVDs with your photos and music in just minutes!

Shutterfly

At Shutterfly you can create a PhotoShow DVD for $19.99. There aren't as many choices in designs as Smilebox, but the process is as easy. There are six steps in the creation of your PhotoShow DVD.

Step 1 is to choose a style:

Simple

Baby

Memories

Party

Travel

Wedding

Step 2 is Pictures. Here you add pictures that you want and arrange them in order. You can also enhance and edit the pictures and remove any pictures that you decide don't fit within your show.

Step 3 is Title. You have the choice of adding the Title, Created by, and Starring. This is the place where you can also choose the animation style.

Step 4 is Customize. In Music you have the choice of 19 different categories. Within each music category you get a choice of tunes -- and there are anywhere from 10 to 10 tunes for each category. In Slideshow Style you get a choice of over 20 different types of Transitions and you can choose the Delay between pictures. In Picture Style you can choose a different border (within your overall style chosen in Step 1), choose of Color Effect of Noon, Black and White, Sepia, or Soft Focus. Here you can also add a motion effect. Many people do not make any changes in this section because they are happy with the ones already provided.

Step 5 is Preview. At this screen you not only see your PhotoShow, but you can Arrange/remove pictures; Enhance/edit pictures; Add more pictures; or Edit Title Credits.

Step 6 is Packaging. You choose your packaging style and add pictures to the cover and back.

Now you are ready to save changes and order the DVD.