How to make a memorial slideshow from old photos, with a few that move

Gathering the photos

The hardest part of a memorial slideshow is often the first one: finding the pictures. Ask every branch of the family to look through albums, frames, phones and old social media accounts, and set up one shared folder where everyone can drop scans and photos. Give a clear deadline; services come quickly, and people need a few days.

• Childhood and school photos, often only held by siblings or cousins.
• Wedding photos and early married life.
• Work, service, hobbies and the places they loved.
• Holidays and family gatherings across the decades.
• Recent photos with grandchildren, friends and pets.
• Candid shots: laughing, cooking, dancing, asleep in a chair. They're often the favourites.

Restore the old ones first

Old prints rarely look their best on a big screen: scratches, creases, yellowed color and fading all get magnified. Run the oldest and most damaged photos through restore old photos, which removes damage and fixes fading while keeping every face exactly as it was, and add color to a few black-and-white ones with colorize old photos if the family likes the idea.

Our guide to restoring old photos covers scanning and checking faces. Restorations take about a minute each, so a dozen photos is an evening's work, and new accounts get 70 free credits with no card.

Adding a few moving portraits

A handful of animated photos, where the person blinks, breathes and smiles, can be the moment a slideshow becomes unforgettable. Use them sparingly: three to five clips at natural pauses, such as the opening photo, the wedding, a favourite portrait and the final image. Make them with bring old photos to life, keeping the camera still and the motion gentle.

Check with the immediate family before including them; some people find moving images of someone they've just lost too much. Our guide to animating photos of loved ones has prompts and advice on sharing them with care.

Putting the slideshow together

1. Step 1

   Choose the order

   Roughly chronological works for most families: childhood, young adulthood, family life, later years. Group photos by chapter rather than by exact date.

2. Step 2

   Pick the music

   One or two songs they loved, or calm instrumental music. Five to eight minutes of video is usually two songs.

3. Step 3

   Set the timing

   About five seconds per photo; a little longer for group shots people will want to look at.

4. Step 4

   Build it

   Any free slideshow or video editor on a phone or computer works. Add the moving clips where you planned them.

5. Step 5

   Watch it with someone

   Ask a relative to check names, order and anything that might upset someone, before the service.

Small touches that matter

• Open with a title card: their name, the years, and a line they used to say.
• Avoid heavy transitions and effects; a simple cross-fade lets the photos speak.
• Include people from every part of their life so everyone in the room sees themselves.
• End on a photo where they're smiling, held a little longer.
• Export a copy for family members who couldn't attend, and keep the original files together in one folder.

Sharing after the service

Many families share the slideshow privately afterwards, by a link to relatives or in a family group. If you share publicly, note that animated portraits were created from photographs. Free results carry a small watermark; if you'd like clean versions for a service screen, make the final restorations and clips on a plan, and Starter's first month is $4.99 if you've never paid.

Keep the folder of restored photos. They become the family's archive, ready for anniversaries, birthdays and the next generation.