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Wedding slideshow -what program?

P-Worm

P-Worm

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Jul 16, 2002
2,045
1
Salt Lake City, UT
I'm putting together a slideshow for one of my friend's wedding. I want it to be a profesional looking slideshow with plenty of panning and zooming over the pictures as they dissolve to one another. I want the eventual format of the video to be HD (HDV is the output medium so that is preffered, but I could use another codec like DVCPro HD if needed).

My question is, "What is the best program to use for this task?" In iPhoto it seems really straight forward, but it does not look like there is any option to export as an HD movie. I have Final Cut Pro and could definately do it there in the codec of my choice, but I wonder if the way you set up keyframes is a little more annoying than I would like it to be.

Are there any videographers out there that put slideshows together regularly? What is your weapon of choice?

P-Worm
 
What does FCE have that FCP doesn't? Is there some kind of slideshow option? I don't have FCE as I have used FCP and followed the upgrade path long before FCE was ever announced.

P-Worm
 
P-Worm said:
What does FCE have that FCP doesn't? Is there some kind of slideshow option? I don't have FCE as I have used FCP and followed the upgrade path long before FCE was ever announced.

P-Worm
Click to expand...

Nothing.. you might be able to Automate the process in Motion but other then that FCP with keyframes is your best bet.
 
I do this all the time. What you want to use is iMovie. Drag in all the photos and apply the "Ken Burns" effect. I've tried doing via FCE and it is much, much simpler with iMovie. Once you're done with the project, you can burn it to DVD using iDVD or Toast.

One thing to consider, if you're set on making the output format HD, is how you're going to play it. You'd need to be assured of an HD monitor on which it would be played (and assurance that the connection to whatever device you're using to display is HD) and also some method of source - blueray DVD, HD DVD, etc. Perhaps what you really want (correct me if I'm wrong) is widescreen standard def, which is technically much easier on the display end- I believe with iMovie HD you can export widescreen standard-def, though I'm not sure (I use an older version of iMovie.)

Dave
 
Don't use imovie. I did one of these recently using FCP, and it worked perfectly. Using imovie seems like it will be easier, but once you get into it and relize that the auto ken burns effect never moves the way you want it to you'll switch over to FCP anyways. If you have after effects, it really ups the perceived quality of the slide show if you take a couple of the photos and do a 2.5D camera zoom on them. People love that s**t, makes 'um cry.:( :rolleyes:
 
I literally just finished a 180 photo montage for my relatives. I used Final Cut Pro and keyframed a basic Ken Burns effect, zooming in and out on the photos. On some keyframes, I would right click and have it smoothed out so the zooms would go smoothly.

Make sure you view your footage on a TV or something because it looks like crap on the computer, and it is for a reason.
 
faustfire said:
Don't use imovie. I did one of these recently using FCP, and it worked perfectly. Using imovie seems like it will be easier, but once you get into it and relize that the auto ken burns effect never moves the way you want it to you'll switch over to FCP anyways. If you have after effects, it really ups the perceived quality of the slide show if you take a couple of the photos and do a 2.5D camera zoom on them. People love that s**t, makes 'um cry.:( :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

What do you mean by 2.5D camera zoom? Is that where you simulate 3D, but you use layered 2D objects? I have Shake and the multilane function seems like it would accomplish that.

Like this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBTk7ZHegTM

P-Worm
 
Dave00 said:
One thing to consider, if you're set on making the output format HD, is how you're going to play it. You'd need to be assured of an HD monitor on which it would be played (and assurance that the connection to whatever device you're using to display is HD) and also some method of source - blueray DVD, HD DVD, etc. Perhaps what you really want (correct me if I'm wrong) is widescreen standard def, which is technically much easier on the display end- I believe with iMovie HD you can export widescreen standard-def, though I'm not sure (I use an older version of iMovie.)
Click to expand...

I want it HD. And don't worry about delivery, I have that part all figured out.

Thanks for all of the responces so far. I knew I could count on this forum to give some sound advice.

P-Worm
 
P-Worm said:
I want it HD. And don't worry about delivery, I have that part all figured out.

Thanks for all of the responces so far. I knew I could count on this forum to give some sound advice.

P-Worm
Click to expand...

P..check out fotomagico. pretty sure it does HD. wicked app. free version is great...purchase version even better.

dead easy to use and fantastic results.
 
P-Worm said:
What do you mean by 2.5D camera zoom? Is that where you simulate 3D, but you use layered 2D objects? I have Shake and the multilane function seems like it would accomplish that.

Like this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBTk7ZHegTM

P-Worm
Click to expand...

Exactly. Just tone it down to a slight camera move, slight zoom with a very slight pan if needed. Its really easy to do and people are uber impressed by it. Especially in a wedding slideshow.

I've never done it in shake, but should be easy if you know your way around the program.

(if youve never done something like this, all you have to do is cut out your main subjects from the background in photoshop. Clone the background in enough to compensate for the movement of your subject, then drop the layers into 3d space separated by an amount of space that gives you the movement you want. Then just position the camera so that your layers line up correctly and then slowly zoom in on the photo by moving your camera foward.)
 
faustfire said:
Exactly. Just tone it down to a slight camera move, slight zoom with a very slight pan if needed. Its really easy to do and people are uber impressed by it. Especially in a wedding slideshow.

I've never done it in shake, but should be easy if you know your way around the program.

(if youve never done something like this, all you have to do is cut out your main subjects from the background in photoshop. Clone the background in enough to compensate for the movement of your subject, then drop the layers into 3d space separated by an amount of space that gives you the movement you want. Then just position the camera so that your layers line up correctly and then slowly zoom in on the photo by moving your camera foward.)
Click to expand...

That is a nice effect. Any place to see a tutorial on this effect?
 
failsafe1 said:
That is a nice effect. Any place to see a tutorial on this effect?
Click to expand...
The movie "The Kid Stays in the Picture" is what really popularized it. So if you can find a trailer for that on line you can see it.

It's really not hard to do. Just take an image into photoshop and cut out the foreground from the background then take those layers into FCP and animate the foreground separate from the background. For example, gently zoom out on the foreground objects while zooming in on the background. Like faustfire said though, you might have to use the clone tool in PS to cover up the "hole" in the background you made depending on what kind of moves in FCP you do. Sometimes the moves can cover up the hole and sometimes they can't.


Lethal
 
faustfire said:
Don't use imovie. I did one of these recently using FCP, and it worked perfectly. Using imovie seems like it will be easier, but once you get into it and relize that the auto ken burns effect never moves the way you want it to you'll switch over to FCP anyways.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure what you're talking about. The Ken Burns effect in iMovie is completely customizable. You set a start point/zoom, an end point/zoom, and the time to get from A to B. If you want to do something more complex, such as pan to a specific location, then zoom, all you have to do is duplicate the photo and have one with a pan and one with a zoom. Very, very easy. I've done tons of videos this way, and they all get rave reviews.

Dave
 
Dave00 said:
I'm not sure what you're talking about. The Ken Burns effect in iMovie is completely customizable. You set a start point/zoom, an end point/zoom, and the time to get from A to B. If you want to do something more complex, such as pan to a specific location, then zoom, all you have to do is duplicate the photo and have one with a pan and one with a zoom. Very, very easy. I've done tons of videos this way, and they all get rave reviews.

Dave
Click to expand...

Yes, the Ken Burns effect is customizable in iMovie but if you have to customize each one you might as well do it in FCP. Its faster, gives you more control, and you have a lot more format and export options.
 
LethalWolfe said:
It's really not hard to do. Just take an image into photoshop and cut out the foreground from the background then take those layers into FCP and animate the foreground separate from the background. For example, gently zoom out on the foreground objects while zooming in on the background. Like faustfire said though, you might have to use the clone tool in PS to cover up the "hole" in the background you made depending on what kind of moves in FCP you do. Sometimes the moves can cover up the hole and sometimes they can't.


Lethal
Click to expand...

If you only have FCP, you can make it work the way Lethal describes, but I would really recommend using a program that has real 3d space. If you use 3d layers and a camera to accomplish the effect, you get movement that looks genuinely 3d, a look that is harder to accomplish by scaling the layers.:)
 
One of the least known strengths about iMOvie is that its an excellent production machine for slideshows! You can customize the pan and zoom for each pic and very easily change the duration of each pic. The best thing is that for a slideshow the iMOvie interface makes it so easy to apply all of the transitions and video effects. You could do this in F.C too, but I would say its a lot easier in iMovie and its integration with iDVD would make it the best option for most people I'd say - unless you have some advanced professional requirements that only Final Cut can meet.

But overall just remember, that we all have our pet applications and once somone gets use to one vs the other, then its understandable if they promote one over the other. But having used both, I would say for a slide show I would stick with iMovie.
 
Ok, first I want to say sorry for the dumbest question you are ever going to hear. In IMovie HD, were is the ken burns effect or is that a effect that I need to purchase after wards? Also, Im very siked about what the original poster or who ever put this this slide show together. Can we get a bit more info on the how to do this? That would be awesome....I have all the required programs but Im just getting into this.

It would be greatly appreciated guys...
 
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