Over the past couple of days we have been discussing the creation of digital photo slideshows using Microsoft Photo Story 3. This blog will finish the series by discussing the final steps of creating your very own slideshow. If you missed any of the other blogs in this series, just click on one of the topics below to go directly to that blog.
Titles, effects, and narration
Completing your project
Once you have selected your pictures, added any effects, and included music, you are ready to finalize and save your project (screenshot below). Before you save your project, think about your where you want to view your project. Do you want to put your project on a DVD or just watch it on your computer? Photo Story 3 will also allow you to save the slideshow for viewing on a Smartphone (cell phone that does a lot more than just be a telephone) or Pocket PC (similar to a Palm handheld).
Once you’ve decided where you want to watch your slideshow, select from the list of activities the one that best fits your desire (see screenshot above). The list of activities isn’t as intuitive as it should be. For example, if you want to save your project for viewing on DVD, you’ll first have to choose “Save your story for playback on your computer,” and then click on the “Settings” box near the bottom of the screen. When you do so, you’ll see the settings menu (screenshot below). From the settings menu you can select the profile for creating DVDs. If you live in North America you will want to be sure and select the NTSC format. Once you select your settings, your slideshow will begin production.
The length of time it will take to produce your slideshow depends on a few factors. One factor is the specifications of your computer (e.g., processor speed, amount of system and/or video memory). Another factor is how many pictures are in your slideshow and the types of transitions and picture effects used. Whether or not you added music to your slideshow will also affect how long it takes to produce the slideshow. My take home message for you is to prepare to wait anywhere from a matter of minutes to a couple of hours for your slideshow to be produced.
Your completed slideshow will be saved in the Windows Media Video (WMV) format. If you saved it for use on a DVD and have a DVD burner, you should be able to import the WMV file into your DVD authoring program and then create a DVD. If you saved your slideshow for viewing on your home computer, you can use the Windows Media Player (version 7 or later) included with your operating system.