I want a video montage of my photos/videos, what do I do first?

First gather all your pictures. Gather up the framed pictures and photo albums. Look in your purse and wallet and shoe boxes.

Put two shoe boxes on the table, one for photo’s you will use and one for photos you haven’t decided about. All other photos can stay in their album or frame. (If you have larger photos try using a cookie sheet lined with clean paper to sort your pictures.)

If you have VHS tapes make a detailed description of the start and stop points you want included. Do the same for DVD’s.

If your pictures are on a CD (or CD’s) be sure to list them by name in the order you want them to appear. Make sure you use the complete name to avoid confusion/mistakes.

If your pictures are on a media stick, re-name the pictures by adding the letter “A” and the sequential number to the beginning of the original name. This will make the pictures move to the front of the list and put them in the correct order. If these pictures will be intermingled with loose photos, use the correct number after the “A.”

I have my pictures, now what?

Now that you have gathered all the pictures, begin sorting them. Look for pictures that tell a story and express the personality of the person.

After they are sorted start numbering them. Don’t worry if you leave out a picture the first time through, simply put that picture in the correct place and make it the next number from the picture in front of it by adding a letter. Your pictures may end up listed something like this 1, 2, 3, 4, 4a, 5, 5a, 5b, and so on.

It’s a good idea to use pencil lightly on the back or post-it tabs.

I’ve chosen the pictures and numbered them, am I done?

Not quite… Your pictures are precious to you, and they tell the story that you want to share with others so it’s important that the story be told clearly.

Keep in mind that when the pictures are viewed on a larger screen any out of focus picture, no matter how much you love it, will appear even more distorted.

It’s important that your final choice for photos are in good focus. If one of the pictures you chose isn’t going to work, look for a similar picture to substitute in its place.

It’s a good thing to keep in mind the phases of a person’s life and sort the pictures with that in mind. You may want to emphasize certain events more than others.

Don’t leave someone out if you can help it! Nothing can hurt more than to be the forgotten one in a family memorial.

What about music?

Music evokes the right emotions for the visual you are seeing. The musical background is more important than you think.

Your video should have a personal touch.   If you are not sure what music to use I can help you with that.

Note: The demo videos seen on this site have been edited so they don’t violate any copy write laws for music. The video’s in their original form contain more photo’s and personal music choices.

Read about more  the Video Montage Process – Click Here.