How to Make a Funeral Slideshow With Music

A funeral slideshow brings together photos and music to remember someone’s life. This guide explains how to choose the photos, arrange them, add music and prepare a video to play at the service.

Before you begin, ask the person arranging the service how much time is available for the slideshow and how they would like to receive it. Knowing the length and playback requirements will help you choose your photos and music without having to redo the video later.

You can create a funeral slideshow with Eulogize by choosing a template and adding your photos and music. The preview is free, so you can check the result before paying to download it.

What You Need Before You Start

You’ll need digital copies of the photos, your chosen music and a slideshow maker that can save a video file. A laptop or tablet gives you more room to arrange the photos and review them than a phone does.

Allow time to collect photos from other people as well as to build the slideshow. If the service is soon, start with the pictures you have and ask relatives for a small number of additions rather than waiting for everyone’s full collection.

Step 1: Gather and Choose the Photos

Make one folder or shared album for the photos you’re considering. Check your camera roll, messages and existing albums, then ask family and friends to add theirs. Keep the original files where possible rather than screenshots of them.

A shared upload link can make collecting photos easier to manage than several email or message threads. Eulogize lets you invite family to contribute photos to the same library, where you can choose which ones to use in the slideshow.

Give people a specific request, such as “Could you send three photos of Dad, including an everyday moment or something he enjoyed?” This helps narrow the search and makes room for more than formal portraits.

What to look for:

• A few photos from childhood or early life
• Family, friends and occasions that mattered to them
• Everyday moments and candid photos
• A pet, hobby, place or object connected with their life

Check each photo at a larger size before including it. Images saved from social media may be too small for a chapel screen. For printed photos, scan them or photograph them in even light, avoiding glare. These six apps for scanning old photographs offer another way to make digital copies. A meaningful photo can still be worth including if it is imperfect, but check that people can see it clearly.

How many? Use the available running time as a guide. Thirty photos displayed for six seconds each take three minutes, before allowing for title slides or any transitions that add time. Start with about five to six seconds per photo, then adjust after watching the slideshow. Photos with several people or a caption may need longer.

Step 2: Plan the Order

A chronological order is easy to follow: early life, later years and recent photos. You can also group pictures around parts of their life, such as family, work, travel or a hobby. Choose the order that best suits the photos you have; exact dates are not essential.

Set out the photos in that order before adjusting individual slides. If your slideshow maker imports files alphabetically, numbering them 01, 02, 03 and so on can help. Otherwise, arrange them in the editor after uploading.

Place pictures of a favorite place, a pet or a handwritten note alongside the part of their life they relate to. They can add context without needing a date of their own.

Where several photos show the same occasion, choose a few rather than using every version. This leaves time for other people and moments without making the slideshow longer.

Step 3: Choose the Music

Choose a song that was meaningful to the person or that suits the mood of the service. Check its full length against the time available. One song may be enough; use a second only if it fits the service and the number of photos you want to show.

A few things to keep in mind:

• Match the music to the time available, rather than assuming the video must use an entire song.
• Avoid cutting the music off abruptly. Use the editor’s fade-out option if you need to finish before the end of a track.
• Check permission to use the music if you will share the video online. For example, YouTube may mute or block videos containing claimed music. A royalty-free track still has licence terms to check.
• Ask the funeral director or venue about music arrangements for the service before finalizing the soundtrack.

If you’re unsure what to choose, ask a close relative or friend for a suggestion. Listen to the whole song, including the lyrics, before adding it to the video.

Think about whether the words suit the photos and the occasion. An instrumental piece is an option when you would prefer music without lyrics. For more suggestions, see popular songs to use in a funeral video.

Step 4: Put It Together

Choose a simple design that keeps the photos easy to see. Check how both portrait and landscape images fit, and reposition or crop them so faces stay in view. Use a consistent transition between slides. For ideas beyond photos, including quotes and mementos, see 8 tips to create a beautiful funeral slideshow.

Add the photos in your chosen order, then add the music. If the slideshow maker can fit the photos to the song, use that as a starting point and review the pacing. Otherwise, adjust the slide durations yourself. Give group photos and any text enough time to read, and check that the final photo and music end together.

Add a title slide with the person’s name and, if you wish, their dates. It can open or close the video. You can also save a separate image of that slide to display as guests arrive; ask the venue which image format and dimensions they need.

Step 5: Check the Length and Preview

Check the total running time against the slot agreed with the funeral director, celebrant or venue. If it is too long, remove repeated photos before shortening every slide. A shorter selection shown at a comfortable pace is easier to follow than a large collection that moves too quickly.

Watch the entire slideshow with the sound on. Check names, dates, spelling, photo order, cropping and music volume. Look for accidental duplicates, blank slides and transitions that cut across faces or text.

Ask a close family member to watch the preview too. They may spot a mistake or a missing person before you make the final file.

Export the video in the format requested by the venue. MP4 is a common option, but ask which file format, resolution and delivery method their equipment supports. Send the file early enough for them to test the picture and sound on the actual playback system. If you bring a USB backup, check that it contains the video file, not just a link to an online preview.

You can keep a separate, longer version for a reception or family gathering if you have more photos than the service allows. Share the finished video with relatives who cannot attend, using a delivery method they can open and checking the music permissions for any online sharing.

Related reads: more ideas for the steps above.

• 8 Tips to Create a Beautiful Funeral Slideshow
• Popular Songs to Use in a Funeral Video
• Top 6 Photo Scanning Apps for Funeral Slideshows