Doom9's Forum - View Single Post - Are there any decent DVD slideshow makers that are actually free

johnmeyer · 4th August 2018, 19:45

You can make a VCD, SVCD, or XVCD using a CD. Many (not all) DVD players will play it.

I don't have a suggestion for a free slide show maker. There are lots of options if you are willing to pay a few dollars. I don't know why everyone expects to get software for free. Some people make their living writing good software. It is sometimes true that some of the free stuff is really good, but the stuff that costs a few dollars usually has a decent user interface on it, and can do a lot more.

If you were willing to spend some money, I use Vegas, which is expensive, but they (Magix) sell an entry-level version that only costs $39 euros (about $45). If that is too much, you can pick up earlier versions on eBay, something I do all the time when I want to get a decent program, but don't want to pay full price for the latest version. I just looked and you can get version 13 or 14 (it is now at version 15) for close to $10. That, as they say, is no more than the price of a couple of double lattes.

I have created hundreds of slideshows & music videos using this software. Here is one of over a dozen videos I put on a DVD ten years ago for a high school graduating class. Each student gave me 20-50 photos and videos, and I then created theme-based videos from these thousands of photos. I gave a DVD to each graduate, and the disc was shown in the middle of the night during their graduation party at the school, where they get locked down to keep them out of trouble.

2009 Carmel High School

I can't stand the music, but that's what they wanted. Had to spend a lot of time modifying the music to get the lyrics past the censors. Normally I don't use so many cheesy transitions, but given the audience, I thought it was appropriate. I've done quite a few slideshows for funerals, and for those, I use no transitions other than crossfades, and the pace is way less hectic.

4th August 2018, 19:45	#2 \| Link
johnmeyer Registered User Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: California Posts: 2,695	You can make a VCD, SVCD, or XVCD using a CD. Many (not all) DVD players will play it. I don't have a suggestion for a free slide show maker. There are lots of options if you are willing to pay a few dollars. I don't know why everyone expects to get software for free. Some people make their living writing good software. It is sometimes true that some of the free stuff is really good, but the stuff that costs a few dollars usually has a decent user interface on it, and can do a lot more. If you were willing to spend some money, I use Vegas, which is expensive, but they (Magix) sell an entry-level version that only costs $39 euros (about $45). If that is too much, you can pick up earlier versions on eBay, something I do all the time when I want to get a decent program, but don't want to pay full price for the latest version. I just looked and you can get version 13 or 14 (it is now at version 15) for close to $10. That, as they say, is no more than the price of a couple of double lattes. I have created hundreds of slideshows & music videos using this software. Here is one of over a dozen videos I put on a DVD ten years ago for a high school graduating class. Each student gave me 20-50 photos and videos, and I then created theme-based videos from these thousands of photos. I gave a DVD to each graduate, and the disc was shown in the middle of the night during their graduation party at the school, where they get locked down to keep them out of trouble. 2009 Carmel High School I can't stand the music, but that's what they wanted. Had to spend a lot of time modifying the music to get the lyrics past the censors. Normally I don't use so many cheesy transitions, but given the audience, I thought it was appropriate. I've done quite a few slideshows for funerals, and for those, I use no transitions other than crossfades, and the pace is way less hectic. Last edited by johnmeyer; 4th August 2018 at 19:49.