How to Choose Music for a Photo Slideshow
To choose music for a photo slideshow, decide on the feeling you want first, then work out how much music you need. Each photo usually shows for 3 to 5 seconds plus a half-second transition, and most songs run 3 to 4 minutes, so 75 photos need one or two songs. Then match the songs to the parts of your story, and make sure every track is properly licensed.
Decide on the Feeling First
Music sets the mood of a slideshow more than anything else. The same 80 pictures can feel happy or emotional depending on the music behind them. Before you search for songs, decide how you want people to feel when the slideshow ends. Write it down in a few words, like warm and grateful or fun and upbeat, and judge every song against them. A song you love can still be the wrong choice if it doesn’t fit the feeling.
Some starting points by occasion:
- Memorials and funerals: slower tempos, soft piano, strings or acoustic guitar. Pick music that is comforting rather than heavy.
- Weddings and anniversaries: romantic and warm. Start gently for childhood or early photos, then build to something brighter for the wedding day itself.
- Birthdays: match the person and the milestone. Upbeat pop for a kid’s party or a 21st, music with the sound of the decade they grew up in for a 50th or 80th.
- Graduations: hopeful music. Something nostalgic for the early school years, then something energetic for the finish.
- Holidays and family recaps: cheerful and light. Instrumentals work well because they don’t compete with people talking in the room.
Our guides to funeral, birthday, graduation, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day slideshows cover the rest of the planning for each occasion.
Work Out How Many Songs You Need
Slideshows usually need more music than people expect. Here’s how to work it out:
- Decide how long each photo stays on screen. Most slideshows feel right showing each photo for 3 to 5 seconds. Then add the transition between photos, usually about half a second, on top of that. Much faster feels rushed, and much slower starts to drag unless the photo has a lot to look at.
- Multiply by the number of photos. 90 photos at 5 seconds each, plus a half-second transition for each, is 90 × 5.5 = 495 seconds, a little over 8 minutes.
- Divide by the length of a typical song. Most songs run 3 to 4 minutes, so an 8-minute slideshow needs two or three songs.
| Photos | 3 s each + ½ s transition | 5 s each + ½ s transition | Songs needed (about) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 2 min 20 s | 3 min 40 s | 1 |
| 75 | about 4 min 20 s | about 6 min 50 s | 1 to 2 |
| 120 | 7 min | 11 min | 2 to 4 |
| 200 | 11 min 40 s | 18 min 20 s | 3 to 6 |
If your music runs a little short, trim a few photos or give your best shots a bit more time on screen. If it runs long, fade the last song out over the final photo instead of cutting it off mid-line.
Match the Music to the Story
Think of your slideshow in chapters, and give each chapter its own song. For a life story that might be childhood, growing up, family and today. For a wedding it might be the two of you before you met, then together, then the big day.
Put your strongest photos where the song builds or reaches its chorus. Save a quieter photo for the very last notes, often a group shot or a portrait people will remember. If a song has a long instrumental intro, use it for a title photo or a few scene-setting pictures.
Keep the energy changes gentle. Jumping straight from a soft ballad to a loud dance track feels jarring. If you need to change the mood, put a medium-tempo song in between, or let one song fade out fully before the next begins.
Songs With Lyrics
Words that match the occasion can make a slideshow very moving. They can also compete with the photos and with any captions you’ve added. A few simple rules:
- Read the full lyrics before you choose a song. Plenty of songs that sound sweet have verses about breakups or loss.
- If the slideshow will play while people talk, as it often does at receptions and parties, instrumental music is easier on everyone.
- For memorials, a mix works well: one meaningful song with lyrics, the rest instrumental.
Sound Quality and Volume
Use the best audio file you can get. A low-quality or heavily compressed track sounds thin on a big speaker system. Before the event:
- Play the finished slideshow from start to finish on the actual TV, projector or speakers if you can.
- Listen for sudden volume jumps between songs. Some tracks are mastered much louder than others.
- Make sure the music fades in at the start and fades out at the end instead of cutting off.
- Bring the video on a USB drive as a backup, so you aren’t relying on the venue’s internet.
Many TVs have weak speakers, so for a bigger room a sound bar or powered speakers make a big difference. Our tips for presenting your slideshow video cover choosing a screen and speakers for the size of the room.
Finding Properly Licensed Music
Most popular songs are protected by copyright, so make sure every track you use is properly licensed for your slideshow. Pixabay Music is a good place to look. You can search it by mood or genre, which makes it easy to find a track for each chapter of your slideshow. Many slideshow makers also include a music library you can choose from.
