How many photos for a memorial slideshow?

We are sorry for your loss. About 5 seconds a photo is a gentle pace. So 30 photos make a film of about 3 minutes, and 60 photos make about 5 to 6 minutes.

Sample film poster: Faro and Doris Caudill with their daughter at home, 1940 — A sample film (2:52): Faro and Doris Caudill and their daughter, homesteaders in Pie Town, New Mexico, in 1940, made from public-domain Library of Congress photographs by Russell Lee. Your film uses only your photos.

How long should it be?

For most services, 3 to 6 minutes works well: long enough to show a life, short enough to hold a room. Ask the funeral home or venue whether there is a time limit before you choose.

How to choose the photos

One or two from every decade, if you have them.
A few with the people they loved most.
Photos that feel like them: at work, in the garden, laughing.
One favorite portrait to end on.
Skip near-duplicates; pick the clearest of each moment.

A quick guide

20 photos ≈ 2 minutes
30 photos ≈ 3 minutes
60 photos ≈ 5 to 6 minutes
100 photos ≈ 9 minutes

These assume about 5 seconds a photo plus a short opening and closing.

If you are making a film for a service this week: send up to 10 photos and watch a free 30-second preview of their film in about two minutes. The full film is $199, ready within 24 hours of your photos.

Free previews are open now. Paying for the full film is not open yet: your private preview page shows the button when it is.

See a free preview first

How many photos do I need for a 5-minute memorial video?

About 50 to 60 photos, at roughly 5 seconds each, plus a short opening and closing.

Can I use photos of old prints taken with my phone?

Yes. Lay the print flat in daylight, turn off the flash and hold the phone straight above it.

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