How to Make a Funeral Slideshow or Celebration of Life Slideshow
Funeral slideshows and celebration of life slideshows are a very popular way of sharing cherished moments and reminiscing about the life of a departed loved one. Typically, celebration of life and funeral slideshows feature a collection of photographs and/or videos capturing significant or heartwarming moments from the individual's life, providing viewers with glimpses they may not have experienced before. If you're interested in crafting a celebration of life or funeral slideshow, complete with music, here are my best tips to help you get started.
Jen Philips Photography
If we haven’t met yet, my name is Lindsey Nickel, and I’m a celebration of life planner in the San Francisco Bay Area (I call Napa home and grew up in the East Bay). I help grieving families plan meaningful celebrations of life without feeling even more stressed out. Suddenly, things you didn’t think you cared about become important. That’s where a funeral event planner comes in to provide you with options, help you make decisions efficiently, and manage the event planning.
What is a Funeral Slideshow?
A funeral slideshow or celebration of life slideshow serves as a digital tribute, honoring the life of a cherished loved one. Typically, it incorporates a montage of photos, videos, and meaningful text synchronized with some of their favorite songs. It is played during the celebration of life.
PRO TIP: After playing the slideshow for your guests, leave it playing on a loop in the background during the reception so people can continue to enjoy it and reminisce.
Jen Phillips Photography
Reasons to include a funeral slideshow at a celebration of life
A slideshow is a wonderful way to engage with the treasure trove of memories and to share them with others. Additionally, integrating personal messages and reflections into the slideshow offers a means for you to express your sentiments or find solace in the shared memories of others.
The act of compiling a funeral slideshow can also help you to navigate the grieving process. Sorting through cherished photographs can serve as a cathartic journey.
Playing the slideshow during the memorial or celebration of life serves to convey the enduring legacy of the departed individual's life. It fosters a sense of closure and healing among grieving family and friends, affirming that though they may have departed, their legacy endures.
You can share the slideshow online, perhaps through an online memorial platform, for those who couldn’t attend the celebration of life or memorial. It also provides a sanctuary for anyone to grieve, reflect, or celebrate, allowing loved ones to revisit and cherish moments whenever the need arises, as a way to keep your loved one close in your heart.
PRO TIP: Store the funeral slideshow online in a program such as Dropbox, Google Drive, or a private YouTube link so you can share it after the event.
Video of a celebration of life slideshow
Best Practices for Creating a Funeral Slideshow
This is what you will need to create a powerful and meaningful funeral slideshow to share at your event.
Is this slideshow showing for a short amount of time in the program or is it running throughout the event? If it is an event moment then keep it to 3-5 minutes as this is long enough to play a song or two while still keeping the event flowing. If it is to run throughout the length of the event or on a loop, then remember to get enough photos and songs to make sure that they aren’t repeated too often.
You will need to decide if you want the slideshow to be chronological or mixed up. For someone who has led a longer life, then chronological makes the most sense. If it is someone who has passed young, then feel free to mix it up.
Next, you will need to choose the tone. If this is for a funeral then a more somber approach would probably be required. If this is for a memorial or celebration of life, then it can take on a more positive, lighthearted tone.
Start choosing your photos. This is a great time to reach out to friends and family to start collecting their favorite photographic memories as well as the stories that surround them. You want to make sure you capture them growing up in the different stages of life as well as the big events (graduation, weddings, family photos, holidays, travels, work, etc). You also want photos that focus on their personality, hobbies, or the things that made them most joyful. For example, if they loved tennis, show off photos of them playing. If they loved Giants baseball games, show photos of them at games. Remember, you can use these photos again to decorate the welcome table.
PRO TIP: Start a group album if many people use iPhones, or start a shared folder in Dropbox or Google Drive
You will need to organize the photos based on what you decided in #1, chronological or mixed. Your celebration of life guests will find joy in seeing photos with them and the departed so make sure you include photos of more than just your loved one in them.
Optional, when you request the photos, also ask about phrases or quotes that the departed adored so that those can also be used in the slideshow. This is a great way to pay homage to them and those that share the memories.
Choose the songs that meant the most to them or fit the moment to add to the slideshow. This adds that additional layer and makes watching the slideshow much more enjoyable/meaningful. You can look at the departed’s Spotify playlists and see their most played songs or you can go for classic songs (see Best Songs for a Celebration of Life). Don't forget to ask for submissions from family, friends, or attendees (before the event of course).
Milou and Olin Photography
How to Create the Funeral Slideshow
Choosing the right funeral slideshow maker might seem overwhelming due to the plethora of options and features that are out there. However, don't get lost in the sauce as there are programs that include templates for funeral, memorial, or celebration of life slideshows. But even if a program doesn't offer specific templates, it can still be a good choice. The key is finding a tool that allows you to easily add photos, songs (if desired), and text into a slideshow format, and lets you upload or download it as needed. Remember a user-friendly program is always going to be the best answer especially if you are new to creating slideshows.
For Mac users, Keynote is an obvious choice; for Windows users, PowerPoint is ideal; and Google Slides works well for everyone. These are the major players in slideshow creation, and you can find specific templates by searching online or browsing their template galleries.
If you're looking for other options, consider these programs as many include templates:
Canva
Animoto
Movavi
SmileBox
Vimeo
Fastreel
If you want more advanced features like animations, voiceovers, and special effects, make sure the program you are looking at has those capabilities. If you are not sure, reach out to them via an email or chatbox and ask directly. The last thing you need right now is frustration.
Please keep in mind your level of technical know-how, the time you can invest, and whether or not you want to learn a new program when deciding on the program you will be utilizing. If you don’t have the bandwidth to learn something new or the time to put together something super fancy then going with a template will make your life a lot easier. We want to remove stressors not add more of them.
Final Thoughts On Funeral Slideshows
I always encourage families to designate someone else to be in charge of setting up, testing, and running the funeral slideshow on the day of the celebration of life. You will have enough going on that day so the last thing you will want to deal with is a slideshow tech issue.
Feeling overwhelmed? Let’s chat about the celebration of life you are planning, start by filling out the form below.
