How to Create Slideshows with Apple Photos
Easy Guide for Stunning Projects
Memorable Photo Projects
In today's digital age, we capture countless memories through photos, but often they remain hidden on our camera roll, maybe shared at the moment of taking, but rarely revisited. If you take photos with an iPhone, Apple Photos provides an intuitive platform to not only organize but also create meaningful projects with your digital collection. Whether you're looking to curate a family album, design personalized greeting cards, or simply get creative with your snapshots, there are a multitude of simple yet rewarding projects you can make right from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Today we’ll explore easy ways to turn your digital photos into something special, a slideshow, using Apple Photos' built-in tools and features. Ready to dive in? Let's unlock the potential of your photo library!
I am assuming you are creating a slideshow for someone special in your life and you have a number of photos on your camera roll of them. We will be using the People Album to create the slideshow. If you have not set up the People Album, open Apple Photos and find the People Album: On iPhone/iPad: Tap on the Albums tab at the bottom of the screen, scroll down to the People & Places section, and tap People. On Mac: Look at the sidebar on the left side of the screen and click on People. Apple Photos automatically scans your library and groups photos by faces. When you open the People album for the first time, you may see several unnamed faces. You can assign names to faces by clicking on the face, which opens an album with that person’s pictures in it. You will then see a prompt to Add Name, tap and type their name.
The People Album
Once you have your People Album set up, you are in amazing shape to quickly create a memorable slideshow. To start, go into the person you want to celebrate People’s Album, or alternatively you can search the entire library for that person’s name. Then choose the photos to include in the slideshow. I click on the first one I want to include and then to select all the others I hold the Command key and click all the other photos I want to include. This keeps all the selections active. Once you have selected the photos for the slideshow, it is time to create the slideshow.
If you are on a MAC or MacBook, to create the slideshow (or any other project with those photos) click on the File menu and select Create > Slideshow > Photos. On iPhone/iPad: After selecting the photos, tap the 3 dots on the lower right and scroll down to choose Slideshow. I recommend creating this and all projects on a MAC or MacBook as the operating system gives you a much richer feature set and it allows you to see the pictures larger.
You can customize the slideshow with Themes like Origami, Ken Burns, Magazine, and more. These themes change the style and transitions between your photos. Play around with them and have fun. Add background music from Apple’s selections or add your own from your music library. To change the music, tap the Music button or Theme Music option while editing the slideshow. If you are not happy with the order of the photos, on your MAC or MacBook, you can drag and drop them to the correct order. Additionally you can add photos to the slideshow after the initial creation, by dragging photos from your library to the project or clicking on the photo and going through the above process of Create > Slideshow > Photos and when the menu comes up with new slideshow, pull down that menu until you see the slideshow name that you are working on.
An Easy Slideshow
You have a choice to play the slideshow from the Photos App or save it elsewhere on your computer, perhaps to send in a message or email or share online. Tap Play to view your slideshow instantly. If you want to save the slideshow to share later, you can export it by clicking File > Export > Slideshow on Mac but on the iPhone/iPad your option is limited to sharing to an Apple TV screen .
This process turns a collection of photos into a personalized, visually appealing slideshow that highlights the special moments shared with the person you're featuring. It makes a great birthday surprise or way of telling someone you are thinking of them or miss them.
My goal is for you to make sure your photos are protected and to share the memories with family and friends. If you need help organizing your print photos, check out DIG YOUR PHOTOS!, A DIY Photo Organizing Kit. It is essential to organize your photos before you digitize. If you would like help with your media collection or have questions, please reach out. I am passionate about helping people save and share their memory collections.
Rhoda Gordon is a local certified photo manager, owner of Sunflower Photo Solutions and creator of DIG YOUR PHOTOS!, a DIY photo organizing kit. Rhoda has been helping families and businesses organize and back up their print and digital collection for almost a decade. See more tips, tricks and how-tos on her Youtube channel: youtube.com/@digyourphotos and check out sunflowerphotosolutions.com and digyourphotos.com for guidance and support with your media collection.
