What is a mini slideshow?

COPS members are invited to share their photography with fellow members in the form of mini-shows, short slideshows usually set to music. We would love to see your work!

The short slideshows generally have a unifying theme — which can be as simple as a trip, a particular subject topic (e.g., horses), or a compositional motif (e.g., curving lines) — or it can be as complex as a narrative. People often pair the images with music, but music is not mandatory. The shows tend to be about five to eight minutes long; ten minutes is the maximum.

How do I build a mini slideshow?

1. Decide on a theme (e.g., horses, curves, cats, gardens, flowers, a city or town or country, a trip, a museum, an exhibit, an event, an activity, etc.).

2. Collect the images in one folder (the slideshow folder) on your computer. During the slideshow, each image should be visible for about 5 – 8 seconds, so each minute of the show will require 7.5 – 12 images. A slideshow can be up to 10 minutes long, but most are 5 – 8 minutes long.

3. Appropriate music is often used to accompany the images, but music is not mandatory. If music is desired, copy the music file in .mp3 format into the slideshow folder.

4. Now you need slideshow software to assemble the images and music into a slideshow, and to export the show as a video in .mp4 format. Lightroom has a slideshow module that can produce such a slideshow. Instructions can be found in this article and in a video tutorial. If you are not a Lightroom user, you can do an on-line search for possible products. There are free slideshow makers available and more advanced slideshow software that can be purchased, like PTE AV Studio, which has lots of tutorials.

When are mini slideshows presented?

Mini slideshows are usually presented on the 3rd Monday in May, but check the schedule in case the date is altered. The deadline for submission is one week before the screening.