What is the best software to do this and is it free or will I have to pay for it?
Oh and how long might it take to achieve this because I am looking at converting lots of pictures for a friend?
Thanks all. Good answers will be rewarded! You can use Microsoft MovieMaker (included in WindowsXP SP2) or Nero VisionExpress (included in all retail or OEM Nero suites). Both programs will work, both are easy to use and both can burn DVDs directly after making the slideshow.
MovieMaker has more transition effects than Nero VisionExpress. Nero has better encoders, means better image quality.
Since both are free, you can choose.
Note: Nero OEM is bundled with burners, means you could have it with your burner.
Good luck with your work. I use Nero 7 which does the conversion to a slideshow automatically. And yes, you need to buy the software. And it presupposes your notebook/pc has a DVD burner. If it doesnt have a DVD burner, find a DVD burner that either has Nero 7 or Roxio bundled with it. There are a number of ways to do this. What you need depends on how complex you want your slideshow to be.
The simplest, fastest, and least expensive is to just burn your JPEG images out to a CD. Most newer DVD players can play JPEG, and can be set to play in a slideshow format. They also can play most digital camera video clips (but often not in the same slideshow as the still photos).
For this method you just need a CD burner and software.
If you want to format a slideshow or add music and/or titles, you will need some simple video creator software. Most of the free packages will do this. Microsoft PowerPoint will also do it.
You can burn to CD or DVD, but the CD versions of these will be smaller images.
If you want to make a real DVD, you will need DVD creator/video editing software and a DVD burner. I have made decent DVD's with the Win DVD Creator software that came free with my computer and the Nero software that came free with my upgraded DVD burner.
The free versions let you put together your program, add soundtrack, add titles and chapters, and do some limited editing of the video.
The more you pay, the more editing features you get with the not-free packages.
The time you spend is directly related to how complex you want the slideshow to be. If you just copy the pics and and go, it's not much. But if you try to do a lot of editing, you can spend many hours getting it right.
Burning a CD or DVD takes very little time. But formatting a real DVD (called "rendering"), can take an hour or more depending on complexity of the show and the speed of your computer. You also need several gig of free hard drive space to to the rendering.
Good Luck ProShow Gold (must purchase) or Windows Movie Maker (Comes with Windows XP or can be downloaded free at the link below). I made Christmas slideshows this year with Photoshop 4.0. I used 100 pictures, download pictures and it came out perfectly. 20 min. of pictures for instant gifts. It was really simple and had everything set up so you had complete control and knew exactly what was going on. | 