Today’s guest post comes from Virginia-based photographer Rebecca Danzenbaker. There are lots of tips flying around out there on taking good family photos, but I wanted to give…
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When creating Disc or Executable output in ProShow Gold and Producer, you have the option to include an Intro Show. An Intro Show is a quick video that plays before your show starts and can be a great way to brand your video so your audience immediately knows whose work they are watching.
Tips for Using Intro Shows
Into Shows always appear first. When you add an Intro Show, your audience will always see the intro show before anything else, including all shows and menus you add when creating Disc and Executable output.
Keep your intro shows short. While you can use longer shows, intro shows tend to work best when they are about 3-6 seconds long, which usually translates into shows that are made using just 1-3 slides.
An Intro Show can be as simple as your logo slowly zooming into the forefront of a slide. You can include your website URL and any additional information you’d like.
Intro shows are great for advertising and branding. Since the intro show plays before all of your other content, your audience will instantly know whose work they are looking at. Your company name and logo will be top-of-mind.
Are you creating a slideshow to publish online or on a device and want to include an intro show? In ProShow, create a short 3-6 second intro show, render it to a video clip and save it to your computer. Drop that video in before the first slide in any future show. This will act like an intro show for any output you select and works with ProShow Gold, Producer and ProShow Web.
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Have you ever wanted to create a stop-motion or rapid-paced photo sequence in a slideshow you’re working on? It’s easy to do in both ProShow Gold and ProShow Producer.
Add your photos to the slide list in the order you’d like them to appear and give them a ’0′ second slide time. Add cut transitions between each photo with a ‘.05′ transition time (HINT: Feel free to play around with the time, a shorter transition will create a faster effect). Now hit play to preview your work. You’ll instantly have a fast-paced, stop-motion sequence effect in your show.
TIME SAVING TIP: To apply the same time to all slides and transitions in your show, click on one slide in your Slide List, then hit CONTROL + A on your keyboard. This will select all your content. Change the timing for one slide or transition and then hit enter. This will change the time for all your slides and transitions globally, since all slides are selected.
This technique is great for time-lapse videos or adding a fast-paced sequence to any video slideshow.
Today’s guest post comes from photographer Rob Knight.
I love to travel, but not all of my trips are “photography trips”. I travel with my family quite a bit. I also know a lot of photographers who travel for business with limited time to get out and make pictures. You can’t always concentrate on your photography as much as you would like when you’re on the road, but here are five tips to help you make the most of your next adventure.
1. Travel light.
It’s tempting to bring all of your photography gear with you to the family reunion. I like to bring a small kit when I’m not traveling specifically to make photos. I generally carry one camera, one or two zoom lenses and a speedlight (or LED). I MIGHT bring a macro lens if I know I’m going somewhere I will use it, but usually it’s just a zoom or two. Not only is a small kit easy to carry, it also keeps me shooting more and changing lenses less. I can carry everything I need in a small shoulder bag like this Think Tank Photo Retrospective 7.
2. Do your research.
It’s easier than ever to find good spots to shoot no matter where in the world you’re going. I used to read a lot of guide books, but now I just hit the Internet. Google images, G+ and Flickr are just a few places to look for great images from wherever you’re going. You usually have limited time when traveling for business or family, so it’s nice to be prepared when you do get a little time to shoot.
3. Schedule shooting time.
Rather than trying to squeeze in photography now and then, why not add a little photo time to your itinerary? Use outings with your family as “scouting trips” and make plans to visit good spots when you’ll have the best light. Chances are you’re out with your family in the middle of the day when the light is bad anyway. I find that my wife is much more understanding when I have a couple of hours set aside for shooting than if I’m holding up the family vacation so I can “get the shot”. Photos like this one usually don’t happen without a bit of planning.
4. Don’t forget the subjects you brought with you.
I’m terribly guilty of forgetting this one. I get so wrapped up in shooting the landscape, architecture, local people, etc that I forget to make photos of my family. Look for great backgrounds for environmental portraits of your kids. Don’t forget to get yourself in a frame every now and then too! Those cheesy shots of your family in front of the Grand Canyon NP sign might end up being your favorite photos of the trip.
5. Backup, but don’t miss out.
We all like to download our images and see what we got, right? It’s also a good idea to download your images to a hard drive each day in case something happens to your memory cards. Just wait until everybody has gone to bed. Don’t miss out on time you could be spending enjoying a trip with your family to dork-out on the computer. Your photos will be there after bed time.
Traveling should be fun! Make photography something that adds to your experience AND the experience of your friends and family. It only takes a bit of planning to make traveling with your camera easy and fun for everybody.
Rob Knight has been a professional artist in Atlanta, Georgia for over twenty years. He is a photographer, educator and an award-winning tattoo artist. Rob is an Adobe Certified Expert in Photoshop Lightroom, and an experienced Lightroom instructor. Rob enjoys teaching photography subjects from basic Composition to Hybrid Photography techniques.
Learn how to create your first slideshow with ProShow Producer 5. This video will teach you how to use the wizard to instantly create a great-looking slideshow and choose from 40+ output options to publish your finished show. Try ProShow Producer free at www.photodex.com.
Looking for more advanced training videos on ProShow Producer? Check out our YouTube training channel for tons of helpful videos.
Today’s guest post comes from Virginia-based photographer Rebecca Danzenbaker.
There are lots of tips flying around out there on taking good family photos, but I wanted to give you some gems that you might not stumble across as often.
1. Locations, locations, locations (yes, plural)
When scouting out a spot for family photos, be sure there’s a lot of variety. Though family photos at the beach sound great, having the ocean in the background for every single image becomes monotonous both during the session and when looking through the photos later. So, if you are at the beach, go toward the pier, an inlet or a grassy hill to vary the scenery.
I’m blessed to live in a neighborhood that has a farm, tons of conservancy land with wildflower fields, tree-lined paths, and some amazing rustic buildings and fences. Not only does the variety of locations bring diversity to the photos, everyone also gets a nice break while walking from place to place.
2. Relax
Think of how much stress everyone was under trying to look nice (and stay that way) to get to this session. I have so many families who arrive 10-20 minutes late because, let’s face it, getting young children and yourselves beautiful and into the car at a specific time just isn’t realistic.
Instead of telling people to smile, where you get the forced “cheese” grin and no light in the eyes, I tell people to take a deep breath and relax. I would much rather have a “no-smile” photo, than one with strained lips, eyes, and foreheads. After everyone is relaxed, and I get a few great shots that way, I inevitably do something to make a fool of myself (like a goofy dance celebrating the photo we just took), which brings out the real smiles. The camera comes back up to my face just then.
Relaxed:
Post-goofiness:
3. Watch out for that crazy sun
Yes, you can get great photos in the middle of the day! Here’s how: Find a location with bushes, trees or anything else dark in the background. Place your subject with their back to the sun anywhere from 10-100 feet in front of the background, but in the sunlight, not the shadow. The sun will cast a gorgeous halo all around them and your dark background will ensure they remain defined by that light.
Here’s an example, two hours before sunset, where I was shooting with the sun to my right instead of behind them:
But then I moved around so that the sun was behind them:
So much better, right?! There’s nice even light on their faces and a glow all around them. If you shoot like this close to sunset, you’ll also get some really pretty lens flare, but beware of your camera’s auto-focus acting up when you direct it toward the sun. Just be patient, and make some small adjustments in your position. It will come around.
4. Connect everyone together
Have mom lean on dad’s shoulder and daughter take mom’s hand. Let the little guy hug dad’s leg or sit on his lap. Make sure everyone looks included and connected. Heads should tilt slightly toward one another.
5. Remember why you’re there
When you do a family session, don’t forget the main reason why you’re taking the photos – to show the love and relationships between everyone in the family. Though a family is one unit, it is also made up individuals who each have a unique relationship with the other people there. Try pairing up people for photos to capture the bond between the two of them. How great would it be to have a photo of just you and your dad, no other siblings or people in it? That is priceless.
Watch this family’s slideshow for even more inspiration!
Rebecca Danzenbaker is a professional newborn, family and maternity photographer in Northern Virginia. She’s also really fun to work with! You should think about calling her for your next session!
Looking for the perfect song for your Father’s Day slideshow? Here’s a round-up of some great tunes that are sure to tug on Dad’s heartstrings! Paired with family photos and some subtle pans and zooms – you’ll have a heart-felt slideshow that’s sure to please the whole family!
In My Life – The Beatles
Remember When – Alan Jackson
In my Daughter’s Eyes – Martina McBride
We are Family – Sister Sledge
Time of Your Life – Green Day
What a Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong
Wind Beneath My Wings – Bette Midler
You Are the Sunshine of My Life – Stevie Wonder
Hero – Mariah Carey
Don’t Stop Believing – Journey
What are some of your favorite songs for Father’s Day slideshows?
When creating Disc or Executable output in ProShow Gold and Producer, you have the option to include an Intro Show. An Intro Show is a quick video that…
Thanks for watching! Our YouTube channel has just hit 5 million views! Each week we post new training videos and refresh our playlists with inspirational slideshows from around…
Have you ever wanted to create a stop-motion or rapid-paced photo sequence in a slideshow you’re working on? It’s easy to do in both ProShow Gold and ProShow…
Today’s guest post comes from photographer Rob Knight. I love to travel, but not all of my trips are “photography trips”. I travel with my family quite a…
The Slideshow Blog by Photodex
You should think about calling her for your next session!
