Create a YouTube Slide show Video with FREE software tools

In this tutorial, you will learn how to create a photo slide show for uploading into YouTube with freely available software tools. We all know that a picture is worth thousand words. Let me take the freedom to improve on that saying a video is worth more than thousand images. Just, I am kidding, of course.

What do you need to make a slide show video for YouTube?

Few beautiful, eye-catchy images - Use a 800 pixels wide by 600 pixels height 2.

An .mp3 song / music file - background music for the slide show

Free software tools:

Windows Movie Maker (comes with Windows XP, it is already installed if you are using a Win XP PC)

Windows Powertoy for XP: Free resizing tool for images, so you can do all resizing works at once.

Audacity: For editing .mp3 / .wav sound files to make the background music

10 to 30 minutes of your time. That's all you need!

First, Download Windows Powertoys Image Resizer, Audacity (all are free) software tools to your PC and install them.

Second, once you had installed the Image Resizer, when you select one or more image (jpeg/jpg) files, you should be able to Resize with Right-Click option. Choose 800 by 600 while resizing.

Third, choose a music file that you would like to use it as a background music for your slide show. If your music file's length matches the video length, you need not do the fourth step of editing the music file.

Fourth, start Audacity from your Program Files menu, edit the music file, trim, add or mix music files to make your background score. Consult Audacity help to find how to use the program. It's pretty simple.

As the fifth and final step, Start Windows Movie Maker from the Program menu.

Choose 'Import Pictures' from the Movie Tasks menu. Select all your resized images.

Choose 'Import Audio/Sound' from the same Task menu, browse and select the audio file (.mp3 or wav format). If you want to sue a voice over (narrating in your own voice), you can record it using 'Audacity' with a microphone an duse it as the background voice narration.

Select and drag all your images to the bottom panel which is "Story board". You can drag and rearrange if you dont like the slides.

Drag your music file to the Storyboard.

Now, insert transitions from the 'View Video transitions' menu. You can also add Video effects such as 'Sepia' to the whole video.

Add Title and Credits and type in the necessary texts. That's it, you will see a preview on the right-hand side.

When everything is upto your satisfaction, save the movie to your local hard disk.

Login to Youtube and upload it. Your first video will be live to the world in a jiffy.

Look below for the sample video I have created by spending less than 5 minutes.

If you want to know any more information, I am more than happy to help you. Leave your feedback in comments.

Thanks and love you all.

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