Have you ever been to a funeral where a video slideshow was played in celebration of the decedent's life? They are usually just collections of photos with a couple songs playing in the background. It looks like it would be simple to make one, but a lot of work goes into those poignant tributes. I have written this article to offer advice on making a meaningful memorial video.

Before you decide to have a video tribute, you need to know if the funeral facilities can accommodate playing a video. Some churches do not have the equipment necessary to display a video tribute on a large screen for the congregation to see. You will probably find that a lot of funeral homes are acquiring the technology needed to show these meaningful memorial videos during a funeral service.

This probably the most difficult task involved in creating a video tribute. You probably have lots and lots of photos of your deceased loved one and it can be hard to decide which ones to include. Just remember that keeping it short is best. I recommend somewhere between 30-36 photos to my client families. To include any more than that will cause the video to run too long, the photos will end up flying by, and the audience will be bored. I once made a video tribute for a family that decided on 86 photos!! Over 30 of those photos were taken of the couple on cruise ships and they all looked the same. Making it was way too time consuming, and as we played it during the funeral, some elderly attendees had to get up in the middle of it and find their way out of the chapel in the dark to find the restroom. It wasn't a good deal. So, please save yourself (and the attending mourners) some time and keep it short.

As you are rummaging through your photo collections and trying to decide on the right ones to include in the video tribute, keep an eye out for good photo quality. For instance, polaroid photos often create problems for the person making the video tribute. Most photos can be edited if the maker has a good program, but if the photos don't look good to begin with (too grainy, not focused, torn, old, etc.) editing probably won't make it look much better.

Be careful when selecting group shots for the video tribute. You want the memorial video to be about the decedent, not about everyone else. If you decide to include a few group shots, be sure to make a note on the back as to which person is the decedent. This will help the video creator to zoom in on the correct face.

When putting the photos in order, it is best to arrange them chronologically, usually starting with the childhood photos and ending with the most recent photos. After you decide on the order, be sure to make a note on the back and number them (1,2,3,4....etc.). An easy way to do this is to take some sticky notes and cut them into strips. Then I number each sticky strip, make a note as to which person in the photo is the decedent, and stick it to the back of the picture.

This is the most time consuming part of the video making process. This is because most people have printed snapshots and don't always have all of their images backed up in a computer file. Scanning takes such a long time because each photo must be saved to the computer correctly and have the correct annotations (order number, position in a group shot) without loosing the photo. I recommend scanning the photos to the computer in order. After each scan, make sure that the photo scanned correctly (without chopping half of the face off or anything). Then save the individual photo in a special folder named after the decedent, "John Smith Video Tribute" for example. Next, name the photo. The name should correspond with the sequence number and annotations. For example, the photo name can be something like "5 John Bottom Left". This means that it's the 5^th photo in the slideshow and John is the man in the bottom row on the far left. Use whatever system works best for you so you can remember the order. Warning: This will take a long time!

This should be pretty easy. When you use the recommended 30-36 photos, you should choose 2 or 3 songs to play for the duration of the slideshow. Altogether, the video should be 7-8 minutes long. To go any longer than that, would distress most of the funeral goers and bore everyone. By using 2 longer songs (or 3 shorter ones), you will give each photo enough time to show in the presentation. That way, the video can zoom in slowly on each photo and allow the viewers enough time to reflect on the life of the decedent. If the photos are flying by, it gets way too distracting and takes away from the purpose of the whole thing.

The songs you choose do not have to be sad funeral-type songs. Leave those for the service itself. You will keep the video forever and you don't want to have to listen to whiny depressing songs every time you want to see the photos of your deceased loved one, do you? I recommend choosing some songs that your loved one liked. It can be anything from an upbeat Beach Boys tune to Bette Midler's Wind Beneath My Wings. If you're at a loss, you can go to my Best and Worst Funeral Songs page for ideas.

This is the technical part. If you are making the video yourself, be sure that you have capable software that's relatively easy to use and be certain that you have a DVD burner. With most DVD making software applications, you can just drag and drop the photos into your desired sequence. You can then drag and drop the music files into the mix and the software will ensure that the music plays as the photos fade in and fade out.

If you are making your own DVD, you will then have to edit the individual photos and decide on the transitions. It is best to use a subtle transition like slow fades. That's when one photo fades out to reveal the next photo that fades in. When you use subtle transitions, the funeral attendees aren't shocked by fast moving images and in-your-face photos. Another great idea is to gently zoom in or zoom out on the face of the decedent while the photo is being displayed. This keeps things moving at a slow pace and flows with the selected music.

I think it is best to allow the funeral home to make the video tribute if they offer that sort of service. It will really help you out because you won't have the added stress of photo, scanning, editing, etc. So, if the funeral home offers to make DVD tribute slideshows, take them up on their offer. You'll only have to collect the photos, put them in the correct order and decide on a couple of songs.

If you're creating your own DVD covers, you'll need to know what kind of equipment you have. If you have LightScribe capabilities, you can burn the video data to your disc, flip it over and laser etch the DVD label. It's pretty neat.

If you're just going to use your printer to create the sticker labels, you can do it pretty easily. Just go into a program like Microsoft Publisher. Up in the top right hand corner, there will be a box that says "Type a question for help". In that box enter "DVD Label", and a window will appear along the left hand side of your computer screen. Choose the option that fits best. In my case, I choose the option corresponding with the Avery product I have which is Avery 5698. Then you can insert your favorite photo into the sticker cover layout and position it as you like. I prefer using a background photo to emphasize the portrait of the decedent.

When I create the DVD case covers, it's the same as making the sticker labels. I just measure the DVD case and use a blank print document from Microsoft Publisher and insert dotted lines where I need to cut the paper to fit the DVD case. Then I insert the desired background and portrait photos. I also like to put the decedent's name in the spine and the obituary on the back (if it fits). Then I print it out and cut along the dotted lines I created.

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If you have been asked to actually speak at a funeral service, Click Here for a great guide to delivering eulogies!