Summary :

What is the best free slideshow maker? What is the best slideshow maker for Windows 10? What is the best slideshow maker for Mac? There are 10 best photo slideshow makers to turn your photos into a movie.

Mar 31, 2020  Creating photo slideshows is one of the best ways to have a vivid presentation with still images integrated into it. We know that many online applications and desktop programs available to make a slideshow on Windows.However, when it comes to presentation on the Mac OS X system, it is totally a different situation.

Today, photo slideshow or video content drives marketing, and people even can make money on YouTube video. But, do you know how to make a photo slideshow with music and pictures? With photo slideshow makers, you are able to make a cool slideshow which can attract, entertain, and engage your audience.

What is the best program to make a picture slideshow? What is the best free slideshow maker?

Let’s dive in! Here are top 10 photo slideshow makers for 2019.

1. MiniTool Movie Maker

MiniTool Movie Maker, a newly released video editing tool, is the best slideshow maker for Windows 10/8/7 users.

It can help you easily and quickly create photo slideshow without watermark. MiniTool Movie Maker is a perfect fit for beginners. It comes for free on Windows PCs, along with basic features. Even newbie editors can grasp the best free photo slideshow maker to make a video with pictures and music.

Related article: 4 Easy Ways to Make Video from Pictures in 2019.

MiniTool Movie Maker offers movie templates. Each template is a pre-designed construct, with ready-made titles and effects, and a series of placeholders. If you don’t know anything about video editing, this is the quickest way to make a video. Select a template, then import your clips into those placeholders, and change these titles. After that, you can share this cool video with friends.

How to make a slideshow with music and pictures via the best slideshow maker for Windows 10?

3 Steps to Make a Photo Slideshow

Step 1. Lunch MiniTool Movie Maker, import your pictures, videos and music files via the Import Media Files button, and drag and drop these files to the storyboard.

Step 2. Now, you can use your imagination to create an outstanding photo slideshow.

• Adding transitions to connect one picture to another.
• Adding filters to change the color of pictures.
• Adding text to complete your photo slideshow.

Step 3. Export this photo slideshow and share it with your lovers.

The best free photo slideshow maker gives you an amazing opportunity to create an impressive slideshow just in 3 simple steps. You even can use this tool to create a Facebook Slideshow.

Pros

• It is a free, easy-to-use and simple video editing software.
• It offers a lot of choices of transitions.
• It allows you to easily change the brightness, contrast, and saturation of pictures and videos.
• It provides movie templates to help you easily create a cool movie.
• It can split and trim video without damaging the raw material.
• It lets you export a movie in different file formats like MP4, MOV, WMV, etc.
• It can help you create your own story without watermark.

Cons

It doesn't support screen recording now.

Our verdict

MiniTool Movie Maker is a free and simple video editing software for new users. Almost everyone can make a cool video without watermark as long as they use this free tool. Besides, this free video editor without watermark can change video resolution, change video format easily, etc.

Related article: The Best Free Slideshow Maker – MiniTool Movie Maker (2019).

2. Windows Movie Maker

Windows Movie Maker, a discontinued video editing software by Microsoft, offers the ability to create and edit photo slideshows as well as to publish them on OneDrive, Facebook, Vimeo, YouTube, and Flickr. More information about this free photo slideshow maker can be found in 6 Things You Need to Know About Free Windows Movie Maker (2019).

Windows Movie Maker allows you to combine your clips into digital movies with titles, transitions, background music, and effects. Its intuitive interface has a simpler version of a video editor timeline and is easy enough for even newbie editors to grasp.

You can simply see the effects, transitions, and themes automatically when you just hover the mouse cursor over the buttons. It’s a simple feature that is popular with users.

Related article: How to Use Movie Maker | Step-by-step Guide for Beginners.

Pros

• It offers some transition effects.
• Voiceovers and other audio features are provided.
• Its intuitive interface has a simpler version of a video editor timeline.
• You can preview effects, transitions, and themes automatically.

Cons

• It was officially discontinued on January 10, 2017.
• It cannot change the contrast, saturation, or effects.

Our verdict

Windows Movie Maker might be the simplest way to combine your pictures into a photo slideshow.

Related article: 5 Ways to Combine Videos into One Easily and Quickly (100% Working).

But, you need to be careful when downloading this tool. Websites that offer free downloads of Movie Maker are not offering the real thing, and those downloads may contain malware, viruses, or hidden costs.

If you want to experience this free video slideshow maker, you can click the following button. This download is completely safe. 100% Virus-Free and Spyware-Free Guaranteed!

3. Movavi Slideshow Maker

Movavi Slideshow Maker helps you create a slideshow in Windows and Mac. It equips with the tools you need to polish photos and add enhancements to your projects.

It offers 105 transition effects, and they are classy and professional looking. It offers 165 chic photo filters although it doesn’t supply any backgrounds or themes.

Pros

• It is Mac compatible.
• This program lets you capture screens.

Cons

This program doesn’t allow you to post projects directly to Twitter, Facebook or email.

Our verdict

This photo slideshow maker is a choice for users who want to create and post professional-looking videos and slideshows to their YouTube accounts.

4. Icecream Slideshow Maker

Icecream Slideshow Maker creates video slideshows out of the images. This easy-to-use photo slideshow maker lets you add multiple audio files to create a playlist per each slideshow, add text for each slide in a slideshow and preview the slideshow.

By using this video slideshow maker, you are able to resume created files from the History panel, and you can upload the slideshow to YouTube, Google Drive and Dropbox right from the program.

Best Slideshow Maker For Mac

Pros

• It offers online support
• It allows saving projects after the video slideshow creation. All of your works will be securely stored in the program and you can get back to them whenever you want.

Cons

• The output formats are limited to 4 types which are AVI, MOV, WEBM and MP4.
• There is no “Ctrl+Z” in this software.
• The trial edition has some limitations. For instance, you are limited in adding 20 photos for 1 slideshow and an output video format of just WEBM.

Our verdict

Icecream Slideshow Maker is very easy to use and supports a wide range of transitions. But, if you want to make photo slideshow with unlimited photos, you need to choose the advanced edition.

5. Proshow Gold

Both professional photographers and inexperienced users can perfectly use ProShow Gold.

This photo slideshow maker offers a sizable library of professional-looking transitions, backgrounds, and effects to help professional photographers showcase images and videos in modern fashion.

This photo slideshow maker pops up the ProShow Wizard when you open it to help inexperienced users make a slideshow.

Pros

• Extensive options for creation.
• Works similar to video editing platforms.

Cons

• Certain features are not easily explained.
• No music generator.
• Lack of an official user forum.
• 15-day fully functional trial.

Our verdict

There are more features than you will initially use, and you should spend time learning these features.

6. PhotoStage Slideshow

PhotoStage Slideshow allows you to make vibrant slideshows from photos on Windows 10 quickly. This software offers roughly 30 transition effects, but there are no backgrounds, filters or themes. This tool not only allows you to crop and rotate your photo but also lets you adjust the contrast, hue and brightness.

Pros

• It's easy to use.
• It comes with effects and multimedia presentations.

Cons

• The free version is for non-commercial use only.
• You have to buy technical support plans to access email support.

Our verdict

It offers a variety of input and output options as well as editing tools for images and music.

7. CyberLink MediaShow

CyberLink MediaShow, free slideshow maker, not only can make photo slideshow but also helps you tag and categorize your images and videos. This photo slideshow maker offers 31 transition effects to help you create a cool slideshow. This tool lets you add an audio track to give your presentations an entertaining touch.

Pros

• It is a very versatile and powerful application.
• It gives you quick links, so you can share media with websites, such as YouTube, Facebook, and Flickr.

Cons

• Occasionally crashes while editing.
• CyberLink charges for phone support.

Our verdict

There are many features available in the free version of the video slideshow maker, and it performs all tasks with ease and at fast speed.

8. Photostory Deluxe

Photostory Deluxe helps you easily personalize your photo slideshow because of its extensive editing and creation tools. Photostory Deluxe helps you enhance your photos and videos before you publish them, making it is a perfect choice for serious photographers or GoPro users.

Best Free Photo Slideshow Software For Mac

It covers all the basic slideshow features necessary to make beautiful projects. It has an extensive toolset featuring advanced editing tools there are not found in many competing programs.

This photo slideshow maker offers over 300 transition effects, more than 370 backgrounds and filters. Besides, there is an in-store app where you can purchase additional graphics, music and transitions. And, you can use the advanced editing tools to make your photos stand out.

This tool has so many tools, thus beginners might feel a little daunted by all of the options.

Pros

It has hundreds of transition effects and a wide variety of useful tools.

Cons

• You have to pay extra to receive technical support over the telephone.
• It is one of the most expensive slideshow programs.

Our verdict

Photostory Deluxe is one of the top photo slideshow maker. It makes HD-quality slideshows and has one of the most extensive photo and music editing toolsets we saw. But, it might take a while to figure out how to use everything since there are so many tools.

9. Photostory Easy

Photostory easy is a simplified version of Photostory Deluxe. This simple photo slideshow maker offers 72 transition effects and 27 backgrounds to help you customize your slideshows.

This tool allows you to adjust the hue, saturation, brightness and contrast of your images, and lets you record audio or fade music in and out.

Photostory easy includes an in-store app with a huge library of effects including fun decorations like bunny ears, sunglasses and party balloons. You can add these effects to your images to add more fun to your photo slideshow.

Besides, you can add animated titles and captions for your slides via its specific text templates.

With this photo slideshow maker, you not only can burn your projects to DVD, Blu-ray or interactive CD but also can post your projects directly to YouTube, Flickr and Facebook from the program.

Pros

• It has an easy-to-use interface.
• It’s compatible with all of the most common file types.
• It can burn to both DVDs and Blu-rays.

Cons

Best Photo Slideshow Software Reviews

• Some of the support options are difficult to use.
• You cannot post your slideshows directly to Twitter.

Our verdict

Photostory easy is a good photo slideshow maker for new users because of its simple interface and built-in wizard. But, this tool does not come with all the extras our higher-ranked applications offer.

10. iMovie

Last but not least, iMovie, the best slideshow maker for Mac, has been around for a long time and has always focused on one philosophy: ease of use in a clean and elegant interface.

With iMovie for iOS and macOS, you can browse your clips and create Hollywood-style trailers and stunning 4K-resolution movies. It offers you two main options: a Movie or a Trailer. You can easily create fun, Hollywood-style movie trailers from all that footage if you don’t know anything about video editing.

This best photo slideshow maker is very well optimized on modern Macs, and it works very quickly, especially on a MacBook Pro. You can import, edit and scrub through a 4K video smoothly without any problems.

Cons

• Simple interface.
• Professional-looking themes and trailers.

Pros

• Limited to two video tracks.
• Not many filters, transitions and titles.
• Interface is not customizable.

Our verdict

The best slideshow maker for Mac can turn your footage and photos into impressive productions although it doesn’t give you many customization options.

Now, It’s Your Turn to

Choose the best photo slideshow maker to turn your photos into a movie. If you are a new user, you are suggested to choose a simple and free photo slideshow maker like MiniTool Movie Maker.

Should you have any question, please feel free to contact us! If you have another good photo slideshow maker, please recommend us!

Photo Slideshow Maker FAQ

1. Import your files into the best free slideshow maker, MiniTool Movie Maker.
2. Drag and drop pictures to the timeline.
3. Edit these pictures including add transitions, change the color of pictures, add text to tell your story.
4. Export the slideshow.

1. Launch MiniTool Movie Maker.
2. Import your picture files and music files into the free slideshow maker.
3. Drag and drop these media files into the timeline.
4. Add transitions between video clips, and add animated text to clips.
5. Merger audio files, edit audio files like fade in or fade out music.
6. Export the slideshow with music on your PC and share it with friends.

Slideshows are an important tool for many people, whether you’re putting together a business presentation, a photo collection for family, a simple slideshow with music or something else. Whatever your need, a slideshow software that delivers professional and high-quality results will be something you will want to use.

In 2020 we rechecked our older version of the slideshow software list and added one more new cool online service. Thanks to the versatility of the apps we offer below you can easily create slideshows on any PC – be that Windows, or Mac – or your favorite smartphone. From completely free slideshow makers to premium programs and everything in between, we have you covered.

Free slideshow software for PC

1. Icecream Slideshow Maker – best free slideshow maker

When creating a slideshow, the most important thing is strong features to make your final presentation more dynamic. However, other factors are also important, such as ease of use, design, and accessibility. In terms of those criteria, Icecream Slideshow Maker is an absolute winner.

This slideshow software is completely beautiful and so easy-to-use; a modern experience that makes building a slideshow an interesting thing to do. Users can add images one by one or by while folders from PC and get user-friendly tools for customizing the slideshow. Such parameters as slide and transition duration along with the transition effects can be customized in this free slideshow maker.

Photo Slideshow Maker For Mac

Icecream Slideshow Maker is free to use, with an optional premium version that gives more pro features. The program supports the addition of multiple audio files per slideshow; uploading of the created videos to Google Drive, Dropbox, and YouTube directly from the program; and offers the feature to burn DVDs with the slideshows, and even more.

One of the best slideshow maker software is the easy-to-use ability for previewing photo slideshows before saving, while time and transition effects are also welcome additions.

OS: Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10
Licensing: Freemium, PRO version $19.95
File Size: 20 MB
Our Rating:10 / 10

2. PhotoStage Slideshow Software – slideshow maker with a photo editor

Of all the slideshow editing and creation apps we tried, Photostage Slideshow Software was the easiest to use with the simplest tools and instructions. This slideshow maker can deliver professional-level slideshows that are fully customizable to personal demands. Core features are on board, such as transitions, images, videos, music, and other media integrations.

We also like the in-built photo editor of this slideshow maker, which is powerful enough to be a worthy dedicated editor for your images. Photostage Slideshow Software also stands out from the competition because its output options are more diverse than many rival apps. The only thing that hampers the overall experience is the slightly archaic and dated design and the fact the free version is time-capped to one month.

OS: Windows 7, 8, 10
Licensing: Free One-Month Trial, PRO version $24.99+
File Size: 5 MB
Our Rating:9 / 10

3. Proshow Gold – slideshow maker with in-built themes and music

Like Photostage, Proshow Gold is a limited-trial free slideshow software that you will need to pay for to use the features in the long term. Still, it does everything you want a consistent slideshow maker to do, including efficient use of media. Including movies, images, and audio is easy, while importing from social media like Facebook and Instagram is efficient.

The app features very good integrated themes that you can choose to lead the design of your presentation. Additionally, Proshow Gold features a long list of royalty-free music that can accompany a slideshow. There are plenty of automated features that will appeal to beginners and pro-users alike; although you will only get these features for free for a limited time.

OS: Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10
Licensing: Free One-Month Trial, PRO version $69.95+
File Size: 45 MB
Our Rating:8 / 10

Best online slideshow maker tools

1. Slidely – an advanced online slideshow maker

Slidely is entirely web based and is completely free to use. The former of those has good and bad implications which we will discuss, but at its core Slidely is an excellent slideshow maker that anyone can use.

Being a modern web app, the slideshow maker is slick and contemporary, offering a stylish UI to carry out presentations with slick tools and a strong feature set. Connections to social media are at the heart of the experience, allowing easy integration of slideshows on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and others.

The one clear limitation is that this is a web experience only. In other words, you must be connected to the internet to even use Slidely as there is no offline functionality or dedicated download.

OS: Web
Licensing: Free
Our Rating:8 / 10

2. Kizoa – easy-to-use online slideshow maker

Kizoa is a free slideshow maker that is extremely easy to use thanks to its large amount of pop-ups with tips and information on how exactly to use this slideshow software. Kizoa supports using preset templates (grouped by categories) for the slideshows or creating them manually from scratch.

The images can be uploaded to the slideshow software from your computer or from Facebook. There are 48 various transition effects and 58 effects that you can add to the pictures themselves. Text can be added to each slide, and there is a selection of various text styles that can be applied to the text with this free slideshow maker. GIFs and music (both preset) are also offered to add to the slideshows. The added images can be used as is and can be automatically centered and fitted to avoid blank sides in the videos.

All in all it’s a great free slideshow maker to use. The only downside comes once you actually create a slideshow, preview it, and then opt to share the videos online, by email, save it as a file, upload it to YouTube or Facebook, or burn it to a DVD, as you will be asked to create an account for that.

OS: Web
Licensing: Free
Our Rating:8 / 10

3. Kapwing – online slideshow maker with impressive number of tools

Kapwing is an online slideshow software that not only supports images, but also video files of MP4, WebM and 3GPP formats. Uploading of YouTube videos is available in this free slideshow maker. This is definitely a great feature however since this service is a web based one it might be time consuming to upload and process large files and long videos. You can add blank scenes and select a custom color for it and select the aspect ratio of your slideshow: 1:1, 9:16, 16:9, 4:5, 5:4 and Custom Size. For each scene you can edit duration. The scenes can be duplicated and deleted.
If you open the “Studio” view of Kapwing you can find advanced editing options such as addition of text, images (the collection is offered by the service), shapes, audio and subtitles. You can save the draft throughout the process whenever required in this free slideshow maker. The created slideshow is available online by URL and you can save it in MP4 format. Moreover you can resume working on your slideshow after it is published.

OS: Web
Licensing: Free, PRO 20 USD per month
Our Rating:9 / 10

Best Mac Software For Photo Slideshow

4. Google Slides – free slideshow maker by Google

Google Slides is another great online, free slideshow maker with a highly intuitive interface and a selection of 26 templates. If you don’t select any preset template, you will have a selection of blank slides to which you can not only add text and images, but videos, shapes, tables, charts, diagrams, lines, special characters, and animations too.

The text added to slides of this free slideshow maker can be fully formatted (spacing, font size and type, alignment, etc.). New slides can be added with a single mouse click. The images can be uploaded from your computer, from Google Drive, or uploaded by URL. Another great feature of the slideshow software is the auto-save feature. All the changes made are automatically saved in your Google Drive account. Transitions between the slides can also be customized. The created slideshow can be shared by a direct link or you can invite people to view the slideshow by email. As for downloading it, Google Slides supports the following output formats: PPTX, ODP, PDF, and TXT.

OS: Web
Licensing: Free
Our Rating:8 / 10

We think that any decent slideshow maker should come with some core features. The ability to integrate media like images, video, and audio are necessary to putting professional touches to your work. All the services on our list have this ability and a range of other features, such as social media integration, templates, and photo editing tools. Turn to a free video editor in case you need to work on your slideshow video further.

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