MacMost Now 319: Exporting iPhoto Slideshows as Video
Learn how to create artistic photo slideshows in iPhoto that can then be exported as video files. You can then email these video files, create a DVD or upload to a video sharing site.
Want to know more about how to use iMovie on your Mac? Check out this MacMost course!
Comments: 29 Responses to “MacMost Now 319: Exporting iPhoto Slideshows as Video”
wilson Abrego
15 years ago
everething works jut fine 'till i want to sync with my iphone 3g don't know why little help !!!!pleaes
wilson Abrego
15 years ago
Hey just forget about it .
I found the way how to do it.
Thanks
wilson Abrego
15 years ago
OK What should I do to e-mail it ?
Help please!!!
Deke
15 years ago
It Looks easy but you cannot expert the theme with the photos, for instance you selected scapbook as a theme but when you export slideshow to quicktime video or directly to idvd it will no export the scapbook theme which is frustrating, all you get is a black background with your photos jumping from one to the other, so if you know of a way to export the scapbook theme as well as photos please notify me regards Deke.
You definitely CAN export a slideshow to a video with the theme. I just tried it to confirm. I created a new slideshow in the left sidebar. Then I pressed the theme button at the bottom and chose "scrapbook." Played it to see it in action. Then I pressed the big Export button at the bottom of the window. Chose a resolution and it exported as a .m4v video with the scrapbook theme.
Perhaps you set up a slideshow and then chose to export just the photos from it instead of the slideshow itself?
Tim
13 years ago
I have the same issue. Maybe I am confused by step 1: "Create a new slideshow in the left sidebar." I am good at taking an event or libray and hitting the "Slideshow" button at the bottom (on version '09), and getting it just how I want it, but when I stop it and send to iDVD, I get only the music and picures but not the theme such as "Scrapbook" Just now I went to "Export Slideshow" and it seems to be working, (VERY slow with 557 photos), but aren't I supposed to be able to go straight to iDVD and burn?
I can't remember exactly how it was in 09 (have been using 11 for so long). But you don't want to just hit the Slideshow button. That kinda creates a temporary "quick" slideshow. You want to select the photos, and then look in the left sidebar at the bottom for the + button and create a slideshow there. In 11 There is a "Create" button at the bottom right, but in 09 I think it is a + button. Or, try File, New, Slideshow.
Tim
13 years ago
Never mind. I actually watched the video, which I should have done first. Thanks for the site!
Lou Gold
15 years ago
When I export the video, it is not placed anywhere. I find it ONLY in the iPhoto application but I can't access it to export to iMovie or to attach to an email or upload to youtube. The folder called iPhoto slideshows is completely empty.
When you export using File, Export, you get to choose where you want the resulting movie to go. Put it on your Desktop or your Documents folder to make it easier to find later if you like.
Adam
13 years ago
Gary: Please help -- I have created a slideshow with > 100 photos and some music, etc. Each time I try exporting to iDVD or a folder on my desktop, however, the export process takes an exceedingly long time (perhaps due to the heavy images?), but then -- much worse -- I receive an error message and the process doesn't seem to go through. We have an iMac from last year running near-current versions of all of the relevant programs. Seems as though others have had this problem as well. All I'd like to do is to burn a DVD of the slideshow for viewing on standard DVD players.
Perhaps a photo is corrupt or missing? Music? Hard to say without a first-hand look. Just try re-building the slideshow and see if that helps (easy if you put all the photos in an album first).
Adam
13 years ago
Thanks, Gary. From what I've now read, if a Mac is set up to go into sleep mode, and the Mac sleeps during the export process (which can happen depending on how data heavy the slide show is and how long the export process takes), that can gum up the works. Have to adjust the settings so that it doesn't go into sleep mode.
The export was taking that long (or your sleep time was that short)? What happened when you turned off sleep mode and tried it?
The_dude
14 years ago
Hey man, great job with this video. I was messing around with I-photo trying to make a slide show but having problems exporting it with music. I searched online and found a lot of people with the same problems and many different ideas about what was wrong.
Then I found your site and realized I was doing everything all wrong. After watching your video I was able to complete the project very quickly. Thanks a million...
-D
Bill
14 years ago
Great instruction, straight forward, easy to follow and I had my slideshow to video in about 2 minutes. Thanks from a VERY new mac user.
Donna
13 years ago
Hi, GAry~
I n assigning a Theme ot my slideshow, it will not apply the music I select:it continually replaces the selection with one on the 'sample' or default list- even when the slideshow plays correctly, after I export it ( and it has even burned onto DVDs with incorrect music and default settings- i.e. loop song- not music/ slide fit to music….) ARRGH!!!
It appears if I use the music songs provided with the program ( samples/ defaults) it is fine,but trying to add my own music, it is a no- go and mac replaces my music with the first in the sample category...
Please help. Thank you.
Odd. Perhaps the music you are trying to add is a format not supported? Just a guess. Maybe try converting it to a standard .mp3 and see if that works.
Elizabeth
13 years ago
Gary,
The video is very helpful however, when I open up my iPhoto, there is no plus sign at the bottom of my screen. Am I doing something particularly stupid? In my defence, I am a relatively new user to the MacBook!
Searching for an answer it seems it has to do with display sleep. Turn off display sleep in your Energy Saver preferences and see if that works.
Yoseff
13 years ago
Man, thank you very much for this comment.
I was going crazy with my iPhoto, cause it was the sixth time that i just got a file with a black screen - sometimes white -, with any photo or sound, and just, and all because I was exporting from a Album and not a Slideshow Presentation.
Thanks for the hint about this tiny detail.
The Jazzcat
13 years ago
Hello Gary,
I have created slideshows in Iphoto and I have selected music to go along with them. If a tune is 7 minutes, I expect a 7 minute slideshow when I export it to a movie. What happens is that the slide show turns out to be 2 minutes and 43 seconds. Why am I having this problem when exporting the slide show to match the length of my music?
Not sure. Experiment. Try setting it so slides are X seconds long and then doing the math to get it to the right length. Maybe make it in iMovie or Keynote for more control.
Clare
12 years ago
Hi
How do I save my slideshow to a DVD?? Can you please gave me step by step instructions?? I don't have IDVD just the iPhoto application. thanks so much
You can't create a DVD without DVD creation software. So you'll need iDVD, if you can get it. Or an alternative, like the apps in the Mac App Store or something like Toast. Or, just find a better way to distribute the video than DVD.
holly
12 years ago
hi Gary, Great info. For some reason though, my iPhoto doesn't have the "Export" button on the lower section. Any idea why? I can export from the File menu, but it doesn't give me the options for exporting.
thanks!
This video is from 2009, so it would have been for iPhoto 09. You probably have iPhoto 11. Things are in a different place, but the options should still be there. Look around for it while creating a slideshow.
everething works jut fine 'till i want to sync with my iphone 3g don't know why little help !!!!pleaes
Hey just forget about it .
I found the way how to do it.
Thanks
OK What should I do to e-mail it ?
Help please!!!
It Looks easy but you cannot expert the theme with the photos, for instance you selected scapbook as a theme but when you export slideshow to quicktime video or directly to idvd it will no export the scapbook theme which is frustrating, all you get is a black background with your photos jumping from one to the other, so if you know of a way to export the scapbook theme as well as photos please notify me regards Deke.
You definitely CAN export a slideshow to a video with the theme. I just tried it to confirm. I created a new slideshow in the left sidebar. Then I pressed the theme button at the bottom and chose "scrapbook." Played it to see it in action. Then I pressed the big Export button at the bottom of the window. Chose a resolution and it exported as a .m4v video with the scrapbook theme.
Perhaps you set up a slideshow and then chose to export just the photos from it instead of the slideshow itself?
I have the same issue. Maybe I am confused by step 1: "Create a new slideshow in the left sidebar." I am good at taking an event or libray and hitting the "Slideshow" button at the bottom (on version '09), and getting it just how I want it, but when I stop it and send to iDVD, I get only the music and picures but not the theme such as "Scrapbook" Just now I went to "Export Slideshow" and it seems to be working, (VERY slow with 557 photos), but aren't I supposed to be able to go straight to iDVD and burn?
I can't remember exactly how it was in 09 (have been using 11 for so long). But you don't want to just hit the Slideshow button. That kinda creates a temporary "quick" slideshow. You want to select the photos, and then look in the left sidebar at the bottom for the + button and create a slideshow there. In 11 There is a "Create" button at the bottom right, but in 09 I think it is a + button. Or, try File, New, Slideshow.
Never mind. I actually watched the video, which I should have done first. Thanks for the site!
When I export the video, it is not placed anywhere. I find it ONLY in the iPhoto application but I can't access it to export to iMovie or to attach to an email or upload to youtube. The folder called iPhoto slideshows is completely empty.
what now?
thx,
lou
When you export using File, Export, you get to choose where you want the resulting movie to go. Put it on your Desktop or your Documents folder to make it easier to find later if you like.
Gary: Please help -- I have created a slideshow with > 100 photos and some music, etc. Each time I try exporting to iDVD or a folder on my desktop, however, the export process takes an exceedingly long time (perhaps due to the heavy images?), but then -- much worse -- I receive an error message and the process doesn't seem to go through. We have an iMac from last year running near-current versions of all of the relevant programs. Seems as though others have had this problem as well. All I'd like to do is to burn a DVD of the slideshow for viewing on standard DVD players.
Perhaps a photo is corrupt or missing? Music? Hard to say without a first-hand look. Just try re-building the slideshow and see if that helps (easy if you put all the photos in an album first).
Thanks, Gary. From what I've now read, if a Mac is set up to go into sleep mode, and the Mac sleeps during the export process (which can happen depending on how data heavy the slide show is and how long the export process takes), that can gum up the works. Have to adjust the settings so that it doesn't go into sleep mode.
The export was taking that long (or your sleep time was that short)? What happened when you turned off sleep mode and tried it?
Hey man, great job with this video. I was messing around with I-photo trying to make a slide show but having problems exporting it with music. I searched online and found a lot of people with the same problems and many different ideas about what was wrong.
Then I found your site and realized I was doing everything all wrong. After watching your video I was able to complete the project very quickly. Thanks a million...
-D
Great instruction, straight forward, easy to follow and I had my slideshow to video in about 2 minutes. Thanks from a VERY new mac user.
Hi, GAry~
I n assigning a Theme ot my slideshow, it will not apply the music I select:it continually replaces the selection with one on the 'sample' or default list- even when the slideshow plays correctly, after I export it ( and it has even burned onto DVDs with incorrect music and default settings- i.e. loop song- not music/ slide fit to music….) ARRGH!!!
It appears if I use the music songs provided with the program ( samples/ defaults) it is fine,but trying to add my own music, it is a no- go and mac replaces my music with the first in the sample category...
Please help. Thank you.
Odd. Perhaps the music you are trying to add is a format not supported? Just a guess. Maybe try converting it to a standard .mp3 and see if that works.
Gary,
The video is very helpful however, when I open up my iPhoto, there is no plus sign at the bottom of my screen. Am I doing something particularly stupid? In my defence, I am a relatively new user to the MacBook!
Grateful for your help.
This is an old video. Look in the File menu to create "New" things.
Exporting a slide show from iPhoto always fails at the last second with an error message :OSSstatus error -9459. Why is that?
MacBook Pro
2.4 GHz Core duo
OS X 10.6.8
4 GB RAM
iPhoto 8.1.2
Searching for an answer it seems it has to do with display sleep. Turn off display sleep in your Energy Saver preferences and see if that works.
Man, thank you very much for this comment.
I was going crazy with my iPhoto, cause it was the sixth time that i just got a file with a black screen - sometimes white -, with any photo or sound, and just, and all because I was exporting from a Album and not a Slideshow Presentation.
Thanks for the hint about this tiny detail.
Hello Gary,
I have created slideshows in Iphoto and I have selected music to go along with them. If a tune is 7 minutes, I expect a 7 minute slideshow when I export it to a movie. What happens is that the slide show turns out to be 2 minutes and 43 seconds. Why am I having this problem when exporting the slide show to match the length of my music?
Not sure. Experiment. Try setting it so slides are X seconds long and then doing the math to get it to the right length. Maybe make it in iMovie or Keynote for more control.
Hi
How do I save my slideshow to a DVD?? Can you please gave me step by step instructions?? I don't have IDVD just the iPhoto application. thanks so much
You can't create a DVD without DVD creation software. So you'll need iDVD, if you can get it. Or an alternative, like the apps in the Mac App Store or something like Toast. Or, just find a better way to distribute the video than DVD.
hi Gary, Great info. For some reason though, my iPhoto doesn't have the "Export" button on the lower section. Any idea why? I can export from the File menu, but it doesn't give me the options for exporting.
thanks!
This video is from 2009, so it would have been for iPhoto 09. You probably have iPhoto 11. Things are in a different place, but the options should still be there. Look around for it while creating a slideshow.