Better ways to create great photo slideshow on iPhone for free

Slideshows is a good way to showcase family photos, present a portfolio of work, etc. When you have taken a lot of photos on iPhone, you may want to convert the photos to slideshow video and share with your family and friends. In this article, we will show you two easier and better ways to create great photo shows or slideshow videos using your photos and pictures, accompanied by music and transitions, on iPhone. You can create a photo slideshow on your iPhone using the built-in apps for free. No third-party software apps or dedicated slideshow makers required.

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Method 1. Create a photo slideshow video using iMovie

iMovie is the default video editing software on Mac, iPhone and iPad. You might already have iMovie preinstalled on your iPhone, but if not, you can download it for free from the App Store. You can follow below instructions to create a photo slideshow using iMovie on your iPhone.

Open iMovie on your iPhone. The Projects viewer opens automatically. On this screen, you can select to edit an existing project or start new projects. Tap Start New Project, you will then have three options to create a video.

imovie projects viewer & brower on iphone

The three types of projects you can create and edit in iMovie are: Magic Movie, Storyboard and Movie.

  • Movie: make a movie from scratch using media from Photos and your camera.
  • Storyboard: Use beautiful templates to easily create a video or movie trailer. Improve your storytelling skills using a template that guides you through the video-making process.
  • Magic Movie: Choose media from Photos and let iMovie create a movie for you. Instantly make and share custom videos with titles, transitions, and music in just a few taps.

Recent versions of iMovie, featuring Storyboards and Magic Movie, simplifies video creation even further. You can update iMovie to the latest version for free to get these two new features that make it easier than ever to create great videos, slideshows on iPhone and iPad. Also note that the two additions offer a variety of options to customize the overall look and feel of a video. These include titles, filters, transitions, color palettes, music, etc.

Here we will show you the quick steps to create a basic photo slideshow from scratch using iMovie.

On the home screen of iMovie, go to Start New Project, choose Movie from the three options. Browse through your library to select the photos and videos that you want to use in your slideshow. Tap on Create Movie to add the selected photos to the timeline.

create photo slideshow movie with music using imovie on iphone

Reorder photo slides

Drag and drop photos in the timeline to change the sequence and place slides in a different order.

Change photo display duration

By default, a photo slide will be displayed for 5 seconds in a slideshow. You can shorten or lengthen the photo display duration in iMovie. Tap the photo to select it in the Timeline. Drag the yellow handles to make the photo display duration shorter or longer.

Change photo display duration in the slideshow video using iMovie on iphone

Edit slideshow transition effects

By default, the Dissolve transition effect applies. You can choose different transitions between photo slides. Tap to select an existing transition. This brings up a list of transition effects below the Timeline, such as Theme, Dissolve, Slide, Wipe and Fade. Tap to select and apply a different transition. You can also change the transition duration from 0.5 to 2.0 seconds at the bottom of your phone screen.

Apply slideshow themes & filters

Optionally tap anywhere on the black background to deselect your photo so as to reveal the Settings icon at the bottom right. Tap on it to open the Project Settings. Here you can apply and change slideshow themes. You can also turn on Theme Soundtrack to add music to your photo show in iMovie.

imovie project settings on iphone

Also on the Project Settings, you can access and choose from a variety of filters to your project, such as Comic, Comic Mono, Ink, B&W, Blast, Blockbuster, Blue, Camo, Dreamy, Duotone, Silent Era, Vintage and Western.

Add music & audio to slideshow

When you’re editing your movie project in the timeline, you can also add background music and sound to your slideshow in iMovie on iPhone.

On the movie project editing screen, tap the Add Media button + which can be found below the movie preview window, you will be taken to a new screen as shown below.

add media to imovie project on iphone
  • Tap Audio > Soundtracks to download and add soundtracks to your photo slideshow.
  • Tap Audio > My Music to add songs to your slideshow movie.
  • Tap Voiceover to record and add voiceover narration to your photo slideshow movie.
  • Tap Files to find and import music or other audio files to your slideshow project.

Share photo slideshow easily

Once you’ve completed your slideshow, tap Done in the top-left corner, then tap the Share icon at the bottom. Select Save Video to save photo slide shows to your Camera Roll or the Photos app on iPhone, or instantly share on Instagram, Facebook, Vimeo, WhatsApp, YouTube, etc.

iMovie share save export video project on iphone

Method 2. Create and Play Slideshows in Photos app

If you need a simple slideshow right now without advanced features, you can create a slideshow with your photos and videos in the Photos app. Slideshows are automatically formatted and set to music.

Open Photos and tap Library. View content as All Photos or Days. Tap Select to choose the photos and/or videos you want to include in the slideshow video.

Tap on the Menu (ellipsis icon) in the lower-right corner, then select Slideshow from the expanded menu. Your slideshow will begin playing. When the slideshow movie is playing, you can tap anywhere on the screen to pause it and select Options to customize it further. Here you can change slideshow theme and background music and whether to loop the slideshow or not.

You can also make a slideshow from an album. Tap Albums, tap the album you want to create a slideshow from, then follow the steps above.

iphone photos app albums - play memory video vs play slideshow movie

Although you can easily turn selected photos into dynamic slideshow videos following instructions above, you can’t export the slideshow video from Photos app to other apps or share it with other people. Also from the previous screenshot, you can see another option to create slideshow movies on iPhone, the Memory Video. Follow below instructions to create a memory video with your photos and videos on iPhone.

Method 3. Create, save and share Memory slideshow in Photos app

The Memories, a new feature and nifty addition to the Photos app, however can help create beautiful slideshows to share with your family and friends.

Open the Photos app on your iPhone, tap to open the For You tab from the bottom of your screen, then browse through your Memories, tap to watch a memory slideshow.

iphone photos app for you tab - watch memories videos

While you are watching a memory movie, tap anywhere on the screen to reveal more options. You will have options to edit the memory. For example, you can add it to Favourites, manage or delete photos from the memory slideshow, edit title, mute the slideshow movie, change background music, add soundtracks, change Memory looks, save the memory slideshow as video to Photos app, export the memory movie to Files app, upload it to Dropbox, transfer it from iPhone to Mac via AirDrop, share it with your family and friends via chat apps, etc.

iphone photos app memory video menu

You can also make a Memory slideshow from an album. Tap Albums, tap to open the album you want to create a Memory video from, then follow the steps above. Tap on the Menu (ellipsis icon) in the upper-right corner, then select Play Memory Video from the expanded menu. Then follow the steps above to customize, save and share the memory slideshow movie on your iPhone.

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