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How long should a slideshow be?
The right length depends less on how many photos you have than on where people will be watching. If they're seated and the room goes quiet, keep it short. If it plays in the background while people mingle, it can run much longer.
A rule of thumb for any event: 8 to 12 photos per minute of music, and songs of about 3½ minutes each.
By occasion
| Occasion | Watched while… | Good length | Photos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Funeral or memorial service | seated, during the service | 5 to 10 minutes | 50 to 120 |
| Visitation or reception | mingling, on a loop | 15 to 30 minutes | 150 to 300 |
| Wedding reception | seated, before dinner or toasts | 5 to 8 minutes | 50 to 90 |
| 25th or 50th anniversary | seated, as a feature | 8 to 12 minutes | 80 to 140 |
| Milestone birthday | at the party, often during a toast | 5 to 10 minutes | 50 to 120 |
| Graduation party | in the background | 5 to 15 minutes, looped | 60 to 150 |
| Retirement | at the send-off, during speeches | 4 to 8 minutes | 40 to 90 |
| Family reunion | in the background, all day | 15 to 30 minutes, looped | 150 to 300 |
| Sports banquet | seated, as a feature | 6 to 12 minutes | 70 to 150 |
Why shorter is usually better when people are seated
A slideshow everyone watches together is part of a program with speeches, toasts and meals around it. Past about ten minutes, attention drifts, and the best photos get lost among the rest. If you have more photos than fit, make two versions: a short one for the program and a longer one to loop during the meal or reception.
Shaping it
- Open quietly with a title (names, dates, the occasion) while the room settles.
- Tell it in chapters: growing up, the couple, the family, the team's season. A new song for each chapter keeps it moving.
- End on a high point: a favorite photo and a thank-you, timed to the end of the music.
With Porchlight Slideshow, the timing takes care of itself: add the songs, drag in the photos, and it fits the photos to the music. Each occasion has its own guide with ideas: weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, graduations, retirements, reunions and memorials.