How Long Should a Funeral Slideshow Be?
3 min read
It is one of the first questions people ask, and the answer is reassuringly simple. Here is how long a funeral slideshow should be, what that means in photos, and when it is fine to go longer.
The short answer: three to seven minutes
Most funeral slideshows run between three and seven minutes, with five being a comfortable middle. That is long enough to tell a whole life story and hold the room, and short enough that attention stays on every face rather than drifting. If the slideshow plays during a gathering or reception rather than the service itself, it can run a little longer and loop.
How many photos is that?
At a gentle, unhurried pace, each photo is on screen for roughly four to six seconds. That works out to about 25 to 60 photos for a three-to-seven minute slideshow. Fewer than 25 can feel thin; many more than 60 begins to rush. If you have a large collection, it is better to choose the strongest and let each one breathe than to fit everything in.
- About 3 minutes — roughly 25 to 35 photos
- About 5 minutes — roughly 40 to 55 photos
- About 7 minutes — roughly 55 to 70 photos
When a longer version makes sense
A celebration of life, a milestone remembrance, or a keepsake meant for family to keep can happily run longer — ten to twenty minutes — because people are settling in to remember rather than moving through an order of service. Many families like to have both: a tighter version for the service and a fuller one to keep and share.
Getting the length right, without the stress
Rather than counting seconds, start from how many photos you have and the feeling you want. If the timing and pacing feel like one more thing to manage, Heirloom handles it for you: share your photos and we arrange them into a well-paced tribute set to music, sized to the length you need, usually within a couple of hours.