How to Make a Funeral Slideshow
5 min read
Putting together a slideshow for a funeral can feel like a lot when you are already grieving and short on time. It does not have to be. Here is a calm, practical way to do it well — whether you make it yourself or let someone handle the hard parts for you.
1. Gather the photos, without overthinking it
Start by collecting whatever you have. Photos on your phone, prints in a shoebox, pictures other family members can send you — all of it counts. Do not worry yet about which ones make the final cut; it is easier to choose from a generous pile than to squeeze a story out of a handful.
For printed photos, a clear phone snapshot in good light (avoid flash if you can) works perfectly. Aim for a spread across their whole life rather than one era, so the slideshow feels like a full story.
2. Aim for the right number of photos
A good funeral slideshow usually runs three to seven minutes. That is roughly 25 to 60 photos at a comfortable, unhurried pace — long enough to feel complete, short enough to hold everyone in the room. If you have far more, that is a good problem; the strongest ones can carry the story and the rest can live in a longer keepsake version.
3. Put them in an order that tells a story
Chronological order is the most natural and the most moving: childhood, young adulthood, family and working years, and recent times. It lets people watch a whole life unfold. Open with a clear, warm portrait, and let the arc carry the room from there.
- Childhood and early years
- Young adulthood — friendships, milestones, the person coming into their own
- Family, marriage, career, the everyday middle of life
- Recent years, ending on something tender
4. Choose music that matches the feeling
Music does more than any transition or effect. Pick something that suits them and the tone of the service — gentle piano, warm strings, a hymn, or a piece of classical music. Instrumental tracks tend to sit best under a slideshow because they carry emotion without competing with the images. Our companion guide on funeral slideshow songs goes deeper on choosing.
5. Get it ready in time — and in the right format
Ask the funeral home or venue what they can play and how they want it delivered. A standard video file (MP4) played from a laptop or USB stick is the most reliable, and having a shareable link means family who cannot attend can still watch. Give yourself a buffer: aim to have it finished the day before, not the morning of.
If the time and technical side feel like too much right now, that is exactly what we built Heirloom for. You share the photos, and we craft the slideshow — order, music, gentle motion, title cards — usually within a couple of hours, ready before the service.