What is the easiest, if not best, photo montage software?

MattinSTL said:
If somebody doesn't want to pay fair money then they get the commensurate time invested.
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Totally true.

MattinSTL said:
You can criticize this if you want to, but all that matters is that you are making your client happy and not killing yourself in the process.
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Whoa ... I'm not criticizing it like I may have come across. If I did, I apologize. What works for someone is great. I was merely expressing my opinion with the word "yuck". As I explained, I don't like the way the auto things work. But that is just me. It works for some or they wouldn't be selling it.

Income? .... varies with what a person wants, but typically, ball park? It takes me about 8 hours to do about 200 photos the way I am happy with. That brings in roughly $400 ........ about 50 bucks per. 300 photos is not 50% more time as it might seem because once into it, more is faster.

Larry
 
We're all good here. I agree that automated stuff looks... er... automated.

How many songs do you put the photos to on these things? I find that one a 7+ mp picture that you have a lot of space to work with... and to change pictures more then about once every 5 seconds is pushing it. Sure there are some quick cuts, but generally with any motion in the picture, it can stay up for 5-10 seconds.

Let's just say 5 seconds for an average. That's 12 pictures per minute... with maybe 3 fast cuts... so 15 per minute. To give somebody even 150 pictures composed would be 10 minutes of music.

Are people getting about 200 pics compilation from you for $400? How long is the result? Just curious.
 
Let me suggest Photo Story 3, a free download from Microsoft.com that works with XP - do a search for Photo Story on the MS site. He can load in digital photos, arrange them, set timing, do pans and zooms. He can also bring in music but he would have to set the image durations to time it to the music. I believe it renders to AVI or WMV files. Don't expect professional features - but it is definitely the type of program I would recommed to someone like my sister who is just a PC user but not into video editing at all.
 
200 photos +/- 10ish runs about 18-20 minutes. Maybe between 20-23 on occasion. A photo with one face or other subject is up about 4-5 seconds. A group shot is, of course, longer. If it's a group shot like 10-15 people, I start on one end, zoomed in and pan across to the other end and smoothly pull out to a full wide shot and just as it is getting to full wide I crossfade to the next. That takes sometimes 12ish seconds. So it varies ......

Music would be 3-4 songs ...... I like to crossfade one, if the total music they want is too long, before it ends, into the next. Looking at the waveform you can pretty much get things to happen on a beat and I never cease to be amazed at how well it ends up working out. Many folks have told me that they realized they were into another song but didn't notice when it transitioned. I never let a song do it's own recorded fade and then start another. Also, if levels are much different, I adjust one or both up or down to match. Also, personal taste here, I like the music to start a couple seconds before the video comes in. That tends to draw one's attention to the screen before anything is missed. Depending on the mood generated and what the project is for, I like to sometimes end the music a few seconds before the end of the video and let the picture say everything and then let it fade.

Just some ideas ....... I've done lot's of them and they are all different some.

Larry
 
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The photo montages I typically do are from prints that I have to scan in. So the process involves scanning them in according to a chronological order (or order of appearance) that the client gives them to me at. I then apply an batch action in photoshop that includes auto color corrections, downrezing (fit image), reduce noise. I then go through the images and make manual adjustments such as dust removal, time stamp removal on the pictures that need it etc. Then I import to photoshop and automate to timeline using the videofx as a default transition (the filenames will keep the chronological order from the originals) Then I apply 1 keyframe at the beginning and one at the end that are bezier not linear and paste to all the frames. I make sure that the photos are up for 5 seconds at a time not including transition time. Remember these picture montages aren't for an audience who wants it to go by quickly they are for the family who is more concerned with seeing their loved ones for a longer period of time, they don't want it to feel rushed. I will start off the montage with some sort of titling sequence maybe an invitation for an event etc. I will also finish it off with a multi-window transition that flys by as a recap of pictures throughout the montage. If the clients photos are really good and professional and I want to do something special that i will obviously take more time I will cut the photos into layers and do something like this http://eden.rutgers.edu/~egabor/Website%20Videos/Karabella.flv
 
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