If you are looking for a very powerful way to easily spice up the content of your web site, this is a program you need to check out. It is not only very easy to use, it is incredibly inexpensive

This software stands out for a couple of reasons:

• It creates online videos extremely quickly and easily
• It is very affordable (coming in at around $20)

The program I am talking about is Microsoft's Plus! Digital Media Edition software which includes the Photostory program built into it.

What Does It Do For You?

Photostory takes any photos you want and quickly creates a video presentation from them. It automatically creates zooming and panning effects which helps bring still photos to life. You can also add music or narration to really spice things up.

These same effects are used in t.v. documentaries where live video footage may not be available. For example, historical programs where only still photos exist.

Examples Of What It Is Capable Of

My wife is a Real Estate agent. Once I showed her this program, she could only say "Oh my... oh my... I need that!". It is in fact a perfect fit for both of our businesses.

Actually many people may find this program useful for a variety of reasons.

There's no better way to get a feel for the program than to show you what it can do.

Here are some examples of online video albums created using photostory. These can give you a good idea of some of the ways that you could use the program. These are straight from the Microsoft website.

• Here's a music video using photos and music from the group being showcased
• ... and an example explaining how photostory is used in a format similar to photodocumentaries that are seen on PBS
• Example of a photo album video from a trip

Ease Of Use


One fantastic thing about Photostory in the Microsoft package is how easy it is to use. It is simply a matter of:

1. Selecting a directory of photos to include in the video by choosing Import Pictures
2. Arranging the photos in the order that you want
3. Delete any photos that you don't want to appear
4. Add voice narration (optional)
5. Let Photostory create the panning motion in the pictures automatically or adjust them to your preference
6. Choose a title for your video
7. Add music from any sound source (off a CD, .wav file, .mp3 etc)
8. Decide at what settings you want to save the video at

My Own Example

I was able to create the following video in a matter of minutes. It was simply a matter of selecting the directory of photos and then going through the steps outlined above.

I apologize for the music I chose ahead of time :)

You can watch my video here.

Remember you need the Free Windows Media Player to view these videos. If you don't have the Media Player, you can get it here.

Some Drawbacks

Like all good things in life, there are some draw backs to this program.

• Unfortunately for MAC users, as expected this Microsoft program only works with Windows (imagine that!). (I'm sure one of the reasons that Microsoft is offering this product at such a reasonable price is to try to win even more converts over to their software. If you are a Windows user, you definitely benefit in this case.)
• Photostory only exports the video in .wmv (Windows Media) format. You could of course convert it to another format if you had editing software capable of this. Because of this, you need the Free Windows Media Player to view it. If you don't have the Media Player, you can get it here.
• You can not save your story settings. Once you have produced and saved your movie, you can't go back into a project you had worked on to reedit it after you have closed photostory.

Applying It To Your Site

You could use photostory in many different ways for a website:

• Create video presentations from photos of your product or service
• Have a more personal greeting on your About Me page
• Animate still screen shots from your product for a tutorial
• Make a photo tour of your business or sample work you've done

Final Evaluation

Photostory is a fantastic little program for Windows users at a great price. Most webmasters would do well to have it to really add some spice to their web sites. You can download it here.