Funeral Slideshow Ideas: 10 Ways to Honor Your Loved One
- Evan Johnson
- Apr 9
- 9 min read
Updated: 7 days ago
Making a funeral slideshow is a special way to honor someone's life. These photo displays bring comfort to families and celebrate memories of their loved ones. Many people find it hard to know where to start with this task, especially during such a difficult time.
At BioPic Studios, we create touching memorial slideshows and memorial documentaries, a new type of memorial that includes the life story of the person being honored. I've helped many families make these tributes. I'd like to share our best funeral slideshow ideas with you – the special elements that make memorial videos stand out. Whether you want to make a celebration of life slideshow or just need some funeral slideshow examples, this guide will help you create a tribute your loved one deserves.
Why Make a Funeral Slideshow
A funeral slideshow is more than just pictures—it’s a way to honor someone’s life. By sharing special moments, it helps family and friends remember, reflect, and find comfort in their memories.
Memorial slideshows help in many ways:
They give everyone a place to focus their memories
They help people process their feelings together
They create a keepsake for the future
They let people who missed the service still feel included
They help a person’s life and character be remembered
They can teach young family members about their ancestors
10 Creative Funeral Slideshow Ideas
1. Life Timeline
Many people choose to arrange photos in order of time, from childhood to recent years. This shows how your loved one grew and changed throughout their life.
How to do this:
Start with baby photos and childhood pictures
Add school photos and young adult photos
Show work achievements, wedding photos, and family life
End with recent photos that show who they were later in life
I always choose a special photo to end on, one that shows a smile, a touching moment, or something that made the person unique
When organizing photos, you can make individual folders for each phase of life, each decade or even each year. You can also use programs like Apple Photos and Google Photos to help arrange your photos. See these How-To-Order-Photos Guides for more instructions.
Whenever I am asked how to make a memorial slideshow special, putting the photos in chronological order is my first advice. It helps funeral guests and other viewers see the whole story of the person's life from start to finish.
2. Theme-Based Tributes
Instead of showing photos in chronological order, you can group them by themes that show different parts of your loved one's life and personality.
Theme ideas:
Family
Friends
Work life
Hobbies they loved (sports, art, music, travel)
A sport, hobby or activity they exceled at
Community Events
Special events, milestones, and celebrations
Whatever made them most happy
This approach shows what made your loved one special and highlights what brought them the most joy in life. Whether grouping your photos by theme or time, I like to dedicate a specific song to each section which brings us to our third idea.
3. Choose Music That Touches Hearts
Music will stir deep feelings and memories. Adding the right songs to your slideshow can make it much more powerful.
Tips for picking music:
Use songs your loved one enjoyed
Pick music that fits who they were
Keep an ear open for songs with meaningful words
Choose music that creates the right mood (Some people like somber. Some like more upbeat and celebratory. I often aim for a balance of the two).
4. Add Videos
If a picture is worth a thousand words, one minute of video equals 1.4 million (but more about words in the next idea). Videos bring so much energy to memorials, but nowadays, after having video cameras in our phones for 15 years, many of us have an overwhelming amount videos to choose from.
Here are some thoughts about how to choose videos for a memorial:
Prioritize older videos that give a sense of your loved one’s life before recent years
Look for videos of milestone events in their life
Include videos of the person doing things they loved or did most
Look for videos that capture happy moments / videos with dancing, singing, laughing, hugging and kissing.
Choose videos that feature their voice (See Idea #10)
Try to include only the best part of the videos you choose and be mindful of time. Videos are a great addition to memorial slideshows but can make them long and repetitive if not chosen thoughtfully.
5. Add Special Quotes to Your Celebration of Life Slideshow
Make your slideshow more personal by adding quotes, sayings, or life advice that was important to your loved one.
Ideas to try:
Use their favorite book quotes or song lyrics
Add sayings they often used
Show pictures of cards or notes they wrote
Include advice they liked to share
Add quotes from their friends and family (these can be messages to the loved one or descriptions and memories about them).
Captions and other text make memorial videos more unique and are another great way to add personality.
6. Let Everyone Share Memories
The meaning of life might just be the people in it. Inviting family and friends of your loved one to participate in the creation of a memorial video is a terrific way to honor their life.
How to do this:
Invite friends and family members to send you pictures and videos of the person being honored
Show messages from others next to their pictures
Include video or audio messages from friends and loved ones
Read letters, writings, and stories or have them read
This team approach shows different people who loved and knew the person who passed away. In the memorial videos I create, I often add messages from loved ones between songs, creating meaningful chapter breaks and showcasing the person’s connection to their community.
7. Surprise Your Audience
The element of surprise can add energy and character to your memorial video. Most people are familiar with celebration of life slideshows and their familiar style. Breaking their expectations can make the memorial engaging and even more special.
Here are some ideas:
Give special attention to funny pictures and videos the person is in.
Add a scene from a movie or tv show that they liked and that speaks to their character
Highlight video and audio messages by placing them in between songs
Many of our customers share the things their loved ones cherished, and we love finding creative ways to incorporate them. A clip like this is a perfect way to shift the mood and add a personal touch.
8. Show Their Impact on Others
A touching slideshow can show how your loved one made a difference in the world and in other people's lives.
Things to include:
Pictures with people they helped or were particularly close to
Community events they participated in
Teams, clubs and groups they were a part of
Family traditions
Work achievements
Notes from people about how they helped them
This shows not just who they were, but how they made the world better. You might group these pictures together or put them in a special place like the end of the memorial video.
9. Special Places and Things They Loved
An interesting way to make a memorial unique is to include photos and videos of the places and things the person loved. I find they are extra meaningful if the person being honored took the photos themselves.
What to include:
Photos from trips they took or photos they took of things they loved
Pictures of homes or towns where they lived
Images of places they visited often
Nature scenes they enjoyed
Pictures of where they worked or spent time
I recently used nature photos to start each section of a memorial for a person who loved plants and animals. The video ended with a video of a beautiful wildflower field that she had made herself. Many people love sunsets. Simply adding a photo of a sunset at the beginning and/ or end of a video or over a special message will have great effect.
10. Add Their Voice
One thing I’d like to see (or hear) more of in memorial videos are voices. Voice is one of the most unique aspects of a person. Incorporating voice into a memorial video brings the full essence of the person being honored to life. Adding voice is often harder than pictures and video. Look for videos in which the person might be explaining something or talking for a while even if they aren’t on camera. Voicemails and video messages can be incredibly moving. Just one dedicated moment of voice will elevate any memorial video.
Practical Tips for Creating Your Memorial Slideshow
How Long Should a Funeral Slideshow Be?
I’m often asked how long a memorial video should be and my answer depends on the setting in which it will be viewed. Funeral slideshows that are incorporated into a memorial service might need to be as short as 5 minutes. Videos meant for receptions or celebrations of life can be longer. I find 12-15 minutes is a good length to honor a person who has passed. That’s roughly 200 photos shown for 4 seconds each.
Finding and Choosing Photos
The first step in making a good memorial slideshow is gathering and selecting the right pictures:
Tips for collecting photos:
Ask family members, friends, and coworkers for pictures. Set up a digital space, like a google drive folder, for everyone to upload their photos to
Scan old photos at good quality (300 dpi or higher)
If you don’t have access to a scanner, take digital pictures of physical photos. Do your best not to capture anything distracting (like your reflection)
Mix formal photos with casual snapshots
Try to include photos from all phases of life
Choose quality over quantity. Pick clear, good photos that show your loved one's life and personality.
Technical Tips for Memorial Slideshows
To make sure your slideshow works well during the service:
Technical advice:
File format: Save your video as MP4 (works on most devices)
Backups: Bring extra copies on USB drives, phones or a laptop.
Practice run: Test the slideshow on the actual equipment before the service or event.
Check sound: Make sure the music plays at the right volume.
Make Sure It’s Ready: Be sure to watch the video in full before sharing it with an audience.
What Software To Use When Making Your Own Slideshow
For Mac users, the first software to consider if you are making your own memorial slideshow is Apple Photos. Windows users (and Mac users looking for other options) might try this free software. At BioPic Studios, we use Adobe Premiere Pro for all of our projects.
Why Consider a Professional for Your Memorial Slideshow
Quality memorial videos take time to create even for professionals. The emotional toll plus technical challenges can be hard during grief and stressful when preparing for a memorial service or celebration of life. Professional help from places like BioPic Studios offers benefits:
Advantages of professional help:
Emotional space: Letting family focus on remembrance instead of computer problems
Design skills: Presenting your photos and videos in the most stunning way possible
Quick turnaround: Finishing the project fast to meet funeral deadlines
Photo and Video Management: Scanning physical photos, restoring old photos, gathering photos from multiple sources, editing videos and making sure everything gets delivered.
There are many ways to make a memorial slideshow yourself. There are many reasons to make a memorial slideshow with a professional.
How BioPic Studios Makes Memorial Videos
At BioPic Studios, we create professional, personal memorial slideshows that honor your loved one's story.
Here's how we work:
We talk with you: Learning about your loved one's life and personality
We help with photos: Helping collect, digitize and organize your pictures
We edit professionally: Bringing your photos to life in the most impactful way
We problem solve: Trimming songs to allow for more music, restoring old photos, balancing the photos and videos and the story they tell
We work with you: Updating and making changes until you’re satisfied
We provide options: Providing digital files, streaming links and USBs as needed
Our team handles all the technical work so you can focus on being with family and friends during this hard time.
Final Thoughts: Creating a Lasting Memory
A good funeral slideshow is more than just pictures—it's a lasting tribute that captures your loved one's life. Whether you choose a timeline, themes, or any other ideas we've shared, the best slideshows show the unique personality and story of the person being honored.
While technical details matter, what's most important is how the slideshow brings back memories and helps people connect with the impact of your loved one's life. During grief, these visual tributes offer comfort and the reminder that even though life ends, memories and love continue.
Let BioPic Studios Help You
At BioPic Studios, my small team and I find deep fulfillment in helping families honor their loved ones and preserve their legacies. Many clients come to us after spending days—sometimes weeks—struggling to create a memorial slideshow while juggling so much else.
Our professional service allows you to focus on gathering cherished photos while we handle the technical details, delivering a beautiful, heartfelt video in just a few days.
Want to learn more about how BioPic Studios can help create a meaningful slideshow for your loved one? Contact us today for a personal consultation. We’ll turn your cherished photos into a beautiful tribute that celebrates your loved one’s legacy and keeps their memory alive.