Memorial Slideshow Maker

Memorial slideshow with music

Music sets the pace and the feeling of a memorial slideshow. Choosing the songs first makes everything else easier: it tells you how many photos you need, how long the slideshow will run and where it should end. Here is how to choose and time the music, with free tracks you can use straight away.

How much music do you need?

PhotosLengthSongs
35–453–4 min1
60–805–7 min2
1008–10 min2–3

Based on about 5 seconds per photo, plus a few seconds for the title and closing cards.

How to make a memorial slideshow with music

  1. Choose the songs and note their total length.
  2. Decide the order: a gentle instrumental to open, the most personal song to close.
  3. Count your photos and divide the music length by the number of photos. Aim for 4 to 6 seconds each.
  4. Let the music fade out at the end rather than stopping mid-phrase.
  5. Watch it once with the sound on, on the kind of screen it will play on.

Our memorial slideshow maker with music does steps 3 and 4 for you: add several songs, and the photos are timed to end with the music, with a soft fade.

Free music you can use anywhere

These recordings by United States Air Force bands are in the public domain, so you can play them at the service and share the video online. They are built into the slideshow maker.

  • Air on the G String (Bach)

    Strings · calm, timeless

  • Amazing Grace

    Strings · gentle, hopeful

  • Amazing Grace (bagpipes)

    Bagpipes · traditional, moving

  • Clair de Lune (Debussy)

    Brass · reflective

  • Shenandoah

    Band · warm, American folk

Sources and licensing

Songs families often choose

These are commonly chosen for funerals and memorial slideshows. They are not included in our library; use your own copy.

  • Amazing Grace: traditional hymn; strings, piano or bagpipes
  • Ave Maria: Schubert; classical, often instrumental
  • Canon in D: Pachelbel; calm and familiar
  • Clair de Lune: Debussy; piano, reflective
  • Air on the G String: Bach; strings, timeless
  • Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen; many cover versions
  • What a Wonderful World: Louis Armstrong; warm and hopeful
  • Somewhere Over the Rainbow: Israel Kamakawiwoʻole; gentle ukulele
  • Wind Beneath My Wings: Bette Midler; tribute to a parent or spouse
  • Time to Say Goodbye: Andrea Bocelli; classical crossover
  • You Raise Me Up: Josh Groban; uplifting
  • My Way: Frank Sinatra; for a life lived on their own terms

Planning the photos too? Use one of our funeral slideshow templates or read how to make a funeral slideshow.

Questions

How many photos fit in one song?

At about 5 seconds per photo, a typical 3 to 4 minute song fits 35 to 45 photos. Two songs fit 80 to 90 photos.

Can I use a popular song in a funeral slideshow?

Playing a song at a private service is generally treated differently from publishing it. Funeral homes and venues often hold performance licenses, but sharing the video publicly online, for example on YouTube or Facebook, may lead to the music being muted or the video blocked. If you plan to share it online, public-domain or licensed music is the safest choice. This is general information, not legal advice.

Should the music have lyrics?

Many families choose instrumental music for the service so the words do not compete with the photos, and a song with lyrics that meant something to the person for the ending or the reception.

How do I make the photos end with the music?

Divide the song length by the number of photos, leaving a few seconds for the title and closing cards. Our slideshow maker does this automatically when you choose “End the photos with the music”.