Celebrate graduation with a class photo slideshow

Choose the class milestones

Decide whether this is one graduate’s story or a class-wide film. A personal keepsake can follow one person from an early school photo to graduation. A class film needs a deliberate check of who appears and which parts of school life are represented; the biggest folder of photos should not decide the whole programme.

1. Start with the approved class roster and the school’s photo-use instructions. In a separate checklist, record where each student is recognisable in the proposed images, where permission allows. Do not count someone as covered just because they might be hidden at the back of a group.
2. Sort the available photos into milestones: the beginning of the year, learning or projects, clubs and shared events, later achievements, and a closing group moment. Use the categories that actually fit this class.
3. Compare the selection with both the roster and the activity list. Replace repeated close-ups of the same few people with approved small-group or class images where those help fill a real gap. Ask the organiser for missing material before locking the edit.

A possible short edit uses 24 photos at five seconds each: four early images, six learning moments, six activities, six later milestones and two closing pictures. With a three-second class-title card and a three-second thank-you card, it lasts 126 seconds and needs a paid project. A Free version could use twelve photos at 4.5 seconds each plus the cards for 60 seconds. Automatic timing can set a first pace; you decide who appears. A full named segment for every student may need an editor beyond this maker’s 50-photo and 180-second paid limit.

In the graduation workbench, choose Add photos for JPEG, PNG or WebP, up to 20 MB each and 100 MB together. The Graduation preset supplies a starting style; arrange milestones by dragging photos or using the earlier/later arrows. Add the approved class name to the opening card. People, awards and the photo order still need your review; there is no shared classroom editing space.

Give people clear names and credits

Assign one person to maintain the approved text and another to check it against the finished video. Ask students to confirm the form of their name they want used, then follow the school’s approved naming format. Check accents, initials, preferred names and the person pictured; a correctly spelled name under the wrong photograph is still an error.

• School and year: ask the organiser to confirm the school name, cohort and academic-year wording. Distinguish the school year from the date of the graduation event.
• Awards: compare the recipient and exact award title with the confirmed ceremony list. Leave an unconfirmed award out until the organiser resolves it.
• Photo and contributor credits: confirm the requested wording and any permission conditions with the school and the contributor. Keep a record of the approved text outside the workbench.

Select a photo and use Caption for a short name or milestone, such as “Robotics club · 2025–2026”. Each photo has one caption field of up to 120 characters in a fixed bottom bar. Keep names away from a crowded group image by leaving that photo uncaptioned or choosing a different view; the bar cannot be moved. Do not paste a whole class roster into that field.

Use the separate closing card for a short approved thank-you line. A class roll or long contributor list belongs in the event programme or an editor with the text layouts and running time it needs. These opening and closing cards do not provide scrolling credits. Squeezing a list into one card or photo caption will not make the names readable to the audience.

Design for the event screen

Ask the venue or AV operator which aspect ratio, resolution and playback method they accept before settling the edit. If the approved destination is a widescreen display that accepts a 1280 × 720 file, choose 16:9 under Video format. Free’s other outputs are 9:16 at 720 × 1280 and 1:1 at 720 × 720. Paid outputs are 1920 × 1080 for 16:9, 1080 × 1920 for 9:16 and 1080 × 1080 for 1:1. Export is a 24 fps H.264 MP4, with AAC audio when music is included. Neither plan outputs 4K; confirm the venue’s requirements before choosing.

Start with Whole photo under Photo fit so group members and certificate edges stay visible. Fill frame can crop people at the edges and applies to the whole edit. Check every image after a format or fit change. For a steady presentation, turn off Gentle photo movement and choose Soft fade or No transition under Transition.

Test a caption-heavy section from the back of the room. Someone should be able to read it once at normal playback speed and still see the people in the photo. If they cannot, shorten the text or move the information into the printed programme. There are no font-size, colour or caption-position controls. You can lengthen Duration from 1 to 15 seconds per photo in half-second steps, within 60 seconds on Free or 180 seconds for a paid project, but longer screen time cannot solve text that is too small to read from the audience.

Agree with the AV operator whether the film should have music, especially during a speech. Small Celebrations is suggested by the Graduation preset; Quiet Light and Warm Days are also available on Free and paid projects. You can upload one authorised MP3, WAV or M4A up to 30 MB. Listen at the intended volume, or remove music for a silent copy. Mute preview affects listening in the editor, not the export. The TV and event playback guide covers checking the actual screen and speakers.

Review before the ceremony

Have the school or event’s designated photo-use contact confirm which images, names and credits can be used, and for which audience. Ask them to resolve any applicable parent or student permission, school policy and requests not to appear. Get separate decisions for showing the film at the ceremony, sending it to families and posting it publicly. A family’s contribution of a photograph is not an instruction to publish it everywhere.

In the United States, the Department of Education’s photo and video FAQ explains that the education-record question depends on the context and describes schools using directory-information or consent processes for public-event imagery. Use the responsible school’s decision for your actual photos and distribution, including local requirements; the slideshow maker does not grant that permission.

1. Have the text checker watch the final sequence against the approved roster, year and award list. Check every name after photo reordering, then have the photo-use contact confirm the final selection and audience.
2. Choose Export free 720p for a watermarked video without an account, or Export 1080p for a paid project without a watermark. When Download video appears, save the MP4 and open that file. Check the opening, all captions, the last image and the soundtrack. Name this approved version clearly on your device.
3. Play that exact file on the venue’s laptop or player through the screen and speakers that will be used. Confirm framing, readable text and volume with the operator. Browser export success alone does not establish compatibility with the venue’s equipment.
4. Keep an additional copy of the approved MP4 and the original material. Agree who will bring the playback copy. After a correction, export again and repeat the affected checks so the operator does not play an older file.

One project credit unlocks one paid project, with up to three successful versions in seven days from the first successful export. Compare pricing and limits; paid checkout is not open yet. To upload a private copy, sign in and choose Save project. Each unused credit provides one unexported draft slot. Saved work is in My projects, with server files expiring 30 days from the first cloud save. These are private projects, not a shared classroom editing space.

The local draft stays in this device and browser. If it reports Draft not saved, keep the tab open and download a finished video before leaving. If export is unavailable, retain the original assets and try an up-to-date desktop Chrome browser. Do not wait until the ceremony to discover that the editing tab is your only copy.