Chances are, you’ve probably gone onto YouTube and watched at least one slideshow that fans have created for their favourite band or singer. And then the question hits you, “Why are most of these videos essentially just photos plonked together monotonously with a song in the background?”

UrbanWire’s guess? It’s probably got to do with the software. We figure those slideshows were probably made using software like Windows Movie Maker, which works fine but is nonetheless limited in terms of capabilities.

But all’s not lost for aspiring YouTube video makers! Because here at UrbanWire, we’ve discovered MAGIX’s Xtreme PhotoStory on CD & DVD 6, which can effectively make those dull videos a thing of the past.

Interface

PhotoStory’s interface actually looks like an updated stylised silvery version of Windows Movie Maker. And the similarities don’t just stop there. For one, PhotoStory is easy to navigate around. Everything is well categorised, with buttons easy to understand and differentiate, it certainly makes video-making an easy process.

Effects and Transitions

It’s in the effects department that PhotoStory really shines. While a rudimentary system like Windows Movie Maker offers simple effects like fade-ins and transitions, it certainly pales in comparison when held in the same light as PhotoStory.

Users can let their imagination and creativity go wild with cool visual effects such as “vertical symmetry”, which copies the top half of an image and pastes it over the bottom half to give it a symmetrical look. There are also other effects like mirror tools, and colour shifts which really make the video-making process an enjoyable experience.

PhotoStory also has additional effects that can give your slideshow a real professional cinematic feel, such as panning or zooming in and out. And if you’re crazy enough, there are also other zany effects that you can use like opting to have your pictures seemingly jump from the background to the foreground as well!

When it comes to transitions, the developers have ensured that users will have bucket loads of fun thinking of ways to move from picture to picture. There are simply so many ways to switch between slides that you’re likely to have trouble deciding which ones to use. Just deciding whether to use the leaf-through transition (which resembles a page turning effect) or another will induce a massive selection headache.

Another cool aspect about PhotoStory is how it allows users to place words any way on the canvas, along with a great deal of effects as well like panning and zooming, to name a few.

All of which provides you with the chance to explore various other possibilities that you can use the software for. One example would be creating a virtual storybook!

Viewing Pleasure

Interestingly enough, the developers of PhotoStory claim it allows users to create their own DVD menu “complete with animations, movie introductions, music and more”.

And if you’re using a widescreen TV to view your DVDs, PhotoStory also allows users to change the aspect ratio of your visual masterpiece to the standard 16:9 with just a click of a button.

Additional Software

Usually for Windows Movie Maker, picture editing is first done on other software like Adobe Photoshop or Macromedia Fireworks. PhotoStory isn’t really that dissimilar. While picture optimisation, like changing hue and removing red eyes can be done within the software itself, users can download its sister software, Xtreme Photo Designer 6 to edit photos that need a more touching up.

Xtreme Photo Designer 6 is basically a simple Photoshop-like picture editing software. With its powerful range of effects and filters, it’s certainly very impressive. UrbanWire was left in awe when with a few simple clicks of the mouse it vectorised a pixel-based image of 300’s King Leonidas into a pencil sketch.

Other than that, installing PhotoStory also provides you with 3 other programs that will aid you in your quest for slideshow nirvana.

Photo Manager 2007 categorises your pictures as soon as they’re loaded onto your computer and allows users easy access if you wish to use them for your slideshow.

Music Manager 2007 does the same thing that Photo Manager does with music files.

Goya burnR is the CD/DVD burning software that is able to burn various types of formats such as data, music, video and photos. Additionally it’s even able to copy CD/DVDs or shrink DVDs from double layered to single layered.

UrbanWire’s Verdict

With its capabilities, glamorous and visually appealing slideshows aren’t just the only things you can achieve with PhotoStory. You can even look to creating exceptional looking presentations that make Apple’s Keynote look less noteworthy, or use it as a platform to create virtual storybooks.

With the additional software, Xtreme Photo Designer 6, it certainly makes for a value-for-money multimedia deal considering that it’s going for about $39.90.

Overall, MAGIX’s Xtreme PhotoStory on CD & DVD 6 is definitely a cool piece of software to have. And if YouTube video makers start adopting it, YouTube will most definitely be all the more interesting.

MAGIX’s Xtreme PhotoStory on CD & DVD 6 is distributed by New Era.