Ashampoo Slideshow Studio 2017 turns photos, music and effects into complete movies. Custom designs, sound effects and overlays help create stunning videos that have very little in common with yesterday’s slideshows.
Multiple themes, transitions, logos and subtitles allows users to add individual flair to your photos. Finished projects can be exported as WMV videos in various resolutions from cell phone to full HD. The logically structured and self-explanatory user interface requires little to no prior knowledge and enables users create remarkable results in a very short time.
Highlights:
- Intuitive, well-structured UI
- Different default timeline and subtitle styles
- Various occasion-related themes and logos
- Fully-animated opening and closing credits
- Transitions: Blocks, Bubble, Butterfly, Circular, Clock, Diamond, Fade, Fall, Melting, Sand, Slide Over, Squares, Star, Sweep, Swirl, Flip, Wheel, White Out, Curtains
- Customizable Ken Burns effect (auto-panning and -zooming)
- Objects: Add, edit, rotate and mirror text, table, image and shape overlays
- Auto-insert file data (filename, size, date) as text objects
- Adjustable fade/display durations for slides and embedded objects
- Apply background music
- Various individual sound effects
- Create (full HD) videos
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Reviews for Ashampoo Slideshow Studio 2017
Preface: I have been an Ashampoo customer for many years, purchased several of their products, and all of the programs I’ve used from that company are very good, and some of them I still use. Their Slideshow Studio is the one exception.
This program is okay (just okay) for amateur users to create slideshows of vacations, kids, etc., though there are better options even for amateurs, for roughly the same price (though not on sale right now via GATD). For free it is a good choice for those who want a few more transitions than PowerPoint offers, at least. Sad to say I advised them about the weaknesses below years ago but the program hasn’t improved in that regard.
Pros:
1. Creates nice, if simple, slideshows
2. Free version on GATD today
3. Sale price of $14 on GATD is a good price for a simple slideshow creator
Cons:
1. Very limited number of transitions, which they split to give the appearance of more (eg, “Slide Out Right / Left / Up / Down,” which are in fact only one transition, not four).
2. Tedious process to insert transitions between slides.
3. Only the two standard aspect ratio options for output. Some people need non-standard slide sizes (To be fair: This is true for most low-cost slideshow creators I’ve tested and used, though non-standard sizes are available in PowerPoint).
Summary: This program isn’t designed to be a competitor of PowerPoint, which has problems of its own, but for casual amateur users. It does create good slideshows for display on standard screens (Tvs, monitors, Laptops, etc.), though there are better options. There’s one I’d recommend, but I won’t step on Ashampoo’s promotion here. Ashampoo is a good company with solid software which has been around for years. I would recommend most of their programs, but I can only recommend their Slideshow Studio for those who only need or want a simple slideshow creator.
Writes Donald P of the review penned by Dennis Nelson: ” I don’t mean to denigrate Mr. Nelson or his efforts, which I do appreciate. I just want people to be aware that they are probably biased, or maybe he is easily impressed, but his reviews should be taken with a grain of salt… and sometimes a big chunk of salt.” Well, without wishing to denigrate Donald P, I’m afraid I have to say the exact same thing about him. Why? Because no way would any “serious photographer and/or slideshow creator” — in either of which categories Donald P clearly wishes to be regarded — be remotely interested in how-many-transitions-does-a-slideshow-offer. The very idea is ridiculous, as is the notion of what I suspect is Mr P’s entirely imaginary “complaint” to Ashampoo about the developer’s alleged failure to overload its software with gimmickry. The fact is, a “serious”, “professional” slideshow is like a serious, professional movie. And there isn’t one movie out there — not one, including the latest Star Wars — which uses more than SIX transitions (the little whizzbang effects between images). Transitions are offered by Chinese developers because it’s child’s play to write the code for anything up to 200 and then con the gullible into thinking that ah, that must be good, this despite the obvious, and glaring fact, that the last time any of ’em viewed a movie streamed or on DVD at home, or in the theater, where every other scene was punctuated by exploding fireworks and spinning wheels and Venetian blinds drawn up, down and sideways, was exactly. . . never. I really hope Mr P desists from any further contributions as daft as this, especially as he’s the first person I’ve ever seen who has lumped Microsoft’s office presentation software, PowerPoint, in with the entertainment software of slideshow making. Mr P may not be able to tell the difference, but everyone else can. Carry on then, Dennis Nelson. I don’t necessarily agree with every review you write here on SoS but they certainly make a darn more sense than the rubbish spouted by your critic.
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Professional or serious amateur slideshow creators already know this, how wrong is the claim that a good variety of transitions isn’t important. Most slideshow programs include a wide variety of transitions, and not just to trick buyers or to impress foolish users. Individual slideshows may only use a few transitions, but what serious producer wants all their slideshows to look the same, with the same few transitions? Professional also know that producing slideshows with (mostly) static images is vastly different than creating a full-length feature movie like “Star Wars.”
As I said, this program might be sufficient, even impressive, for a casual user. But professionals, whose slideshows are shown regularly or constantly (like mine), need more variety. Individual slideshows may only use 4 or 5, or even just 1 transition, but it is essential to have a good variety of transitions so that all of one’s productions don’t look the same. Just as an artist may be able to create a great picture with only 5 or 6 colors, she’d better have many more colors than that on her pallet.
I understand Mr. Nelson’s vitriolic response to my criticism, no one likes having their work questioned. When I wrote that, almost every review of his that I read of his said the program was “Terrific,” “Outstanding,” “Amazing,” or even “the best” as in this reviews (I have since read some critical and negative reviews written by Mr. Nelson, so my earlier criticism may no longer be valid). Reviews here on GATD like anywhere else should be critically objective to help buyers make an educated decision. I apologize to Mr. Nelson for any offense he might have taken of my (hopefully corrective) criticsm.
I create a lot of slide-shows, and tried Ashampoo’s Slideshow Studio when it was given away here a couple of years ago. It is easy to use, and is a good tool for creating casual slideshow videos, such as one from pictures of (and for) the family. There are better options, but the price here on GAOTD (free) can’t be beat.
This is a decent and easy to use program, but with only 20 transition effects it doesn’t stand up well against competitors (some of which are also easy to use). I contacted Ashampoo about this weakness, so few transitions, back then, and they told me they were working on adding more. At the time they had 19, and now they apparently have 20, so they did something – but far from enough for a serious photographer and/or slideshow creator. Check out Wondershare’s DVD Slide Show Builder Deluxe, for example, with over 120 transitions which can be customized as desired (retail price for new users is $20 more than Ashamoo’s offering, but well worth it).
Having said that, Ashampoo does have the Ken Burns effect, which is a great tool and looks very professional. Some other programs simply call it “Pan & Scan” (don’t want to pay for the Ken Burns name perhaps?). And some – most notably the pricey Microsoft PowerPoint, don’t have anything like it.
So even though it’s free, I probably won’t download it because I have better options. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t download it though. It’s a great program for amateurs wanting to create a slideshow of the family or a vacation for family or friends.
I appreciate Mr. Nelson’s efforts in writing reviews of these programs on GAOTD, but sometimes his reviews are just way too glowing, sounding like they were written by an advertising copywriter rather than an actual end-user. In this case it is way over the top, imho. “I was blown away by [the program].” Really? “The abundance of features…” Except transitions, which are the most important element of slideshow creation. And finally, “[This] is the best slideshow software that you will come across.” Again, really? I don’t mean to denigrate Mr. Nelson or his efforts, which I do appreciate. I just want people to be aware that they are probably biased, or maybe he is easily impressed, but his reviews should be taken with a grain of salt… and sometimes a big chunk of salt. ;)
good program
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Good or bad, but it is freeware. It cost is $0, but not $39.99, so how can be 100% discount?
Do you have photos of your family, friends, nature, or yourself that you treasure very much? Well, you can create a memorable slideshow from them! With Ashampoo Sideshow Studio 2015, your photos will be transformed into a high quality cinematic experience that features high quality zooms and slide transitions that leave a long-lasting impression in your mind.
Ease-of-use
Creating a slideshow with Ashampoo Sideshow Studio 2015 is very easy and anyone can do it. You only need to create a project and select an aspect ratio (depends on the size of screen you want to display your sideshow) and then add pictures to the project. Once you choose the pictures, the software will prompt you to choose a sorting method –which can be either alphabetical, random, or alphanumeric.
After selecting the sorting method, you can now add music, texts, or credit to the photos. Again, you do not need to be a guru to add credits as the application provides a very simple interface for that. It works well whether you are adding credits at the beginning or the end of the slideshow.
Functionality
I was blown away by the way Ashampoo Sideshow Studio 2015 allows users to give a story through slideshows. Many software will provide an option to add music to your pictures but very few will allow you to edit your slideshow to match a specific picture with a sound. You can also add illustrations and shape overlays to give an image a desirable effect.
The software creates slides with a full HD support and optimizes video for most players in social media networks. Besides, you can also burn your sides directly to a Blueray or DVD.
Pros
The abundance of features in Ashampoo Sideshow Studio 2015 allows users to customize every aspect of their pictures to create an output that they can be proud of. Its looks are polished and easy to operate –even if you are not familiar with other Ashampoo products. Additionally, you can record your own voice and add it to your pictures.
Cons
I experienced a few problems when adding MP3 files to my slideshow. Apparently, other music file formats were being accepted easily but MP3 support seems to be problematic.
Conclusion
Ashampoo Sideshow Studio 2015 is the best slideshow software that you will come across. It is easy to use as you only need to drag and drop images then add music files (optional) and save or burn the slideshow to a disc. It is flexible and produces high resolution slides.
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This is confusing. Dennis’ review speaks of Studio 2015, the description above speaks of Studio 2016, and the headline and promo email speaks of Studio 2017. Which is it? I already have 2015, so want to know if I should use this freebie instead since it’s supposedly newer.
This is confusing. Dennis’ review speaks of Studio 2015, the description above speaks of Studio 2016, and the headline and promo email speaks of Studio 2017. Which is it? Already have 2015, so want to know if this is an upgrade.
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