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Presentation possibilities in the Slideshow module, part 2: Customizing the slideshow's appearance

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Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Giving your show a unique look
  3. Making your images pop, adding backgrounds, and more
  4. Changing the background of the image display
  5. Working the design of the image display
  6. Timing and music
  7. Working with text
  8. What overlay options do you need?
  9. Making your own templates

Working the design of the image display

Options and Layout tools let you design how the image displays in the slideshow. They offer different controls, as shown in Figure 12, but both affect how the image looks in relation to the background and the display space. These are less dramatic than a background choice, but they really add a finishing touch to your photos.

slideshow tools

Figure 12: Lightroom offers different tools for determining how an image appears in a slideshow.

Options affects the size of the photo, the border, and the drop shadow. Here’s how to use the settings there:

  • Zoom to Fill Frame. This makes your photo fill the image display area, cropping it as needed. You can click the photo and drag it around so the cropped area is more aesthetic or it gives you a better view of the subject. I don’t care much for this personally, especially if I have vertical photos. This essentially gives you the effect of the Crop To Fill template.
  • Stroke Border. This puts a border around your image. You can make it black, white, gray, or any color you want. Clicking the color box at the right displays the Colors dialog box. This border can be a very important part of your photo, helping to set it apart from the background. A dark photo against a dark background might look nice, but the two will blend without a light border. I find that light gray to white borders and black borders both look quite good, the choice depending on the background. In Figure 13, I set Width wider than the default so it would show up better. The actual width you choose is a very subjective decision based on your personal taste and the photos used.

    • image with wide border

    Figure 13: The width of the border is larger so that it shows up better.

  • Cast Shadow. This creates a nice drop shadow for your image, also seen in Figure 13, giving the display some dimension and depth. There are four controls that go with it that affect how strong the shadow effect is, and you should vary them depending on the background. Opacity is the strength of the shadow itself — more opacity makes the shadow darker; less makes it lighter. Be wary of making this too dark (though that depends on the darkness of the background) or the shadow becomes too strong and may compete with the photo.

    • Offset affects the positioning of the shadow relative to the photo and changes the appearance of depth between the photo and the background. As you change Offset, you will want to change Radius, too. Radius adjusts the softness of the shadow edge—as Offset increases, usually you'll want to increase Radius as well. Also, you can change Radius at any time for a gentler effect. Angle is where the shadow appears. Most of the time, you will want the shadow to appear to the bottom and right of the photo or the bottom and left. That mimics how the sun creates shadows. For an odd, even sinister effect, you can put the shadow above and to the left or right of the photo. Click and drag the slider or the dial for Angle changes.

    Slide Layout tools change the position of the photo within the display area. Here’s how to deal with these controls:

  • Show Guides. Click this option on or off to reveal or hide the guides in the work area, as shown in Figure 14. Sometimes the guides distract you from seeing what the overall display looks like, and they are worth turning off. You click the guides in the center work area and drag them in or out to change the size of the photo, as shown in Figure 15.

    • guides turned on

    Figure 14: Click Show Guides to hide or reveal the guides in the work area.

    drag guides to change the photo's size

    Figure 15: Drag the guides in the work area to change the size of a photo.

  • Margins. Below Show Guides are margin controls (though they aren't labeled as such) that change the space around the photo — Left, Right, Top, and Bottom, as shown in Figure 16. Click and drag the sliders to make any adjustments (they are also connected to the guides and change if you click and drag them as well). Note the check boxes at the left side of the sliders: When checked, they turn a light gray to denote that they are active. When Link All is active, all of the sliders are also active and move in unison—change one and the others change, too. Deselect any one of them, and that one moves independent of the rest.

    • This can be extremely useful in positioning your images. If you want classic display proportion where the sides and top are the same, but the bottom is different, deselect Bottom and change it separately. Or maybe you have a graphic that you want on the left side of the images (maybe a logo applied through the Identity Plate); then you can deselect the left side and move it independently to gain the needed space.

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