Free Slideshow Program Available

An application that lets users arrange digital photos and a sound track into an audio-video slideshow is now available as a free download for Windows XP. Previously available only as part of the US$20 Plus! Digital Media Edition for Windows XP application, Photo Story can import photos from several sources (hard drive, removable media, or MSN Groups), edit them (to remove red eyes or apply color correction, for instance), arrange them into a particular order, and add narration and music. The program then converts these elements into a Windows Media Video file for playback on any PC or compatible device.

The new free version, Photo Story 3, adds image cropping, customizable transitions between pictures, and the ability to generate simple original-music soundtracks based on various characteristics (e.g., genre, mood, and instrumentation). It also includes a wizard that asks users what they want to do with a slideshow (e.g., send it in an e-mail, store it on the PC) and then guides users through the steps necessary to accomplish that task (e.g., for e-mail, it stores the slideshow as a low-resolution file, then opens an Outlook message with that slideshow file attached).