Sudden need for templates

[photoshowstudio Profile Private messageWebsite]

I created a nice show which took some time of the Kindergarten and 1st grade Sunday school singing some "redesigned" Christmas songs on the radio on a Christian station. I actually posted on this website some issues I was having with buring it numerous times in Proshow. I was able to finally make all the needed burns in Nero7 by slowing down the burn speed to 8X. I had hopes that by doing this, it may lead into people seeing my work and also might lead into other work.

Well, IT DID!! While this new project is volunteer, I have some specific needs. Basically, I need everything to go smoothly and perfectly, as I will have absolutely no time for errors. The church wants me to do slideshows for them to show as people show up the next day to VBS, for the whole week. So, with VBS at night, getting done around 8pm, they will be having 2 people taking pictures of the kids during VBS on Monday. Then, they will give me the data cards, I wil take them home, put together a show, and then burn it to DVD so they can show it the next night as people are showing up. All the while, I have a day job, so the entire show needs to be made in about 2 hours so I can get some sleep so I can go to work the next day.This will continue Tuesday night and Wednesday night. Approx time span of show will be around 10 minutes. Music is an unknown, but since I do not own any royalty free music, I really don't want to show the rest of the world my copyright infringement.

My best bet is templates, but in viewing some templates, some lend themselves better toward weddings and not so much in showing quick, yet creative, pictures of children. Since I have never used a template before, I loaded one from this forum, and went to work trying to teach myself how to use it. May I say that the forum entry by Diana (nannybear), was a great help to me. I ususally need someone to spell it out for me and she did that superbly. One thing i had an issue with, and this is not in any way Diana's fault, she said to start substituting my pictures into the template. Well, I tried to complicate things and tried every difficult way possible to do it, all the while getting frustrated in my inability to figure it out. Late last night the light went on...twice. I found out how to do it in layers and then tried again to drag the pictures into the timeline and saw that it kind of highlighted the box in the timeline that it would go into in that particular slide. Holy Cow!! Sweet!!

All this was said to post these two questions and forgive me for posting them both here..
In knowing what my slideshows will entail, wanting them to be creative, but having this huge time crunch issue, does anyone have a specific template already in this forum, or not, that they think would suit my needs. i just didn't want to download tons of templates, only to find that they aren't really what I am looking for. I know that my creativity standards are just that...mine, but you guys are the experts here and the most beautiful people I know (with the exception of one of you, but I'm not naming names - - just kidding).

Also, I would love to post the kid's project on this site, but the songs are remakes (different lyrics) of the 12 Days of Christmas and Grandma Got Ran Over By a Reindeer. No music, just their words. Would that violate any kind of copyright issues posting here. Christian children remaking the Grandma Got Ran Over By a Reindeer begs the question: Just how twisted is my church???

Okay, one more question to sneak in here...Are there any sites, or threads here you know of, that I might get Christian contemporary music Royalty -Free and FOR FREE. I know it's a long shot, but I thought I'd ask.

HOLY JUNK, this is a long post!!

[briancbb Profile Private message]

I think with only 2 hours to create a show I would keep it very simple and forget all about templates.

It would probably be quicker to have all photos fill the screen with fades in between. You could add a little bit of variety quickly and simply with photos moving in from off screen, or maybe zooming out as another appears at odd spots through the show.

If you really want to try templates have a look at the 'Eagle Rays' template set. There are some good ones to cut and paste in.

[ChrissyC Profile Private message]

Hi Brian, could you point me in the direction of Eagles templates?
Thank you,
Chrissy

[VernonRobinson Profile Private message]

Chrissy,
The file is in the Member Files area. Try this link

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=4141

It is a really awesome template. Michelle Funk did the community a tremendous service with her generosity.

Regards,
-Vernon

[ChrissyC Profile Private message]

Thank you

[HunnyB Profile Private message]

I agree with Brian. Just do a simple show with fades. Or you will go crazy with this kind of project.
Maybe do a cute background with a cute kids font in the beginning and then just go with the images.
Templates are great, but sometime very time consuming if the image you are using does not fit correctly in the template. Then you will spend more time tweaking. Which will mean no sleep for you!!!
Good luck.
HunnyB

[zookeeper]

Does the VBS have a theme? If so, you maybe able to create something ahead of time, background page or layers that could be incorporated easily into a few sections of the show. You may also be able to get some of the program material to scan. Just a thought.

[photoshowstudio Profile Private messageWebsite]

Just an update - I chose the Eagles template and I am in debt to this forum for their advise and expertise. I can't imagine the time it took to create that masterpiece, but it helped me create an awesome show in a matter of about an hour. Will be doing the same thing tonight.....and tomorrow night......but that what we do and even through the tired eyes...we love it!