Simple Glam in Slideshows- Less is More!

© FATIR29

Intro by Skip Cohen

Suzette Allen is back this week with a terrific point to remember; less is more! 

If you look back over the last decade of many of your images, you'll see a variety of trends. I remember sitting in WPPI judging at least 12-14 years ago and the judges commenting on there being too many "filter junkies." Just because you know how to use the hundreds of tools in your image manipulation bag, doesn't mean you have to use them all, and too often there were dozens used on the same image.

Well, to Suzette's point, "less is more" applies to video and your slideshows as much as not being a filter junkie applies to your still images. And, less can be more when it's appropriate, providing you have the skill set to capture quality images to start.

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Click to visit Suzette's blog for more tips to help you build a stronger skill set.

Minimalism is definitely in vogue these days, along with tiny houses, straight hair and reclaimed wood. Fashion makes waves from colorful to drab, bouncing between solids and raucous prints. The overabundance because-you-can becomes  the extreme minimalism because-you-can! There’s always an appetite for something fresh, no matter what season you might be in.
 
Keeping it fresh can sometimes be just over-simplifying. Looking at fashion photography and posing, I see that the interesting poses are now replaced by skinny, shapeless models (and similar clothes) standing with arms straight down and feet together. Completely static. It’s a matter of taste, (not mine) but the big thing is it makes you look because it is different.  I guess with marketing, that’s half the battle.
 
When it comes to slide shows, I know all the cool transition and bells and whistles of fabulous effects are great, but just for something fresh I decided to try one with Zero Motion and just Hard Cuts or Dip to Black. Of course, it helps to have a dynamic subject for a dramatic shift like this to the overly-plain format. But here’s what I found. It’s clean. Clean lines, clean message, fresh appeal. Kind of like walking into an Apple Store. There’s a comforting sterility and simplicity to it all, and it usually means quality. No fuss. Just beautiful, exquisite value.
 
So today I decided to try that with ProShowWeb. It actually meant I had to purposely make it plain, but now that I have done it, I like it, and I think perhaps I will try using the Zero Motion Theme more often! It may not be a lot better, perhaps even less interesting, from a slideshow wizard’s perspective, but fresh and clean, nonetheless.

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So challenge yourself today to try something in a new way, perhaps overly simplified. Go after the core message instead of the embellishments. Choose a simple message and be bold.  If you don’t like it, you can always go back, but in the process, you might get some new eyes on your work or appeal to a fresh new market that hadn’t seen you before!