Choosing tribute video software as a funeral home
Short answer: tribute video software gives your funeral home a tool. Someone on your staff still has to use it for every family, often in the same week as the service. Before you choose a platform, count who will do that work, how the photographs will reach them, and what the software says about music. For many homes the better question is whether to buy software at all, or to work with a partner who makes the video for you.
What software changes, and what it does not
Software makes the editing faster. It does not remove the steps around it. Somebody still collects the photographs, sorts them, chooses the music, builds the video, sends it to the family, makes their changes, and checks that it plays before the service. With software, that somebody works for you.
Questions to ask any platform
- Who builds each video? If the answer is your staff, ask how long one takes from start to finish, changes included. Then multiply by a busy week.
- How do the photographs get in? The family should upload from their own phones and computers. If files come through your office, your staff is doing file transfer.
- What does it say about music? Be wary of any claim that commercial songs are cleared for you. Licensing for copyrighted music — whether a family favorite or a well-known recording — remains your responsibility. Ask exactly what licence covers any music the platform provides, and for which uses.
- How is it priced? Ask whether you pay a subscription, per video, or both, and what happens to finished videos if you stop paying.
- Who helps the family? When a relative is stuck at nine in the evening, ask who answers. If it is your office, that is a cost too.
- What comes out at the end? A standard file that plays on the screens you already own, and a private link relatives can watch from anywhere.
When software makes sense
Software fits a home with a staff member who enjoys the work, has time for it in a busy week, and wants control over every video. If that describes you, the questions above will help you choose well.
When a partner makes more sense
Most homes we talk to do not have spare hours on a Tuesday. For them, a partner who makes the whole video removes the work instead of speeding it up. Your staff mentions the service and hands the family a link. The family uploads, chooses the music, and approves the video with the partner directly. Your office never touches a file.
If you want to compare the two paths in detail, we have written about what to expect from a tribute video partner and what a tribute video service really asks of your staff.
How it works with us
Tribute Montage makes the video for you. Standard work is delivered within 24 to 48 hours of receiving everything, with rush available. The family pays us directly, or you include the video in your own package at your own price. There is no software to learn, no fee to partner, and nothing to sign.
Located in Westchester, NY, we work with funeral homes nationwide through our fully remote platform.
See how we work with funeral homes, or start a conversation.