How to make a pet memorial slideshow

Short answer: a pet memorial slideshow is a short video of photos and clips, set to music. It remembers an animal your family loved. Gather photos from every phone in the house and choose the ones that show their personality. Put them in a gentle order, add a few words and a song, then watch it together.

Begin with the habits only your family knew

Before you open a single album, sit down and make a short list. What did they do every day? Where did they sleep? What made them come running?

These habits are the heart of the slideshow. A pet is remembered less for how they looked and more for how they lived with you. Write down five or six, then look for photos that show them.

• The spot by the window or at the end of the bed.
• The leash by the door and the favorite path.
• The toy that was always underfoot.
• The way they greeted you when you came home.
• The person they chose as their own.

Finding the photos you forgot you took

Most pet photos were never printed. They sit on phones, mixed in with thousands of others. A few places are worth checking.

• Search the phone. Many photo apps can find animals when you search for "dog" or "cat". It is a quick first pass.
• Ask everyone in the house. Children and teenagers often have the funniest and most tender photos.
• Check old messages. Photos sent to family group chats are easy to miss.
• Look for short videos. A few seconds of a wagging tail or a happy greeting can carry more than any still photo.
• Ask the people who cared for them. A neighbor, a pet sitter or a grandparent may have a photo you have never seen.

When the best photo is a little blurry

Pets rarely sit still. Many of the best moments are slightly out of focus, half out of the frame, or taken in a dim room.

Keep them anyway. A blurry photo of them leaping for a ball says more than a sharp one of them asleep. Choose the photo that brings the memory back, not the one that looks the most polished.

Do try to use the full-size files. A photo saved from a message is often smaller than the original. Ask whoever took it to send the original from their phone.

A gentle shape for their story

A simple order helps the slideshow feel whole. Many families follow the years they shared.

• The day they came home. The first photos, small and new.
• Growing into the family. Firsts, adventures and the places you went together.
• Ordinary days. The habits from your list.
• The quieter years. Grey around the muzzle, slower walks, long naps in the sun.
• One last photo. A peaceful favorite to close on.

Our guide to putting photos in the right order for a memorial slideshow covers the first and last photos in more detail.

Words and music that sound like them

Keep the words short. Put their name on the first screen, perhaps with the years they were with you. One line at the end is plenty. It might be something the family always said to them.

For music, think about who they were. A playful pet may suit something light and warm. An old, gentle companion may suit something soft and slow. Choose a song your family will be glad to hear again. Please note that if you use a commercial or popular song, obtaining the appropriate license or permission is your responsibility. If you would prefer a hassle-free option, our royalty-free music library is available as a paid add-on, with the permit included.

A pet memorial is often watched at home, in a small circle, so it does not need to be long. Our guide to how long a slideshow should be can help you choose a length that fits.

Putting it all on screen

You can make the slideshow on a computer. You can also make it right on your phone, if that is where the photos already live.

If you would like a tool made for this, Create is our make-it-yourself memorial video maker. You add the photos, choose the music, and watch the whole film before paying. It starts from $99, and there is a version made just for pet memorial videos.

However you make it, watch it through once with the family. Then share it with the friends and relatives who loved them too.

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