Watching it through before the service: a simple checklist

Short answer: Watch the whole video at least twice before the service. The first time, just feel it. The second time, go through a simple checklist of names, faces, pace and sound. Then ask one other person to watch it fresh, and save the final file in two places.

Here is a memorial slideshow checklist you can keep beside you as you watch.

Give it one quiet watch first

Find a quiet half hour when nobody needs you. Use the biggest screen you have, and turn the sound up.

Watch from the first photo to the last without stopping. Do not fix anything yet. Simply notice two things:

• The moments where you feel something.
• The moments where your attention drifts.

Write down the rough time of each drifting moment. Those are the places to look at closely later. The moments that move you are working. Leave them alone.

The checklist, one pass at a time

Now watch again with a notepad. It helps to look for one kind of problem at a time, rather than everything at once.

• Names and dates. Check every spelling on screen, including nicknames and married names. A wrong letter is the thing people remember.
• Faces. Make sure no head is cut off at the top and no photo is sideways.
• Repeats. Look for the same photo used twice by accident. It happens easily when relatives send overlapping sets.
• Who is missing. Picture each close family member and confirm they appear at least once.
• Order. The story should move in a way the room can follow. Our guide to putting photos in the right order can help if a section feels jumbled.
• Time on screen. Each photo should stay long enough to take in. Group photos need a little longer than a single face.
• Gaps. Watch for a black flash or a blank pause between photos. These usually mean a missing file.

Listen as closely as you look

Sound is easy to miss when you are focused on the photos. Close your eyes for one pass and simply listen.

• The opening. The music should begin with the first image, not after a long silence.
• Between songs. The volume should stay steady from one song to the next. A sudden jump in loudness startles a quiet room.
• The ending. The music should finish close to the last photo. A song cut off mid line feels abrupt.
• Voices in clips. If a home video has someone speaking, lower the music under it so every word is clear.

Hearing their voice again is often the moment a room goes still. It is worth getting right.

If you need music and want something ready to use, our royalty-free library is available as a paid add-on with a permit included. For any other songs—personal favorites or well-known recordings—licensing is the family’s responsibility before the service.

Ask someone to watch it fresh

After a few viewings, you stop seeing the video. Your eyes fill in what you expect. A fresh pair of eyes catches what yours now skip.

Choose one relative or friend who was not part of making it. Ask them three gentle questions afterwards:

• Was there anyone you did not recognize?
• Did any part feel long?
• Is there any photo that might upset someone?

That last question matters. The video will be seen by everyone who loved them, so every image should feel safe for the whole room. If relatives who live far away want a look before the day, our guide to sharing the video with family covers simple ways to send it.

Making changes without starting over

Most fixes are small. A spelling, a swapped photo, a song that ends a few seconds early. Make the changes, then watch the whole video once more from the start. A fix in one place can shift the timing later on.

If you are still putting your video together, Create, our make-it-yourself memorial video maker, is built around this kind of checking. You add your photos, choose the music, and watch the whole film before you pay, from $99. You can adjust it and watch a new preview before you pay.

Whatever tool you use, the same rule holds. Watch it fully after the last change, not just the part you changed.

The last run, a day or two before

Give yourself some room before the service. A day or two is enough for a final check without pressure.

• Play the final file itself. Do not rely on the preview in your editing tool. Open the saved video and watch it start to finish.
• Use the device that will play it. If a laptop or a tablet will run it on the day, test on that one.
• Keep two copies. Save one on the device and one on a USB drive or a second phone.
• Write down the length. Whoever is running the service will want to know how long it lasts.

Then stop editing. A photo that sits a beat too long will not be noticed. The room will be watching the person, not the transitions. You have done the careful part, and that care will show.

Located in Westchester, NY, we serve families nationwide through our fully remote platform.