Professional Slideshows at the Click of a Button (well, a few at most)

I recently learnt about the Ken Burns effect and wanted to use it in a slideshow I had to make. The Ken Burns effect is a mixture of pan and zoom effects to create a really professional slideshow. During my extensive search for a tool I looked at open source alternatives (such as the dvd-slideshow tool for Linux) and proprietary software (Microsoft Movie Maker which comes bundled with Windows XP is surprisingly useful), I finally landed on the page for Microsoft Photo Story 3.

This tool is exactly what I was looking for. You customize start and end points in a photo, customize motion, add speech, audio, notes, and you're off. You can export your slideshow in a variety of resolutions (unfortunately, only in the windows media video format).

I believe in giving credit where it is due. This is the second Microsoft software after Microsoft Excel that I appreciate. The next time you want to create a slideshow, give Microsoft Photo Story 3 a run.