Slideshows and video presentations are vital for digital marketing and engagement.
In a recent Wyzowl survey, over 90 percent of digital marketers prefer to use video as their principal marketing strategy.
Although there are several premium slideshow makers, you can create high-quality slideshows without paying a dime.
In this post, I will show you the 20 best free slideshow makers.
20 Best Free Slideshow Makers
Canva
Canva is a popular design tool. With the Canva Slideshow Maker, you can make stunning slideshows easily and for free. It takes just seconds and there’s everything you need.
All you have to do is to launch the editor, pick a template, add the videos and photos you want in your slideshow add some sound, and your video is ready for download.
You’ll find a lot of slideshow templates on Canva. There are slideshow templates for different themes such as birthdays, work, weddings, holidays, graduations, etc. While you can add videos and photos from your device, Canva features a library with lots of royalty-free photos and videos you can use as well.
Besides, you’ll find free soundtracks, illustrations, icons, charts, and several other graphical elements. You can save your video as an MP4 and with the Present feature, you can directly share your slideshow live.
Check out these posts to learn how Canva compares with other graphic designing tools:
Adobe Spark
The Adobe Spark slideshow maker lets you make slideshows from any device. You can use it via a web browser on a desktop or download the application for desktop and mobile devices.
This free slideshow maker features lots of pre-designed images and graphics. These are available as Layouts so you can save time designing from scratch by just customizing them.
Adobe Spark also features numerous design elements you can add to your slideshows. You can add text and do a voiceover using the featured microphone button.
Not to mention, it features soundtracks and themes. Your selected theme influences the transition and motion effects of slides and elements respectively. The available soundtracks are free and you can download or directly share your video online to YouTube and social media platforms.
Icecream Apps
Icecream Apps feature a free slideshow maker for Windows PC and it is one of the best out there. The tool has several features to help you make professional slideshow videos without doing much work. An advantage of this slideshow maker is that you can save videos in 4K resolution – 3840 x 2160.
With this slideshow maker, you can create videos with awesome transition effects, add text, videos, images, and audio.
You can run a quick preview of your slideshow before even creating it and since it is a Windows slideshow maker, you can quickly burn your videos to a DVD or CD.
Videos you create with the Icecream Apps free slideshow maker can be exported in MP4, WEBM, MOV, or AVI file formats.
Also, you can instantly share your videos to YouTube, Google Drive, Dropbox, and social media. You can use the Icecream Apps slideshow maker on Windows XP, 7, 8, and 10 computers.
Animoto
The Animoto slideshow maker is an easy slideshow maker used by millions of people.
It features a drag-and-drop environment, so you simply need to drag and drop your images and videos in the editing environment.
There are featured slideshow templates to use. This includes family celebrations, product promotions, birthdays, weddings, and inspirational templates.
Furthermore, Animoto features a library full of Getty Images and videos. You can simply select media files from the library or upload yours. Also, you can add music, text, and select from a range of themes.
The Animoto slideshow maker is available as a mobile app for Android and iOS, so you can conveniently create slideshow videos. Furthermore, it can be accessed online via a browser. Animoto partners with top platforms including Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Hubspot, and LinkedIn.
Smilebox
With this tool, you can make slideshows in just 4 steps. First, you pick a template, second, you add photos and videos, third, customize your slideshow, and fourth, download or share your video.
The Smilebox video maker is fast and you enjoy unlimited storage. This means that videos and photos you upload are safely stored and you can always access them via your history.
There are different template categories including birthday, wedding, Thanksgiving, Christmas, anniversary, etc. Also, there are several themes and personalization options.
You can customize your slideshow videos by adding text, animations, font styles, color schemes, etc. Changes you make can be applied to a particular slide or all of the slides at one time. When you’re done, you can share your slideshow on social media or download it as an MP4.
Renderforest
Renderforest is a freemium online photo and video slideshow maker. It features intuitive tools for creating slideshows in minutes. The tool is a renowned one used by top players including Sony Music, Vodafone, BBC, Cambridge, etc.
Unfortunately, the only disadvantage of using Renderforest for free is that the video features a watermark.
Renderforest features unique slideshow templates. Some examples include the vintage chronicles slideshow, summer slideshow, grunge brush slideshow, and Polaroid frames slideshow templates.
More templates are added every day so their library is ever-growing. Before applying a template to your slideshow, you can preview it first to see how it looks.
You can add music from the Renderforest library or your device. Also, you can use the microphone tool to do a voiceover. With a free account, you can export your videos in 360p resolution.
Clideo
Clideo is one of the best free slideshow makers to make videos for social media. It features a YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram slideshow maker.
It has a simple interface which makes it intuitive and super easy. It works as a video editor too.
The Clideo slideshow maker lets you work with several media file formats. You can add JPEG, TIFF, PNG, MP4, AVI, DVD, GIF, MP3, and other rare file formats that most slideshow makers don’t support. You can add these files from your device or directly from online storage platforms like Dropbox and Google Drive.
Clideo doesn’t retain user files. Your slideshow video will be deleted 24 hours after exporting. Nevertheless, since it links to online storage platforms, you can easily save your slideshow on Dropbox or Google Drive and import it later.
Invideo
This slideshow maker is a dynamic tool for creating unique videos. You can create the best slideshows without hassles. In fact, its advanced editor lets you customize your slideshow to any level.
Over 10,000 creators currently make use of Invideo and so far, more than 1.2 million videos have been created using this slideshow maker.
The tool is easy to use but if you must, you can schedule a free meeting with experts to learn more about using it. Invideo features lots of stunning slideshow templates in its video gallery. With these templates, you just need to customize them to get the final result you want.
Furthermore, Invideo features powerful transition effects, automated vos for recording voiceovers, smart frames, and a library of copy-right free music tracks. Not to mention, you can create multilingual videos.
Animaker
Want to create high-quality slideshows for free? Animaker is another slideshow maker tool that you should consider.
This slideshow maker is used by over 10 million people including over 10,000 top universities and notable brands like Google, FedEx, Walmart, eBay, Adidas, etc. In fact, Animaker is optimized for individuals, businesses, work slideshows, etc.
To create slideshows with Animaker, you can choose a template from the library instead of starting from scratch. The available templates can be fully customized and you can always add your pictures and videos. Also available are charts, maps, and numerous video backgrounds.
While editing your slideshows, you can add text, effects, and transitions. Animaker features several background sounds and music you can add for free and you can import from your device too. After editing, you can download the video or directly share it on Facebook and YouTube.
Pixteller
The Pixteller platform features a free slideshow creator. No installation is required as the creator is completely web-based.
Anyone can make use of the Pixteller slideshow creator because it is simple to use. There are many predesigned slideshow videos, so you can just replace the photos and sounds they feature.
The templates featured on Pixteller were professionally designed. After selecting one, it takes just a few clicks to customize and personalize by adding your media files. The slideshow creator supports animation mode which allows you to customize your video frame by frame.
It’s the same if you choose to design your videos from scratch. You add your media files and elements in design mode and switch to animation mode to customize. Slideshow videos you create with Pixteller can be exported in MP4 file format or you can save it as a GIF.
Biteable
Another entry on our list of the best free slideshow makers is Biteable.
With Biteable, you get access to surefire slideshow templates created by professionals for different industries. The library is an ever-growing one as new options are added regularly.
If you create a good slideshow video, you can submit it to be featured as a template. The templates can be customized with different photos, videos, and sounds.
There’s a library of music tracks available. Generally, Biteable features over 1.8 million pictures, animations, clips, and sounds. Your videos can be downloaded, embedded on any website, or shared to different social media platforms when you finish creating them.
Google Slides
Google Slides was launched by Google to help users create slideshow presentations.
To use it on a desktop device, you’ll have to download and install the Slides browser extension which is only available for Google Chrome or Chromium-based browsers.
This free slideshow maker tool features several presentation themes that work like templates. Also, there are hundreds of animations, videos, fonts, and elements for customization purposes.
Just like with Google Docs, you can share your Google Slides works with others for collaboration. Furthermore, as a Google product, Slides integrates with Google Drive, Docs, and Sheets.
Notably, Google Slides works seamlessly with MS PowerPoint. You can easily convert and edit PowerPoint slideshows with Google Slides, and vice versa.
FlexClip
Developed by PearlMountain Limited, FlexClip is one of the simplest video editors and free slideshow makers you can come across.
The tool is web-based and to start, you only need to drag and drop your media files on the website. FlexClip supports PNG, JPG, WEBP, SVG, and other file formats.
With FlexClip, you can find the perfect template for your slideshow. The tool features templates for families, weddings, fashion, traveling, and more. You can edit the template using cool transitions and FlexClip features more than 60 of these.
The text you use on your slideshows can also be animated, and there are different text effects available.
Furthermore, FlexClip features a library of free background music. There are several audio tools to help you customize these sounds to suit your slideshow and you can always upload music to your computer. Likewise, you can download your video after editing.
Kapwing
Kapwing is a web-based slideshow maker, which implies that you can use it across all device types. Not to mention, Kapwing features sample media files you can edit, but it doesn’t feature templates.
You can make a slideshow video using Kapwing in just three steps. Firstly, you should upload all the media files i.e. pictures, videos, audio, etc. for the project. Supported file formats include MOV, MP4, PNG, JPG, GIF, etc.
Although you can upload the media files from your device, you can also import them directly from Twitter, YouTube, and other platforms.
After uploading the files, you can edit them by rearranging and customizing their duration, display ratio, orientation, and more. Also, you can add effects, text, stickers, and music. Once done, you can export your video as an MP4 and share it on different social media platforms.
Visme
The Visme slideshow maker is a widely used one. It was developed to help brands, marketers, and businesses in creating engaging presentations. The slideshow maker features hundreds of presentation themes and slide layouts.
You can find a presentation theme for any type of business and a slide layout for every type of presentation.
The editor is easy to use. In fact, you can easily customize the slides, text, and icons without hassles. Not to mention, the Visme slideshow maker has a library with over a million images and other data visualization elements. Furthermore, you can add effects and transitions.
Visme allows you to share your slideshow in different ways after you finish creating it. You can generate a public link and share it with others or you generate a private link such that the video is only accessible using a password.
From ThunderShare, this is a free tool for making slideshows out of images and videos. You can also make slideshows for your website in HTML5. It is a desktop software and works only on Windows. You can use it on Windows XP up to 10 versions.
The ThunderShare Free Slideshow Maker supports all major image and video formats. There are over 70 different slideshow templates available that you can use. Furthermore, there are over 500 images available you can add to your videos. The tool lets you add audio as background music and it supports .wav, .mp3, and .wma formats.
You can export the slideshows you create as an MP4 or several other video formats. Notably, the ThunderShare Free Slideshow Maker lets you export your videos in HD quality. Furthermore, it supports export .swf file format that you can use for Google AdWords.
Offeo
Offeo is a professional slideshow maker with a wide selection of tools to create only the best videos.
You can create your slideshows from scratch or choose any of the templates in the Offeo library. The library features templates that meet different video styles.
You can easily upload all assists you need to create your slideshows including images, audios, and videos. Offeo features different libraries where you can get free media files.
Each slide can be fully customized by editing the animations, color schemes, and adding transitions between the slides.
Notably, Offeo has a wide range of fonts. You’ll find a font style to fit your slide design styles. Your video can be saved as MP4, GIF, or MOV. Furthermore, you can directly share from Offeo to different social media platforms.
Motionden
This is an online slideshow maker for creating simple video slideshows. From the Motionden library, you can find different slideshow templates that are frequently updated. Notably, you’ll find a lot of animated templates in the library, including 2D and 3D animations.
With its editor tool, you can edit each template to meet your preference. You can add text, new images, videos, music, change the template colors, and more. Likewise, there’s a library of images and music where you can select media files.
When you’re done, Motionden gives you the option of downloading your video to your computer or directly uploading it to YouTube, Twitter, and other social media platforms.
You can create many slideshows for free with Motionden; you only have to pay if you want the watermark removed.
VideoCreek
VideoCreek is defined as a state-of-the-art platform for creating slideshows. It consists of several design tools which make it ideal for newbies.
From the VideoCreek library, there’s a wide collection of templates, videos, and images that you can use to create videos.
There are over 3500 slideshow templates in the VideoCreek library. You’ll find templates for graduations, birthdays, anniversaries, product launches, etc.
The platform also features power transitions, multiple layers, smart frames, automated vos for voice recording, and it supports multilingual videos. You can customize text, font, music, and color themes while editing.
With VideoCreek, you can directly cast videos you create onto social media platforms. This includes YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can download it to your device as well.
PhotoStage
Lastly, we have PhotoStage – one of the best free slideshow makers.
The PhotoStage slideshow maker is a desktop software for Windows. It is a freemium tool and you can use it for free only for non-commercial use.
It features a drag-and-drop editing area, which makes it easy to use. With the Quick Create mode, the software will automatically create a slideshow for you in seconds; just select an image folder.
PhotoStage features different effects for customizing your slideshows. It has several optimization tools that you can use to enhance the quality of images and videos you work with. Plus, you can add narration, music, and captions to your slideshows too.
You can save your videos in MOV, MP4, GIF, AVI, 3GP, HTML5, and other formats. Furthermore, you can burn the created videos to DVD or Blu-ray disks.
Bottom Line
There you go!
You can make interesting slideshow videos using any of the 20 best free slideshow makers listed above.
Tom loves to write on technology, e-commerce & internet marketing.
Tom has been a full-time internet marketer for two decades now, earning millions of dollars while living life on his own terms. Along the way, he’s also coached thousands of other people to success.