Slideshow capability from folder of images

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Level 2

381 points

Slideshow capability from folder of images

Mac is touted as the be-all and end-all for all sorts of multimedia output, so why can't I easily generate a slide show from a folder full of images. Nothing complicated, just one image coming up full screen, followed by another when I press a button.

Instead, what I seem to have to do is search for files within Spotlight (meaning I have to give them all the same starting letters, such as DXZ, so that spotlight finds them and only them), then there is a complicated procedure for getting Spotlight to slideshow them. Complicated, meaning, I can never remember how to do it, and I always have to go back to HELP to learn how. I only do this a few times a year.

Can Spotlight (or any other part of OSX, or a very simple third-party freeware or shareware program eg less than 2 MB) slideshow images within a folder, simply by clicking on the folder (or Finding the folder via Spotlight) and selecting SLIDESHOW or somesuch. I'm specifically excluding additional complicated software, as I don't want to clutter my system any further (I assume iPhoto and numerous other applications, if I loaded them, could do what I want.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Guy

G5 iSight, Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Posted on Sep 20, 2007 9:43 PM

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Answer 1

Sep 20, 2007 10:02 PM in response to Guy Burns

Select the folder in the finder, command-A to select all the images, or command-click to select some of the images. In the finder toolbar click on the 'action' menu (looks like a gear with a drop down arrow next to it) and select 'slideshow' from the menu. If the 'action' menu is not on your finder toolbar, then in the finder menu bar select view/customize toolbar and add the 'action' menu to the toolbar.

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Answer 2

Yer_Man

Level 10

165,768 points

Sep 21, 2007 2:30 AM in response to Guy Burns

Guy

Install PicturePopPro. Then right click on a folder of images, select PicturePop from the menu and off you go.

Regards

TD

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Answer 3

Sep 21, 2007 5:05 AM in response to solar servant

So you can also select the images and then right click (or control click) and then select slideshow from menu, no toolbar menu or extra software required.

Message was edited by: solar servant

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Answer 4

Guy Burns Author

Level 2

381 points

Sep 22, 2007 5:50 AM in response to solar servant

Hi Solar Servant and all others who responded,

I'm feeling like a dummy. It was so simple using the Action menu. Over the years I must have spent an hour or two searching through Help and then following the instructions for doing a slide show via Spotlight. (As I mentioned, it usually is so long between slide shows I forget how to do it).

I just double checked. I typed in "slideshow" in Help and that Action menu in not mentioned in the 15 items that came up. There's Keynote, Front Row, Spotlight (the one I normally choose), iPhoto, iLife... Everything but Action. No wonder I couldn't find it.

Now a nag, in case someone from Apple programming is looking at this post. I get annoyed with Help menus that lead you astray or aren't helpful. Photoshop's Help is a great one for that. Type in the name of a menu item, and sometimes nothing comes up or what does come up is of no use.

Really, I shouldn't have to come to this forum, should I, to find out about something as simple as Action. It should be the first item in Help

Anyway, sorry for the lecture. I'm going away to download the other suggested programs and to start playing with Action.

Thanks again, gang,

Guy.

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Answer 5

Sep 21, 2007 6:39 AM in response to Guy Burns

I use the freeware Mike’s Thumbnailer @ http://homepage.mac.com/mdewalt/iWeb/Site/Home.html for slide shows. It also has a feature where you can add music to the slide show.

 Cheers, Tom 😉

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