With the sugar rush turning into a sugar crash and the costumes are crumpled in the corner, all that’s left to do is turn your digital memories into long-term treasures. If you were an active shutterbug for halloween, here are some fun ideas to turn those ghoulish visions into a treat for the whole year:
1. Make a Movie: There are plenty of sites, like Flickr and Shutterfly, that will let you dump your Halloween photos into an online gallery. And don’t get us wrong, that’s fine for some people, but chances are your friends and family have seen a bunch of albums already posted to Facebook or those sent to them via email. To grab their attention, why not put together a photo slideshow and upload it to YouTube? Creating a slideshow – complete with transition effects and musical accompaniment – is simple. Services like SlideRoll and ProShow Web provide free online tools for making some basic shows, which can then be sent to Facebook or YouTube. Photo software such as Google’s Picasa also lets you put together a slideshow with minimal effort.
2. Make a Photo Book: Creating a photo book of your holiday season gives you the perfect excuse to get the photos off the memory card and into your computer. It also helps you sort out the gems from the not-so-gemish. You needn’t splurge on a leather-bound coffee table book, either. A low cost flip book can capture your holiday memories just as well. Be sure to follow our Photo Gifts Do’s and Don’ts for advice on how to build your photo book.
3. Create a Digital Collage: The holidays are often a blur of friends, family, presents, (alcohol), wrapping paper and twist ties. A photo collage that grabs your extravaganza and plows them into a single, creative expression is simple to do. Programs such as the $79 Photo Collage Maker or the free Shape Collage give you the tools you need to quickly compile multiple images into a single photo that can then be emailed, printed, or posted to Facebook.
4. Make a Canvas Print: Some photos only come around once in a lifetime. If you happened to snap one of those shots this holiday season, you can memorialize it the way humans have enshrined art for centuries: on canvas. These days, there are dozens of photo printers that can put your digital image onto a piece of canvas that is stretched over a frame. It’s perfect for the mantle or as a special keepsake for a loved one. You can see a list of some canvas print providers here.