Welcome to this Treasure Chest of Free Stuff.

Most of my recent posts have been Content & Curriculum resources, and the majority have been for online resources. Today, I’ve got something that may be used in any area of the curriculum, but it is a downloadable program that gets filed on the Productivity page. It is a free standalone program from Microsoft that runs only in Windows XP; but it can be used by students and teachers alike who want to use still images to create multi-media presentations.

Photo Story 3 (downloadable program) This free stand alone program from Microsoft for Windows XP offers a convenient way to create impressive multi-media slide shows with digital images. The step-by-step and wizard-driven process for creating slide-shows is straightforward and extremely easy to use. You simply import the photos or other images that you wish to use, then add text, special effects, audio narration, transitions, and music as appropriate.

There are two features of Photo Story 3 that stand out. First, there is the way the program pans each image to bring it to life and add dramatic effect. Then there is the music. You can import sound clips and record narration to accompany your show. Or, you can use Photo Story 3 to “create” your own musical sound track from a wide range of instrumentation, styles and moods. I’m not a musician, let alone a composer, so I’m really impressed with what I can do with this.

I put the following one-minute slide show together immediately after downloading Photo Story 3. Since it was my first attempt with the program, I didn’t try any special effects, transitions, or narration.

[googlevideo]3871012613607531585[/googlevideo]

[Incidentally, the photos were taken in Victoria, British Columbia, on Monday of this week. This kind of winter scene is a rarity in Victoria. I was trapped for the day at my B&B which is known ironically as Wintercott. The Braille notetaker workshop that I was supposed to attend was canceled.]

The file format for Photo Story 3 is .wp3, and file conversion is not particulary easy. Since Photo Story 3 creates a “project” file that can be saved separately from the final rendered slide show, I was able to open the project file in Windows Movie Maker and create a regular .wmv movie that could be uploaded to YouTube. It worked even better, however, to convert the .wmv file to an MPEG movie and upload it to Google Video. Photo Story 3 uses Windows Media Player to play its .wp3 files. (WMP must be at least Version 9.)

It is noteworthy that Priory Woods recommends using Photo Story 3 with SwitchIt! Maker 2 to create single-switch activities. They have put together a helpful tutorial for doing this at http://www.priorywoods.middlesbrough.sch.uk/subject/ict/training/switchvids.htm.

For more information, and to download the program, go to http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/photostory/default.mspx.

Photo Story 3 runs only in Windows XP.

The following screenshots, which you can click to enlarge, show the Photo Story 3 wizard dialogue boxes.