How the tool sets up the presentation
Each block automatically applies its own settings in the PowerPoint file: the right fade transitions, the timing, whether the music continues or repeats, and whether the slide advances by itself or waits for a click. The file is set up completely in one go as soon as you build the running order from the right blocks; there is nothing left to configure in PowerPoint itself.
The clearest example is how a block ends, and that too is fixed per block type; you do not choose it yourself:
Predictable duration: advances by itself
A music block ends with the song, a video ends as soon as it has finished playing.
Unpredictable duration: waits for a click
With a speaker or the final farewell you never know the duration in advance; the person operating the presentation clicks onward.
Entrance
The opening moment of the service. While the guests come in and take their seats or the coffin is carried in, a calm image stays on screen, often the memorial photo. You can link gentle music to it.
When to use it: as the first block, at the start of almost every service.
- If you link music, the entrance runs on its own and the presentation moves on as soon as the piece has finished.
- Most people choose a piece of music of 4 to 6 minutes; at larger funerals sometimes a little longer.
- Would you like two pieces at the entrance? Then create a second entrance block, so that the second one starts after the first.
- Usually the fixed memorial photo is shown here; you activate it easily with a single tick.
- Is the entrance in silence? Then tick “The entrance is in silence”. No music plays and the presentation waits until you click to continue. The moment still stays visible in the instruction document.
Speaker
A moment where someone speaks: the funeral celebrant, a family member or a friend. A fitting photo stays on screen for as long as the speaking lasts.
When to use it: at every word or address, and also at a prayer or quiet moment where one image may stay on screen.
- A speaker block always waits for a click. You never know exactly how long someone will speak, so the photo stays on screen until you click on.
- You can use the fixed memorial photo here too.
- Does a speaker want a second photo? Then create an extra speaker block with the other photo and note in the title of the block at which moment you need to click.
Music with photos
The heart of many services: a photo series set to music. You choose a piece and add a series of photos to it. The tool spreads the photos automatically across the length of the piece, so the last photo ends when the music ends.
When to use it: for the life story in images, or as a calm pause for breath between two speakers.
- The music starts on the first photo and plays on while the photos change by themselves.
- The tool works out the timing itself. Allow at least five to eight seconds per photo for a calm image; the tool warns you if it gets too tight.
- This block runs entirely on its own; there is no need to click.
Live music
Meant for music played live, for example a guitarist, a singer or group singing. There is no mp3 file then: the musician provides the sound. You choose within the block how the moment unfolds.
When to use it: when there is live playing or singing, with one photo on screen or with a photo series alongside.
- With slideshow: you set the total duration and the photos are spread across it; they change by themselves and the presentation moves on automatically after the set time. Ask the artist beforehand how long the piece lasts, or make an estimate.
- A single photo: one photo (for example the fixed memorial photo) stays on screen and you click on yourself when the music has finished, as with a speaker. Handy when the duration is not fixed in advance.
- There is no speaker icon and the presentation plays no sound of its own.
Tip: are several pieces being played? Then create a separate “Live music” block for each piece. With the option “A single photo” you decide yourself the moment at which the next piece begins.
Video
A video clip that starts and plays on its own, for example a clip of a treasured moment or a personal message.
When to use it: when you want to show moving footage with sound instead of photos. Think of a family member who has made a compilation clip, or of a video before or after a speaker.
- The video starts automatically and the presentation moves on as soon as it has finished.
- Provide an MP4 file. If you have a piece of music only as a video, you can by the way also use that as sound in a music block.
Final farewell
Every funeral is different, but often at the end of the service there is a filing past the coffin or a shared departure from the hall. On this block you can let the music repeat, so that no silence falls.
When to use it: as the closing block, during the condolences or the filing past.
- The music repeats automatically, so that silence never falls while people are still filing past. Choose a piece here that repeats comfortably.
- You can use the fixed memorial photo here too.
- Would you still like to show a photo series at this moment? Then use a “Music with photos” block.
The fixed memorial photo
Alongside the blocks you can set one fixed memorial photo that recurs throughout the service. At the entrance, at the speakers and at the final farewell you then choose that photo with a single tick, instead of uploading a new one each time.
The background
You can set a background for the whole presentation. With portrait photos a lot of space is left around the image; you fill that with a background. Choose your own image or one of our examples, with a little transparency if you wish. In practice, light backgrounds with some subtle detail often look best. A plain colour is of course also possible.
