Sound Effects

Sound effects aren’t a huge part of slide shows—at least not like they are in film and video production. The main thing I tell people is not to overdo sound effects. Just because you can use a trick doesn’t mean you should. Sometimes sound effects can come in handy, but they can easily be distracting and unprofessional if they don’t fit.

A common sound effect we see in slide shows is a camera shutter sound. This is the sound a typical camera makes when you’ve just snapped a photo. This sound effect can be quite powerful when synchronized with a photo popping onto the screen. You can even synchronize the sound with a flash effect by adding a short slide containing an all-white layer just before the new photo appears. Timing is important with this effect. Ideally, you want the flash to appear just before the click sound is at its peak. See the sidebar for a brief explanation.