Well, it's that time of year again. Graduation time, that is. This year I was asked if I could produce a slideshow that would run during my daughter's 8th grade farewell celebration. No problem. After all, that's something I do on a regular basis.

Sometimes it seems I'm creating slideshows every week or two. Frankly, it's one of my favorite ways to share pictures, and there are loads of applications that will help you do it. My favorite is ProShow Gold, by Photodex Corporation (www.photodex.com). For $69.95 it's the most bang for the buck in this category of software for the Windows platform. Most programs will let you create slideshows, but the key is whether (and how) they'll let you share those shows in an easy way. The new Windows Photo Gallery in Microsoft Vista has some nice capability there, and I've also used PictureProject, by Nikon, but ProShow Gold offers the most flexibility in design and file format.

On the Mac side, FotoMagico, by Boinx Software (www.boinx.com) is my favorite. I've also used iPhoto, iDVD and iMovie (free to Mac users), but ForoMagico offers more features.

There are a few key steps. First, it will be simpler (and the finished file smaller) if you start with digital images that are resampled to the size you need. Most of what I produce is going to be shown with an LCD projector connected to a computer, so my default image size is 1024 X 768. File format is always JPEG, and since it's for computer display, they can be highly compressed, also good for keeping show sizes small. Next, move the images into the order you want. Keep the transitions simple, such as a standard Fade, to keep the focus on your images, not the transitions!

You'll want to add music, and MP3's are often easiest to work with. My favorite applications - like ProShow Gold - will sync the length of the slideshow to your soundtrack (music). This means you don't have to mess with setting the slide timings manually. Another common option is to have the music loop (play continuously) until the show is done. In that case, set the slide timings to somewhere between four and eight seconds, depending on how long you want people to look at each image.

Once you've finished, the last decision is what format to use in saving the show. On Windows, saving as a .EXE file makes it easy to distribute the show. The file can be emailed or passed around on a USB pen drive. Video CD's are also a common option, and can play on most computers (and often on DVD players). The quality of a Video CD (VCD), though, is not as high as I'd like. When available, I prefer to create a DVD from the show. In most cases that means the show will be "rendered" as a video file, which means it will look great when shown on a TV through a DVD player. More advanced programs, such as ProShow, allow other formats, such as Flash.

Whichever program and format you choose, make several copies. After all, what's the point in making the show if you can't share it with others. Be forewarned, though - once people find out you can do this, you'll be getting called on a regular basis!