How to Make a Memorial Video for a Funeral

Creating a memorial video for a funeral can feel like an important but difficult responsibility. You may want to honour someone properly, bring together family memories and create something meaningful, while also dealing with grief, time pressure and the practical arrangements around the service.

A memorial video does not need to be complicated, but it does need to feel thoughtful. The most moving tribute videos are usually not the ones with the most effects or the most dramatic editing. They are the ones that bring together the right photographs, video clips, music and memories in a way that feels personal and true to the person being remembered.

Although memorial videos are often created for a funeral service, they can also become a lasting keepsake for family and friends. Many families choose to keep the finished video, share it privately, send it to relatives who could not attend, or play it later at a wake, remembrance gathering or celebration of life.

What is a memorial video?

A memorial video is a short film created from photographs, video clips, music, wording and memories. It may be shown during a funeral service, wake, memorial gathering or celebration of life. It can also be kept privately by the family and watched again in the months and years afterwards.

Some people call it a funeral slideshow, funeral photo montage, tribute video, remembrance video or celebration of life video. The wording may vary, but the purpose is usually the same: to help family and friends remember, reflect and celebrate a life through meaningful images and music.

Step 1: Gather the photos and video clips

Start by collecting the images that best tell the story of the person’s life. These do not all need to be formal portraits. In many cases, the most powerful images are simple everyday moments: a family holiday, a birthday, a wedding, a favourite place, a hobby, a smile, or a small moment that captures their character.

Try to include a mixture of:

• childhood or younger photographs
• family moments
• weddings, birthdays and special occasions
• holidays and meaningful places
• photos with children, grandchildren, friends or partners
• hobbies, work, interests or things they loved
• recent photographs, if appropriate

If you have short video clips, these can also be included. A few seconds of movement, laughter, walking, talking or doing something familiar can add a very personal feeling.

However, still photographs often work best as the main structure of a funeral tribute video, especially when the video is being shown during a service.

Step 2: Choose the right music

Music has a major effect on the tone of a memorial video. Some families choose a favourite song of the person who has died. Others choose music that feels peaceful, reflective or uplifting.

There is no single correct choice. The best music is usually something that feels connected to the person or appropriate for the family. It might be a song they loved, something played at an important moment in their life, or simply a piece of music that creates the right feeling for the tribute.

If the video is being shown at a funeral service, it is worth checking with the venue, celebrant or funeral director that the music can be played correctly on the day.

Step 3: Decide the order of the memories

There are two common ways to structure a memorial video.

The first is chronological, starting with early life and moving through the years. This can work well when you want the video to feel like a life story.

The second is emotional rather than chronological. This might group images by family, holidays, hobbies, friendships or meaningful moments. This can feel more natural if you do not have a complete set of photographs from every stage of life.

Do not worry if you cannot create a perfect timeline. A memorial video does not have to document every year. It should reflect the person in a way that feels honest, warm and meaningful.

Step 4: Keep the video clear and well paced

One of the most common problems with DIY funeral slideshows is pacing. If photographs move too quickly, people do not have time to absorb them. If they stay on screen too long, the video can start to feel slow.

As a rough guide, most photographs need enough time for people to recognise the image, feel the memory and move comfortably to the next moment. Simple transitions are usually better than distracting effects.

It is also important not to overload the video with too much text. Names, dates and short messages can be powerful, but long blocks of text can be hard to read on a screen during a service.

Step 5: Test the finished video before the funeral

If you are making the memorial video yourself, make sure you export it as a proper video file and test it before the day of the funeral.

Check that the music plays, the video opens correctly, and the file works on the equipment being used at the service or wake.

This is especially important if the video has been made in PowerPoint, Canva, iMovie or another editing app. What works on your own computer or phone may not always play correctly on another system unless it has been exported properly.

The difficult part is not just making a slideshow

Many families start by thinking they need to make a funeral slideshow. That is understandable. A slideshow may seem like the quickest way to bring photographs together.

But the difficult part is not usually placing photos in order. The difficult part is creating something that feels properly paced, emotionally balanced and suitable for such an important moment.

When time is short and emotions are high, it can become another stressful task at exactly the moment when you may already have too much to manage.

A simpler option: let Everlasting Tributes create it for you

If you would rather not spend this difficult time trying to build a slideshow yourself, Everlasting Tributes can create a personal memorial video from your photos, video clips, music, wording and memories.

Our tribute and keepsake videos are carefully edited to feel more personal, thoughtful and lasting than a basic slideshow. They can be shown at a funeral service, played quietly at a wake or memorial gathering, shared with family and friends, given as a remembrance gift, and kept as a lasting keepsake for years to come.

A funeral slideshow may be needed for one day. A carefully made tribute video can become something the family keeps, shares and returns to whenever they want to remember someone properly.

Using the video with Obitus or a funeral venue

If your funeral venue uses Obitus, your finished memorial video can usually be supplied as a family-provided video file for playback during the service.

We normally supply the finished video as an MP4 file, which is a standard format for video playback. If your funeral arranger or venue requests a different format, please let us know and we will do our best to provide it.

The main practical details to confirm are the submission deadline, the preferred file format and whether your chosen service package includes video playback.

Choosing a tribute video style

Different families want different tones. Some prefer something warm and photo-led. Others want a more traditional candlelit tribute, a peaceful cloud-filled style, or a personal memory-wall presentation.

At Everlasting Tributes, you can choose from a range of tribute video styles, including gentle family slideshows, candlelit remembrance videos, peaceful sky-and-cloud designs and warm memory-wall tributes.

Each one is created from your own photographs, video clips, music and memories, so the finished tribute reflects the person being remembered.

Frequently asked questions

Need help creating a memorial video?

If you are not sure where to start, you do not need to have everything perfectly organised before getting in touch. You can choose a tribute video style, place your order, and then send us your photos, video clips, music notes and wording afterwards, using the simple method we arrange with you after ordering.

If you need guidance, we can help you decide which style is most suitable and what kind of material to send.

View our tribute video styles or contact us if you would like help choosing the right tribute for your family.