A wonderful way to remember a departed loved one is through use of a tribute video. These can be done to show at a visitation, or anytime to share with family and friends.
We used a fairly simple program called iMovie on an Apple iMac to create the video at the link below. The video combines old 8mm video clips, digital video, scanned photographs along with music and type. The finished product was not just a fitting tribute, but an emotional tour of my mother’s life. Many funeral homes are able to create these types of animated slide shows for use at visitation. But they are appropriate at anytime.
The key is to be organized. Start gathering photos and video clips as early as possible. High-resolution photographs work best, especially for the pan-and-zoom Ken Burns effect.
Keep in mind that if your video uses potentially copyrighted music or lyrics, limit your distribution to a link just for family. If you make DVDs with the movie, only supply them to close family. Older music files, such as those imported from music CDs, work well. Digital music purchased from Apple, Amazon, etc., have digital blocks built in to prevent their use in these kinds of personal projects.
See two examples of tribute videos at the links below:
Treasured Lives 