The quickest way to make a slideshow on iPhone is the Memories feature in the Photos app: it is free and builds a video with music for you. For control over each transition, the length of the video and its shape for Reels, TikTok or YouTube, use a slideshow app such as Fliptastic.
I have built Fliptastic, a slideshow app for iPhone and iPad, since 2013. This guide covers both methods honestly, including when you do not need an app at all.
Method 1: Apple Photos Memories (free, built in)
Photos already turns groups of pictures into short movies with music, called Memories. You can play one from almost any album or let Photos suggest them.
- Open the Photos app and find the album, trip or day you want.
- Play it as a memory movie. Photos chooses the photos, the music and a visual style.
- Pause the movie to change the title, the music, the overall length or which photos are included.
- Use the share button to save the movie to your library as a video, or to send it.
On iPhones that support Apple Intelligence, you can also describe the memory you want in a sentence, such as “our trip to Japan”, and Photos finds the pictures for you. Menu names differ slightly between iOS versions.
Good to know: a song from Apple Music plays in the memory on your phone but cannot be included when you export or share it, because of Apple Music’s licensing. Photos asks you to pick another soundtrack.
Method 2: A slideshow app (Fliptastic)
A dedicated app is worth it when you want to decide things Memories decides for you: the exact order, the transition between each pair of photos, the video length, or a vertical format for social media.
- Start a new slideshow. Open Fliptastic and tap Create Slideshow. To have the app choose photos for you, tap AI Auto-Create instead.
- Add your photos. Use the buttons along the bottom to add photos from Photo Roll, Stock Photos or Camera, or add a Text Slide for a title. You need at least two photos.
- Choose the shape of the video. Tap the ratio button at the top of the Photos screen and pick 9:16 for Reels and TikTok, 16:9 for YouTube, 8:10 for Instagram posts or 1:1 for square.
- Put the photos in order. Press and hold a photo, then drag it to a new position. Tap a photo to edit or delete it.
- Style it on the Make Video screen. Tap Next. Use the Effects, Transition, Music, Duration and Background tabs to set the look, add a song and choose how long the video runs.
- Export and share. Tap Share. When the video has finished compiling, the share sheet opens so you can save it to your camera roll or post it.
What each Make Video tab does
- Effects adds an overlay that drifts across the whole video, such as falling stars, hearts or snow.
- Transition sets how every photo moves to the next. You can override a single gap with the strip under the preview.
- Music adds one of 26 theme songs, a song from your music library or an audio file from Files.
- Duration sets the time per slide, or picks a total length from 15 seconds to 3 minutes.
- Background chooses Fit, Fill or Blur Fill for photos that do not match the frame, and the colour behind them.
The video keeps compiling if you leave the app, and on iOS 16.2 or later the progress shows on your lock screen and in the Dynamic Island.
Which method should you use?
| You want to… | Use |
|---|---|
| Make something in under a minute | Photos Memories, or AI Auto-Create in Fliptastic |
| Include video clips and Live Photos | Photos Memories |
| Post to Reels, TikTok or Shorts in 9:16 | Fliptastic |
| Choose each transition and the exact length | Fliptastic |
| Add title or caption slides | Fliptastic |
| Pay nothing and have no watermark | Photos Memories |
For a side-by-side breakdown, see Fliptastic vs Apple Photos Memories. To get the timing right, read how long each photo should be on screen.
Tips for a better slideshow
- Cut harder than feels comfortable. Twenty strong photos make a better video than eighty that include near-duplicates.
- Open and close on your best shot. The first two seconds decide whether people keep watching.
- Pick the music first, then set the length to fit it. See how to add music.
- Use one transition style. A single, consistent transition looks more deliberate than a different one on every photo.
Common questions
Can you make a slideshow on iPhone for free?
Yes. The Memories feature in the Photos app is free and adds no watermark. Fliptastic is also free to download, with AI Auto-Create, the photo editor and every export format included; free exports carry a small watermark that the Premium subscription removes.
How do I turn an album into a slideshow video on iPhone?
In the Photos app, open the album and play it as a memory movie from the album menu, then save the movie as a video from the share options. Menu names vary a little between iOS versions. In Fliptastic, tap Create Slideshow, choose Photo Roll and select the photos from that album.
How many photos can an iPhone slideshow have?
In Fliptastic, up to 500 photos on devices with 4GB of memory or more, 300 on 3GB devices, 200 on 2GB devices and 100 on older hardware. The limit is the same on the free and Premium tiers. A finished video can be up to 3 minutes long.
Can I add video clips to a Fliptastic slideshow?
No. Fliptastic makes slideshows from still photos and text slides. If you want to mix videos and photos, the Memories feature in Apple Photos can include both.