Just wanted to share what I am using to make the grad slide show for my son. I used it 4 years ago for his high school graduation, forgot all about it, had a painful misstep trying something else over the weekend (oh, the hours and hours wasted), and then I remembered it.
The big fail was a website called Animoto.
Uploading photos to a cloud-based service is a time-sucking nightmare, and the basic edition was not easy to use. The success is a downloadable and free software (for non-commercial use) called PhotoStage, by NCH Software. It's so much better to just have it all contained on my laptop. You can add videos and underlay a soundtrack (relearned how to rip MP3's and YouTube videos...these kids know everything!), and then you have multiple choices for exporting the finished project.
I have started collecting short video messages that I will add in, thanks for the great suggestions on the earlier thread!
The final verdict of the US Coast Guard Academy was to keep the ceremony virtual. There was a last burst of tremendous pressure for a live ceremony from many of the parents after the Naval Academy announced last week that they will bring cadets back on base in 5 cohorts of 200 to commission them live, on the Yard. USCGA is the only Academy sticking to a full virtual, the right thing to do to get these ensigns out to the fleet in good health in June to do their jobs, but remains heartbreaking. I will probably feel a little bitter every May for years to come when I read about the military commissioning ceremonies.
Hoping for good weather, so we can be outdoors. In the spirit of making the best of it, plans so far:
- Hanging a banner on the house
- Dressing up. Fingers crossed the Academy ships uniforms to the cadets
- One of my son's best friends, and fellow graduate, and his mother joining us from PA. They will be our first true outside visitors since lockdown, and I had to sit on the decision for a little while. The way my son lit up when I told him J. was coming makes it worth it, I think, given the dozens of disappointments. We'll distance appropriately. Lucky me, 2 handsome officers!
- Friends will drive by and cheer at the end of the ceremony.
- Thinking of getting individually wrapped cupcakes, bottles of water, and small bottles of prosecco and putting them on a table at the end of the driveway for visitors to grab,and have a big toast
- Slide show, well underway in plenty of time
