{{Short description|Presentation of a series of still images on a projection screen or other display}} {{other uses|Slide show (disambiguation)}} {{distinguish|Sideshow}} {{outofdate|date=June 2021}} {{Refimprove|date=September 2024}} {{SM2|Microsoft PowerPoint|sections=Cultural reactions|date=April 2026}} thumb|A slide show in Germany about the history of Wikipedia
A '''slide show''', or '''slideshow''', is a presentation consisting of a series of still images (slides) on a projection screen or electronic display device, typically in a prearranged sequence. The changes may be automatic and at regular intervals or they may be manually controlled by a presenter or the viewer. Slide shows originally consisted of a series of individual photographic slides projected onto a screen with a slide projector, as opposed to the video or computer-based visual equivalent, in which the slides are not individual physical objects.
A slide show may be a presentation of images purely for their own visual interest or artistic value, sometimes unaccompanied by description or text, or it may be used to clarify or reinforce information, ideas, comments, solutions or suggestions which are presented verbally. Slide shows are sometimes still conducted by a presenter using an apparatus such as a carousel slide projector or an overhead projector, but now the use of an electronic video display device and a computer running presentation software is typical.
==History== Slide shows had their beginnings in the 1600s, when hand-painted images on glass were first projected onto a wall with a "magic lantern". By the late 1700s, showmen were using magic lanterns to thrill audiences with seemingly supernatural apparitions in a popular form of entertainment called a phantasmagoria. Sunlight, candles and oil lamps were the only available light sources. The development of new, much brighter artificial light sources opened up a world of practical applications for image projection. In the 1800s, a series of hand-painted glass "lantern slides" was sometimes projected to illustrate story-telling or a lecture. Widespread and varied uses for amusement and education evolved throughout the century. By 1900, photographic images on glass had replaced hand-painted images, but the black-and-white photographs were sometimes hand-colored with transparent dyes. The production of lantern slides had become a considerable industry, with dimensions standardized at 3.25 inches high by 4 inches wide in the US and 3.25 inches square in the UK and much of Europe.
"Magic lantern shows" also served as a form of home entertainment and were especially popular with children. They continued to have a place among commercial public amusements even after the coming of projected "moving pictures". Between films, early movie theaters often featured "illustrated songs", which were community sing-alongs with the lyrics and illustrations provided by a series of projected lantern slides. Theaters also used their lanterns to project advertising slides and messages such as "Ladies, kindly remove your hats".
After 35 mm Kodachrome color film was introduced in 1936, a new standard 2×2 inch (5×5 cm) miniature lantern slide format was created to better suit the very small transparencies the film produced. In advertising, the antique "magic lantern" terminology was streamlined, so that the framed pieces of film were simply "slides" and the lantern used to project them was a "slide projector".<ref>{{Cite web |title=The History of Photo Slides |url=https://legacybox.com/blogs/analog/history-of-photo-slides |access-date=2022-10-22 |website=Legacybox}}</ref>
Home slide shows were a relatively common phenomenon in middle-class American homes during the 1950s and 1960s.
An image on 35 mm film mounted in a 2×2 inch (5×5 cm) metal, card or plastic frame is still by far the most common photographic slide format.
==Digital slide shows== [[File:Xubuntu 16.04 LTS en.gif|thumb|Slide show in Xubuntu 16.04]] Digital photo slide shows can be custom-made for clients from their photos, music, wedding invitations, birth announcements, or virtually any other scannable documents. Some producers call the resulting DVDs the new photomontage. Slide shows can be created not only on DVD, but also in HD video formats and as executable computer files. Photo slide show software has made it easy to create electronic digital slide shows, eliminating the need for expensive color reversal film and requiring only a digital camera and computer.
Photo slide show software often provides more options than simply showing the pictures. It is possible to add transitions, pan and zoom effects, video clips, background music, narration, captions, etc. By using computer software one therefore has the ability to enhance the presentation in a way that is not otherwise practical. The finished slide show can then be burned to a DVD, for use as a gift or for archiving, and later viewed using an ordinary DVD player.
===Web-based slide shows=== A '''web-based slide show''' is a slide show which can be played (viewed or presented) using a web browser. Some web based slide shows are generated from presentation software and may be difficult to change (usually unintentionally so). Others offer templates allowing the slide show to be easily edited and changed.
Compared to a fully fledged presentation program the web based slide shows are usually limited in features.
A web-based slide show is typically generated to or authored in HTML, JavaScript and CSS code (files).
==Uses== {{Further|Microsoft PowerPoint#Cultural impact}}
A well-organized slide show allows a presenter to fit visual images to an oral presentation. The old adage "A picture is worth a thousand words" holds true, in that a single image can save a presenter from speaking a paragraph of descriptive details. As with any public speaking or lecturing, a certain amount of talent, experience, and rehearsal is required to make a successful slide show presentation.
Presentation software is most commonly used in the business world, where millions of presentations are created daily.{{Citation needed|date=February 2019}} Another very important area where it is used is for instructional purposes, usually with the intention of creating a dynamic, audiovisual presentation. The relevant points to the entire presentation are put on slides, and accompany a spoken monologue.
===In art=== Slide shows have artistic uses as well, such as being used as a screensaver, or to provide dynamic imagery for a museum presentation, for example, or in installation art. David Byrne, among others, has created ''PowerPoint'' art. Slide shows have also been used for creating animations and games.
Since the late 1960s, visual artists have used slide shows in museums and galleries as a device, either for presenting specific information about an action or research or as a phenomenological form in itself. According to the introduction of ''Slide Show'', an exhibition organized at the Baltimore Museum of Art: "Through the simple technology of the slide projector and 35 mm color transparency, artists discovered a tool that enabled the transformation of space through the magnification of projected pictures, texts, and images." Although some artists have not necessarily used 35 mm or color slides, and some, such as Robert Barry, have even abandoned images for texts, 35 mm color film slides are most commonly used. The images are sometimes accompanied by written text, either in the same slide or as an intertitle. Some artists, such as James Coleman and Robert Smithson, have used a voice-over with their slide presentations.
Slide shows have also been used by artists who use other media such as painting and sculpture to present their work publicly. In recent years there has been a growing use of the slide show by a younger generation of artists. The non-profit organization ''Slideluck Potshow'' holds slide show events globally, featuring works by amateur and professional artists, photographers, and gallerists. Participants in the event bring food, potluck style, and have a social dinner before the slide show begins. Other known artists who have used slide shows in their work include Bas Jan Ader, Francis Alys, Jan Dibbets, Dan Graham, Rodney Graham, Nan Goldin, Louise Lawler, Ana Mendieta, Jonathan Monk, Dennis Oppenheim, Allan Sekula, Carey Young and Krzysztof Wodiczko.
===In entertainment=== {{Redirect-distinguish|PowerPoint party|Anti-PowerPoint Party}} {{See also|PowerPoint karaoke}}
Some comedians have begun prominently featuring slide shows as part of their stand-up comedy performances, including Don McMillan,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jerryweissman/2024/08/15/from-satire-to-satire-how-gen-z-is-revamping-the-legacy-of-death-by-powerpoint/|title=From Satire To Satire: How Gen Z Is Revamping The Legacy Of “Death By PowerPoint”|first=Jerry|last=Weissman}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://meaww.com/did-simon-cowell-get-it-wrong-with-don-mcmillans-nerdy-powerpoint-comedy-on-americas-got-talent|title=‘AGT’ comedian turned his set into a PowerPoint presentation — and Simon Cowell wasn’t laughing|first=Tejas|last=Mundhada|date=August 30, 2025|website=MEAWW Entertainment}}</ref> Dave Gorman,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/nov/17/dave-gorman-review-funny-familiar|title=Dave Gorman review – PowerPoint gags are funny but all too familiar|first=Brian|last=Logan|date=November 17, 2014|via=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/comedy/dave-gorman-powerpoint-to-the-people-review-hackney-empire-b1032347.html|title=Dave Gorman at Hackney Empire review: hilarious feelgood standup|first=Bruce|last=Dessau|date=October 13, 2022|website=The Standard}}</ref> Aparna Nancherla,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://decider.com/2018/03/21/aparna-nancherla-the-standups-review/|title=Aparna Nancherla Is A Delightfully Deadpan Gift To Comedy | Decider|date=March 21, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ssense.com/en-in/editorial/culture/aparna-nancherla-is-not-completely-depressing|title=Aparna Nancherla is Not Completely Depressing|date=May 23, 2017|website=ssense}}</ref> Sarah Sherman,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/persons-of-interest/sarah-sherman-is-grosser-than-you-think|title=Sarah Sherman Is Grosser Than You Think|first=Naomi|last=Fry|date=December 6, 2025|via=www.newyorker.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://chicagoreader.com/arts-culture/sarah-squirms-comedy-celebrates-her-body-in-all-its-oozing-disgusting-glory/|title=Sarah Squirm's comedy celebrates her body in all its oozing, disgusting glory|first=Steve|last=Heisler|date=March 7, 2018}}</ref> Conner O'Malley,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/conner-omalley-comedy-special-stand-up-solutions-1235043086/|title=Conner O'Malley's 'Stand Up Solutions' Is Brilliant. But He's Just 'Trying To Be Stupid on the Computer'|first=Jon|last=Blistein|date=June 23, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/comedy/conner-omalley/conner-omalleys-stand-up-solutions-is-a-feverish-masterpiece|title=Conner O'Malley's Stand Up Solutions Is a Feverish Masterpiece}}</ref> Sam Campbell,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/taskmasters-sam-campbell-all-makings-new-fan-favourite/|title=Taskmaster's Sam Campbell Has All the Makings of a New Fan-Favourite|first=Laura|last=Vickers-Green|date=September 21, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/aug/30/sam-campbell-aussie-comedian-edinburgh-comedy-award-win|title=Sam Campbell once joked about killing me – but the Aussie comedian’s Edinburgh win is well-deserved|first=Brian|last=Logan|date=August 30, 2022|via=The Guardian}}</ref> Lou Wall,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/culture/live-reviews/overwhelming-mesmerising-one-of-the-best-hours-of-aussie-comedy-you-ll-see-20240518-p5jeob.html|title=Overwhelming, mesmerising: This is one of the best hours of Aussie comedy you’ll see|first=Daniel Herborn, Peter McCallum, James|last=Jennings|date=May 19, 2024|website=The Sydney Morning Herald}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chortle.co.uk/review/2025/04/18/57931/|title=MICF: Lou Wall: Breaking The Fifth Wall : Reviews 2025 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide|first=Steve|last=Bennett|website=www.chortle.co.uk}}</ref> and Demetri Martin.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.press-citizen.com/story/entertainment/2018/10/23/comedian-demetri-martin-performing-iowa-city-englert/1737439002/|title=Comedian Demetri Martin performing in Iowa City at Englert|first=Zach|last=Berg|website=Iowa City Press-Citizen}}</ref> New comedy series have also been created in which a rotating cast of comedians deliver humorous slide show presentations, notably: the Dave series ''Comedians Giving Lectures'' (2019-22), hosted by Sara Pascoe;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/comedians-giving-lectures/1000777457/|title=Comedians Giving Lectures|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.beyondthejoke.co.uk/content/7723/review-sara-pascoe|title=TV Review: Comedians Giving Lectures, Dave|date=September 18, 2019|website=Beyond The Joke}}</ref> the Dropout series ''Smartypants'' (2024-present), hosted by Rekha Shankar;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/24114777/dropout-tv-smartypants-powerpoint-party-streaming/|title=Dropout’s new show Smartypants is bringing PowerPoint parties to your screen|first=Carli|last=Velocci|date=March 28, 2024|website=Polygon}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/smartypants-season-2-premiere-date-cast-hank-green-dropout-1236232469/|title=Dropout’s ‘Smartypants’ Sets Season 2 Stars, Including Hank Green; Will Debut in Early 2025 (EXCLUSIVE)|first=Jennifer|last=Maas|date=December 4, 2024}}</ref> and the Nebula series ''Abolish Everything'' (2025-present), hosted by Chandler Dean.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/jet-lag-nebula-comedy-series-abolish-everything-1236216689/|title=‘Jet Lag: The Game’ Team Sets Comedy Debate Series ‘Abolish Everything’ at Nebula (EXCLUSIVE)|first=Jennifer|last=Maas|date=November 21, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.houstonpress.com/arts/preview-chandler-dean-and-abolish-everything-on-nebula-20586350/|title=Preview: Chandler Dean and Abolish Everything on Nebula|first=Vic|last=Shuttee|date=June 3, 2025}}</ref>
During COVID-19 lockdowns, virtual "PowerPoint parties", using the screen sharing feature on Zoom and other video calling platforms, became popular on social media.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/reference/how-to-host-a-powerpoint-party|title=How to host a PowerPoint party and have a virtual game night using the Microsoft Office program|first=Chrissy|last=Montelli|website=Business Insider}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/22927159/how-to-make-powerpoint-party-slides/|title=How to have the most banger PowerPoint at the PowerPoint party|first=Petrana|last=Radulovic|date=February 14, 2022|website=Polygon}}</ref> In early 2024, PowerPoint parties or "PowerPoint nights" attracted renewed attention on TikTok, described as a Generation Z house party trend.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/lifestyle/tiktok-powerpoint-party-gen-z-b2539157.html|title=Gen Z has a new party craze - PowerPoint presentations|date=May 3, 2024|via=www.independent.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/powerpoint-party-gen-z-slideshow-f82e7ee7|title=Nothing Says ‘Party!’ to Gen Z Quite Like a 50-Deck PowerPoint and a Remote Clicker|first=Sanvi Bangalore and Milla|last=Surjadi|date=August 4, 2024|website=The Wall Street Journal}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/living/powerpoint-presentation-parties-2025-463561|title=Slideshow and tell: Why PowerPoint parties are addictively fun – and here to stay|website=CNA Lifestyle}}</ref> CNN and BuzzFeed News attribute the origins of the PowerPoint party to "Drink Talk Learn" events started by engineering students at the University of Waterloo in 2012.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/25/us/tiktok-powerpoint-parties-presentation-nights-cec|title=PowerPoint parties make slideshows exciting — and exceedingly silly|first=Scottie|last=Andrew|date=March 25, 2024|website=CNN}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanhatesthis/people-are-loving-these-photos-from-a-party-where-every|title=People Are Loving These Photos From A Party Where Every Guest Has To Do A 3-Minute PowerPoint Presentation|first=Ryan|last=Broderick|date=January 16, 2018|website=BuzzFeed News}}</ref>
==Copyright status== Under United States copyright law, a slide show may be considered a type of "audiovisual work".<ref name="yale-av">{{cite web |url=https://ogc.yale.edu/ogc-rcg/audiovisual-works |title=Audiovisual Works |publisher=Yale University |website=Division of the Senior Vice President and General Counsel |access-date=2026-02-20}}</ref> Audiovisual works are defined in the statute as "works that consist of a series of related images which are intrinsically intended to be shown by the use of machines, or devices such as projectors, viewers, or electronic equipment, together with accompanying sounds, if any, regardless of the nature of the material objects, such as films or tapes, in which the works are embodied." ({{USC|17|101}}) To be considered an audiovisual work, the slide show must consist of a series of related images that combine to form a cohesive work. A slide show consisting of a single image or multiple unrelated images is not an audiovisual work.<ref name="compendium-USCO-800">{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://www.copyright.gov/comp3/chap800/ch800-performing-arts.pdf|chapter=Chapter 800: Works of the Performing Arts|title=Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office Practices|publisher=United States Copyright Office|date=January 28, 2021|access-date=February 20, 2026}}</ref>{{rp|86-93}} Microsoft PowerPoint file formats ({{tt|.ppt}}, {{tt|.pps}}, or {{tt|.pptx}}) are accepted by the U.S. Copyright Office for online copyright registrations.<ref name="usco-formats">{{cite web |url=https://copyright.gov/eco/help-file-types.html |title=eCO Acceptable File Types |website=Copyright.gov |publisher=United States Copyright Office |access-date=February 20, 2026}}</ref>
==See also== *Home movie *Photo slideshow software *PowerPoint animation *Presentation software *Multi-image *Slide-tape *Filmstrip *LCD projector *Wireless clicker
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Wiktionary}}
Category:Photography Category:Presentation