Start with a story and a small collection
A useful slideshow brief describes a feeling, a sequence, and an audience. Choose a manageable set of photographs from one trip, celebration, or period of time. Put copies in a dedicated folder and decide what the viewer should remember at the end.
You will need Vayessa, a Studio license for AI control, and a connected assistant. If you use Claude Desktop, follow the connection guide first. Save existing work before beginning another project.
1. Give the assistant a concrete brief
Use Vayessa to make a slideshow from the photos in /Users/your-name/Pictures/Highlands. First inspect the current project and ask before replacing existing work. Aim for a calm travel story of about 60 seconds: an opening view, a journey through the details, and a quiet final image. Show me the proposed order before editing.
Replace the example path with the absolute path to your own folder. Ask the assistant to inspect the photographs, rather than guess their contents from filenames. Review its proposed sequence before it makes changes.
2. Build the sequence and movement
After approving the order, ask the assistant to add the selected photos, arrange them, and choose a theme. Start with restrained movement: a slow pan across a landscape, or a gentle zoom that keeps a face inside the frame.
Use the approved order. Add a short opening title and gentle photo movement. Keep faces in frame, avoid excessive rotation, and use restrained transitions. Preview representative slides before continuing.
Vayessa exposes photo import, arrangement, themes, titles, framing, and slide movement through MCP tools. You can refine the same project by hand in the app.
3. Choose the timing and soundtrack
Choose music you have permission to use. Provide its absolute file path, then decide whether the photographs should change on musical beats or stretch to the end of the track.
Beat timing follows the music’s rhythm. Fit timing fits the sequence to the music length. A requested runtime, the selected track, and the chosen timing may not all align exactly; review the resulting duration instead of treating your initial target as a guarantee.
Use the music timing guide to decide which approach suits your story.
4. Review the actual frames
Ask for previews at the opening, middle, and end. Check faces, portrait-photo crops, title contrast, transition pace, and whether captions cover important details. Review the running slideshow in Vayessa as well: still frames cannot reveal every movement or musical cut.
Preview the opening, a portrait photo, a transition in the middle, and the final title. Check for awkward crops and text covering faces. Tell me what you changed, and wait for my review before exporting.
5. Export and watch the finished video
After reviewing, tell the assistant the output path and the format you need. Confirm the export settings supported by your app and plan, then ask it to export and report completion.
Watch the exported file from beginning to end. Check the soundtrack, title timing, and framing on the device where the video will be viewed. Keep the Vayessa project so you can revise the story later.
The prompts in this guide are examples, not a recorded result. Your assistant’s response and timing will depend on the photos, music, app version, and available tools.