The complete guide to slideshows in CapCut

Slideshows are the best of both worlds: you can create video productions with still images. You don't need a full library of footage for a great slideshow. CapCut, a free mobile video editor, lets you create stunning slideshows in no time. Let's see how it's done.

Why use CapCut for slideshows?

First, why should you use CapCut for slideshows? After all, it’s a video editor, and slideshows don’t involve video. With that in mind, you might not think of using CapCut to create slideshows.

But there are great reasons to use it for exactly that. In fact, I think CapCut is the most versatile mobile slideshow creator on the market today.

CapCut benefits — With CapCut slideshows like this, you can amaze viewers with impressive designs.

Think of these benefits:

CapCut is free. Did I mention that CapCut is free? Yes, but it’s worth repeating. You can download the app—fully featured—completely free. Some effects may require an upgrade to the Pro tier, but they aren't essential.
CapCut is full of amazing effects. CapCut includes a comprehensive and vast library of cool design effects. If it works for a video, it works for a still image. It's intuitive and easy to use.
You can carry CapCut with you. Since CapCut is primarily a mobile app, it’s completely portable. If you have your phone with you, you can create a slideshow from anywhere.
Direct sharing to social media is effortless. CapCut is made by ByteDance, more famously known as the creators of TikTok. With that in mind, direct sharing to your social media channels is easy.

Always think of CapCut first anytime you want to create a custom slideshow of your own. Now, let’s walk through the process from start to finish.

How to use CapCut to create amazing slideshows, step by step

For this tutorial, we’ll demonstrate CapCut using an Apple iPhone. Are you an Android user? No worries - you can also download CapCut from the Google Play Store. And if you prefer editing slideshows on your computer, CapCut versions for Windows and Mac are available.

The images you’ll see come from Envato Elements. If you’d like to use them, you can download them here:

Let’s dive in and create our first slideshow in CapCut!

1. Import pictures for a CapCut slideshow

Go ahead and launch CapCut on your device. When you do, take a look at the bottom of your screen. Across the base of the CapCut screen, you’ll see five menu options. In order, they’re labeled Edit, Templates, Library, Inbox, and Me.

To create a CapCut slideshow, the first order of business is to import your images. You can do that by creating a CapCut project. In CapCut, projects group together all of the multimedia that you’ll use to create a video—or, in this case, a slideshow.

Create a project by navigating to the Edit tab on the bottom left of CapCut’s menu. Choose Edit, and then find the blue New project box at the top. The blue area is a clickable button that will create a CapCut project. Tap it to select it.

Create project — Go to the **Edit** tab, and then choose **New project**. Choose images to import and press **Add** to start working with them.

When you choose New project, your Camera Roll will open. Here, you’ll see all of the videos and images stored on your device. To see photos, tap on the Photos tab at the top of the Camera Roll. Now, every image will be shown with a small thumbnail.

To import photos for your CapCut slideshow, tap on the thumbnails of images that you want to use. When you’re finished, you’ll see the Add button illuminated in the lower right corner. Tap it to import your photos.

2. Set the sequence and duration for each image

When your photos are imported, you’ll be taken to the main Edit panel in CapCut. Here’s where the magic happens: all of the edits and effects that the app has to offer live here. At the top, you’ll see the first image previewed.

Below the preview is the Timeline, where you can scroll through the full length of your slideshow. You’ll see each image appear individually on the filmstrip.

Your first task here is to choose a sequence for your slideshow. In other words, you need to specify what order the images are displayed in. By default, they’ll appear in the order you imported them. The image you selected first displays first, the second image you selected displays second, and so on. But you aren’t forced to use this sequence; you can display images in whatever order you want.

Sequence duration — Drag images into a new sequence on the Timeline. And don’t forget that you can change their duration as well.

To reorder images, press and hold your finger on one of the image blocks on the Timeline. Then, drag it left or right to change the sequence. You can do this at any point during your editing workflow. It’s always easy to change the order.

You can also change the default length of an image’s playback. What does that mean? Simply how long it appears onscreen before your slideshow moves to the next image.

To adjust the playback duration, tap on an image in the Timeline to select it. Then, pull on the ends. A small gray box will appear, telling you the duration in seconds. Adjust it as desired—and remember, you can always change these settings later.

3. Add custom transitions for a seamless flow

You’ve sequenced your slideshow images in the order that you want. You’ve adjusted their duration to fit your desired timing. But when you play your slideshow back, it still feels choppy. One image is simply replaced by the next onscreen.

While this is a workable option, it pays to add some style enhancements. These come in the form of transitions. Transitions are animated effects that help your slideshow move from one image to another. Think of fades, dissolves, blurs, and more. These are transitions, and they make changing images into a work of art.

To add transitions in CapCut, go back to the Timeline. Then, look at any point where two images touch each other. At the center of this junction, you’ll see a white box with a vertical line. This is CapCut’s Transitions button. To add a transition between two images, click on the Transitions button.

When you do, the Transitions gallery will open. On it, you’ll find several menu tabs. These are grouped by categories. You’ll see Trending, Pro (premium options), Overlay, Movement, and more. Explore the galleries to see your options. You can also search for specific effects if you know them by name.

Each transition effect is shown with its own thumbnail. What’s more: every effect previews in real time. To add a transition, simply select one of the thumbnails, and CapCut will add the transition. Repeat this throughout your slideshow for best results.

4. More style edits: Text, effects, and more

Transitions are just one of many cool effects that CapCut has to offer. Return to the main Edit view to explore more options. You can add text, style effects, and so much more. These options all live on the main toolbar menu down at the bottom of your screen.

For example, let’s add text to an image. To do that, tap the Text button. With Text selected, click Add text. A dialogue menu opens, into which you can type in your text. Once you’re done, the Fonts, Styles, and Effects options let you style your text. Browse these menus, where you can change the text size, style, and color.

CapCut effects — With effects in CapCut, you can add text, style designs, and visual adjustments. It’s a surefire way to ensure your slideshow looks its very best.

Back on the main Edit view, you can find more options in the Effects and Adjust groups. These two menus have very different purposes. Think of Effects as visual style edits. They’re those optional cool designs you can add to slideshow images to make them more interesting. Adjustments are corrections: for example, if an image is blurry or not bright enough, you can edit it in the Adjust group.

Spend some time exploring your options. Add any effects you want by tapping on their thumbnails, as you can see in the image above.

5. Include a custom soundtrack with music

No slideshow is complete without music! And thanks to CapCut, it’s easy to add music. Once more, on the toolbar menu, choose Audio. Then, from the new list of option buttons, choose the first: Sounds.

The Sounds panel will open. By default, you’ll be on the All tab. Here, you have a variety of options. You can sign into TikTok to import sounds from there, or you can click on the Folder icon, which lets you import audio files that you have stored on your device.

You can choose the Commercial tab. Here is where you’ll find CapCut’s enormous library of included music. Browse the listed options, or search for one. Hear a song that’s perfect for your slideshow? Tap the blue + icon to add it to your slideshow.

Back on the Timeline, you can speedily adjust the music’s length to fit your slideshow. Longer slideshows might require more than one song to be played for full coverage.

Your slideshow is now complete! All you have left to do is export and share your slideshow video with the world. To do that, find the Share icon. It sits in the very upper right corner of your CapCut screen.

Share CapCut slideshow — Tap the **Share** button, and you’ll get an exported, saved copy of your CapCut slideshow. You can also share it directly to your favorite social media apps.

Tap Share, and CapCut will start exporting your video. When it finishes, you’ll have a saved video file in your Camera Roll. It works like any other video: you can save, share, and upload it anywhere you want. But for social media sharing, CapCut makes it even easier.

When the export finishes, you’ve arrived at CapCut’s Share menu. Front and center is the Share to TikTok button. Tap it, and you can share your new CapCut slideshow directly to your TikTok profile. Below are your other favorite social apps. You can share straight to Instagram, Facebook, and more. It only takes the touch of a button.

Learn more top tips & tricks for CapCut

Slideshows are easy to build in CapCut. But they’re only one of countless things you can do with the app. Here at Envato Tuts+, we have tons of helpful tutorials just for you. With them, you can learn more about CapCut, and you can elevate your general skills for creating even better social media videos and slideshows. Check out these top guides:

Create a stunning CapCut slideshow today

In this tutorial, you learned how to create slideshows in CapCut. It’s a smooth and simple process that only takes a few minutes. Import your images, drop them in sequence, and change their duration.

Then, add cool effects like transitions, text, and music. Finally, share directly to your favorite social media channels directly from CapCut. It's truly the easiest way to create spectacular slideshows.