Apple Photos Slideshow Maker in iOS 27: What It Does and How to Use It

The Photos app is getting a proper slideshow maker. Apple is adding new slideshow controls that let you take any group of photos and videos and play them back with your own timing, transitions, and music. The headline change is that iOS 27 can save a finished slideshow straight to your library as a video, so you can replay it later or share it like any other clip.

Quick answer: Select your photos and videos in Photos, choose to play them as a slideshow, then set the slide duration, transition style, and music. In iOS 27 you can save that slideshow as a video file in your Photos library.

What the iOS 27 slideshow maker does

The new slideshow tools turn any selection of images and clips into a playable sequence. You pick the photos and videos you want, and Photos arranges them into a slideshow you can control rather than a fixed, automatic montage.

Three settings sit at the center of it. You can change how long each slide stays on screen, pick the transition style between slides, and choose the music that plays underneath. Once you are happy with the result, iOS 27 lets you export the slideshow as a video directly into your Photos library for easy playback later.

Note: Saving the slideshow as a video means it becomes a standard clip in your library. You can play it without rebuilding the slideshow each time, and you can share it the same way you share any other video.

How to make a slideshow on iPhone

Open the Photos app and tap Select. Tap each photo and video you want in the slideshow so they are all marked.

Tap the More button, then choose Play as Slideshow. The selected items begin playing in sequence. Full steps live on Apple’s iPhone slideshow support page.

Adjust the slide duration, transition, and music to taste. In iOS 27, use the save option to export the slideshow as a video to your Photos library.

You will know it worked when the finished video appears in your library as a normal clip that you can open and play on its own.

How to make a slideshow on Mac

On the Mac, Photos offers two routes. A quick slideshow plays your selection instantly with a theme and music, while a slideshow project gives you finer control and can be saved and exported.

Play a quick slideshow

Click Library in the sidebar, then click All Photos in the toolbar.

Select the photos and videos you want, then choose File and Play Slideshow.

Use the Memory Mix button to change the music and the Memory Look button to change the visual style.

Build a slideshow project

Select your photos and videos, then choose File, Create, Slideshow, Photos. Click the Slideshow pop-up menu, choose New Slideshow, name it, and click OK.

Drag the thumbnails at the bottom to reorder slides, click the Themes button to pick a theme, and use the Music button to add a song or songs.

Click the Duration button to set timing. You can match the length of the music with Fit to Music, set a Custom length, choose a transition for the whole show, or scale photos to fit the screen.

Click Preview to check the result, then click Play. Press Esc to stop, use the arrow keys to skip, and press the Space bar to pause. Saved slideshows appear under Projects in the sidebar.

Tip: If your music library does not show up, quit Photos, open Music and sign in, then reopen Photos and select your slideshow again. From there you can pick songs from your own library.

Slideshow controls compared

Control	What it does
Slide duration	Sets how long each photo stays on screen
Transition style	Chooses the effect between slides
Music	Adds a song or songs over the slideshow
Save as video (iOS 27)	Exports the slideshow into your Photos library as a clip
Fit to Music (Mac)	Matches slideshow length to the selected track