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How-To
August 17, 2015

The five-step guide to creating your Photo Story



Microsoft’s newly launched Photo Story app turns the photo collection on your Lumia into slideshows, complete with theme and soundtrack.

Step one: Download Photo Story

First, download the free Photo Story onto your Lumia. You can search for it in the Windows Phone Store on your phone, click this link, or scan the QR code to the right.

Step two: Select Cover Photo

Read the on-screen tutorial (or skip it, if you wish) and add a cover photo for your soon-to-be movie.

Photo-Story_cover-photo

Step three: Pick Theme

Pick a theme that you think will complement your Photo Story.

If you’ve selected an old family photo as your cover photo, the “Super 8” theme might work well. Or, how about the “Party” theme if you’ve chosen a photo of all your mates on a night out?

Photo-Story_themes

Here’s the full list:

  • Classic
  • Travel
  • 3D Flip
  • Super 8
  • Party
  • Action

Step four: Pick Music

We’d all love a music soundtrack to the significant moments in our lives; here’s your chance to select one.

“Retro Music,” “Punch It,” and “Rambler” are just some of the tunes available.

Photo-Story_music

Once you’ve chosen your soundtrack, Photo Story will take just a few moments to create your story.

Step five: Save, edit, or share it

If you want to make an edits, you can do so now.

However, if you like what you see, go ahead and save or share it. If you’re sharing it, your options are Facebook, Messaging, OneDrive, WhatsApp, OneNote, and Tape to share (NFC).

Photo-Story_share

Don’t forget to add the #MSPhotoStory if you’re sharing it to give it maximum discoverability.

Cortana integration

For an added bonus, Photo Story supports Cortana.

If you want an even quicker way to create your own Photo Story, activate Cortana and say “Story from today” and your very own personal assistant will do all the hard work for you.

As a Microsoft Garage project, Photo Story utilizes a combination of machine learning and computer vision to select the best representative photos from a given day.

More details on how Photo Story works can be found at the Microsoft Research blog.

Go ahead and create your own Photo Story today, and share them with us below.