Bolide Slideshow Creator helps you to build professional video slideshows with the minimum of hassle.

At its simplest, all you have to do is drag and drop a few images onto a timeline. Use the Preview window to view the results, click File > Save As, and you're able to export the results as an AVI, WMV, MKV video. (Although MKV support is described as "beta" so we wouldn't necessarily rely on that.)

That's just the start, though. You can then customise each image transition with your choice of slides, fades and wipes (38 in total). Adding a soundtrack (*.aac, *.mp3, *.mp4, *.wav, *.wma) is as easy as a drag and drop. There's support for text captions, and you can even create your own custom pan and zoom effects.

Slideshow Creator has a few minor issues, too, mostly surrounding the interface. It's a little disorganised, you have to look around to find all its various functions, so it's easy to miss something important. Especially as there's no Help file to give you the key details.

This doesn't matter too much, though: the basics are simple enough, and you'll learn everything else as you go along. On balance this is an excellent slideshow builder, and if you're looking for a great way to present your favourite images than there's a good chance the program can help.

version 2.2:
• added 13 new transition effects, including several 3D ones!
• added an ability to set background color for the individual slides with the right mouse click
• added default background color setting in Options
• added Polish interface translation