Preserving Photos and Video Tributes
Reviewed by Everendium Editorial Team · Last reviewed August 18, 2026
Quick answer
Collecting and organizing photos — sometimes into a video tribute for a service, sometimes into a digital or physical album — is one of the most common ways families preserve someone's memory. Gathering contributions from extended family and friends often surfaces photos no single person had access to.
Photos and video are often the most immediate, emotional way families preserve someone’s memory — and gathering them is usually easier with help.
Collecting photos from others
Reaching out to extended family and friends — through a group text, email, or shared cloud folder — often surfaces photos no single person had access to. This is one of the simplest and most valuable steps, since memories are rarely all in one place.
Creating a video tribute
Many funeral homes offer video tribute creation as part of their standard services, combining photos (and sometimes video clips) with music into a slideshow-style tribute. Simple consumer apps can also do this if you’d prefer to create it yourself.
Showing it, keeping it, or both
Some families show a video tribute during a visitation or service; others create it purely as a keepsake for family to revisit later; many do both. There’s no requirement to display it publicly if you’d rather keep it private.
Preserving physical photos long-term
Digitizing older physical photos — scanning them or photographing them clearly — protects against damage or loss over time, while still letting the physical originals be kept, shared, or distributed among family members.
This project can be as simple or involved as feels manageable — there’s no timeline requiring it to be finished quickly.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need special software to make a video tribute?+
Not necessarily — many funeral homes offer this as part of their services, and there are also simple consumer apps designed specifically for creating photo slideshow videos with music.
How do I collect photos from extended family?+
A group text, email, or shared cloud folder asking people to contribute their own photos often works well — many families discover photos they didn't know existed this way.
Should a video tribute be shown at the service, or is it just for keeping?+
Both are common — some families show it during a visitation or service, others create it purely as a keepsake to share and rewatch afterward, and some do both.
What's the best way to preserve physical photos long-term?+
Digitizing physical photos (scanning or photographing them) protects against loss or damage over time, while still allowing the originals to be kept or shared among family members.
Sources
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