Confession time.

You know those end of the year letters. The ones people send out with all the details of what happened throughout the previous 11 months.

If you’re unfamiliar, they usually read like this:

Dear You,

Our year was awesome. Child #1 made Honor Roll and solved world hunger. Child #2 was elected captain of the track team and developed an antibiotic to cure all disease. Hubby ran his 95^th marathon and was promoted from the promotion I told you about in last year’s letter.

Now – don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying I’m too good for a braggy, end-of-the-year letter. I’m just saying that we can probably do a little better with how we brag. Let’s leave less to the imagination. Instead of telling me about that 95^th marathon…show me a photo! At least then I can feel less jealousy when I see how sweaty, gross and unattractive your hubby looked at the end of the race.

So, here’s my suggestion. This year, instead of sending out that dreaded letter, send out a slideshow video that’s embedded directly IN your holiday cards. Show your friends and family  all of the moments that made your year memorable.

What’s that? You don’t know how to make a video slideshow? Well, sister…that’s what I’m here for! I’ll show you how to create a video slideshow and then put that video IN your holiday cards using a QR code!

Start by opening up Adobe Premiere Elements 15. It’s a user-friendly editing software that takes all the guess work out of creating movies and videos.

1. Select the “Guided” tab for a step-by-step walk through or select “Quick” to get started right away.
2. I used the “Quick” tab and started by dragging and dropping my photos into place.
3. With my photos in place, I added narration to describe all the awesomeness that happened during our year. To create narration, simply click the “Record Narration” button and start talking. I recommend writing out a “script” of what you want to say in the video …lest you end up doing 25 takes like me!
4. Once the video and narration are done, add some tunes to your video. Adobe Premiere Elements makes it easy to automatically clip your music down to the length of your video. Just click on the audio bar and select “Fit Entire Video.”

Now…how are we going to get all your friends and family to see this amazing video? Like I said, I’ve got you covered! Here’s the solution: the almighty QR Code.

1. Export your video using the “Export” button in Adobe Premiere Elements 15. You can send it off to your favorite online source like YouTube or Vimeo.
2. Next, use the URL of your video and create a QR code image. It’s easy. Trust me. Use a site like QR Code Generator and it’s a quick, painless process. Just paste the URL of your video and the QR Code Generator will create a QR Code image that you can download as a jpeg.
3. Print out your QR Code and adhere it to your holiday cards!

OR

Import the jpeg of your QR code and insert it directly into your card using using Photoshop Elements. Then print the QR code directly in the card. It’s super easy to do:

Here’s a look at how I created my QR Code holiday cards this year:

[ylwm_vimeo height=”400″ width=”600″]194719304[/ylwm_vimeo]

If you ask me, the QR Code holiday cards are a fun, engaging way to revamp the dreaded letter. Your friends won’t even care about all your bragging because they’ll be distracted by all the cute photos and all your creativity!

Moral of the story – brag on sisters…brag on. Just use video to do it!

As a bonus post, I am also doing a fun giveaway – a $100 gift card to Tiny Prints!

Create your own holiday card with Photoshop Elements or video holiday card with Premiere Elements and then share it on your favorite social media sites using #ElementsCreators @DamaskLove.  Be sure to share your project using #ElementsCreators @DamaskLove to be eligible for a chance to win a US$100 gift card to Tiny Prints. I’ll be checking in frequently to see all your entries! Can’t wait.

Ready to get started? Download a free 30-day trial of Photoshop Elements to start creating.

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED.