Slideshow module How to show photos on my Smart TV

[VictoriaJZ]

Lightroom Version Number

12.3

Operating System

1. macOS 12 Monterey

I have about 3000 photos from a trip my husband and I just took [Egypt] and I've been working on them a bit [nothing rigorous, mainly getting rid of terrible ones and straightening or cropping and some auto tone work] - I'd like to show them to him and he can help me figure out where we were [need to add titles in that case] -- I have the Catalog on my Mac mini [Monterey] and the actual images on an attached drive. I am thinking I can show them on the TV from my laptop easily = but not sure about what I need to take with me to the other room to show == catalog only? or the drive plus the catalog [I can move the Catalog to the laptop easily. What's the best way to get them on my laptop so I can show them to Mark and we can go on our journey again?

 

[Gnits]

There are all sorts of options.... the easiest might be connect the MacMini to the TV directly ... but not ideal for regular use.

Are you familiar with Powerpoint or Keynote. Create a presentation on your laptop and connect your laptop to the TV.

A good idea is to put your images in a folder on a USB Stick and plug that into the TV. Size the images to the width / height ratio of your TV. Most smart TVs have a USB port and have the option to run a slideshow from a usb stick.

I believe there is an Apple TV Lightroom App... which would allow you to view your Lr Cloud based images.

There are may other options....

 

[VictoriaJZ]

I don't have cloud based images but your other ideas are helpful == K do have Keynote and sounds like I can use that == the Q I do have is do I just copy to the USB the Catalog? Or the Catalog and the whole 80G of images in their folders??? Thanks so much

 

[clee01l]

There are lots of options to show photos as a slide show on a Smart TV. First, is there a slide show app for the Smart TV? If so you can copy the exported file to the folder (on the Smart TV or a Thumbdrive) that the Slideshow app can read for the slide show.

I use The Amazon Photos app which produces a slide show from Photos stored at Amazon in your Amazon files repository.

There is also a Google image app for smart TVs the principle is the same.
Most smart TVs access the internet and have a browser app included. You can place the exported images on one of the Social Media Photos Sites like SmugMug or Flickr. And view Theroux ant computer or Smart TV with a browser.


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[VictoriaJZ]

OK thanks much -- will check out all these ideas but do I just export [save] the Catalog of images to the app or whatever == I don't need to have access also to the 80G which is the source of the images? I guess as long as the previews are all in the Catalog that's enough??

 

[clee01l]

OK thanks much -- will check out all these ideas but do I just export [save] the Catalog of images to the app or whatever == I don't need to have access also to the 80G which is the source of the images? I guess as long as the previews are all in the Catalog that's enough??

The source files do not contain any Lightroom adjustments you may have made. This includes cropping to a 16:9 aspect ratio (which I like to do when appropriate.) The SmartTV has a 16:9 aspect ratio and it is often desirable to fill the screen so that you maximize the size of the image when viewed and eliminate the black borders.

So export the adjusted Lightroom images to get the edited version that you want.

FWIW, I use my 75” Smart TV as a revolving display of my curated photos or latest trip when ever we have guests.


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[Conrad Chavez]

OK thanks much -- will check out all these ideas but do I just export [save] the Catalog of images to the app or whatever == I don't need to have access also to the 80G which is the source of the images? I guess as long as the previews are all in the Catalog that's enough??

Which way to do it depends a lot on what you’d like to do with the photos at the TV.

If you only want to look at the photos on the TV from the laptop, it can be this simple:

1. In Lightroom Classic, select all of the photos you want to show. I usually put them all in a Collection and select that.
2. Choose File > Export to create JPEG copies in one folder.
3. Move or copy the folder of JPEG copies to the laptop. No need for catalog, originals, etc, just the JPEG copies.
4. Connect the laptop to the TV using an HDMI cable. (If the laptop doesn't have an HDMI port, it will need a simple adapter that you can ask us about.
5. On current Macs and PCs, you can run a full screen slide show using nothing more than the software that comes with the computer. For example, on a Mac you can select all images in a folder on the Finder desktop, choose File > QuickLook (or press the spacebar), click the full screen mode button, and press left/right arrow keys to look at other images in the folder. (If you want to see the filenames so you can take notes on what info to enter later, use QuickLook in normal view, because the filenames aren’t visible in Full Screen mode.)

If you also want to update the photo information (titles, captions, etc.) on the laptop while you and your husband look at the photos on the TV, then the laptop also needs to have:

• Lightroom Classic installed
• A catalog containing the photos (doesn’t have to be the original catalog, can be an exported catalog of just the travel photos)
• Either copies or Smart Previews of the originals. Normal previews might not work as well.

The catalog and the originals/Smart Previews can all be exported at once into a folder that you’d copy to the laptop, using File > Export as Catalog. After you finish entering the new information, import the laptop catalog changes into your main catalog on the Mac mini, to merge the updated info with their originals. This is the same workflow that many of us use for a travel catalog, so you can read the steps in this article: How do I use Lightroom Classic on my laptop when I go on vacation?

 

[dominique.gascon]

I am surprised that nobody suggested casting. It is the easiest way to connect a smart TV to a computer. You don't need to physically connect your computer to your TV using a HDMI cable, or even bring to computer near the TV. It is all done through your WIFI. You need Chrome on your computer and it usually connects almost instantly. You will still have to prepare a slide show as described in the previous replies to cast from on your TV.

Personally, for photos, I prefer copying the JPEGs on a USB key and control the slide show with the TV remote rather than with the computer. I usually generates a LR slideshow, exporting it to JPEG (ALT + Export to PDF [which becomes EXPORT to JPEG when you press ALT key in Windows - sorry I don't know what it is on a MAC, - I never touch them]). I put a small text overly with some metadata -Title, date, etc. - to identify the photo and adjust on export the size of the JPEG to match the resolution of the TV (1920 x 1080 pixels for a HD TV, or 3840 x 2160 for a 4K TV) to reduce the size of the slide show and perhaps, I am not sure if it really matters , by reducing the time it takes the TV to render the file on the screen as it does not need to resize it.

 

[VictoriaJZ]

All of this is fine == what I did was saved the 500 or so pictures to my MacBook Pro and then shared it [Air?] with the TV -- and was able to show them to my husband - but yes, I did a 'cast' and was able to avoid attaching == of course we have an AppleTV and that's really what I was sending to - the tV is just the monitor for the AppleTV and once I figured that out, all was fine

 

[John R Ellis]

and then shared it [Air?] with the TV ... of course we have an AppleTV

One possible gotcha: If you don't tell Mac OS to use the Apple TV as the Main Display but rather use it to mirror your computer's display or set it to "extend" the computer's display, Airplay can end up using the color display profile from your computer as the color display profile for the TV, and the colors could be way off.

At least in my configuration, I've found that setting the external TV as the "Main display" and setting "Optimize for" to the TV will get the colors correct:

 

[VictoriaJZ]

Thanks == that is probably what I'm doing wrong but I'll check and see == appreciate the suggestion.

 

[David689]

OP - you mention in your original post that the purpose of the slideshow is so you and your husband can work out where each picture was taken.
I don't know the level of your expertise so I hope I am not underestimating you when I ask if you know whether the images are geotagged?

 

[VictoriaJZ]

Thanks =- good Q = actually my main point was to show him the images == but yes I know the iPhotos were geotagged - but not sure my CanonR10 does that [I'll have to check]. I couldn't check this AM but will == but identifying the location of the image is less of an issue [but certainly important but in most cases I remember - and in others have been able to ask a friend also on the trip = but now that you mention it I'll have to check with my camera!

 

[alexagrey426]

To display photos on your Smart TV, you have several options depending on the capabilities of your TV and the devices you have. Here are a few common methods:

1. USB or External Storage: Most Smart TVs have USB ports that allow you to connect a USB flash drive or external hard drive. Transfer your photos onto the USB drive and plug it into the TV. Then, use your TV's built-in media player or gallery app to browse and display the photos.
2. Screen Mirroring: If your Smart TV supports screen mirroring, you can wirelessly display photos from your smartphone, tablet, or computer onto the TV screen. Make sure both your TV and the device you're using support screen mirroring (e.g., using Chromecast, AirPlay, or Miracast), and follow the instructions to establish a connection and mirror your screen.
3. DLNA or Media Server: Some Smart TVs support DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance), which allows you to stream media files from other devices connected to the same network. Set up a media server on your computer or use DLNA-enabled apps on your smartphone to stream photos to your TV.
4. Cloud Services: If you have photos stored in cloud services like Google Photos, Dropbox, or OneDrive, check if your Smart TV has a dedicated app for these services. Install the app, sign in with your account, and access your photos directly on the TV.
5. HDMI Cable: If your TV has an HDMI input, you can connect a device like a laptop, desktop computer, or a media streaming device (e.g., Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick) to the TV using an HDMI cable. Set your TV to the correct HDMI input, and your photos will be displayed on the TV screen.

Remember to refer to your Smart TV's user manual or consult the manufacturer's website for specific instructions on how to connect and display photos from different sources.