Cubix
Photo montage to music

Photo montage to music. Give each image its moment.

Turn your selected photos into a video montage or slideshow with music. Cubix Beat Edits times image changes to the track on an editable timeline. Refine how long each photo stays on screen, check crops and movement, and give the final image a clear ending.

Start with at least two photos and a music track. Mix portrait and landscape images, or add video clips when they belong in the sequence.

Make my photo montageSee the photo sequence
Photo holds6 photos · 1 track

  1. 1 · 4 beats

  2. 2 · 4 beats

  3. 3 · 2 beats

  4. 4 · 4 beats

  5. 5 · 6 beats

  6. 6 · 4 beats

Illustration · six author-drawn “photos” from a fictional afternoon, with illustrative holds. Not a Cubix-produced montage.

An afternoon in six photos

An illustrated photo diary of one afternoon at a lake. Two of the six are portrait shots. The beat groups show how long each image might hold relative to the others; they are a plan, not a setting in the editor.

  1. Illustration of a lake below green hills with a red boathouse on the shore

    1 · Establishing sceneSteady hold · 4 beats

    The lake and the boathouse

    Sets the place. A wide image needs a moment for the eye to travel across it.

    Landscape still

  2. Illustrated portrait-orientation photo of a smiling person in a straw sun hat and a striped top

    2 · PortraitTime to register · 4 beats

    A friend in a sun hat

    A face is what viewers look for first. Give it long enough to be recognised before the next image replaces it.

    Portrait still

  3. Illustrated close-up of an orange leaf and a small shell on grey and sand-coloured pebbles

    3 · Texture or detailQuick · 2 beats

    A leaf on the pebbles

    A simple detail reads at once, so it can be the short beat that changes the pace.

    Landscape still

  4. Illustration of two people on a red picnic blanket, one pouring tea, with a kite in the sky

    4 · Shared activitySteady hold · 4 beats

    Tea and a kite

    Two people and what they are doing. Hold long enough for both to be seen, and check that a crop does not drop one of them.

    Landscape still

  5. Illustration of the sun setting over the lake with a figure raising both arms on a jetty

    5 · Standout imageLongest hold · 6 beats

    Sunset from the jetty

    The picture people remember. Place it where the music opens up and let it stay.

    Landscape still

  6. Illustrated portrait-orientation photo of an empty wooden jetty at dusk lit by a single lantern

    6 · Closing frameFinal hold · 4 beats

    The lantern at dusk

    A quiet ending. Hold it into the end of the track so the last image and the music finish together.

    Portrait still

The same plan as one 24-beat phrase

Beat groups are relative, to compare one photo with another. A cut can land on a beat without the photo changing on every beat.

A cut between two shots

Illustration · six author-drawn stills and an illustrative timing plan. Not a Cubix-produced montage or a customer result.

Make my photo montage

Crops and movement

A video has one frame shape; your photos may not match it. Filling the frame crops the photo. Fitting it keeps the whole image with space around it. Either way, check what each photo keeps.

A portrait photo in a landscape video

The portrait photo with a wide box marking the part a filled 16:9 frame would keep, across the face

Filling a landscape frame keeps a band across the middle of the photo. Here that band holds the face but loses most of the hat and the shoulders.

Keep the face inside the frame, or fit the whole photo instead.

A landscape photo in a vertical video

The picnic photo with a narrow box marking the part a filled 9:16 frame would keep, which shows the blanket but neither person

Filling a vertical frame from the centre of this photo keeps the blanket and the cup, and loses both people.

Fit this photo, or choose a different one for a vertical montage.

Keep movement restrained

The Beat Edits guide documents a Motion option that adds slow zoom movement to photos. Movement can bring a still to life, and it can also push a face or a subject out of the frame. Watch every photo that moves.

  • The subject is still in the frame at the end of the movement.
  • Text in the photo stays readable while it moves.
  • Not every photo needs to move; a still can be the calmer choice.

Illustration · crop boxes drawn over author-made stills. Cubix is not shown choosing these crops, and no automatic subject-safe crop is claimed.

How to make a photo montage and review it

  1. 1

    Add your photos

    Choose the stills you want, in the order you plan them to play. Beat Edits needs at least two shots; video clips can join them.

  2. 2

    Choose the music

    Upload a track you are allowed to publish, or choose one from the built-in library. Listen for where the music settles and where it ends.

  3. 3

    Create the montage

    Run Beat Edits. Cut on the hits is on by default; turn it off for a steady BPM grid. Style, Energy, Motion and Length change the result.

  4. 4

    Inspect timing and framing

    Play it through. Check each photo’s hold, its crop in the video frame and any movement, compare the order with your plan, then refine on the timeline.

Your plan is the photos and the order you add them in. The montage is what Beat Edits returns. Compare the two, rather than assuming every photo kept its place or its length.

Every control in detail: Beat Edits · the beat editing guide

Review the photo montage

Play the montage through with sound and check each of these before you export.

  • No photo flashes past too quickly to be understood.
  • Faces, subjects and any text stay inside the frame.
  • Portrait and landscape photos look like a deliberate choice, not an accident of the crop.
  • Movement, if any, is restrained and never pushes the subject out.
  • The final photo and the end of the music work together.

A cut can land on a beat without replacing the photo on every beat. Hold the images that need time and let the quick ones carry the rhythm.

Illustration of the sun setting over the lake with a figure on a jetty, the image given the longest hold
Illustration · the standout image, given the longest hold

Photo montage FAQs

Can I mix portrait and landscape photos in one montage?

Yes, but a single video frame has one shape. A photo with a different orientation either fills the frame and loses part of the image, or sits inside it with space around it. Decide the frame first, then check that every face, horizon and line of text is still inside it.

Is a photo montage a slideshow with music or a collage?

A photo montage is a video sequence of still images timed to music, often called a photo slideshow with music. A collage arranges several photos in one still image. In Cubix, the montage stays on an editable timeline so you can review each image’s timing and framing.

How long should each photo stay on screen?

It depends on the image. A simple detail can pass quickly; a portrait, a busy image, an image with text or the final photo needs enough time to be read. A cut can land on a beat without changing the photo on every beat, so compare a few holds with the music before you settle.

Can I add video clips to a photo montage?

Yes. Beat Edits accepts photos and video clips together; add at least two shots and a music track. Check that a clip’s motion and any sound recorded on it suit the stills around it.

What do I need to start and to export my montage?

You can open Cubix and explore the editor before choosing a plan. Plans, trial availability, export options and billing details are listed on the pricing page.

Give your photos a rhythm.

Add your selected photos and a track. Build your montage in Beat Edits, then refine the timing and framing.

Make my photo montage
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