how do I create a photo newsletter as a slideshow

I have been asked to be in charge of my church's newsletter. Currently it is a pdf file distributed by email. The layout looks like a traditional newsletter with a few small photos, text, a lot of white areas, etc. I've been asking around and everyone really likes the photos the most, this is one reason I was asked to do this, so I want to redesign the newsletter.

I would like to have the user click on the newsletter file and then be taken to a full page landscape image with overlayed text, no scroll bars, no tool bar, I don't want it to look like software, more like a slideshow. Ideally when the mouse is moved over the right side of the screen the user would see a large > symbol which would bring up the next page when it was clicked, again like some photo slideshows I've seen on Smugmug and Zenfolio. Obviously since I'm sending it out a diverse group of people with different types of computers, software and skills it needs to be a pdf or something similar that is available to everyone.

I have no idea what software could do this or where to start, I tried several google searches but I don't even know enough yet to choose the right search words, so I decided, since it will involve photos as a key ingredient, I would ask it here. Have I explained what I'm seeing in my mind? Can you point me in some direction? I have the full Adobe Creative Suite and Lightroom plus Microsoft Office Professional.

I haven't done it in years, since I retired, so I'm a dinosaur in this area, but I used to make a lot of Powerpoint presentations, so that springs to mind.

Another possibility is an online slideshow if all the parishioners have internet. My own photo sharing site, Imageevent, has the option of opening an album to a thumbnail page or directly into a slideshow. The album can be private in that only a certain group receive the url and can be (optionally) password protected. Or the slideshow can be emailed and will open automatically within the email. The cost is slight, only $25 a year. If you want more info, PM me.

I do something similar for a local service club. I produce a pdf using Microsoft Publisher and then upload it to the club's Google Docs account. I set the sharing option to "anyone with a link" and then send out an E-mail to members with that link. The nice thing about Google Docs is that the pdf is displayed in a Google Docs viewer in whatever browser the viewer is using, no need for any kind of plug-in or local pdf viewer (Adobe, Foxit, etc.). It's very user friendly even for the less computer savvy. The Google Docs viewer also has a download option should anyone want to download the newsletter to read locally in a pdf viewer or send to their printer.

You could do the same thing with a Word or PowerPoint document and still use Google Docs and the in-browser Google Docs viewer. Docs supports quite a few file formats.

You might want to look into building an interactive PDF in InDesign. If you search youtube for Terry White he has some tutorials similar to what you are describing.

Thanks for the replies, this gives me something to start with. Anyone else with ideas would be welcome to add their experience. Mostly I want to get away from the look of a piece of paper transferred onto a computer screen. Since it is digital I'd like to play up those strengths with large images, no borders, minimal white space.

Have you tried using the slideshow feature in Smugmug? I have gallery of photos from 1965 taken on Oahu, Hi when I was stationed at Pearl Harbor. I have the gallery set to private so no one can view it unless I give them the link. I added descriptions to each photo that shows up as an overlay during the slideshow.

Here's the link to my slideshow to give you an idea of how you might set one up yourself...assuming you have a Smugmug account of course.

http://genelewis.smugm​ug.com …fZ#!i=813668637​&k=nWWsPd6

Gene, I do have a smugmug account. I'm looking for something like those slideshows but with manual control over page turning. I guess I really want to make an electronic magazine, giving people a more immersive experience than a pdf document on their screen, but one that they can linger over a page while reading, etc. There are still some members with no internet access and I will print up a few hard copies for them, so I need some kind of file that can be printed if necessary. Right now I'm trying to see if Powerpoint saved as a pdf will work or if I can use Acrobat Pro to author what I want. If anyone else out there has seen something like this please let me know.