RealTimes (with RealPlayer) for Windows

Overview

RealTimes Slideshow Maker, created by RealNetworks (the company behind RealPlayer and RealPlayer Cloud), is a free desktop application for turning photos and short clips into video slideshows. The tool automates most of the editing work and lets you pair your visuals with music or audio you select yourself.

Key capabilities

• Automatic compilation of photo-and-video “stories” using an internal selection process
• Built-in options to add music, swap transitions, rearrange clips, and record voice narration
• Integration with RealPlayer technologies so exported stories are converted for playback on various social platforms
• A library of stock tracks and basic video filters (note: the included filters are modest in quality)

How the media is chosen and edited

RealTimes scans your device’s library and attempts to surface the strongest images and moments by excluding obvious duplicates, blurred shots, and dark frames. The engine tends to prioritize faces, which usually produces good results but can omit other worthy photos — however, any selection can be adjusted manually. If you don’t like the initial result, the Remix control will reshuffle a Story for a fresh arrangement.

If you prefer more sophisticated visual treatments, it’s often better to apply filters in external apps (for example, Instagram or VSCO) before importing into RealTimes.

Sharing, accounts, and platform behavior

• Stories can be shared directly to social networks or sent to contacts from within the app.
• Recipients see embedded, playable video posts (for example, on Facebook timelines) rather than static links.
• Creating an account is optional; you can share Stories with people who don’t use RealTimes.
• The app handles format conversion automatically, so you don’t need to export to a specific file type for each destination.

Storage, limits, and upgrade options

• Free tier: 2 GB of cloud storage and Stories capped at 30 seconds.
• Turn on Auto Upload to add an extra 5 GB and have photos/videos uploaded to RealPlayer Cloud automatically (these uploads can then be turned into Stories).

Subscription tiers (monthly and annual plans are offered) unlock additional functionality and higher limits. Typical paid benefits include:

• HD output and support for longer Story durations
• Unlimited Story length on higher tiers
• Increased cloud storage and device-syncing options
• Priority features like expanded music libraries and cross-device access

(Prices at the time of review ranged roughly between USD 2.99 and USD 4.99 per month, depending on device count and chosen features.)

Reliability and performance notes

• During evaluation, a pre-release Android build repeatedly crashed when adding music — stable releases should be checked for fixes.
• Export times can be lengthy for long Stories; a four-minute compilation required more than 30 minutes to finalize on an iPad in one trial.
• The algorithm does a good job overall but may need manual tweaks to include non-face-centric or artistically framed shots.

Who benefits most from this tool

RealTimes is aimed at people who take lots of photos and want a low-effort way to turn them into shareable videos. It’s useful for:

• Social users who prefer automated organization and quick sharing
• Anyone who wants to revisit forgotten photos and present them as short, polished Stories
• Users who value seamless integration with RealPlayer and cloud sync

Final verdict

If you want a mostly hands-off slideshow creator that organizes media for you and links into a broader RealNetworks ecosystem, RealTimes is worth trying. The free tier is functional for basic use, and subscribing adds significant conveniences (longer stories, higher resolution, and more storage). Keep in mind some export and stability issues noted in testing; verifying the current app version before committing to a subscription is recommended.