Not too many years ago, compiling a personal slideshow on your iOS powered device was still a pretty big undertaking. Thankfully, we have come a long way since then and owing to the combined power of iOS and Siri intelligence now have a wealth of so called Memories at our fingertips, sometimes so many it’s hard to keep up with. Despite the baked-in features to personalize these slideshows, there is still a degree of creativity you surrender to Apple’s algorithms, most crucially in picture selection.

If this happens to be your main beef with Memories too, maybe the time is now to give the able feature a chance to get (back) in your good books. Because counter to common perception, there is an easy way to manipulate the picture selection process and generate Memories as beautiful and personal as a hand-picked slideshow. Here’s how to use the brainpower of Memories while remaining completely in charge of the photos starring in the slideshow.

If we sideline the (sometimes subjective) issue of photo selection, Memories in and of itself are capable of some crafty stuff and personally had me crack an unexpected smile at my screen more than once before. It goes without saying that taking unsolicited photos out of the equation makes them even more powerful, and the good news is that this is entirely possible. As every so often though, Apple does not waste their time explaining the how, so here is the workaround in a nutshell:

How to select photos in Memories to create your own slideshows

1) We are going to need a new album first, so open Photos on your iPhone or iPad and switch to the Albums tab in the bottom bar. Hit the plus in the upper left corner to create a new album.

Conjure up a name for your new album, which is going to act as the repository for your Memories slideshow.

Save the (hopefully creative) album title and thereafter tick all the photos you want to be featured in your slideshow. Remember that just like with deleting , there is always the handy swiping gesture at your disposal to speed up the process. Once you have finished curation, hitThe groundwork is done and we’re almost ready to sit back and enjoy the show. Find the newly created folder sitting right below the My Albums headline (in theview) and pop it open.

5) Inside the album – and this is where you need to question Apple’s design choices – touch the unobtrusive, pointy indicator wedged between your photo gallery and the blue Select button.

Lo and behold, your new album too stashes away a Memories-style slideshow. As always, tap the play icon to trigger the video.

From here onwards, it is all in your hands: feel free to fiddle with the slideshow settings to get it down pat. If you need a crash course on all the settings and sliders to further brush up the slideshow, check out our full guide on Memories

Way to go! You have successfully exploited Apple’s Memories service to create your personal slideshow.

As soon as your presentation hits the right note, don’t forget to add your new masterpiece to your favorite memories folder for quick access in the future. Enjoy creating!