Memorial photo guide
Build a memorial photo gallery that tells a life story
The most meaningful gallery is not necessarily the largest. Choose photographs across different years, preserve the best available files and add the names and context future relatives may not know.
Choose photographs across the whole life
Begin with a broad shortlist rather than selecting every image from one event. A mixture of formal portraits and ordinary moments usually feels more recognisable than a gallery made only from posed photographs.
- Childhood, school years and early family photographs
- Work, service, study or community life
- Partners, children, grandchildren, friends and pets
- Hobbies, favourite places, holidays and everyday routines
- Later years and one clear portrait for the top of the memorial
Use the best file you can find
Ask relatives for the original digital photograph or the largest scan available. A screenshot from social media or a compressed image copied through several messages may look acceptable on a phone but become soft after cropping.
Held in Memory accepts image uploads smaller than 8 MB each. Common photograph formats are suitable; vector SVG files are not accepted. If an older camera format does not upload cleanly, export a high-quality JPEG or PNG copy and keep the original file separately.
Prepare old prints without erasing their character
Scan prints flat and in even light, or ask a photo shop to scan fragile originals. Crop away the scanner bed, but avoid aggressive filters that remove handwriting, borders or details people may recognise. Save an untouched master before making a cleaned copy for the memorial.
Check the image at full size for accidentally included addresses, document numbers or unrelated private material before uploading it.
Make the first photograph work as a portrait
The first gallery photograph becomes the main portrait. Choose an image with enough room around the face and avoid a tight group crop. In the manager, the account holder can change the order, select a decorative frame and adjust the portrait focus so the important part remains visible inside the crop.
Preview the result on both a phone and a larger screen. A photograph that is landscape or very tightly framed may need a different first-image choice even when it looks good in the square gallery tiles.
Write captions while people still remember
A useful caption records what the image alone cannot: names, relationship, place, approximate year and why the moment mattered. One or two accurate details are more valuable than a long caption built from guesses.
- Name people from left to right when a group might be hard to identify later.
- Use an approximate year or decade when the exact date is unknown.
- Include the place, occasion or small family phrase that gives the photograph context.
- Mark uncertain details for family checking before publication.
- Ask permission before identifying a living person in a sensitive photograph or story.
Plan around the actual photo limits
The Free plan includes up to five photographs. Premium includes up to 50. Start with the strongest set and arrange the order from the memorial manager; you can add, remove, caption and move photographs later.
More photographs do not automatically make a stronger memorial. Remove near-duplicates and images that cannot be explained, and leave room to add important photographs relatives may find after the service.
Keep an independent family archive
An online gallery is for viewing and sharing, not the only archive for irreplaceable photographs. Keep original files, high-resolution scans and a copy of the captions somewhere the family controls, ideally with more than one trusted person able to find them.
Open the example memorial to see how a portrait, square gallery layout and caption cards work together on the finished page.
Common questions
How many photographs can I add?
Free supports up to 5 photographs. Premium supports up to 50 photographs.
Which photograph becomes the portrait?
The first photograph in the gallery order becomes the main portrait. You can move a different image into the first position later.
What is the maximum file size?
Each uploaded image must be smaller than 8 MB. Keep the original high-resolution file in the family archive even if you make a smaller upload copy.
Can I change the gallery later?
Yes. The account holder can add, remove, caption and rearrange photographs from the memorial manager, within the plan limit.
Ready when you are
Start with five photographs that matter
Choose a clear portrait and a small set across the years. The gallery can grow when more memories arrive.
Create a memorial