Year in Review Card: Rewind 2026 in One Frame per Month
A year-in-review is usually a slideshow with a song under it. Rewind is a film: a clock whose numerals are months spins to the month you choose, a 35 mm negative runs across the screen with your photo and a handwritten caption in every frame, three lines are typed on black, and the wish signs off with a 3, 2, 1 into the next year.
The short answer
To make a year-in-review card, open the Rewind template on MomentoCard, pick the month the dial should stop on, add one square photo per month (up to twelve) with a caption under each, write three short lines and a wish, and share the private link anywhere, or export a 9:16 or 16:9 video. The card plays by itself for about a minute: the clock spins and the chosen month fills the screen in gold, the reel runs one frame per month with each photo coming up to colour, the pages type, the wish appears with their name and yours, a contact sheet lays every frame out, and a film leader counts down into the next year. Free to build and preview; about five minutes.
The month is yours to choose
December for New Year's Eve, or the month you are in. The dial stops there and the reel plays January up to it, so four photos still make a nine-month film.
A real negative, not a slideshow
Sprocket holes, orange frame numbers, a timecode, light leaks and grain. Each photo sits in negative until it reaches the centre, then comes up to colour.
Three lines, typed
Years change. Routes change. The people who stay don't. Or your own sixty characters a page, with a cursor and a hairline between pages.
The next year, filled in
Set the year once: the wish's {nextYear} and the final countdown both land on the year after.
Rewind card vs a slideshow app
| Feature | Rewind card | Slideshow app |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | One frame per month, in order, with the month named | Photos in a row, however many you drop in |
| Captions | Handwritten under each frame, forty characters | A title slide, if any |
| Words | Three typed lines, a wish, their name, yours | A song |
| Look | 35 mm negative, grain, light leaks, gold on black | Transitions from a menu |
| Sending | One private link that opens in any browser, or a 9:16 and 16:9 video | A large file to upload somewhere |
| Time | About five minutes with the defaults | An evening |
Make the Rewind card in five steps
- 1
Open the template
It starts with the year, the current month, four example captions, three lines and a wish, so it plays before you change anything.
- 2
Pick the month
The dial stops here. Choose December for a full year, or the month you are in for a birthday year, an anniversary year or a work year-end.
- 3
Add a photo and a caption per month
Square photos, faces near the centre; the editor crops them. A caption under each: Jan, where it started.
- 4
Write the three lines and the wish
One line per page. Then their name, the wish, an optional closing photo and your name; the closing line signs off after the countdown.
- 5
Preview and send
Watch it through once, then share the link on WhatsApp, iMessage, Instagram or email, or export the video.
Frequently asked questions
Is the year-in-review card free?
Building, previewing and sharing the link are free. Premium removes the watermark and unlocks the video download; the price is shown in the editor in your currency.
How many photos do I need?
Four is enough; months without a photo show a dark frame with the month's name and the reel keeps running. Twelve make the full year.
Does it work outside December?
Yes. Pick any month and the dial stops there. It is a year-in-review for any twelve months: a couple's year, a work year, a year since a move.
Does it have music?
It is silent by default so it plays cleanly in a chat. Add any track from the library in the editor; the volume is set low under the lines.
Can I export it as a video?
Yes, in 9:16 for a story or status and in 16:9 for a screen or YouTube. The three optional taps play by themselves in the export.
