NOTE: FTP access and plugins are only for VIP bloggers http://vip.wordpress.com/our-services/ or for those with WordPress.ORG installs. This is not new. It's the way it's always been.
There is no FTP access to our free hosted WordPress.com blogs and we bloggers cannot install plugins.
http://en.support.wordpress.com/ftp-access/
http://en.support.wordpress.com/plugins/

I am hoping I can get clear direction for adding a slideshow plugin to my blog. I think I fit in the self-hosted category, tho honestly I don't know what that means. Do I need to move my blog to a different host such as a godaddy etc in order to do this?

thanx in advance for any help from you.

Start by uploading the images into your page or post. Then use the slideshow shortcode,
[slideshow]
provided that the images have already been uploaded through the post or page. http://en.support.wordpress.com/slideshows/#adding-a-slideshow-with-previously-uploaded-images
For slideshow order see here > http://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/there-is-no-more-option-to-make-a-slideshow-in-a-post?replies=5#post-1082501

http://eaglequipment.wordpress.com/

If you're looking for a simple, do-it-yourself alternative to WP's proprietary slideshow offering, you could do worse than following the method outlined in this post:

http://wp.me/p2x3If-3e

Please let me know if you found the above useful.

- SB

This problem has been ongoing for two months now. I have contacted support several times regarding this issue and always receive a response, but the problem still persist. Is WordPress doing anything to correct this issue. Can someone please give me advice on how to properly insert slideshows in the order I wish them viewed?

It's been a while since I checked the blog, but for some reason (an update on the theme I guess) the slide show ignores the code I introduced in the custom css, and selects the theme´s default css.

What I'm willing to do is remove the black background and border from the default slide show, and substitute it with the background color. It is quite weird because the rest of the css are working properly.

Checking with firefox's firebug the css code selected is:
.slideshow-window {
background: none repeat scroll 0 0 transparent;
border: 0 solid #fff;
border-radius: 0;
-moz-border-radius: 11px;
-webkit-border-radius: 11px;
-khtml-border-radius: 11px;
margin-bottom: 20px;
}

unstead of the one in my custom css:

.slideshow-window {
background: none repeat scroll 0 0 transparent;
border: 0 solid #FFFFFF;
border-radius: 0 0 0 0;
margin-bottom: 20px;
}

Any help, please...

Thanks

On a side note, is there a way to decrease the size of the squares on the gallery pages or change the number of paintings per row?

I tried copying a previous blog post which has a slideshow but the photos still went in a big long line. I kept the [slideshow] at the end of them but it didn't work.

Thanks in advance :)

As for the order of the slideshow, I've heard it is dependent on which order you upload the images (oy vey). Good luck!

Mine are back to front. So I can get a slideshow, I can change the order (via gallery faffing) but I can't get it to start from the beginning.

I used slideshow a lot too - saves cluttering up my blog with too many photos and I dislike the gallery thumbnail format :(

Then the short code worked like a charm.

I hope that helps!

I have no way to install NEW slideshows on new pages and posts.

I have not blogged for a few weeks and now i find the site has been changed. I cannot get to edit my photos like i used to ...

Please read the sticky post at the head of the forum http://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/changes-to-media-handling?replies=1

To create a slideshow, follow these steps: http://en.support.wordpress.com/slideshows/

:)