Please do not submit photos that are still in frames, photo albums, or scrapbooks. Remove the photos and follow the procedures for submitting artwork. If the photo can not be removed from the frame or scrapbook and submitting the artwork is not an option, your last resort may be to take a high-quality digital photograph of your image. A photo of a photo will be lower quality than a scan but for the purposes of a slideshow, it may work.

Yes. Basic touch-ups such as removing red-eye, and reducing dust and particles in the image are included in the price of every service. If the damage is more extensive, such as scratching, tearing, staining, wrinkling, fading, cracking, etc., the photo may be a candidate for photo restoration.

Only as a last resort. If the original photo can not be removed from the frame or scrapbook or submitted for scanning, you can attempt to take a high-quality digital photograph of your photo. You will not be able to achieve the quality that a scanned image can provide.

Yes. We can use any digital image regardless of the source. However, even though there are some very useful file sharing programs on the internet, most of them do not support high resolution images and do not provide the quality required for a top-notch product.

Post-It notes adhered to the back of each photo work best as they do not leave any permanent marks on the photos. If you must label the photo, a soft pencil works best, writing very lightly. DO NOT use a pen or marker as it may rub off on the photos once they are placed in a stack or the ink may bleed through and damage the photo.

See our section on submitting artwork.

Understanding the importance of your photos and video is why we do this so we take every step possible to insure that your cherished family memories are returned in the same condition we received them. No food or drink is allowed in the workroom and gloves are always worn when handling photos. However, are not responsible for any damage incurred during the shipment to or from our location.

We can work with photographic prints up to 8"x10" in size. Paper prints, slides and negatives must first be scanned. You can save some money by scanning these photos yourself.

Yes. Photos taken in landscape mode, (wider than they are tall), fill the screen nicely and allow plenty of room for panning and zooming. Photos taken in portrait mode, (taller than they are wide), will usually have some black space to either side of the photo. Sometimes this can be cropped out. In the case of a square or other oddly shaped photo, there may be black areas around the photo if it can not be cropped tightly enough.

Our DVD's are similar to DVD's that you purchase to watch professional movies. They can be played on most standard DVD players and on computers equipped with a DVD drive. Many of the commercial software products available for use with photos can be used to create slide shows as well. However, many of these slide shows are only for viewing on the computer, have limited capability when it comes to duration of photos on screen and special effects, and do not give you the option to burn them on to DVD for viewing on your TV.

Yes. They provide a very nostalgic and heart-warming effect. Restoring mom and dad's fading photos and incorporating them into a custom slideshow is sure to create a very memorable moment as they relive their memories.

Nobody has a better idea of the logical order of your slideshow than you so take a look at our information on submitting artwork. If your photos are of a truly random nature, we will use our best judgement to create a slideshow that progresses naturally.

Three to five seconds is the recommended tempo.

Yes. To calculate the duration each slide will be on the screen, take your song length in seconds and divide it by the number of photos you have:

180 second song / 50 = 3.6 second slide duration.

No. Any scanning and restoration charges are in addition to the package cost.

Yes. We can use anything you scan in a custom slideshow. We will make minor corrections to color and remove red-eye from any photo you send us to use in a slideshow, whether you scanned it or it is a digital photograph. Please take a look at our guidelines for submitting artwork.

Yes. We can also scan other types of paper media for use in your slide show. This would include items such as announcements, newspaper articles, brochures, flyers, ticket stubs, cards, and letters or just about anything that can be laid flat on a scanner.

To calculate the approximate duration of your slide show, multiply the number of slides you'd like to use by the time each will be on the screen. We suggest three to five seconds each.

50 slides x 5 seconds/slide = 250 second song.

We can also time the slideshow duration to equal that of your song selection so the slideshow ends when the song does.

Yes. Music sets the mood for the presentation and should be chosen carefully. Music should be submitted in .mp3 format. We can also accept .aif or .wav file but they may be too large to e-mail. We can not accept .rax, .drm or .wmp music files.

Transitions - these are the transitions from one photo to another. We have a large variety of transitions that we use on each project. Typically, we use a bit of creative license to determine which transition fits best for a particular part of a project but we've found that a simple fading transition is often the most elegant. If you have something custom that you would like to request, please note your preference when ordering.

Title slides - these usually separate one section of a continuous slideshow from the next. A title slide is simply a slide with text instead of a photo used to introduce a new section or end a previous one.

Captions - this is the text placed along with a photo often used to elicit a reaction from the audience or offer detail about the photo.

Our standard turnaround is 14 days from receipt of all the project materials (photos, video, music, title screen text, etc.). An additional 20% will be added for all orders requested in less than 14 days. An additional 40% will be added for all orders requested in less than 7 days. Please contact us first to verify that we can meet your deadline.

Yes. The only way for us to insure your complete satisfaction is to create an online proof of your slideshow, (in .mov format, software may be required). The DVD title screen will be proofed as a static JPEG graphic. We will incorporate your feedback into the production process before compiling the final product. Your finished DVD will be of a much higher quality than the proof you view online. This is due to the compression necessary to make the video file size small enough for you to view online.

Yes. We have the ability to convert your DVD slide show from NTSC video format (standard in the US) to PAL format (standard in many other countries). Please contact us first in regards to additional turnaround times and shipping cost for international projects.

On average, 98% of all DVD players will play back our DVD's. We use professional grade DVD's for all of our projects. If your DVD does not play, we will do everything we can suggest a solution.

No. That is the beauty of a DVD slide show vs. a CD slide show created on a computer with your average home editing tools. Please note that some older models of DVD players may not play the rewriteable DVD'S that are used in our recording process. On average, 98% of all players will play back our DVD's.

No. Once you press the play button on your DVD player from the main DVD menu screen, the slideshow will advance itself. You do have the option to pause, skip chapters rewind or fast forward, just as on a standard DVD. Each DVD comes with a custom menu page which allows you to select specific chapters to play.

Yes. No matter what type of TV you have, the DVD will play full screen.

We will keep the master of your DVD on file for six months for purposes of reordering. DVD's make great gifts for any occasion, and can easily be reordered.

Yes. At the time of purchase, you can order additional copies of the DVD for a nominal charge.

It is our experience that a simple fading transition is the most elegant. Ocassionally we'll use a page flip or spinning transition to mark a change in the slideshow or to transition to/from a title screen. We have several transitions to choose from if you'd prefer to choose them yourself.

A DVD player that plays DVD-R discs (98+% of all DVD players do). A video display (typically a large television or a projector/screen combo). An audio system, (such as built-in television speakers, PA, etc.).

Yes! The movement of the photo adds considerably more visual appeal to the slide show without detracting from the photos. All of our slideshow packages include panning and zooming.

Yes. We can add one or several short video clips to the DVD slide show. Movie clips must be submitted as a .mov file. If you are submitting a VCR tape, DVD clips, 8mm or 16mm, reel to reel, etc., it must first be converted to a digital file format we can work with. If you are submitting a DVD, the video is not necessarily in this format and must first be converted to a digital format. We recommend having this done by a conversion specialist in your area.