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Answers to some of the most frequently asked questions posed by our discerning, demanding clientele.
Please see our Glossary for a definition of terms used throughout this site.
Once we have received your signed contract, we will provide you with detailed instructions on how to best prepare your photos. The more thought and attention you put into the preparation of the materials, the more rewarding your final presentation will be, as it will become much more personal and meaningful. The preparation process typically involves the selection and ordering of photographs, writing captions to accompany them, determining what text to include in the chapter cards, (link to glossary), selecting music, and finally, instructions for any other custom touches you may want included in your project.
If you do not specify an order for your photographs, we will incorporate them in the video in no particular order. While it takes extra time to organize your photographs, it will pay-off as the video will be much more meaningful to you.
Choose photographs that are representative of various events you want to include. Try to avoid similar photographs (for example two different poses or angles of the same subject) and photographs that are out of focus. We can use printed photographs, negatives, slides or a wide range of digital formats.
Absolutely – just send them along to us on a CD with your other photos.
If you live in the Houston area, you can arrange to drop off your photos with us. Otherwise we recommend you use a reliable, traceable courier.
The Organization Form is provided to help you organize your photographs into categories and give you some ideas about categories that can be used to create your custom chapter cards.
Our detailed order form allows you to specify special instructions for your photos and film. Just note which photo and the correction you would like us to make. For example if you want a photograph cropped a particular way or wish to have some photographic defaults fixed. You can also request extra retouches (link to glossary) for an additional fee. Basic color and brightness adjustments are always included.
Other items such as plane or transit tickets, maps, postcards, certificates and many other paper items can be included in your video.
The choice of music goes a long way to enhance the ‘mood' of your presentation. If you do not have any particular songs or style of music you would like to use, our skilled editors will make the most appropriate selections from our diverse music library.
The DVD format allows us to output your video in a digital medium, which means no loss of quality whatsoever. When we transfer your images to videotape, which is not a digital medium, there is a loss of quality and as the videotape ages, the degradation becomes more evident. We recommend choosing DVD for superior results.
A Proof tape is a watermarked VHS copy of your presentation. This will give you an advanced screening of your multimedia (link to glossary) presentation so you can make changes to it before we create your final product.
We digitize your photos with high quality Epson and Nikon Scanners then assemble them on Apple Macintosh computers, using Apple's Final Cut Pro Non-linear Editing Program and Apple's Production Studio Suite for Special Effects and Authoring. Your final DVD is also created on Macintosh G5 Computers with Pioneer Superdrives.
We accept your home movies on VHS, Video8, Hi8, Digital8 and MiniDV. We also accept 8mm and 16mm film. Contact us if your format is not listed here.
You can click here to see a list of known compatible DVD players. If your particular player is not on the list, contact us to determine compatibility.
If your computer is equipped with a DVD drive and you have DVD player software installed, yes you can.
Please visit our Policies Page for more information on this topic.
On average, a typical DVD package will be ready within 2 weeks from receipt of your photographs. If you have film for conversion, your turnaround time will be a bit longer. We suggest that if you have a specific event that you're preparing the DVD for, you plan ahead and allow plenty of time prior to the date in case questions or problems with the materials arise. For longer, more elaborate productions like full-length Biography DVDs, you must also allow adequate time for all the additional elements involved in the project like research, scriptwriting, pre-production planning, on-location interviews and extensive editing.
Once we receive your materials they are digitized and imported into our computers. The video is then assembled in a non-linear editing system. Simultaneously, the necessary graphics (like title and chapter cards) (link to glossary) are created in a graphics application. They are then added to the video, along with the music. We then create the final video and also prepare it for DVD creation.
It is our policy to keep your photos and project information on file for 6 months. That gives you the opportunity to order more copies of your DVD presentationYour final video delivered on a Digital Video Disk (DVD) with a basic navigation menu. Compatible with most consumer DVD players. Your video will be delivered in a keepsake case with labels unique to your own video. at minimal cost. If you would prefer, we will not keep your photos on file. Just notify us and we will delete all the files upon completion and delivery of your final DVD.
Your originals will be returned to you with your final DVD.