Scanning and Picture Instructions for Slideshows

You have two options for submitting your pictures to us so that we can create your slide show. Some clients prefer to scan their own photos, slides and negatives and to send us a DVD, CD or HD Blu-ray disc, and their digital video clips, and that works great.

If you are scanning your own photos, negatives and/or slides, be sure to scan your materials on a clean scanner and to save each image in JPEG format (see Help for an explanation). Save each picture with a 3- or 4-digit number indicating the order that you would like it to appear in the show (e.g., 001.jpg or 0002.jpg). Put your images for each song in a separate digital folder. Number each digital folder in the correct order. Send us the CD, DVD, etc. of your images or submit them via e-mail to ceice@comcast.net. When scanning, be sure to set the scanner resolution to as high as possible; we recommend 300 DPI or higher. For slides and negatives, we recommend 2000 DPI or higher. Before sending us your scanned picture files, carefully examine each picture. If the pictures are distorted, please rescan them at a higher resolution.

If you are sending your photos, slides and/or negatives to us to be scanned, be sure to number each in the order you would like it to appear in the show by placing a numbered sticky note on the BACK of each picture, the frame of each slide or on a separate piece of paper wrapped around your negatives. Place your photos, slides and negatives into a lockable plastic bag labeled by their song. (Don't forget you can also include digital videoclips in your show.) Your materials will be returned when your completed slide show is delivered.

• Do not scan or send pictures that have been cut in to shapes, such as circles, hearts, stars, etc.
•  Avoid cropping horizontal pictures vertically during scanning. 
• Do not rely on placing materials in the correct order in the package you send; be sure to label each picture.
• Do not tape anything to the FRONT of your photos, slides and/or negatives.
• Do not tape pictures together or onto a sheet of paper.
• Do not write captions or other information on the BACK or FRONT of the pictures.
  
  NOTE: It's important that your materials be numbered and well-organized. Picture sorting, especially when we do not know the topic as well as you, is difficult and time-consuming. There is a minimum charge for sorting photos, slides, negatives and videoclips of $25. The minimum charge for sorting excessively unorganized picture collections is $50.  

Choosing Photos for Slideshows

• Choose photos that will evoke emotion -- crying and laughter.
• Choose action shots over staged shots.
• Choose close-ups rather than distant shots.
• Choose people shots or shots with people in the landscape.
• You will only be able to include a limited number of pictures from each time period in your slide show, so if two photos are similar, consider eliminating one of them.
• Organize your photos by theme (Family, Friends, Hobbies, Sports, etc.) and/or chronologically (Before, During, After, etc.)

Choosing Music and Captions for Slideshows

The music you select will set the mood for your show; everything from romance to comedy.

• Consider using more than one type of music from pop to jazz to soft rock.
• Use favorite songs or favorite artists of the person for whom you are creating the slide show.
• Choose songs with lyrics that fit the theme of your show.

Please feel free to talk to us about your music selections.

Sometimes it is necessary to edit music to fit the number of photographs. If you wish a song NOT to be edited, please specify when you order. Our professional producers blend all songs together to prevent any pauses in music during a show. If you wish there to be an audio pause, or would not like songs to blend into one another, please specify when ordering. 

Adding captions to your slide show is a great way to make it more entertaining, interesting and/or informative. 




 

• Keep captions short and sweet. Fewer than 10 words -- actually six -- words work better.
• Include a Microsoft Word document or send an e-mail to ceice@comcast.net with the photo numbers next to the captions; e.g., Picture 090.jpg - "And she said she could play!". 
• Do not write captions on the BACK or FRONT of photos or slides or in the filename of the digital images.
• Submit all captions together in a Word document or by e-mail.