Having a general idea of where you are going with your video before you begin will make the rest of the planning process easier. Before rummaging through old photo albums, you must be clear on the purpose of your photo montage.
A few questions to ask yourself:
1. About how long do you want the video to be?
2. Do you want your video to include photos from the person(s) entire life or is the video going to focus on a specific aspect of the person(s) life, such as a hobby or a special family occasion?
3. Would you like your video to be funny, sentimental, or both?
4. How do you want the audience to feel when it’s over?
5. Are captions necessary for the audience to understand the photos?
6. For wedding photo montage, do you want the groom’s childhood photos to be separate from the brides’ or intertwined?
PHOTO INSTRUCTIONS
You have two options for submitting your photos. Many clients prefer to scan their own photos or have them scanned at a local photo lab (Wal-Mart’s photo labs usually have the best prices). You can also send your physical photos to us to be scanned.
If you are scanning your photos:
1. Thoroughly clean the scanner with a dry T-shirt or cloth every 5 scans. If the scanner is not cleaned, dust particles and fingerprint smudges will be scanned with the photos. This is especially crucial when using a public scanner at a local photo lab.
2. Scan each photo and save it in JPG format. Save each picture with a 3-digit number indicating the order that you would like it to appear in the video (e.g. 001.jpg, 002.jpg).
3. Put your photos for each section/song in a separate folder. Number each folder in the correct order for the video.
4. Send us a CD-R of your images or submit them via e-mail.
5. Important: Set the scanning resolution as high as possible (we recommend setting the resolution at 300 DPI or higher). Photos scanned at a low resolution may appear blurry or “digitized” on your computer screen. Before sending your scanned photo files, carefully examine each one. If the photos are distorted (if they do not look exactly like the original photo), rescan them at a higher resolution. Contact us for assistance with scanning.
DO NOT:
1. Do not scan photos that are cut into shapes (circles, hearts, stars, etc.).
2. Because your TV screen is horizontal, it is best not to crop horizontal photos vertically. If at all possible, do not crop/cut horizontal photos into vertical photos.
If you are sending photos to be scanned:
1. Number each photo in the order you would like it to appear. Place a numbered sticky note on the BACK of each picture or write the number with a pencil. Do not rely on placing the photos in the correct order in the package as they may shift during shipment. Do not put sticky notes on the front of your photos – as they will be damaged by the sticky residue. Do not tape your photos onto sheets of paper.
2. Place your photos into Zip-lock bags labeled by their section/song.
3. Your photos will be returned to you when your photo montage is shipped
DO NOT:
1. Do not send photos that are cut into shapes (circles, etc.)
2. Do not rely on placing the photos in the correct order in the package as they may shift during shipment.
3. Do not tape or glue photos together or to sheets of paper.
4. Do not put sticky notes on the FRONT of your photos – as they will be damaged by the sticky residue.
5. Do not write captions on the back of photos (see below).
IMPORTANT NOTE:
It is very important that your photos be numbered and well-organized. Photo sorting is $25 per hour . The average charge for sorting excessively unorganized photo collections is $50 – $75, as the reorganization can be extremely difficult and time consuming.
CAPTIONS
Adding captions to your video album is a great way to make it entertaining and help the audience follow the story being told. You can include up to 2 captions per minute of video (max 20 words per caption)!
To add captions to your video album:
1. Include a Word document or send an email with the photo numbers next to the caption. For example: Picture #005 – He always thought he could dance!
2. Do not write captions on the back of photos or in the filename of digital images all captions must be submitted together in a Word document or by email.
3. Unless you’re using an important quote or poem, keep your captions short and sweet! Fewer than 10 words work best.
HINTS FOR CHOOSING PHOTOS
1. Choose photos that evoke emotion or cause laughter.
3. Choose close-ups rather than far away shots.
4. Remember, you will only be able to include a limited number of pictures from each time period. If two photos are similar, consider eliminating one of them.
5. Organize your photos chronologically (Before they Met, The Early Years, Our Family Grows, etc.) or by theme (Family Time, Friends, Hobbies, etc)
HINTS FOR CHOOSING MUSIC
1. The music you select will set the mood of your photo montage. If possible use both sentimental and upbeat songs so your photo montage will inspire laughter and tears.
2. Make your video unique by including favorite songs of the person that you are creating it for. Are there songs or artists who are especially meaningful? Do you know of lyrics that fit especially well?
An Important Note:
In most cases, it is necessary to edit your music selections to fit the number of photographs in a section. If you wish a song not to be edited, please specify. Our professional music editors blend (cross-fade) all songs together to prevent any pauses in music within the video (as you would hear songs blend on the radio). This professional “cross-fading” is done to accomplish a seamless audio presentation throughout the entire video. If you wish there to be audio pauses, or would not like songs to cross-fade into one another, please specify when ordering.
WE’LL TAKE IT FROM THERE!
Once we’ve received your order form and spoken with you about the details, we will agree on a “checkpoint date.” On the checkpoint date, your consultant will send an email confirming all details of your video (number of copies, music, etc.) Each change you make after giving the “OK” to the confirmation email will result in a $15 fee per change (for each photo, caption, or song deleted, changed, or re-animated due to a “change of mind” on your part).
For example, after you approve the details in the confirmation email, may find a quote you would like to add. You may hear an even better song than your original choice to capture the mood of a particular section. If you make these 2 changes after your “checkpoint date,” each change will be subject to a $15 fee. Your In & Out of Focus Consultant will let you know if any editorial changes late in the project will affect our ability to meet your deadlines.
After you receive your video:
After you have received your photo montage, any changes must be discussed with your Design Consultant. The additional charges will be discussed at that time. Errors on our part are always fixed at no cost to you.
Note: Once we’ve incorporated music into your video, changes that affect timing are especially time-consuming, as the music would have to be re-edited. Changes that affect music timing also come with additional charges that can be discussed with your consultant.
We keep the masters of each photo montage for at least one year.
