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Photo Archive & Slideshow FAQ
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Main Page
Can you
put video clips into my slideshow?
Which photos should I choose to
include in my project?
Should I crop or cut the edges off
of my photographs?
What are transitions?
How many photos will fit in a
certain time period?
What size pictures can I send?
Can I scan the pictures myself and
send them to you?
What should be the orientation of
the photos I send?
Can I send photos to you still in
their frames or scrapbooks?
Will you crop my photos?
How should I choose the order for my
photos?
How long will each photo appear on
the screen?
How do I know you will return my
photos in the same condition as you
received them?
How should I protect my photos while
they're in transit?
Do I need a computer to watch the
DVD?
Can black and white photographs be
transferred to DVD?
Will you return all of my
photographs, music and other
materials?
I have specific questions that I
want answered.
How long will it take you to
complete my project?
How do I send photographs, music and
other materials?
What if I don't organize my
materials?
What if my DVD player doesn't play
my project?
Will you keep a copy of my DVD?
Can I pick my own music?
Can I send negatives or slides?
Can I order additional copies of my
disc?
Can I add voice narration to my
project?
What types of payment do you accept?
Are my photos and videos safely
handled?
Can I use my professionally taken
photos in my project?
Document Scanning & Archiving FAQ
Back to FAQ
Main Page
I am interested
in archiving my documents on a CD,
but I'm not sure what format is
right for me.
Do I need special
software to view my scanned /
archived documents?
Do I need special
hardware to view my scanned /
archived documents?
Do I need special
training to use the document CD?
What if I have a
DVD drive instead of a CD drive?
Will I be able to
use my document CD as technologies
evolve?
What if I want
another copy of my document CD
later?
How long will my
CD last?
How will my document archive CD be
labeled?
How can I tell
what documents are on my CD?
Will my documents be safe and secure
while at CTI?
Do you return my documents or
destroy them after creating my CD?
Photo Archive & Slideshow FAQ
Can you put video clips into
my slideshow?
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Yes, we can! You can request video clips in your slideshow
for an additional charge. We accept the following formats: VHS, VHSC, MiniDv,
.mpg, .mpeg and .avi. See our Pricing page for more information. Video clips are
limited to 3 minutes per clip.
Which photos should I choose to include
in my project?
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Choose a mix between close ups and group
photos, if the project covers a long
span choose photos that show the most
important stages in someone's life or
key moments within the timeframe that
you are working with.
Choose more horizontal shots than
vertical shots, horizontal shots fill
the screen and look much better.
Vertical shots however will appear on
the screen with large black borders on
each side, too
many vertical shots one after the other
won't be as pleasing to the eye.
Try to avoid photos that are too small
or out of focus
Should I crop or cut the edges off of my
photographs?
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No, You don't need to
crop photos or trim the edges. We scan the
photos as they are, we will then
digitally remove white border edges, and
crop (only to improve outcome of the slideshow).
What
are transitions?
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Transitions are the
way the slide show moves from one
picture to the next. The transition used
will typically be a cross fade effect.
How many photos will fit in a certain
time period?
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50 photos result
approximately in a 6 to 8 minute
production.
-
100 photos result
approximately in a 8 to 12 minute
production.
-
150 photos can be
12 to 14 minutes long.
-
500 photos…more
than an hour.
-
1000 photos…two
hours.
What size pictures can I send?
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CTI can work with any
size pictures up to 8x10's.
Can I scan the pictures myself and send
them to you?
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Yes,
Click Here to refer to our Scanning
Tips and Instruction Page.
What should be the orientation of the
photos I send?
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Horizontal
photographs (landscape) photos will look
the best on a TV screen. Vertical photos
still look good, however there is a
black border around the photos when
shown on the TV.
Can I send photos to you still in their
frames or scrapbooks?
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In order to keep
costs down we ask that you remove photos
from the frames or scrapbooks prior to
sending to us.
Will
you crop my photos?
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Typically we will not
crop each of the photos unless it makes
sense to for a better viewing experience
How should I choose the order for my
photos?
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We will prepare your
project in the exact order that you send
the photos to us. You can choose to
organize them in many different
fashions. A couple examples would be:
-
Wedding Slide
Shows, typically would show pictures
of the groom growing up, pictures of
the bride growing up, and then
pictures of them together.
-
Chronologically,
for example: baby pictures,
childhood pictures, high school,
college, dating, etc.
How long will each photo appear on the
screen?
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Each photo will
appear for between 4-6 seconds, this
varies depending on the nature of the
photos and the transitions we're
using.
How do I know you will return my photos
in the same condition as you received
them?
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We guarantee your
photos will be returned to you in the
same condition as we received them. Due
to the shipping process being totally
outside our control, CTI can not be held
liable and/or responsible
for your materials during the shipping
process. Please see our
Terms of Service section for more
details.
How should I protect my photos while
they're in transit?
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We recommend you use
a plastic Ziploc bag to contain each
section of photographs to protect them
from any spillage during the delivery
process. Package your photos in a sturdy
cardboard box with packaging material on
all sides to protect your photos.
More information is available in our
How to Order
area. Due to the shipping process being
totally outside our control, CTI can not
be held liable and/or responsible
for your materials during the shipping
process. Please see our
Terms of Service section for more
details.
Do I need a computer to watch the DVD?
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No. The DVD that we
produce can be watched with a DVD player
(or a PC or Mac computer equipped with a DVD-ROM
drive and DVD viewing software). All you need to do is to insert
the DVD disk into the DVD player and
play to watch on the TV. Most players
will play back our DVDs. You can check
to see if your DVD player will support
DVD-R media at the
Video Help web site.
Can black and white photographs be
transferred to DVD?
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Yes.
Will you return all of my photographs,
music and other materials?
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Yes, your original
source materials will be returned to you
with your completed project.
I have specific questions that I want
answered.
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For answers to
specific questions please
Click Here to email us.
How long will it take you to complete my
project?
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Our typical turn
around time is in fourteen (14) days. If a shorter
turnaround time is required please
let us know prior to placing your order.
How do I send photographs, music and
other materials?
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Detailed information
about submitting your materials can be
found in our
How To Order section.
What if I don't organize my materials?
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To keep cost down we
ask that you organize your material
before you send them. Only you know the
order you'd like the photos shown. CTI
will not be held responsible for
undesirable results due to unsorted or mis-sorted materials.
What if my DVD doesn't play my project?
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Most players will
play back our DVDs. You can check to see
if your DVD player will support DVD-R
media at
the
Video Help web site.
Will you keep a copy of my DVD?
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We will keep the
master of your DVD on file for one (1)
year, for purposes of reordering unless
you specify that we don’t. After one (1)
year the master copy will be destroyed.
Can I
pick my own music?
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You can send your own
music on CD for inclusion on the DVD.
Under the Fair Use Provision of the music copyright laws,
it is legal to use your purchased music, or music we purchase on your behalf, in
creation of your customized DVD photo slideshows.
Use of the legally-purchased music falls into the same
category as copyrighted music which is used for weddings, funerals and other
private events which do not charge an admission or fee for listening to the
music. If clients send us their own music, it must be on a legally-purchased CD.
By ordering from CT Imaging, our clients agree to use their shows for personal
use ONLY and not for fee-based public exhibition or for resale.
The use of your CDs (or music our company purchases for
you online), falls under the Fair Use Provision of the music copyright laws
which contains these criteria:
1) The user owns a lawfully-acquired or purchased copy of
the original work.
2) Few copies are made.
3) There is no significant effect on the market, or
potential market, for the copyrighted work.
4) No similar product (i.e. slideshow of your photos) is
marketed by the copyright holder.
Can I send negatives or slides?
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Yes. We can work from
any type of photographic materials such
as digital photographs, paper prints,
negatives or slides. We can also use
other types of paper media that can be
scanned, such
as announcements, newspaper articles,
brochures, flyers, ticket stubs, cards
and letters, licenses, etc.
Can I order additional copies of my
disc?
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Yes. At the time of
purchase you can order additional copies
of the DVD. We also keep your disc(s) on
file for one (1) year, you may reorder
any time during that period.
Can I add voice messages to my project?
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Yes. You will need to
provide us with the recording and
instructions on how to use the
recording. The recording must be on disc
in one of the following formats: CD,
.MP3 or .WAV.
What types of payment do you accept?
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We accept personal
checks, Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American
Express. Our credit card processing is handled by PayPal. For more
information please see or
Payment
Options page.
Are my photos and videos safely handled?
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Yes. Your memories
will be safely stored and handled. They
will not be exposed to heat, sunlight,
or any detrimental environmental
conditions that could damage your
materials. Due to the shipping process
being totally outside our control, CTI
can not be held liable and/or
responsible
for your materials during the shipping
process. Please see our
Terms of Service section for more
details.
Can I use my professionally taken photos
in my project?
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If the photographer
holds a copyright to the photos, prior
approval is required. CTI will not be
held liable for copyright violations,
please refer to our
Terms of Service section for further
details.
I am interested in archiving my
documents on a CD, but I'm not sure what
format is right for me.
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In general, Acrobat
portable document format (PDF) provides
the simplest and most cost-efficient
format for your documents. Your files
are viewed using the free Acrobat Reader
software and the pages appear with all
their original formatting, signatures,
graphics, etc. in a format that is easy
to navigate.
For more information
on
Acrobat Reader Click Here.
To download a free
copy of
Acrobat Reader Click Here.
Do I need special software to view my
scanned / archived documents?
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PDF documents can be viewed,
searched
and printed using the free Acrobat
Reader from Adobe.
For more information
on
Acrobat Reader Click Here.
To download a free
copy of
Acrobat Reader Click Here.
Do I need special hardware to view my
scanned / archived documents?
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All you need is a
computer (PC or MAC) with a CD-ROM
drive. Specific minimum system
requirements are as follows:
Windows
-
Intel®
Pentium® processor
-
Microsoft® Windows 2000 with
Service Pack 2, Windows XP
Professional or Home
Edition, or Windows XP
Tablet PC Edition
-
128MB of
RAM
-
Up to
90MB of available hard-disk
space
-
Microsoft
Internet Explorer 5.5 or
higher
Macintosh
Do I need special training to use the
document CD?
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Using the document CD
is user friendly. Navigation through PDF
documents is very intuitive.
What if I have a DVD drive instead of a
CD drive?
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DVD drives are
designed to read CD's. Check the
manufacturer's specifications of your
drive to verify that your DVD drive will
read CD's.
Will I be able to use my document CD as
technologies evolve?
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If you keep your CD
or DVD player, you can continue to
access your document CD's. Support of
CD's within the industry has already
been demonstrated by the very fact that
CD's can be read in DVD players. CTI is committed to
keeping up with the latest technology,
we would not use a format that is on
it's way out.
What if I want another copy of my
document archive CD later?
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CTI will provide as
many copies as indicated on the
Order
Form during the initial order. CTI will
retain a copy of your CD as a backup for
one (1) year, for purposes of reordering
unless you specify that we don’t. After
one (1) year the copy will be
destroyed.
How long will my CD
last?
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TDK rates the
archival lifespan of its cyanine-based
CD-R discs at 70 years (based on
accelerated aging tests). This reflects
TDK's decade-long research and
development efforts in the field of
optical recording media.
How will my document archive disc be
labeled?
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CTI provides CD labels
that will list the primary documents at no additional charge..
How can I tell
what documents are on my CD?
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In addition to the
label on the CD, when you access
the CD, the documents will be listed
showing the names you provide for them.
See also:
Do I need special
software to view my scanned /
archived documents?
Will my documents be safe and secure
while at CTI?
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You can
be assured of the careful and
confidential handling of all your
documents which are kept in our secure
location. Due to the shipping process
being totally outside our control, CTI
can not be held liable and/or
responsible
for your materials during the shipping
process. Please see our
Terms of Service section for more
details.
Do you return my
documents or destroy them after creating
my CD?
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All materials will be
returned to you once the project is
complete. CTI does not offer shredding
services.
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