How long can you hold the attention of viewers? We've all had to sit through boring home videos and vacation slide presentations that seem interminable. Our advice on photo selection is, "keep it short." By focusing on the important photos in your show and using our special effects, we can bring out the feelings you experienced without a large number of slides.

Our basic suggestions:

Whether you are choosing from your photos, slides, or digital files, or some combination of those, select the best image quality, we can do some improvement, but it's best to start with a good photo. On the other hand, if the only photo you have is spoiled, we do photo restoration too.

Select photos that match the theme of the show. In general, candid photos are more interesting than group poses, but there is a place for those too! Our general advice on matching show length with theme is:

20-25 photos - For birth announcements, children's parties and school events, engagements, pets and hobbies. Lasting 3-4 minutes.

30-40 photos - for vacations, arts, crafts and entertainers, for most business or volunteer website applications. Usually 4-5 minutes in length.

45- 60 photos - for life tributes, memorials, anniversaries, and weddings, documentaries. 5-7 minutes.

60+ photos - for archives or special events, unlimited length.

Pre-event photo selection:

For wedding or engagement slideshows, we suggest that you select two baby pictures, perhaps with parents, two from the 8-teen years, and two engagement photos. Or, you could include photos of absent friends or relatives. Viewers are more interested in your recent years.

For retirement slideshows, life tribute and memorial shows, you should divide your photos about half of the early years and half concentrating on later life events.

Music:

In choosing music there are three considerations:

• Length - should match the slideshow length; slideshows are short enough that one selection covers the whole show.
• Mood - sometimes your favorite song may seem a little strange to others, look for a moderate rhythm preferably without lyrics which can detract from the show.
• Copyright - Generally we provide royalty-free background music. To use your favorite song you must provide us the original recording that you purchased unless you are providing your own composition. (If your slideshow is for resale, you will have to arrange royalty payment. We can do this for you.)

Voice-over:

If you wish, we can add your own voice recordings at designated spots in your show. You can use any digital voice recorder, or send the audio-only track from your camcorder.

Video Clips:

We can include short video clips in the show, but advise you to keep them short, not to affect the overall impact of the presentation. These should be in the  .avi video format, but we can work with other formats (.wmv, .mpg, etc)

More Questions?

Most people do, so please drop us a message by email, or call. We are always glad to help explain our slideshow packages, prces and the options, and to help you with advice on the theme and content. Every show is customized and we want you to get the maximum value for this important investment. Contact us - click here