Helpful Hints

It’s easy to get started. Follow these tips for a unique and stunning show.

1) TELL A STORY Is the video a tribute of a person’s entire life or is it going to focus just on a specific aspect such as a vacation or their family? By having a general idea of where you are going with your video before you begin, the rest of the planning process will be much easier. 2) PICK YOUR PHOTOS Look for high quality photos that evoke emotion. If you would like the video of a person’s entire life, remember that you will only be able to include a limited amount of pictures from each stage of life. If two photos are similar, eliminate one of them. Categorize your photos. Grouping your photos chronologically works well; however, photos can also be grouped thematically. For example, you could put all the photos of Dad playing with the kids in one segment with a song such as “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” and photos of him with his friends in another with a song such as “Lean on Me”. Tip: While photos can be scanned and significantly improved, it is recommended that you select photos of the best quality and resolution. Faded and dull looking photos can be brought back to life, but blurry photos cannot be made sharper; it is best to avoid those whenever possible. 3) SELECT YOUR MUSIC Now it is time to decide exactly what songs you’d like to use and what photos will go with which songs. Select songs that match the mood of the pictures. Hard to decide? Fotomotion can help make song selections too!
4) DECIDE ON TITLE SLIDES Title slides are great ways to express feelings or give personal messages. For example, you could begin the video with a title saying “A Tribute To Our Father” and end by saying “Happy Father’s Day! We Love You!” Titles can also break up segments in your show. For example a “Baby’s First Year” video may have titles such as “One Month Old”, “Two Months Old”, etc. (Starter Package includes 2 title slides) 5) SUBMIT PHOTOS Once photos are selected, either scan your photos or they can be scanned for you. All photos will be returned when scanning is finished. If you are scanning the photos yourself: Scan photos at a minimum of 300 dpi, save as JPEGs. Scan images smaller than 3x5 to at least 600 dpi. Name the file with a three digit number indicating the order that you would like it to appear in the video (ex. 001.jpg, 002.jpg). Burn photos to a CD-R or put them in a ZIP file and email to mary@fotomotiondvd.com. If you need your photos to be scanned: Place your photos into envelopes and number each photo based on its order within the video by using sticky notes. Do not write on the back of the photos, as impressions will show through when they’re scanned. Pack your photos in a box, arrange for pick-up and we’re ready to begin!