Virtual Memories unlocks the true power of digital media, combining your pictures with your favorite music to create dramatic, one of a kind DVD's that you will enjoy forever.

Working with us

Organizing Content

Prints

Before you start organizing your photos for your photo show, make sure that you have all the photos that will or might be included. Dig out those old photo albums and shoeboxes; photos from the mantle, the walls, the wallets; from your collection and your family's. Let other relatives know of your plans, especially if they may have collections that will complement or complete yours. As you group the photos that will become the new photo show, remember that each photo or group of photos must have three different kinds of identification:

1. who and what appears in the photo: where was it taken, and when; what was the event or occasion;
2. what role it will play in the photo show: should this 1953 holiday shot be grouped with the other holiday shots or with the other 1953 shots?, and
3. where it returns to after Virtual Memories has incorporated it into your photo show: which album, which family.

The pressure of a pen, pencil, or marker can mar the surface of a print even if you are not writing on it directly. Write titles or sequence numbers on sticky-note FIRST, then put them on the BACK of the photos. Put groups into quart- or pint-sized ziploc plastic bags. (Freezer bags have a place to write a label.) But write the labels BEFORE you put the pictures in the bags. At the same time as you make the notation on the bags, make the same notation on a list of all the photos. Use the list to doublecheck as you send your items to Virtual Memories (see Getting your content to us) and again to doublecheck when the items are returned.

Digital Photographs

Digital prints can be uploaded through this website. You can also email your photos (as attachments) or mail us your photo CD, or camera card: Secure (SD) Card, Compact Flash (CF) Card or Memory stick (Sony). Pictures will be copied and downloaded from these camera cards. You will get your camera card back with all the pictures on it unchanged. (If you don't have a digital camera and haven't developed your prints yet, order a photo CD with your prints. That way you can continue to use your memory card during the production of your photo show.)

Scanned prints

If you have a digital scanner you can scan your own photos and then send the digital images. Scanning can also be done at services like Kinko's or Staples. Once scanned, your prints do not have to be packaged for mailing. If you have a flatbed scanner with a large glass area, you may be able to scan photos in photo albums without removing them from the album. We only ask that if you scan, please use a minimum of 300dpi resolution for best results. Otherwise if the image is too small, it may appear pixilated or blocky in the DVD video.

Negatives and memorabilia

We can also scan slides, negatives and memorabilia like invitations, postcards and letters to include in any presentation. The safest way to send them is in self-sealing plastic bags, with information about the item on a sticky-note attached to the outside of the bag. For instance, you may wish us to include only a particular paragraph of a letter or only the top section of a page of military orders, and these instructions can be given on the sticky-note. If negatives are in special envelopes or containers from the developer, leave them there, and enclose the envelope in your bag for grouping.

Three-dimensional objects

If you wish to include photographs of three-dimensional objects in your photo show, you should take the pictures yourself and include them like other photographs. You know what traits of the teddy-bear, article of clothing, jewelry, etc. you wish to highlight.

Organizing the photos

You may want to present photos in chronological order, or in another specific sequence. For instance, you may wish to show a family group followed by individual shots of the family members. Place print photos in envelopes or baggies in the preferred order, then group and label the envelopes. Music selections can be written on the envelope for that specific group of pictures. For digital photos, print out and use our Photo Log sheet (add Link see below for form) and write down the ID numbers of your digital images in the order that you would like to see them in. If you prefer to allow Virtual Memories to sequence the images, you may indicate this. Whether you choose the sequence or we do, Virtual Memories make sure we capture the intent, personality, and style of your production.

Copyrights

If photos are marked with copyright or are found in a printed volume they will only be used if written permission from the photographer is given or if they were published before 1912. This includes school and sports photos. VM has a standard form that you can request, to submit to the photographer. If photos are not marked with copyright, you, and not Virtual Memories, are responsible for insuring that you have the legal right to copy the photos. Naturally, you are the copyright-holder for any photographs you have taken unless they were taken in the course of your employment.

Music

Virtual Memories adheres to copyright laws. You must own an original copy of any music CD you wish to include cuts from. Virtual Memories can then make you one back up copy (used in your show). If you are requesting several copies of the show Virtual Memories can download and purchase additional copies of that song for each additional copy of the show that you are requesting. These downloads are typically between .88 - .99 plus a service fee of $3.00 per song. If you are using multiple selections from a single CD, you may wish to consider purchasing a copy of that CD for each copy of your DVD, for Virtual Memories to ship along with the DVD, saving the download fee for the selections from that CD.

Virtual Memories also has an extensive royalty-free music library. VM can make selections for you from the library at no additional cost. See What to Include for more music ideas.