I'm sure you've got at least one somewhere... a shoebox full of photographs that is. Putting your precious photographs on DVD is one of the best things you can do for your memories and your photo library. Here are some of the biggest advantages:

Make an Impact

Just ask anyone who's seen one... watching a slide show of your photos can really be touching and emotional. It can bring back those memories that have been tucked away in the back of your mind. It can also be entertaining, light-hearted, even funny. One thing is for sure -- those who watch it won't forget it!

Photographs Look Great on TV

What size photos do you have at home? 4x6? 5x7? Perhaps 8x10? With photos on DVD you're limited only by the size of your television screen. You'll see greater detail in your photos. And because of the increased size, more people will be able to view the photo at the same time.

Photo Quality Won't Degrade Over Time

When photographs are exposed to certain kinds of light they have a tendency, to degrade over time. Have you ever seen old photographs which have yellowed and become frail? Time ruins photos. In addition, the more your photos are handled, the greater the risk of bending, tearing and generally damaging them. Putting your photos on DVD in the digital format preserves them electronically for all time. Plus, if you have a DVD drive in your computer you'll be able to view them on your PC as well. DVDs also won't wear out like a VHS tape eventually will. 100 years from now your photos will look as good as they do today!

A Good Slide Show Helps You Relive the Memories

Photos are photos. BUT, when you add the appropriate mood music in the background, and you have meaningful or witty captions on each photo you can become immersed in the memory. You suddenly remember how it felt to walk on the beach on your vacation; and what fun you had at your birthday party; and what you felt at your wedding; etc. Not only will it remind you, but your friends and family will feel like they were there with you.

Save Storage Space

How many photo albums have you collected over the years that are taking up too much room on your shelf? Get back that space by converting your photos to DVD. A DVD (in its case) is a mere 1/2 inch thick.

DVDs Are More Portable Than Traditional Albums

Have you ever taken a photo album to a friend's house to show them your vacation pictures? Albums often weigh several pounds each, and take up lots of space. DVDs are much smaller and weigh mere ounces in comparison.

Modern Advantages of Digital

Our culture is becoming more and more technology based, and being able to participate in it digitally has become mainstream. One of the results of moving your photographic prints to DVD is that you will also receive your photos in the digital graphic format known as a JPEG. This highly compatible format allows you to then use these photos in other digital applications -- for example, you could e-mail your old photos to a friend.

Why Not Just Use PowerPoint? Why Use Professional Digital Publishing?

You could use PowerPoint to make a slide show, of course. There are three main problems with this however...

 

• Equipment Liability - In most cases, you're going to want to share this photo slide show with a large group (for example, at a wedding). As the host (bride/groom), the last thing you want to have to worry about is keeping an eye on laptop computer. You want to be enjoying the event, and you should!
• Playability - DVD players can be found in most homes these days, and are going to be around for quite some time. Your computer with PowerPoint will most likely change with time. Will you be able to watch your PowerPoint slide show 5 or 10 years from now? Hopefully you've got a copy of PowerPoint 5 or 10 years from now. There's a much better chance that you'll have a DVD player; which means you'll be able to easily enjoy your slideshow years from now.
• You are Busy - Most people are pretty busy these days. Whether it's planning a wedding, your career, your family, or a combination of everything; you have a lot to do. Even if you are a computer savvy individual, there's a good chance you'll have to spend lots of time and energy learning how to build the slide show and get it on DVD. We do this kind of thing all the time. We are experts. Our service and experience can help save you lots of time and aggravation... and at a reasonable cost.

Professional Digital Publishing specializes in helping you celebrate life's special events by creating custom DVD slide shows for you! We take your photos, add music, and professional TLC -- the result is a custom photo slide show you can share, give as a gift, or use as a keepsake. Four common uses for a DVD slide show are:

Weddings

Create a slide show to share with your guests at your reception or rehersal dinner. Also a great gift for family or friends.

Anniversary Parties

Whether it's the 1st, 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th or 75th Anniversary... Take a walk down memory lane as you watch your DVD slide show of photos taken over the years. It's amazing to watch the family grow.

Reunions

Both high-school and college reunions, as well as classic family reunions, are perfect for photo slide shows -- go back in time and relive the care-free times in life.

Birthdays

You're how old? That could mean a lot of pictures. A DVD slide show makes a uniquely personal gift and helps preserve old photos.

Let Professional Digital Publishing provide you with some inspiration on when a DVD slide show might be used. When you're ready, check out our pricing - or even place an order.

• Weddings
• Engagement Parties
• Rehearsal Dinner
• Thank-you Gift for Parents
• School Reunions
• Birthdays
• Anniversaries
• Sorority / Fraternity Events
• Retirement Parties
• Family Reunions
• Bar Mitzvahs / Bat Mitzvahs
• Something to remember us by...
• DVD Greeting Card w/ Photos
• Quinceaneras
• Memorials
• All Night Graduation Parties
• Valentine's Day
• Holiday Gift
• Corporate Presentations and Events
• Trade Show Booths
• Kiosk Sales Presentation
• Safety Presentation
• "Samples of Work" slideshow
• Graduation Parties
• Educational Slideshows
• ...more...

Consider the size of the photo

Your DVD slide show will be formatted for use on a television screen which has a relatively low resolution (~480 lines). Your final scanned photo should be a higher resolution than a television at the absolute minimum. We recommend scanning your photos using at least 300-400 dpi -- but it all depends on the size of the photo. The higher the resolution of the photo, the longer it will take to scan, and the larger the graphic file will be. Here are some general guidelines:

 

Photo Size	Minimum Resolution to Scan at...
2x2	600 dpi
3.5x5	300 dpi
4x6	300 dpi
5x7	300 dpi
8x10	150 dpi

Please be aware that scanning photos yourself is not difficult, but it is very time consuming. Depending on the quality of your scanner and setup, you may require anywhere from 15 sec to 5 minutes per photo to scan. Then, you will need to add on additional time in photo editing software such as Adobe Photoshop for color correction, red-eye removal, cropping, etc.

If you'd rather have us help with the scanning, we can!

High resolution scanning is included in the Gold, Platinum and Diamond packages, and it can be added a-la-carte to the Silver slide show package. For photos, we will scan them at 400 dpi, and a copy of the photos will be saved onto your DVD. You can then use these photos to create prints or share with friends and family. We also offer high quality photo scanning services if you're interested in digitizing your entire (or a large portion of) collection of photos, negatives, slides, etc. You know you've got a shoe box full of them in storage somewhere... the question is, how long are you going to let them sit there?

Music Sets the Mood

Simply put, the music that you select for your DVD slide show is going to set the tone of the presentation. By selecting faster beat, pop, fun music you can convey a light hearted and playful mood. You'll want to match up fun music with lots of smiles and interesting pictures. By selecting ballads or slower songs you'll get a more emotional connection with the audience. These are great for "historical" photos or photos where portraying the "love" is the goal.

Looking for song suggestions?

While you can choose to use any songs you wish, we have posted a list of songs that experience has shown work well in a DVD slide show. We'd also love any additional suggestions you may have. Click on the 'What Music or Songs Work Well' tab to see some of our suggestions.

Suggested Places to Purchase Music:

Too Much or Too Little?

I have been asked many times by customers about how to know how much music is needed for a DVD slide show. Unfortunately the answer is it depends, but there are certainly some rules of thumb to help you get started.

 

First, you need to determine the number of slides you'll be using -- that includes all your photos and title slides. Each "slide" will be shown for about 5-8 seconds in the final project, but this is only an estimate. You'll want to multiply the # of slides by the number of seconds and that will tell you how many seconds of music you'll need.

As you are likely to have more than 1 song in a given slide show, you should ensure the song's length will cover all the photos you want to include in that section.

Looking for song suggestions?

While you can choose to use any songs you wish, we have posted a list of songs that experience has shown work well in a DVD slide show. We'd also love any additional suggestions you may have. Click on the 'What Music or Songs Work Well' tab to see some of our suggestions.

Suggested Places to Purchase Music:

Here are some songs we would suggest for a DVD Slide Show or photo montage - but this list is a little different. One thing that sets our list apart from others, is that these are ALL songs that we felt WORKED VERY WELL in ACTUAL orders that we have completed -- it's not just a random list of good music. These have been shown to work successfully!

However, don't be a slave to the list. You should pick songs that are special to you in order to maximize the meaningfulness of your DVD. Our list is a continuous work in progress (we're adding new songs all the time), so check back often. Finally, we'd love your suggestions for songs, but the only way it will be on this list is if we've actually used it and thought it turned out especially well.

A-F, G-P, Q-Z

A - F

Artist	Song Title	How Our Customers Have Used This Song...
Adams, Bryan	(Everything I Do) I Do It For You	Wedding, Family Reunion
Adams, Bryan	Heaven	Wedding
Adams, Bryan	Summer of '69	Anniversary
Adkins, Trace	Then They Do	Christmas
Armstrong, Louis	What a Wonderful World	Anniversary, Birthday, Wedding, Family Reunion
Beatles, The	All You Need Is Love	Wedding, Rehearsal Dinner
Beatles, The	In My Life	Wedding
Beddingfield, Daniel	If You're Not the One	Wedding
Black, Clint	Something That We Do	Anniversary
Black, Clint	That Something in My Life	Anniversary
Black, Clint	When I Said I Do	Anniversary, Wedding
Bread	If	Anniversary
Brickman, Jim	Meant To Be	Baby Birthday
Brown, James	I Got You (I Feel Good)	Bar Mitzvah
Carpenters, The	Close to You	Wedding
Carpenters, The	We've Only Just Begun	Anniversary
Carey, Mariah	All I Want for Christmas is You	Birthday
Carey, Mariah	Hero	Wedding
Carey, Mariah	I'll Be There	Wedding
Chic	Good Times	Mom's Birthday, Anniversary
Chicago	Old Days	Anniversary
Chicago	You're the Inspiration	Wedding, Anniversary
Chorus Line, A	One	Retirement Party
Clapton, Eric	The Way You Look Tonight	Wedding
Cocker, Joe	With A Little Help From My Friends	Wedding, Rehearsal Dinner
Cocker, Joe	You Are So Beautiful	Baby Birthday, Mom's Birthday
Cohn, Mark	True Companion	Wedding
Cole, Nat King	Unforgettable	Memorial, Mom's Birthday, Anniversary
Cole, Natalie	Unforgettable	Anniversary, Memorial
Connick Jr., Harry	I Could Write A Book	Wedding
Connick Jr., Harry	It Had To Be You	Wedding
Cranberries, The	Dreams	Wedding
Dion, Celine	Because You Loved Me	Anniversary
Dion, Celine	When I Fall In Love	Wedding
Dixie Cups, The	Chapel of Love	Anniversary
Earth, Wind, and Fire	Shining Star	Rehearsal Dinner, Wedding
Enya	Orinoco Flow	Wedding
Evans, Sara	I Could Not Ask For More	Mom's Birthday , Anniversary
Five For Fighting	100 Years	Wedding, Anniversary

 

G - P

Artist	Song Title	How Our Customers Have Used This Song...
Green Day	Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)	Wedding
Grateful Dead	Uncle John's Band	Rehearsal Dinner, Wedding
Groban, Josh	You Raise Me Up	Anniversary
Harrison, George	I've Got My Mind Set On You	Wedding
Herman's Hermits	I'm Into Something Good	Anniversary
Herman's Hermits	Wonderful World	Wedding
Hoobastank	The Reason	Wedding
Iglesias, Enrique	Hero	Wedding
Jackson, Alan	Remember When	Wedding, Mom's Birthday , Anniversary
Jackson, Janet	Funny How Time Flies	Memorial
James, Etta	At Last	Wedding, Anniversary
Joel, Billy	Just The Way You Are	Wedding, Anniversary
Joel, Billy	This Is The Time To Remember	Anniversary, Wedding, Rehearsal Dinner , Family Reunion
John, Elton	Can You Feel the Love Tonight	Birthday
John, Elton	Tiny Dancer	Bat Mitzvah
Johnson, Jack	Flake	Memorial
K-Ci & JoJo	All My Life	Engagement
Kamakawiwo'ole, Israel "IZ"	What a Wonderful World	Wedding, Reunion
Kool and the Gang	Celebration	Wedding, Family Reunion, Anniversary , Bar Mitzvah
Krauss, Alison	When You Say Nothing At All	Anniversary
Lauper, Cyndi	Girls Just Wanna Have Fun	Wedding
Lonestar	Amazed	Wedding
Maroon 5	Sunday Morning	Wedding
Matthews, Dave	Two Step	Wedding
McBride, Martina	There You Are	Anniversary
McBride, Martina	Valentine	Wedding, Anniversary
McCain, Edwin	I Could Not Ask For More	Wedding, Anniversary
McLachlan, Sarah	Push	Baby, Anniversary
McGraw, Tim	My Best Friend	Wedding
Melloncamp, John	Small Town	Wedding, Rehearsal Dinner
Merchant, Natalie	Kind and Generous	Wedding
Merchant, Natalie / 10,000 Maniacs	These Are Days	Wedding
Morrison, Van	Brown Eyed Girl	Wedding, Bat Mitzvah
Orleans	Still the One	Anniversary
Petty, Tom	American Girl	Memorial, Wedding
Pretenders, The	I'll Stand By You	Family Reunion

Q - Z

Artist	Song Title	How Our Customers Have Used This Song...
Queen	You're My Best Friend	Wedding
Rent Broadway Cast	Seasons of Love	Bar Mitzvah, Wedding , Anniversary
Ritchie, Lionel	Truly	Wedding
Rogers, Kenny	Through The Years	Anniversary
Ronettes, The	Be My Baby	Wedding
Sayer, Leo	You Make Me Feel Like Dancing	Wedding, Rehearsal Dinner, Anniversary
Sinatra, Frank	I've Got the World On a String	Baby Birthday
Sinatra, Frank	I've Got You Under My Skin	Retirement Party
Sinatra, Frank	The Best Is Yet To Come	Anniversary
Sinatra, Frank	You Are the Sunshine of My Life	Birthday
Sister Sledge	We Are Family	Mom's Birthday, Anniversary , Corporate Event , Wedding
Steppenwolf	Born to Be Wild	Wedding
Stewart, Rod	Forever Young	Wedding
Stone, Joss	Super Duper Love (Are You Diggin' On Me)	Wedding, Rehearsal Dinner
Taylor, James	Shower The People	Anniversary
Taylor, James	Your Smiling Face	Bar Mitzvah
Temptations, The	My Girl	Wedding, Anniversary
Temptations, The	The Way You Do The Things You Do	Anniversary
Third Eye Blind	How's It Going to Be	Memorial
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers	American Girl	Wedding, Anniversary
Travis, Randy	Forever And Ever, Amen	Wedding, Anniversary
Travolta, John & Olivia Newton-John	You're the One That I Want	Wedding
Twain, Shania	From This Moment	Wedding, Anniversary
Twain, Shania	Still the One	Anniversary
U2	Beautiful Day	Rehearsal Dinner
Urban, Keith	Making Memories of Us	Wedding
Van Morrison	Brown Eyed Girl	Anniversary
Vitamin C	Friends Forever (Graduation Song)	Graduation
Village People	Macho Man	Bar Mitzvah
Weather Girls	It's Raining Men	Wedding, Rehearsal Dinner
White, Barry	You're the First, the Last, My Everything	Wedding
Williams, Vanessa	Save the Best for Last	Anniversary, Wedding
Womack, Lee Ann	I Hope You Dance	Wedding
Wonder, Stevie	I Just Called To Say I Love You	Anniversary
Wonder, Stevie	You Are the Sunshine of My Life	Rehearsal Dinner, Wedding

What is royalty-free music?

Generally speaking, royalty-free music is music which you can license once and use an unlimited number of times under the terms of the specific license. If you were going to make a movie, then technically you'd have to pay for the right to use background music in your movie AND each time it was used or broadcast. Royalty free music simplifies this greatly by letting you pay once and use it an unlimited number of times. As far as slide shows go, royalty free music is yet another option for the "type of music" you can use.

Do you have a library of royalty-free music that can be used?

We do not at this time have a library of royalty-free music that you can have access to. However, we can suggest some great websites where you can find some royalty-free music to purchase and use - see below...

Any suggestions on where to get royalty-free music?

Absolutely! Here's a listing of royalty-free music vendors we think make high quality royalty-free music.
Royalty Free Music and Sound Effects at Productiontrax.com

Most of our customers want to show or display their DVD slide show to their guests, friends, and family. We are often asked for advice on how best to display the slide show... Below is a compilation of thoughts and ideas on this subject. Although the theme is primarily wedding-related, these concepts can be easily adapted to any other special event:

There are several ideas on when/how best to show off the slide show:

• Project the slide show at the reception in a theater-style environment for everyone to see (this is the most common way)
• Have the slide show running continuously off to the side of the main events
• Have the slide show running next to the guest book or place cards
• Project the slide show at the rehearsal dinner
• Project the slide show at the bridal shower

What are the "pieces" I will need to display the DVD slide show?

• A DVD player that plays DVD+R discs (90+% of all DVD players do)
• A video display (typically a large television or a projector & screen combo)
• An audio system (such as built-in speakers, or your DJ's sound system)

Will my DVD player play a DVD+R disc?

• Check your owner's manual. It must should specifically state whether or not it will play DVD+R discs. Please note that DVD+R is not the same as DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, VCDs, or anything else that may be listed.
• If it does not specifically state that it will play DVD-R discs, you should do a search on this website (http://www.dvdrhelp.com/dvdplayers) to see if others have had success with your particular model of DVD player.
• If neither of these resources suggest that a DVD+R will work for you, it is highly probable that you can not play a DVD+R disc. Since this is a significant event, you should consider borrowing or purchasing another DVD player (less than $100 these days). You might also want to check with the place where your event is taking place (reception hall, restaurant, etc.). They may have a DVD player which you can borrow.

How big of a screen is needed for "theater-style"?

• This is not as simple a question as you may think. It will depend on how many people are watching and what configuration the tables are in...
• Rule of thumb: if you will be having a small gathering of 50 or less people, you can probably get away with a large television screen. This is certainly the simplest solution since TVs have built-in audio -- and some even have a built-in DVD player. If you have more than 50, chances are that you'll want to consider a video projector and screen.
• If you have guests configured in a "long" setting, you should definitely use a video projector, because guests in the rear will not be able to see or hear.

"Long" setting

• Another way to look at it, is if your guests will be no more than 1 table away from the screen, a large television will probably be just fine.
• If your event will be larger than 50 people, or you have a layout that is not conducive to everyone seeing the video... you should use a video projector and screen.
• Again, it depends on the size of the audience... but a 8-10 foot screen is often big enough.

What projector should be used?

• There are many kinds of video projectors, and they all have varying technical specifications (number of lumens, contrast ratios, etc).
• We will not be able to specify for you here about your specific projector needs, but generally speaking...
• The brighter the room - the more lumens you will need (get a brighter projector). Also remember that often the lights can be dimmed or even turned off temporarily.
• The better quality video you want projected - the higher the contrast ratio should be.
• Consult with the people you get the projector from for their expert guidance.
• In any event, you should make sure that the projector is able to accept video input from your DVD player. Typically these are common RCA jacks found on virtually all projectors. If you are hooking up a laptop computer to the projector, you will need a computer video input jack.

Is a screen needed?

• For optimal results, you will want to use a screen -- but many times it's not 100% required. In some circumstances, you can get away with using a blank wall.
• If an audience member sits in just the right spot, at the right angle, they will see a very bright spot reflecting from the projector. A screen will dramatically cut down on this glare from the projector.
• A screen can be preferable if there are no blank walls to project onto, or if the walls are painted a strange color.
• A screen will also help give you the truest colors from the slide show...

What about sound/music from the slide show?

• If you are going to be using a television to project the slide show, you should just plan on using the built in audio of the television. For the size audience you will have, it should be plenty loud enough.
• If you are going to use a projector, the built-in speaker on the projector is unlikely to be loud enough. You will need to hook into a larger audio system.
• You can take the audio output from the DVD player and plug into an existing audio input on the speaker system (like from the DJ or band). NOTE, that this will require advanced coordination between you and the DJ or band. There are many things to consider: will the band's speakers be close enough to the projector? will the band/dj permit you to use their speakers?
• The simplest way to handle audio is to amplify sound by using a microphone. Chances are very good that a microphone will be employed by the DJ or band or both. You simply connect the audio of the DVD player to the projector -- using the projector's built-in speaker. Then simply position a microphone right next to the speaker of the projector to pick up the audio. It's not the most elegant solution, but it does work.