FAQ's: PHOTO CD
 
+If I purchase a Photo-CD, how do I install it on my computer?
You can run it right off the CD, in which case you don't have to install it. It will auto-start on Windows Computers. However, you may want to install it because it allows you to view the photos without having to insert your CD. In this case, you will simply copy the contents of the CD onto a new folder on your hard drive. Our detailed on-line instructions will be mailed to you along with the CD. Additionally, we are available to provide you with technical support and help you with the installation or any difficulties you may encounter.
 
+How much room do I need on my hard drive?
If you run it from your computer's CD-drive then you won't need any room! Otherwise, not much - it depends on how big your photo package was and how many images we scanned for your web site. Generally, you will only need 3mb of disk space maximum. Remember, your images were initially scanned and maximized for the Internet and therefore great care was initially taken to insure minimum file size.
 
+What if I want to order photos. How is this possible if I'm running it on my own computer?
You truly get the best of both worlds when you get a Photo-CD. You will enjoy the benefits of extremely quick and hassle free image loading because you won't be burdened with the overhead of a slow Internet connection AND you can still go "on-line" at any time if you decide to order! There will be a link that you can click at any time to load our live order form. Only then will you will need to establish an Internet Connection for the purpose of loading our order form!
 
+What exactly will I get on the CD & how do I buy it?
You will get the same images that are posted on your private wedding homepage along with the software files that drives the same Slide-Show/Thumbnails image presentation system on our "public" web site at www.creativetouchphoto.com This will allow you to view your images as a slide-show or as "clickable" thumbnails. If you are a past Bride or Groom and you presently have a private wedding homepage, you will get the same exact photos and quantity on CD that is now posted on your site. Your web site will always contain (at a minimum) the number of photos in your album. This means that if you get the 36 photo album your web site will contain the 36 photos that are in your album and usually more. You can purchase your images on CD by using our on-line shopping cart.
 
+What are the digital specifications of my scanned images?
Your images were scanned and maximized for display on your computer's monitor. They were captured at 72 ppi (pixels per inch) with compression applied to minimize file size & they have been saved in the progressive jpeg format. There are two "versions" of each given image, a thumbnail with dimensions of 100x100 pixels and it's full size counterpart with the dimensions of 300 × 300 pixels. That means if you have 40 images on your private home page you will get 80 actual jpeg images on CD (40 pairs).
NOTE: For weddings on or before June 29, 2003 the size of your full size image is 280 × 280 pixels.
Actual size of the full-size images
(300 × 300 pixels)
 
+Do the photo-cd images have "© Creative Touch Photography" printed on them?
No.
 
+Can I print these images in lieu of purchasing photos from you?
You can print these images, however, they will be very low quality as compared to traditional prints made from negatives. Prints produced from negatives enjoy all the benefits that only a mature seasoned technology can offer:
  1. Extremely high resolution
  2. Photos are environmentally stable & very long lasting - they will not fade
  3. Colors are well saturated, balanced and accurate
  4. There will be no color cast (or "out of gamut") problems introduced by lack of calibration between monitor & printer. In professional digital photography this is corrected via the creation of "color profiles".
Remember, printers require a much higher resolution (± 300 dpi) digital image verses a computer monitor (72 dpi). This means that a digital image at only 72 dpi will look fine on your monitor but not nearly as good when printed. Graphic artist intending to print digital images scan them with this goal in mind (usually at 300 dpi). The resulting scans have tremendous file sizes (typically 3+ Mb).
 
+Are the pictures numbered for future ordering?
Yes, they are numbered exactly as they appear on your private wedding homepage which is identical to how they are numbered on the back of each "physical" photograph. In summary, any given photo (where it be "digital" or "physical") has one & only one unique photo number.
 
+Will the CD work on my Macintosh Computer?
Yes, but it works on OS X only. It does not work on OS 9 or earlier.
 
+If for some reason I can't get it to run on my computer, can I get my money back?
Yes. If within 30 days we cannot get it working for you then we will return your money. We have never had a problem yet.
 
+I declined having my own private wedding homepage. Can I still get the photos on CD?
Sorry, the CD is only available to our clients who got their own private wedding homepage. That's because we scanned the actual photos that were provided to you (to create your homepage) and now that you've got them, we can't scan them!
 
+I'd like to set up my Photo-CD at my wedding reception with the slide show running continually. How do I maximize my computer monitor for large groups?
  1. Get the largest monitor possible. 19", 21" or even larger is ideal. Otherwise, if you have a graphics card in your computer with "TV Out", then you can use a TV instead of a monitor. Most operating systems support TV's in addition to monitors.
  2. If the computer is configured at a high screen resolution (and most are when hooked up to larger monitors, ie. 1024 x 768 & higher) we suggest you lower the screen resolution (if possible). This will effectively make your images appear much larger on the screen.