(Frequently Asked Questions) |
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Questions?.. Ideas?.. Special Requests?..
Feel free to Contact Us about anything you have on your mind!
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| 1. |
Why should I choose Photo Sentinel™? |
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When you choose to work with us, your photos will have over 18 years of professional experience & unwavering commitment standing behind them. Whether your photographs need minor alterations or sophisticated editing, you can rest assured that we have already successfully tackled similar projects before. We are prepared to meet whatever challenge you have to throw at us. Making your photos look amazing, is not just our work ethic, it's our passion. With Photo Sentinel you will always receive the absolute highest quality individualized service, at an affordable price.
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| 3. |
What will I receive back when I place an order? |
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If you sent us your original photographs (slides or negatives), you will receive them back via meticulously packaged, registered postal mail. You will also receive one FREE 8x10 or two 5x7 prints of the finished photo (on request), as well as any additional prints you have ordered.
In addition, you can receive a copy of your print(s) on CD/DVD ROM. You will receive two copies of each completed photo. One will be saved in re-printable resolution (i.e. 300 DPI). The second will be conveniently saved at 72 DPI as a compressed JPEG so that you may easily email it to friends and family, or add it to your web page.
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| 4. |
How do you enhance, retouch, and restore my photos? |
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Most software imaging packages rely on making automatic adjustments for the hue, color, contrast, and brightness of your photographs. While this is certainly an easier method, the simple truth is that automated photo methods lead to poor quality automated-results.
Each of your photographs presents a unique challenge. If you want them to look their best, every photo needs to be carefully hand edited--manually--providing superior control and results. That's precisely how we do it for you at Photo Sentinel! We use state of the art digital techniques, software and equipment. But more importantly, we only house artists who take the greatest pride in each and every picture.. Artists who's many years of experience, and attention to detail, ensures that you are going to receive a flawless product you'll be proud to display on your wall.
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| 5. |
Can I review my finished photographs before you ship them to me? |
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Yes. Your photo will usually be ready for viewing within 3-5 days of your order. At which time you will be emailed a digital proof (with watermark). Once you give us your approval, we will ship you the hard copies. You are always the final judge as to whether it is done or not!
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| 6. |
How do I place an order? |
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To make things easier for you, there are no complicated forms or questionnaires for you to fill out. Simply visit here , quickly check off the services you are interested in, describe what you would like to have done, and press the "free, no-obligation price quote & consultation" button. One of our experienced and courteous representatives will contact you right away.
Please read our Terms & Conditions.
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| 7. |
What payments methods do you accept? |
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For immediate service, we accept most major credit cards worldwide. We also accept payment through PayPal™. If you prefer not to use your credit card, you can send us a Money Order, Cashiers Check, or Personal Check as payment. (Allow 3-10 days for Personal Checks to clear before service can begin...) To obtain more information please visit our pricing page.
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| 8. |
How long will it take to complete my order? |
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Most photography services take 3 to 7 working days to complete. If your photograph needs severe restoration or custom manipulation/retouching, it could take longer. You will always be given an estimate of the time required before your project starts.
Please note that every service with Photo Sentinel includes one FREE 8x10 or two 5x7 prints of the finished photo. If you live within the continental USA, the postal system will usually take at least a week to deliver it to you.
Rush service is available upon request.
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| 9. |
Do you perform Rush Orders? |
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Yes! Depending upon the complexity of the order, we can have most photographs ready in 24-48 hours for an extra charge of $30.00 per photo, plus the cost of the express shipping method you choose. If you have any further questions please ask us!
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| 11. |
Is it safe if I send my original photos? |
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We take the absolute greatest care to ensure that your photographs are safe with us! Your photos will only be touched by trained professionals wearing oil-free cotton gloves. We will carefully scan your original pictures to obtain digital copies. All photo services are performed upon these digital copies only. Your original will remain unaltered, untouched; and will be shipped back to you unharmed. Please see here.
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| 12. |
Are my original photos ever altered or changed? |
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Never! Your original photos will remain safely protected by our trained professionals. They will stay unharmed and untouched because we will carefully scan them to obtain digital copies. All photo services you have ordered will be performed upon these scanned copies only. Your pictures will be shipped back to you in the exact same undamaged state that we received them in. Please see here.
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| 13. |
I'm afraid to mail my photos. Is there another option? |
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Yes. Even if you don't own a computer scanner there is a surprisingly easy way to send us your photos without having to send the originals! You should be able to obtain a good quality scan (digital copy) of your originals by simply visiting your local photo copy store. Take your photographs to an Officemax, Staples, or Kinko's. Tell them you want the photos "scanned at 300 and 600 DPI, full color" (even scan B/W photos in full color). Have them save the copies onto a CD/DVD ROM for you.
Now you will have the choice to either send us your photos through your computer, or postal mail to us the CD/DVD ROM you were given at the copy shop. In either case you can rest at ease that your original precious photographs will never leave your possession.
How to safely package you photos for mailing to us
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| 14. |
Does it make a difference if I send the original photos or send a copy/scan? |
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The only way we can assure that your original photos are scanned at the best possible quality, is if we do the scanning ourselves. The main point to remember is that the better the digital copy we have to work with, the better the outcome will be. So, if you provide us with a good quality color scan (300-600 DPI) of your original photos, we can certainly help you achieve exciting results with them! Please see here.
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| 15. |
I have a very small photo. How large can it be printed? |
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In general, very small photos give best results when printed no larger than 4x6 or 5x7. In situations where printed size is more important than overall detail loss, we can help you perform minor miracles by enlarging tiny photos to enormous proportions.
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| 16. |
My picture has mold, stains, and tears. Can you repair these? |
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Absolutely! Even the worst stains or tears can normally be fix. How effectively this type of damage can be undone will also depend upon your interaction with us. We'll require extra information or reference photos for larger missing details such as people or backgrounds.
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| 17. |
Are there any photos you are unable to work with? |
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We will attempt to enhance, retouch, and restore every photo regardless of it condition. With a lot of hard work, the right tools, and experience, something can (and will) be salvaged from even your most faded, out of focus, torn, or otherwise damaged photographs.
Whether you send us new photos or old, I believed you will be amazed by what we can do for you!
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| 18. |
Can you work with slides and negatives? |
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Yes. We can process the images on your slides or negatives in a similar way that we work with your original photos and scans. In fact, scans made from slides or negatives are more likely to be sharper and have higher definition than scans taken from printed photographs.
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| 19. |
Do you offer custom work? |
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Yes we do! When your needs require something more than our standard photographic services, we will arrange a custom graphic art project tailored precisely for you. Our artists have over 18 years of graphics experience, ranging from digital painting to hand-drawn vector illustration. They are always at your disposal to help transform your visions into exciting reality.
Please use our contact page to tell us exactly what you have in mind. No job is too large or too small. We look forward to hearing from you!
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| 20. |
How do I order additional
prints of my
photos later? |
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Ordering additional prints of your photographs is easy. At Photo Sentinel we carefully archive a master copy of each completed photo service we perform for you. This means that at a later date, when you want more prints, you only have to contact us. We'll schedule another printing service for you. Once finished, we'll ship them out to you immediately.
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| 21. |
What are the advantages of copying my photos and slides to DVD? |
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The very nature of a photograph is that it will ultimately age and deteriorate. When an old photo is lost, the paper is replaceable, but the forgotten memories are not!
Transferring your pictures to CD/DVD ROM helps to ensure that your cherished memories won't slowly degrade over time. Photographs stored in digital format look as bright and vibrant today as they will look in 35 years. Archive discs can be easily viewed on your computer, shared with friends and family, and stored in a safe place.
We know how important all your photos are to you, whether they be old ones or brand new. That's why, with every service we offer, we include a copy of your finished photos on CD/DVD ROM at no extra charge. Please see here.
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How to Scan Your Own Photographs
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Using a soft brush or lint-free photo wipe, very gently remove any lint, dirt, or smudges from your photo. Only clean your photograph as much as is possible without causing damage to its surface. |
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Clean the scanner glass of lint, dirt, hair, fingerprints, and smudges. Use a lint-free pad or camera lens wipe to do this. |
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Turn your photo face down. Position it carefully on the scanner glass as straight as possible. (Use the inside edge of the scanner to align the photo.) Close the cover. Press preview on the scanner. Once the preview appears on your computer screen, check to make sure your image doesn't contain any unnecessary dust or lint. If so, clean as much of it as possible and press preview again as needed. |
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Drag the dotted line around the preview image to crop your photo. Make sure to frame only the original picture without the white border. |
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Set the scanning options to 300 DPI. Select full color scan even if your photo is in black and white. Deselect any automatic color/contrast correction options your scanner may provide! Press scan. |
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Once scanned, save the resulting image as either TIFF or JPEG format. Always save the scanned file as 100% quality, or uncompressed. Use a descriptive file name when saving. Append "300DPI" to the end of the name you choose. |
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Repeat steps 5 and 6 from above. This time select 600 DPI as the resolution, and save it under a different file name than the first copy. Append "600DPI" to the end of that name. |
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If you don't have a scanner, or would prefer not to scan your own photos, there's another simple method to use. Please read here. |
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Top
A Brief Guide to Safe Photo Packaging
To make things convenient for you, we have set up the following two simple ways in which you can send us your photographs for processing. Feel free to choose whichever one suits your needs the most.
1. Electronic Image Transfer
For fastest results, this is the method we recommend most. Another advantage of choosing this way is that you don't have to mail us your original photos. You'll be simply sending us a digital copy of them.
If you want to transmit your photos electronically, we will supply you with an appropriate email address where you can easily send them to us via an ordinary email attachment. The only prerequisite is that your pictures normally need to be
in the JPEG or TIFF format (e.g. previously scanned
and converted, or taken with a digital camera).
2. Postal Mail
If you live within the United States or Canada, we have found the postal system to be safe and reliable in general. For extra protection, insuring your photos when you send them is recommended. If you prefer not to send your original photos, method #1 (above) is an even faster way. Please also see here.
When mailing us your original photographs, please use the following simple steps:
Step 1:
Place your photo in a plastic zip-close bag between 2 pieces of thick cardboard. Make sure the cardboard is cut at least 1 inch larger than your photograph on all four sides. Tape the edges of the cardboard to ensure that your photo doesn't accidentally slip out.
Step 2:
On the cardboard containing your photo, print your name, return address, phone number, and email address. This will help you avoid any troubles in case it becomes separated from your outer envelope.
Step 3:
Use a box or Photo Mailer. On the outside of the package make sure to include your name and return address. Also write "Photographs DO NOT BEND" on the cover. When we speak with you about your project, we'll give you our appropriate mailing address as well.
Step 4:
Mail using "Priority Mail", FedEx, UPS or whichever carrier you prefer. Besides helping to ensure that your photos arrive safely, each of the aforementioned mailing services give you a method of tracking your package.
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What if my photo cannot be safely separated from the glass or frame? |
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The very first thing you should do is NEVER attempt to separate a stuck photo from its glass. Doing so could very likely cause further, and possibly irreparable, damage to your picture. Begin by carefully removing any loose, broken glass that isn't adhering to your photo. Any glass that is adhering should be left where it's at. If your photograph is torn into more than one piece, be sure to send all fragments, including the frame if necessary. Once we get your photo, we will scan it (as is) using the best possible scanning method.
Use heavier cardboard and packaging materials/box. Please read here for additional mailing tips.
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Is there a size limit for uploaded files (Electronic Transfer)? |
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Yes. Scanned photos should be saved as TIFF or JPEG, and normally be no larger than 20 Mb each in size. If your photographs are not within this size limit, it's important you contact us beforehand to let us know. In most cases we are able to provide a workaround.
As a note, photos sent to us on CD/DVD ROM at 300 and 600 DPI are not limited by the same file size restriction.
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