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Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

Q. Do you guarantee satisfaction of your work?
A. YES. We are so confident that you will love your project, that if you are not satisfied, we will gladly re-do it with any corrections that you deem necessary upon return of the original project that was mailed to you.

Q. I am local (Richmond / Midlothian, Virginia area). Can I bring my materials to you instead of shipping them?
A. For local customers, we will gladly pick up your materials and deliver the finished project if our schedule and time constraints allow us to. Please feel free to inquire. You can also bring them to us. Simply let us know when you would like to come by and we can provide directions to our location.

Q. Can I order more copies of my project later?
A: Yes. We keep a copy of each and every photo montage and videography project that we produce. Should you need additional copies of yours, just contact us. Because of privacy concerns, we do not keep copies of tape-to-DVD conversions or copies of existing footage sent to us. However, if you send the completed project back to us, we can make copies of it for you at a reduced price.

Q. How do I pay? What payment methods are accepted?
A. Simply contact us and we will quote a price for you. We accept personal checks and money orders, or credit card payments securely through PayPal.com. If you choose to make a credit card payment online, we will send you an email invoice, giving you step-by-step instructions on how to pay,as we are a verified member of PayPal. Making a payment through them is convenient, safe and best of all - free. Checks will require a 5-7 business day holding period before product shipment.

Q. Do you transfer old home movies (film) to tape or DVD?
A. At the present time, we are not yet equipped for film transfers, but this is a service that we hope to offer in the future.

DVD FAQs

Q. Will the DVDs that you create play in my DVD player?
A. Magical Memories Productions has done a lot of research as to which manufacturers provide the best quality and most compatible DVDs. Through the use of “media code” software, we check every batch of media we purchase to be certain of its origin.

Q. What is "direct to disc printing"?
A. Using a special printer, we print all titles, graphics and labels directly to our DVDs, instead of using standard "stick on" labels.

Tape to DVD Conversion FAQs

Q. Why should I send my tapes to you when "XYZ Video" can convert them so much cheaper?
A. Many large retailers, discount clubs and even smaller, local businesses send their customer's materials to factories that may be in another town, another state or even another country! Your tapes are then put through an automated process that does not provide any restoration services or additional options. They may also use inferior discs that can cause playback issues with some DVD players.

All of our work is done in-house by Magical Memories Productions. Special requests are handled on a personal level. If ever there is a question, we contact you immediately to discuss it. We want you to be satisfied with our service and to have the peace of mind knowing that your materials are in good hands.

Q. Will my old analog tape look as good as a new DVD movie after converted?
A. Because of a lower resolution inherent to the older analog formats, your DVD will look, as a rule of thumb, only as good as the source material. However, through the use of enhancements such as time base correction, color adjustments and sound enhancement, we can improve the picture and sound quality. Heavily damaged footage or tapes can be problematic when converting digitally. Portions may be edited out if the source footage is unplayable.

Q. How much will fit into a DVD?
A. While you can fit much more time onto a DVD, we typically try not fit more than 90-120 mins. per disc depending on the source. This is to retain high quality audio and video. The more that is put onto a disc, the more "compression" that is required. This compression begins to degrade the quality of the video and audio beyond the around 100 minute mark.

Q. Can you make a DVD of a VHS tape I bought at a store? What about a TV show? Adult film? Concert? Sporting event?
A. We do not transfer any copyrighted material unless we are provided with written permission from the copyright owner. This includes videos purchased from countries other than the USA and programs that are no longer in print or unavailable on DVD. Adult oriented materials are not accepted regardless of their copyright status.

Q. Do you convert foreign format videotapes to US?
A. Currently, we only handle the NTSC format used in North America.

Q. Do you view your customer's home videos?
A. Your videos are private, so we don't view videos sent to us, but we do spot check both the captured video for quality adjustment purposes and the final DVD for quality control.

Photo Slideshow / Montage FAQs

Q. What types of photo formats does Magical Memories Productions accept and/or prefer for photo montages?
A. We accept all types of photos for photo montages. Our first preference is digital photos in order to receive the highest quality possible. However, negatives and prints are acceptable for scanning. Should you choose to scan your own photos before submitting, be sure to choose a high resolution (at least 300dpi) for the best quality. Consult our list of photo scanning tips at the bottom of this page.

Digital photos for slideshows / montages may also be submitted on CD-ROM, USB flash drive or memory card (CompactFlash, SmartMedia, MMC / SD / Micro SD, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO).

Q. Can I scan my own photos to submit for a slideshow/montage?
A. Yes, of course! Click here and see the bottom of the page for tips on getting the best results. If you do not own a scanner, we can scan your photos for you.

Q. Do I have to manually advance each picture on my DVD slideshow?
A. No. Once you start your video, the pictures will change automatically.

Q. How do I organize and gather all of my pictures and/or negatives before submitting?
A. Our slideshow/montage page contains a wealth of information to get you started.

Q. What can I add to my photo montage/slideshow besides pictures?
A. We can add any of the following to our montages and slideshows:

Photographs (Negatives, Slides or Paper Photograph)
Music (CD, cassette tape, reel-to-reel, WMA, MO3, WAV)
Voice (CD, audio cassette tape, WMA, MP3, WAV)
Video (VHS, VHS-C, 8MM, Hi8 Digital 8,, MiniDV).
We can also add non-photo content such as newspaper articles, awards, advertisements, brochures, certificates, etc.

Q. Can I use copyrighted music in my video?
A. In order for us to use copyrighted music in your project, you must own the original CD. If it's something you want, but do not own, we can purchase the individual song for you for only $1.25 from a legitimate source and send it you the along with your completed project. We also have hundreds of instrumental tracks in a wide range of styles available for use. Contact us for more information.

Q. Are my original photos altered in any way?
A. No. We make a digital copy of your photos for all touch up work. All of the changes occur to that file only. At no time is the original altered. What's more, your photos are handled with cotton gloves to avoid smudges and other contaminants.

Q.What are captions?
A. A label or quote under a specific photo to make your slideshow more entertaining or informative and to help the audience follow the story being told.

Q. What can you do to enhance imperfect photos?
A. Photo enhancements include red-eye reduction, photo cropping, light touch-up and auto leveling of picture properties (tint, brightness, etc.). Some more advanced techniques include dust and scratch removal, straightening and color correction.

Q. What is the photograph CD-ROM that is available with montage packages?
A. We take all of the photos that we have used in your project (after enhancements and cropping) and put them on a CD-ROM. This gives you a permanent copy of them for archiving, emailing, cards or any other use you can think of. These CD-ROMs are compatible with any computer that has a CD-ROM drive installed.

Photo / Document Archiving FAQs

Q. Do I need special hardware or software to view my scanned / archived documents?
A. Generally, Adobe's Acrobat PDF format provides the simplest and most cost-efficient format for your documents. Your files are viewed using your computer and free Acrobat Reader software and the pages appear with all their original formatting, signatures, graphics, etc. It is also very easy to navigate. Many computers already have this application installed.

Q. What if my computer has a DVD drive instead of a CD drive?
A. Most DVD drives are designed to read CD-ROM's. Check the manufacturer's specifications of your drive to verify that your DVD drive will read CD-ROM's.

Q. What else can be scanned and archived?
A. We can scan many different types of items as long as they are flat and no larger than 8.5 "X 14". Suggested items include: drawings made by your children or grandchildren, diplomas, birth certificates, school work, report cards, awards, letters, etc. If you have something that you want to include but you are not sure if it is possible, just contact us.