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What Factors are Considered When Determining a Price Category?
General Information What about Pricing Category Descriptions?
The first step in determining what category a picture belongs in is to take the time to carefully examine the original. Examine the overall image quality. If the image is sharp, in focus, and not too grainy, showing good exposure and, in the case of prints, printed on glossy, semi-gloss, mat, or semi-mat paper, the resulting image will be of equal or better quality. We can also make minor improvements to images that are slightly out of focus or not perfectly exposed. Images which are completely blurred or lack any detail in the highlights or shadow areas due to incorrect exposure usually cannot be enhanced. Determine if it is larger than 8x10 inches. Originals larger than 8x10 will require special service.
Inspect the image for any substances adhering to the front of the photograph (i.e., cellophane tape, pen marks, or finger prints). If a photograph has cellophane tape on the front, our scanners will pick it up. Consequently, it will need to be digitally removed thus increasing the difficulty of the work. Any blemishes which can be removed from the print by conventional cleaning methods before the image is scanned will obviously not have to be removed by a digital specialist. If a photograph is in pieces be sure to repair it by applying only masking tape to the back of the photo. The amount of tape used should be minimized, simply serving to hold the pieces together until the reach our specialists’ hands.
The level of damage as well as the number and location of damaged areas will determine the difficulty of the restoration work. Also, close examination of the image may reveal light scraping or micro spotting throughout the entire image that would raise the difficulty by one level. In general, damage to an image which has affected people or animals will increase the level of difficulty of restoration. Simple backgrounds are more cooperative when it comes to restoration and they can always be eliminated by pulling a subject out of a background and placing them on one of our digitally created ones. The greater the number of damaged subjects in a given picture, the higher the difficulty level of restoring the image.
Determine the type of texture or finish of the paper on which the image is printed. Years ago, Photographers used unconventional media to print on, such as post card stock, pearl and honeycomb textured paper stock. Images printed on any paper type other than glossy, semi-gloss, mat, or semi-mat, will be considered in the next highest price level. It is very important to understand that high resolution electronic scanners pick up every minute detail in an image: including paper textures which are interpreted the same way cracks and dust spots are. This means that our restoration specialists would have to digitally eliminate the paper texture before beginning on restoration or enhancement. In most cases this may soften the final image output.
Most services will be turned-around within 3 business days of receipt. (Some services may take as much as 7 business days) If you have a scanner and use our upload server for your photos you can have a 2 day turn around plus shipping. Rush orders are available. You may avoid the printing costs and longer turn around times by requesting us to transmit the restored image via the internet and having your photos printed locally..
Most orders will be shipped by USPS express service to ensure quick turn-around time and computerized tracking. Next day and Overnight delivery is also available for most orders. We recommend using corrugated cardboard to sandwich an envelope containing the images before putting them in the transportation envelope. Tape should be applied to each side of the cardboard to minimize movement of the images within the sandwich.
An electronic copy of the restored photograph will be archived at no additional cost. A unique serial number will be placed on the back of each print for future retrieval reference.
The majority of images we process will have exceptional resolution (subject to original image quality.) when enlarged. Original images which are smaller than 2x3 can be enlarged to 5x7 in most cases, maintaining good resolution. Please note, enlargements greater than 5x7 or originals smaller than 2x3, will begin to degrade in resolution as the size is increased.
With our Re-Touching service we can remove unwanted blemishes, scars, tattoos, age spots, sunburn, lighten wrinkles, or other undesirable elements in your photos.
The preview section is only available from the main page. Simply click on the "Preview" button on the menu bar, or click here to open the preview login page in a new browser window.
Photo CD's in your requested format and resolution as well as Online previews are available. We also offer sepia toning, posterizing, charcoal and chalk images, watercolors, fabric, frames, kids play, and other special effects. Just ask for more information.
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