Getting Organized

1.    The first step to a successful and enjoyable photo DVD is figuring out who the intended audience is.  For example, if your DVD is celebrating the life or lives of specific people and will be presented to a large audience during a party or otherwise, then I advise you to keep the length between 5-15 minutes (about 75-120 pictures) . If the DVD is created to document the entire history of your family, or to revisit old family vacations, a DVD can have as many as 1000 pictures, about 2 hours!  Each picture is generally on the screen for about 5 seconds. Photos are the main component of most photo montage DVDs.  However, other media such as video can be additionally used as accents.

2.   Once you have an idea of the total number of pictures you would like to include, I suggest that you break up the total number of pictures into sections of time.  For example, you may group them by decades or special events.  Then you can determine approximately how many pictures would be appropriate for each section of time.   If your video is celebrating a life, your sections of time may include birth – age 5, age 5-13,  age 13-20, college years, single years, early married years, kids born, kids growing up, and professional life.  It may be helpful to label large envelopes with the decades or section of time that you are using so that as you run through pictures you can put them in the right grouping.  It is important to try and retrieve photos that are in good condition.  Although, I may be able to lighten or darken the existing photo, I can not guarantee that it will improve the picture.   I will crop the photo if necessary to remove extraneous stimuli as to not distract the audience from the intended view. 

3.   There are many great songs that you can use for your DVD.  You  may choose music that matches the genre of the pictures, theme of the pictures, or just music that you like.  I have a list of suggestions that have worked well in previous DVDs.  I can use music that you provide to me on a CD or I can download it myself if it is available.  The key is to include enough music for the entire DVD.  The rule of thumb is 10-12 photos per minute of music.  I am able to extend or reduce the amount of time a picture or pictures are displayed to match the beat or length of the music.

The most important part of the process is to have fun!