The Details:

This page is wordy - sorry, but it all needs to be here. Before you order you should read it all, ...

    ... but for now you can skip ahead to:

PRICES  or   PROCEDURES  or   POLICIES  or   IMPORTANT NOTES.

I. Prices.

Packages

Micro Package - $9.95

• Adjust exposure, contrast, brightness, richness and balance of colors.
• Gentle sharpening.
• Same size and file type.
• Usually finished the same day or the next day.

Mini Package - $19.95

• The Micro Package, plus:
• More aggressive sharpening, if appropriate.
• Minimal retouching.
• Straightening, if needed.
• Change size, and/or file type, if desired.
• Cropping to your directions, or we can help with the design of the final image.
• Usually finished the same day or the next day.

Main Package - $29.95

• The Mini Package, plus:
• Moderate retouching, cleanup, removal and replacement.
• Moderate background adjustments.
• Text addition, if desired.
• Usually finished the second business day.

Full Custom Retouching - as Quoted, from $59.95

• Includes all of the services mentioned above, plus:
• Whatever else we, collaboratively, design into the project.
• The Hourly Rate is $30, charged in 1/4 hour increments ($7.50 per 1/4 hour).
• This type of project is appropriate for:
• heavy restorations
• fine art from snapshots
• memorial portraits and montages
• photo montage and collage
• and other more-involved projects that don't fit into the basic packages.
• The estimated completion date will be included with the Quote.
• Substantial changes to the project will require changes to the Quote.

See "Planning Your Project" for some helpful guidelines to get started.

Extras

• Additional (output) files of different sizes or types: $10 each.
• Scans: $10 per photo or sheet. There is no charge for additional scans we may do to aid our work.
• CD copy: $2 per CD, plus $1 per file, plus Shipping at cost if separate.
• Return shipping of your prints or other materials: At Cost, prepaid.
• NO BUMP:     Ensure your order won't get bumped by someone else's panic situation: ADD $10
  
• QUICKEST WAY:     (Primarily intended for returning customers that know what to expect.)
  You pre-pay the order. We will send the Invoice as soon as the Quote is accepted. Once paid, we will bypass the small, watermarked 'approval copies'. Instead we will send finished, full-sized files. Of course you may still examine the images and request further changes, it just happens with full-sized (paid for) files. This service implies NO BUMP, so: ADD $10
  
• EXPEDITE:     Bumping other orders requires a 100% added premium.
    "I need it today more than you need to sleep." service does also.
    EXPEDITEs are also "First Come, First Serve", behind only pre-existing EXPEDITEs and NO BUMPs.
      Includes NO BUMP. Once it is in our work queue, no new job will be taken ahead of yours.
  ADD: 100%

What we Deliver:

• We will email 'approval copy' files. These will be small, watermarked files.
• If you want some changes, specify what they are, and we will go back to work. We make those changes, and send another 'approval copy'. If the changes you request are beyond the scope of the original Quote, we will send a re-stated Quote for your approval before we proceed.
• After payment is received, the finished product is delivered as full-size, full resolution, un-watermarked digital file(s).
• By default, the files will be of the same file type and approximate dimensions as the original files you sent to us. You may request changes. Note: Changes in file size and type require Mini package or greater.
• The final files will be attached to an email if practical (not inserted).
    If the aggregate is too large for email it will be stored on our 'cloud' server, and we will email the link to retreive it.

Payment

All jobs will be Invoiced and Paid using "PayPal".

For all orders: full-resolution, un-watermarked, digital files are not delivered until paid for in full. Note that this is standard practice for all businesses selling any product via digital files.

For collaborative Full Custom projects: 50% payment will be made at the time of the First Approval, and the balance prior to final delivery. We will have commited substantial time and effort to the project before any payment is requested. If you are not commited to continuing the project at that time we will not invest further time and effort in it. We will honor the original quoted price unless you make substantial changes to the project. In that case, an updated quote will be submitted and accepted prior to continuing.

All prices are quoted in US Dollars. All payments must be made in US Dollars.

II. Procedures.

General Procedure:

• 1. You send us a request for a quote. It includes contact details so we can respond to you. It includes a good description of what you want done. It includes files we can evaluate. Full-size files are best, but small internet-downloads, or a link to them, is okay at this point.
• 2. We evaluate your job, and send the detailed Quote. It includes prices. It includes our best estimate of completion time based on our current workload.
• 3. You decide not to continue with the project. (Please Do respond.)     DONE.
        OR
  3. You Accept the quote and the job goes into our work queue. You send the full-size files if you haven't already done so.
• 4. We do the work. We send you 'approval copies' (watermarked, small).
• 5. You decide not to continue with the project. (Please Do respond.)     DONE.
        OR
  5. You want some changes. You email the specifics. We want you to be completely satisfied, so we will stay in this loop as long as we need to. Return to 4.
        OR
  5. You Accept the job. Continue at 6.
• 6. We send the Invoice.
• 7. You pay the Invoice.
• 8. We prepare and send the full-size, unwatermarked files, or a link to retreive them.
  
      Win / Win.     Everybody's happy!

Please Note:

• Our procedure is quite interactive, depending on an email response from you at several points. Your project goes into a 'mini-hold' at those points.
• If you will be unable to respond for several days or more, please let us know ahead of time if you can. Of course, 'life' may throw any of us a curve at any time at all. If that happens, don't worry about your project - within reason, it will be waiting when you can return to it. It's just nice to know when there will be a delay that you know about in advance.
• You may decide not to continue with the project without further obligation at any time. We will be sorry to lose the project, but that is always your option and your decision to make.
• If you do decide not to continue, we simply ask that you email us with that decision. We will sincerely appreciate any feedback you care to include.
• If we receive no response for an extended period, we will send an email inquiring about your wishes.
• If we then receive no response for an extended period, we will 'hold' your project for up to 30 days. After that, we will assume that you have decided not to continue with the project.
• For any project that is discontinued, whether directly or by non-response, we will delete all of the files relating to that project from our system. We will not hold any of your images in any form at all.

III. Company Policies:

Normal Work Flow

Orders are processed on a first-come-first-served basis. Micro and Mini Package orders are usually completed Same Day or Next Day. Main Package orders are usually completed within two business days. Rush and Expedite orders may affect our schedule as noted above. Custom orders take longer and involve considerable interaction. They will be completed as promptly as possible, with time out for 'Life'.

The Quote will include an Estimated Completion Date. That date will reflect our current workload, and will be more accurate than the general policy can be. Every reasonable effort will be made to meet that date, even though circumstances unforeseen at the time the Quote is given may make that difficult. However, the date given is Estimated.

If you have a special need for the order, that should be clearly expressed when the quote is requested. We will make every effort to accomodate those needs. Time pressures can often be met without the need for an Expedite Order premium.

We understand that many commercial jobs, Real Estate jobs for example, must compete in a high-pressure, time-critical environment. We try to give all such jobs Quick Turnaround priority.

Inability to Complete Your Order to Your Satisfaction

It is our intention that every customer will be happy with the work that we do and the service that we provide. Occasionally, we may not be able to finish an order to your complete satisfaction. In that case, the following policy applies:

• If the final version of your project has not been approved and delivered we will cancel your order without further obligation.
  
  
• Partial payments, made at the time of the first approval, will not be refunded.
  
  
• Once the final version has been approved and delivered no refund will be made. In lieu of a refund, we will work with you to do whatever we can to reach a satisfactory solution.
  
  
• If your order involves printed materials (photos or other flatwork) that you have sent to us, we will hold your materials for up to 90 days pending payment of return shipping charges. Note that your materials will only be held for 90 days without payment of return shipping charges, and after that will be disposed of. We accept no obligation or responsibility for your materials beyond 90 days.

IV. Additional Notes.  You should read these.

A Note About Legal Rights

We will not knowingly work on any image without the copyright holder's permission. Do not submit a picture to us unless you have the permission of the artist to have that work done. If you created the picture yourself, there is no problem. If someone in your family created the picture, we are willing to stay out of your family's internal affairs and assume that you have their permission. However, if the picture was created by someone else for economic or other professional gain you must obtain the artist's permission before submitting the work to us.

Another consideration is the rights of any recognizeable individual or the owner of a property appearing in your picture. You may need to obtain a signed release form from those people or organizations, especially if you will use the picture commercially or display it publicly.

Nothing said here should be taken as complete or even valid legal advice. These issues exist, and we advise only that you be sure you act responsibly. If you have any doubts, consult an attorney before you proceed.

We retain no rights to your pictures, or to the finished product of our work, other than to be paid at the agreed upon rate for our work. We may request your permission to display promotional copies of your images in our portfolio or on our website, and we will only do so with your specific permission.

Copying images from this website

Some of the pictures on this website are mine, and some are not. These days many people know how to copy pictures from the internet; if you don't know how, I'm not going to teach you.

If you copy one of my pictures for your personal, non-distributed use and enjoyment, for a screensaver or desktop for example, I'll take that as a compliment and hope you enjoy it! Just a reminder - full-size copies appropriate for printing are available for sale.

If you copy a picture that belongs to someone else that I have used with their limited permission, their rights are being infringed, and whatever action they take is up to them. I will support their rights and actions.

A Note About Your Images and Our Files

In the process of doing your work we create copies of your pictures in working files. After the job is done, we keep those files long enough to be sure everything is satisfactory - usually 30 days. Then, except for promotional copies as noted above, we delete all of the image files. Of course, we do keep 'normal' business records about the transaction (including small 'Before' and 'After' copies), but the full-sized image files are deleted from our system. Please make your own separate archival copies of the files we send to you, as you should with all of your important files.