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Family Tree and Me

Photograph Instructions


Because we work with digital photos transferred from your computer to our secure upload site, the first step is to
scan all physical photos into your computer and save them each as a jpeg file.
(Click here for scanning guidelines.)

Please note that copyright laws protect photographs.
When you submit your photos to us, you acknowledge and agree that you have the legal right to do so.


Choose clear, sharply focused pictures. 

When selecting photographs to represent your family members, it is best to choose a good size, better quality photo!  We also recommend pictures when the individual is in the prime of their life.
 
If no photo is available, we can place a male or female silhouette in its place.
 
Avoid photocopies or newspaper copies if possible.

The printing quality of photocopies or newspaper copies is rarely acceptable. If that is all that is available, use the “de-screen” feature when scanning.
 
Use the scale tool on the scanner when needed.

If you have a good picture, but the face is quite small, scan the picture by first adjusting the scale tool on the scanner to a higher percentage such as 150%, 200% or 300%.  You may also adjust the setting to 600 dpi.
 
Do not limit your choice of photos based on the colors in the photo.

When we receive your photos, we convert all of them to the same tone (Sepia or Black-and-White) based on the chosen background color/category.  Therefore, do not let the color in a photo persuade you to choose one photo over another because we eliminate the distinguishing color anyway.