Photo and Image Quality Guidelines

For best results please use a photograph or digital image that meets these basic requirements.

- Subject's head & hair must be in focus
- Subject's face must not be obstructed (ie. hands over mouth, hat over eyes, etc)
- Images with creases, scratches & scuffs through subject cannot be accepted.
- Color is not an issue - while color is preferred, black & white photos & sepia tones are acceptable
- Photos with hash shadows or unusually high contrast will not work for our process
- Our best charms come from photos where the subject's head is the size of a quarter or larger
- Resolution must be 300dpi or higher and be in a jpg, tiff or bmp format (for digital photo files)

Please do not send us an irreplaceable image.  While we make every effort to return your photograph to you in its original condition, accidents do happen and it would be unfortunate for your image to be damaged in the mail.  Please make a copy of your photograph for us to work from and we will do our best to return it to you with your order.

*Professional photographs are copyright images. You must obtain permission from the photographer before using any professional photo to request a charm.

Cropping
Bad - the edges of the subject's hair are cut off	Good - the subject is a decent size in the frame	Best - close, tight crop with space around head
Contrast
Bad - the subject is washed out with the flash	Good - the subject has even contrast	Best - Dark and light are defined without shadows
Resolution
Bad - 72 dpi web resolution, blurry boxy edges	Good - 300 dpi print resolution, prints clearly	Best - 300+ dpi prints clearly
Focus
Bad - subject is very blurry with soft edges	Good - subject is slightly out of focus but still pretty crisp	Best - crisp, clear edges in sharp focus
Other Things to Avoid
Bad - multiple people in one photo covering up others	Bad - subject with an object in front of their face	Bad - any type of food, water or other substance
Bad - harsh shadows cause an unnatural look in charms	Bad - subject  is laying down and ears are hidden	Bad - crazy unnatural hair or flyaways