PhotoJam 4 FAQ

PhotoJam 4 Overview

Using PhotoJam 4

We have included some basic information here for your convenience. For detailed instructions on using PhotoJam 4, go to the Help section in the application by clicking on the "?" button in the upper right hand corner throughout PhotoJam 4.

About PhotoJam 4

Downloading and Installing

Ordering and Returns

Troubleshooting

PhotoJam 4 Overview

What is PhotoJam 4?

PhotoJam 4 is a software package used to create a musical photo show showcasing your photo memories in new and exciting ways. With PhotoJam 4, you can create a travel diary, a photo collage, photo greetings, music videos, or even an old-film style tribute — the possibilities are limitless.

All you need to get started are a few digital images and a bit of imagination. We provide music and style options that let you create a PhotoJam in three easy steps, hassle-free. Once you make a PhotoJam, send the URL to friends and family so everyone can enjoy your masterpiece! With PhotoJam 4 you can even create a Video CD that can be played back in DVD players!

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What is the difference between the PhotoJam 4 Trial and the purchase version, PhotoJam 4?

The PhotoJam 4 Trial allows you to sample PhotoJam's features by giving you two hours of usage time and the ability to share up to three separate PhotoJams with friends and family through a URL on Shockwave. After you have successfully shared three PhotoJams on Shockwave, you must purchase a key and unlock the features of PhotoJam 4 to share additional PhotoJams on Shockwave. With the full version of PhotoJam 4 you not only get unlimited shares and PhotoJam usage, you can also:

  • Create VCD (Video CD) for playback on DVD player
  • Use your favorite songs as well as the 100 songs in the PhotoJam Music Library
  • Publish your PhotoJam to your personal website
  • Publish your PhotoJam to CD-Rom for playback on a computer.

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What is the difference between PhotoJam 4 and PhotoJam 4 Deluxe?

PhotoJam 4 Deluxe adds upon the core feature set of PhotoJam 4 with a desktop photo-manager for printing, editing, organizing photos, and creating photo gifts. With PhotoJam 4 Deluxe, you can:

  • Edit and touch up photos with ease
  • Organize and manage your entire photo collection
  • Print high-quality photos at home or online
  • Order unique photo gifts
  • Create and share high-quality musical slideshows

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Using PhotoJam 4

What image formats does PhotoJam 4 support?

PhotoJam 4 supports the import of the following digital image file formats: jpeg, jpg, jpe, gif, tiff, bmp, psd, and png.

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How do I change the order of photos within a PhotoJam?

PhotoJam 4 includes a Photos screen that lets you sort and edit your photos. You can find the Photos screen by clicking on ‘Edit’ in the Main menu and then selecting the PhotoJam you wish to edit. To change the position of a photo, select it by clicking on it, and while holding down the mouse drag it to the desired position. Dropping a photo before another will insert that photo into the new position, shifting all remaining photos over by one position. Dropping a photo onto another photo will switch the positions of those two photos only.

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How do I add captions to my PhotoJam?

You can add captions to your PhotoJam by selecting the 'Captions' button from the Edit Photo selection within the Photo layout screen. You can choose from a regular caption, a speech bubble, or a thought bubble. When adding captions, you can also change the size or color of your words, and the speech and thought bubbles themselves can be resized . You can drag a caption around the screen by simply clicking and holding on to it (or, if it is currently being edited, by clicking the border around the caption) . You can edit a caption by clicking in the caption field and typing your new text.

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How do I edit a music track for a PhotoJam?

PhotoJam 4 includes a Music screen that lets you select and edit music tracks. You can determine which portion of a given music track will be used for playback within your PhotoJam. Click and drag the "In" and "Out" bars to set the loop time for the track. You can also fine-tune your selection by using the up/down arrows which appear below the track.

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How do I add more than one music track to my PhotoJam?

With PhotoJam 4 you can use multiple music tracks within a single PhotoJam.

  1. From the main menu screen click the "Edit" button
  2. Choose a PhotoJam you would like to edit
  3. Choose the photo where you would like the new song to start and press “Edit”
  4. From the Photo Edit menu (where you can add Clip Art) press the “Music” button
  5. In the “Music Jukebox”, select the next song that you would like to play
  6. This new song will now play from this photo until the end of your PhotoJam, or until you add in another song.

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How do I switch Styles within a PhotoJam?

PhotoJam 4 includes a Style screen that lets you select and apply multiple Styles to a single PhotoJam. All of the Styles are available in a scrolling list on the left side of the screen.

  • To apply a Style to a set of Photos, click on the desired Style, and while holding down the mouse button, drag the Style and release it over the first Photo you wish to affect. The Style will then be applied to all of the Photos that follow until the next custom Style or until the end of the PhotoJam.
  • To apply a Style to all of your Photos, hold down the 'Shift' key while you release the Style over the Photo.
  • To apply a Style to just one of your Photos, hold down the 'Control' key while you release the Style over the Photo.

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How do I create a CD with my PhotoJam?

To create a CD with your PhotoJam, you must first publish it as a stand-alone application:

  • In PhotoJam, watch the show you wish to publish.
  • Click the Share button in the toolbar at the bottom.
  • Choose Publish from the menu.
  • Select Publish as Standalone Application.
  • Click the Publish button. In the dialog box that comes up, choose a directory on your hard disk as the destination for the exported show. We recommend the desktop or your documents folder.

After PhotoJam finishes publishing the show, test it to make sure the export was successful. Open the exported folder, and launch the file inside with the PhotoJam icon. Then, copy the entire folder to your CD. The process of creating the CD itself differs depending on the manufacturer of the CD burner and the software used. Please consult the user’s manual for your drive and/or burner software for more details.

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How do I create a VCD with PhotoJam?

The unlocked PC version of PhotoJam has a publishing option called Make a Video CD. This will allow you to watch a version of your PhotoJam on most DVD players that support the VCD format. For more information on Video CD (VCD) please see the VCD FAQ.

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Does the VCD have animations?

Because of the limitations of the VCD format, the PhotoJam Video CD uses a still image format to achieve better picture quality on your TV, but is not designed to support animated transitions and effects.

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What photo enhancement features are available in PhotoJam 4?

PhotoJam 4 allows you to edit your photos by rotating, cropping, or adjusting the brightness; you can also add text, captions, and animated clip art. None of these changes will permanently affect your photos.

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How do I put my PhotoJam on my Website?

To put your PhotoJam on your Website, you must first export the necessary files from PhotoJam 4:

  • From the PhotoJam 4 program, watch the show you wish to publish.
  • Click the Share button in the toolbar at the bottom.
  • Choose Publish from the menu.
  • Select Publish as Website.
  • Click the Publish button. In the dialog box that comes up, choose a directory on your hard disk as the destination for the exported show. We recommend the desktop or your documents folder.

After PhotoJam finishes publishing the show, test it to make sure the export was successful. Open the exported folder, and launch the file inside named index.jsp. This should open your browser and play the show. If this works, the show is ready to be uploaded to your Website.

It is extremely important that you upload all of the contents of the exported folder into one directory of your Website. The only file that can be renamed is the index.jsp file. We recommend that if you rename this file, you retain the .jsp extension. If you intend to put more than one show on your Website, you should create a separate directory for each show.

The specifics of uploading these files to your site will vary depending on the Web-publishing software you use and your Web-hosting service. We cannot assist you with this process. It is assumed that you have experience with HTML and creating/maintaining your Website. Also note that some Web-hosting services have restrictions on multimedia file types. This can affect whether or not a show can be viewed over the Web.

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About PhotoJam 4

What options do I have for sharing the PhotoJams I create?

PhotoJam 4 lets you publish and share your shows in the following ways:

  • Email a link uploads your PhotoJam to Shockwave and sends an email link to the recipients of your choice. PhotoJams created with PhotoJam 4 and shared on Shockwave will expire 60 days after they are posted to Shockwave. If you have the PhotoJam 4 Trial, PhotoJams will expire 10 days after they are posted to Shockwave.
  • HTML allows you to put your PhotoJam on your own personal website.
  • Make a CD-ROM &mdash burn your PhotoJam onto a CD.
  • Screen Saver allows you to use your PhotoJams as your screen saver.
  • Make a Video CD burns a CD that you can playback using a DVD player .

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What options do I have for saving the PhotoJams I create?

If you've purchased PhotoJam 4, you can save your PhotoJam indefinitely on a website or CD, or as your screensaver.

PhotoJams created with the PhotoJam 4 Trial and shared on Shockwave will expire 10 days after they are posted to Shockwave.

PhotoJams created with the full, unlocked version of PhotoJam 4 and shared on Shockwave will expire 60 days after they are posted to Shockwave.

All PhotoJams will be saved on your local hard drive for as long as you have PhotoJam installed on your computer.

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What are my music options?

PhotoJam 4 has over 100 songs included that you can use as music for your PhotoJam. These songs have been licensed so you can share your PhotoJam online with great music that adds emotion and sets the proper pacing. You can use multiple songs throughout the PhotoJam by selecting different songs from the Edit Photo screen. However, using multiple songs will increase the download time of a PhotoJam you are sharing online.

Using your own music

PhotoJam currently only supports the MP3 audio format. Music that is in a CD-ROM (and maybe some of your individual audio files) is not in the MP3 format. You can use a program called an 'Audio Ripper' or 'Ripper' to encode your music files as MP3s. Note: You will not be able to share PhotoJams using your own MP3 files unless you own all applicable rights to the MP3. If you do own all applicable rights, then you can publish your show to your own website using the HTML publish option on the Share screen. MP3s can significantly increase the access time for PhotoJams you put on your website.

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Do I lose my PhotoJams when I upgrade from PhotoJam 4 to PhotoJam 4 Deluxe?

No, all your photo and music selections are saved when you download and install PhotoJam 4 Deluxe or the trial version. The new version of the application saves your media files, so you can start improving your PhotoJams right away. PhotoJam 4 Deluxe is installed separately from PhotoJam 4, so both applications will remain on your computer.

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Do I lose my PhotoJams when I unlock PhotoJam 4 from PhotoJam 4 Trial?

No, all your photo and music selections are saved when you unlock PhotoJam 4.

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When I create and send a PhotoJam, am I sending an attachment or a URL?

When you send a PhotoJam through the 'Share' screen inside the product, you are sending your PhotoJam as a private Shockwave URL. There are no attachments to slow down your friends’ viewing experience.

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When does my PhotoJam 4 Trial expire?

The PhotoJam 4 Trial provides you with two hours of play time. Within this timed trial you may share 3 PhotoJams on Shockwave, you must purchase a key and unlock all the features of PhotoJam 4 and to share additional PhotoJams on Shockwave.

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How can I receive updates about PhotoJam products? It's easy! There are two places you can sign up to receive updates about PhotoJam.
It's easy! There are two places you can sign up to receive updates about PhotoJam:
  1. When you send your PhotoJam to a friend, check the box that says, "Inform me of PhotoJam news and releases."
  2. Register for the Shockwave newsletter.

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How can I share my PhotoJams with friends who don't use the same kind of computer that I use?

You can share your PhotoJams across computers by using the Share feature or by publishing them as a website. If you purchase PhotoJam 4, you can also publish your PhotoJams to CD-Rom, or create Video CDs for playback in a DVD player.

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Downloading And Installing

What are the minimum system requirements for PhotoJam 4?

A Pentium PC running Windows 95 or higher, a Pentium 300MHz processor or better, 50 MB of hard drive space, and a monitor running at a minimum 800x600 resolution and 256 colors (16bit, or 'High Color"/"thousands of colors" recommended).

Performance Tip: Changing the settings on your graphics card and monitor from 32 bit depth to 16 bit depth will increase performance. On a PC you can do this by right clicking on your desktop and selecting Properties. Click on the Settings tab in the top right and then choose "Medium 16 bit" in the "Color quality" dropdown menu.

There is no Macintosh version of PhotoJam 4 Trial, PhotoJam 4 or PhotoJam 4 Deluxe.

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How do I unlock PhotoJam 4 from the PhotoJam 4 Trial?

To unlock PhotoJam 4 from the PhotoJam 4 Trial, buy a PhotoJam 4 key from Shockwave. You will receive an email confirmation of your purchase and a separate email with a key to unlock PhotoJam 4. Input your key in the Unlock box and enjoy the additional features of PhotoJam 4.

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Do I have to download and install PhotoJam 4 Trial to purchase PhotoJam 4?

No, you can purchase PhotoJam 4 without having previously downloaded and installed PhotoJam 4 Trial.

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How do I install PhotoJam 4 Trial or PhotoJam 4?

After downloading the PhotoJam installer, double click the installer file and follow the instructions on the screen. If you purchase PhotoJam 4 without having previously installed the PhotoJam 4 Trial, download the purchased version from your purchase confirmation page. It is recommended that you install it in the same location that PhotoJam 3 is currently installed (if it is installed).

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How long does it take to download PhotoJam 4?

Approximately 1 minute on a cable/DSL internet connection, or 12 minutes using a 56k modem.

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I was disconnected during the download. How do I re-access my download without being charged again?

Following the completion of your order transaction, an email was sent to you confirming your purchase. This email contains a download URL and your unlock code. If you are still having trouble, contact us, we're happy to help.

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I get an error when I try to launch the PhotoJam 4 installer I downloaded. What causes this?

Many America Online users report frequent difficulty downloading our installers through the AOL browser. CompuServe users have also reported the same kind of error when downloading our installers through the CompuServe 2000 browser. You may see a file-corruption error, with a message like "I/O error", "invalid package size", or "this is not a valid Win32 application." Please try downloading the installer again, using a different browser. We recommend Internet Explorer or Netscape.

This error can also be caused by the use of download accelerator software when downloading the installer from Shockwave. If you use a download accelerator or download manager, such as NetZip, Go!Zilla, or GetRight, please disable it and redownload the PhotoJam 4 installer. It is also important to disable your download manager when running the PhotoJam 4 installer.

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I lost my original download version of the software. How do I get it again without being charged?

First, find the "Your Shockwave PhotoJam 4 download and registration key" email we sent when you originally purchased PhotoJam 4. This email will have a URL to download the PhotoJam 4 installer, and your original unlock key. Please follow the instructions to download and install a replacement copy of PhotoJam 4. If you do not have the download and registration key email, please use our contact us, we're happy to help.

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How do I uninstall PhotoJam 4?

From the Add/Remove Programs control panel, select "PhotoJam 4" from the Currently Installed Programs list and click Change/Remove. When the uninstaller program screen appears, make sure the "Automatic" button is selected and click "Next".

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Ordering and Returns

How much does PhotoJam 4 cost?

PhotoJam 4 is $29.95, and comes with a 30-day money back guarantee.

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What payment methods are accepted for purchases made online?

We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.

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Can I make purchases without using my credit card over the Internet?

At this time we support online credit card orders only. Please be assured that our systems are very secure and customer credit card information is kept private. Our transaction system is built using SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) — the encryption technology used for creating a secure transaction environment for commerce on the Internet.

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How are tax charges determined?

We are currently not required to collect sales tax on digital goods for U.S. customers. Sales tax may be collected contingent upon how current Internet tax laws change. The amount of sales tax collected is in accordance with the policies of your tax jurisdiction. We are not responsible for additional tariffs or taxes that apply to items shipped to other states.

For international orders, the amount of sales tax collected is in accordance with the policies of your tax jurisdiction. Currently, VAT is required by European law effective July 1, 2003. VAT applies to persons who reside, have a permanent address, or are established in the European Union. The VAT tax is added to the net price of the provided Atom Entertainment service, that is, the basic price of the service. The total price for the services (net + VAT) is known as the "gross" price or amount. Warning: Falsification of information to evade payment of VAT or other taxes may result in civil fines and criminal prosecution. In other regions, additional tariffs, duties or fees may apply, these are the responsibility of the customer.

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When is my credit card charged?

Your credit card will be charged when you submit the order.

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I do not have a US credit card account. Is the charge in U.S. dollars, and if so what is the conversion rate?

The charge is in U.S. dollars. The financial institution that issues your credit card determined the conversion rate. Typically, this rate is tied to current market rates at the time of purchase.

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I received multiple email confirmation messages. Does this mean I have been charged again?

If you think you have been charged more than once, please check with your financial institution to verify the multiple charges. If you do discover multiple charges being made against your account, please contact Customer Support. Please include your order confirmation number as well as your name and email address as they were entered in the order.

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How do I return the software if I am not completely satisfied with it?

We happily offer a 30-day, money-back guarantee on all of our download products! To request a refund, please contact uswithin 30 days of your purchase. Please be sure to include your name, order number and email address used at the time of purchase. You will be asked to delete all files associated with the product from your system. Please allow up to ten days for your refund to be processed. Your financial institution determines the date the credit will appear on your credit card statement.

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Troubleshooting

Why do I see a '?' when I try to access my PhotoJam?

When you create a PhotoJam, your images are not saved in the application. Instead, PhotoJam saves a path to locate your images on your hard drive. This is done so that you do not have copies of the same image taking up space on your computer. If you move or rename the original folder of images that you used to create your PhotoJam, the application will not be able to locate you files and you will see the behavior that you have described. To remedy this situation, simply replace/rename the folder of images to the state that it was in when you originally created your PhotoJam.

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Why does a song keep repeating when I am using a custom MP3 in a PhotoJam that I burned onto a CD?

The problem that you are experiencing is caused by corrupted data in the custom MP3 that you selected to accompany your PhotoJam. The published PhotoJams run in the Flash Media Player, which can be finicky about audio data. The Flash Media Player is erroneously interpreting corrupted data as the end of your song and PhotoJam is automatically looping it. We would suggest that you use a different MP3, or re-encode the MP3 that is exhibiting this behavior . One thing that you can do is publish your PhotoJam with the Make an Executable option before you burn it with the Make a CD-ROM option. These PhotoJams contain the same data, and you will not waste a CD-ROM if you find out that your MP3 has corrupted audio data and is causing this behavior in the published PhotoJam.

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Why can't I use my MP3s when I share my PhotoJam show?

Because of the legal issues surrounding the use of copyrighted music on the Web, Shockwave cannot host PhotoJams that use your MP3s.

You can, however, share PhotoJams with your music by using the publishing feature in PhotoJam 4. This allows you to save your PhotoJam as a stand-alone application, which can be distributed on a CD or Zip disk. You can also use publishing to export the files necessary to put the PhotoJam on your own Website.

To access the Publishing feature in PhotoJam 4, click the Share button and choose Publish in the Share screen.

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Why does the music skip when my show changes pictures?

We've seen this occur when using overly large images. Images much larger than 800x600 can cause the music to stutter as they load. Most picture editors allow you to save a copy of an image at a lower resolution. Doing so should resolve this issue.

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Why can't I hear any sound when I watch a PhotoJam show?

This can be caused by a number of factors:

  • Disconnected speaker or headphones inadvertently plugged in
  • Improperly set volume levels in the operating system
  • Damaged or out-of-date sound card driver software
  • Damaged Adobe Flash Player (used by PhotoJam)
  • Damaged PhotoJam

Here's how you can address each of these possibilities…

Disconnected speaker or headphones Inadvertently plugged in:

  • Check all connections.

Improperly set volume levels in the operating system:

  • Check the volume settings of your computer.

Windows

  1. Click on the Start button
  2. Choose Settings -> Control Panel
  3. Double-click on Sound and Multimedia
  4. Click the Audio tab at the top of the dialog box
  5. Verify your volume settings and adjust appropriately

Mac OS

  1. Choose Control Panels from the Apple menu
  2. Double-click Sound
  3. In the Sound control panel, click Output in the menu on the left-hand side
  4. Verify your volume settings and adjust appropriately
  5. If you have speakers, verify that the volume is turned up and not muted.

Damaged or out-of-date sound card driver software:

  • You can usually get the latest version of your sound card's driver software from the manufacturer of your computer.

Damaged Adobe Flash Player (used by PhotoJam):

  • You can test your Flash Player here.

The movie will show if you have any version of this Web Player installed. You will also see the version numbers of the Web Player you have installed in the movies. The most current version is Flash Player 9.

If you do not see both movies, you may need to uninstall and reinstall your Shockwave and Flash Players.

Damaged PhotoJam

You should be able to resolve this by removing and reinstalling PhotoJam 4. (NOTE: If you use a download accelerator or download manager, such as NetZip, Go!Zilla, or GetRight, please disable it and re-download the PhotoJam installer.) Use the URL in your "Download and Registration Key" email you received.

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I still have more questions!

Still have more questions? Don't worry. You can contact us.

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