Photo resize/organize/backup services

[Jinkies]

I'm thinking of offering photo services - resizing photos for printing, organizing, backing up, etc...

Does anyone currently do this? Any tips or tricks?

I'm just trying to work out the details... what program(s) to use for one (I personally use ACDsee and was thinking of including it in the first visit cost).

Thanks!
Jen

[mcardall]

I offer scanning, printing & backing up services, but so far I haven't had any takers. I don't know how you would do organizing services using ACDSee for someone else. You'd have to install a copy on their computer and import the database for them. I guess you could always include pretty detailed instructions. Just be prepared for a lot of techie questions from your clients. You wouldn't believe how many Blogger technical questions I get from blog clients. I don't support Blogger, people. Most questions I don't mind answering. But when I get an email that says, "I can't log into my blog. It says Blogger is down for scheduled maintenance. What do I do?", I get a bit frustrated. Also, you would have to figure out a way to keep your client's database separate from YOUR database while you are doing the organizing.

[Jinkies]

Those are the tweaks I need to work out - I'm basically targeting the people (like my friends) who take a zillion pictures, print them directly on the photo machine at CVS and don't know what to do with them - or they upload them onto their computer at 72 dpi and can't figure out why they look so fuzzy!

ACDSee may not be the best to use for that type of customer - maybe I'll use something free that I can install on their computer. If they are a little more software savvy then I may introduce the idea of ACDSee or something similar.

As far as tagging, again I'm assuming these people will be beginners so I was planning on working in date directories with the ability to get more in depth if they choose and understand!

This is my initial thought - I would charge an intial fee of $$ that would include me coming to their house, resizing their pics to print quality, sorting them by date (i.e. year/month) and then into subcategories for any significant events (i.e. birthday), backing them up onto 2 DVD copies (one for them, one for offsite storage), and then returning to update every 3/6/12 months depending on their photo needs.

THEN I would offer additional services - thats when the ACDSee, tagging, possibly online storage, etc... would come into play.

[mcardall]

Wow! I am thinking about my mom & my sisters-in-law and I am thinking that there is a definite need for a service like this.

How do you resize a photo to print quality? If the photo is taken at web settings, can you save it? I guess I am showing my ignorance here.

As far as offsite storage, if you live in the same general area of the country as these people, I would suggest NOT storing the off-site disc at your home. If there is a regional disaster then the discs would most likely not survive. I would probably make the customer responsible for either providing you with an address of a friend or relative who lives outside your regional area or let them ship it themselves. If you want to make another copy to keep at your home office then I would simply provide it as a courtesy. I keep copies of my client's psd & jpg files for 6 months as a courtesy to them. But I have a disclaimer that states that in case of disaster they cannot hold me liable for lost or damaged files. File storage is simply a courtesy service.

Good luck. Keep us posted here!