Frequently Asked Questions MAIN QUESTIONS M1.Where can I get more CustomShort Templates? M2. After building the movie in Step Four, the sound and the animation are not always synchronized. What can I do? M3. Can I use the "Build for Upload" tab on a movie I built during a previous session? M4. After I post my customshort online, I can hear the soundtrack but there is no animation, what should I do? GENERAL QUESTIONS Q1. What is a customshort? Q2. How can I create a customshort? Q3. Can I upload or email my customshort?? Q4. What software do I need to watch a customshort? TECHNICAL QUESTIONS Q5. What are the customshortmaker program requirements? Q6. How do I install the customshortmaker program? Q7. How do I start and use the customshortmaker program? Q8. How do I combine my image with a movie? Q9. What is a customshort template? Q10. How do I get more customshort templates? Q11. Can I post my customshort movie online? Q12. Where are the movies stored on the hard drive? Q13. How do I change the directories my program uses? Q14. How do I stop the movies from automatically opening after its built? M1. Where can I get more CustomShort Templates? We are working hard on new and better animations for you to use on every occasion. We are planning to release them all on a rolling basis starting in February 2007. M2. After building the movie in Step Four, the sound and the animation are not always synchronized. What can I do? On certain computers, the sound and the animation may not be synchronized. In most cases, you can correct this problem by converting the movie for online distribution, on the "Build For Upload" tab. After Step Four is complete, press YES at the bottom of the screen. Alternatively, you can go to the "Build for Upload" tab, press the "Select Source" button and select the movie you wish to convert. M3. Can I use the "Build for Upload" tab on a movie I built from a previous session? Yes, you can use the "Build for Upload" tab on any movie created from Step Four. All you have to do is press the Select Source button, select your movie. Then press the "Build for Online Distribution" button. M4. After I post my customshort online, I can hear the soundtrack but there is no animation, what should I do? Before you upload a movie created with the customshortmaker program, you must convert it for upload. This function can be reached by pressing the "YES" button at the bottom of the "Step Four" screen, or by pressing on "Build For Upload" tab at the top of the screen. Q1. What is a customshort? A customshort is an animated movie which you can customize. We provide you with a short animated film, and you use our CustomShortMaker program to replace images in the movie with pictures from your photos. Q2. How can I create a customshort? All you have to do is download our FREE program, and follow the directions. Q3. Can I upload or email my customshort? Yes you can. The movie can be viewed on popular video sites like youtube.com or Google Video. The movie file created is typically between 2-4 MB, so you should also be able to send it via email. Q4. What software do I need to watch a customshort? Our short movies are built as a Quicktime *.mov type file, and are best viewed using Quicktime. Q5. What are the program requirements? The CustomShortMaker program requires at least 128 MB of RAM, 18 MB of hard-drive space, Internet Explorer (version 4 or higher) and Apple’s Quicktime. The CustomShortMaker program as well as a link to download Apple’s Quicktime can be found on the download page. Q6. How do I install the program? Once you download the setup program, double click it and follow the instructions. Q7. How do I start and use the program? When the program is installed, a shortcut to the program is created on your desktop and in the Program menu. The program itself is set to install in the following default directory: [Your hard-drive]\CustomShorts\CustomShortMaker\CustomShortMaker.exe Q8. How do I combine my image with a movie? In order to use your image in a customshort, you need the customshortmaker program. Once you start the program, go the CharacterMaker tab and follow the instructions. Once you complete those instructions, the resulting image will be available for you to use. Q9. What is a customshort template? A customshort template is the instructions used by the customshortmaker to build a movie. You need a template for each movie you create. Customshort templates can be downloaded from the Download tab of the program. Q10. How do I get more customshort templates? The customshort template can be downloaded from the download tab of the customshortmaker program. Q11. Can I post my customshort movie online? Yes you can! After you build and convert a movie using the customshortmaker program, it can be uploaded to any of the video hosting sites. Q12. Where are the movies stored on the hard drive? The full path can be found on the bottom of the main screen of the program. If you used the default settings, the file is stored in [your selected- drive]/customshorts/customshortmaker/CSUser. For example, if you installed the program on you C: drive, and didnt change the defaults, they will be located at C:\\customshorts\\customshortmaker\\CSUser. You can open this directory by clicking “Show me my completed movies” on the main screen of the program. To check (or change) the directory any future movie is created in, go to the Configure tab in the program. The directory where future movies will be stored is listed in the textbox entitled User Created CustomShort Directory. Q13. How do I change the directories my program uses? To change the directory the program uses, go to the Configure tab in the program. Q14. How do I stop the movies from automatically opening after its built? You can change this option in the Configure tab in the program.