Frequently Asked Questions

Other Online Photo services have in-page Upload capability; using an FTP Client is a pain.
Yup, other sites make it easier to upload - at a price. That price is final image quality. We handle almost any type of file...and the results will be worth it. This site is intended to handle Large Files, which take a lot of time to Upload, and an FTP Client that can resume Upload of the remainder of your images after a broken connection will make for a lot less frustration. Yes, learning an FTP Client can be a 5-minute diversion (see our Training Videos on FTP transfers). We're the only site we know of that handles Raw camera files, and even .PSBs, which exceed 2GB. Yes, there's an upper limit on how much you'll want to upload - imposed by your patience level and your Internet connection. At the point where your file size exceeds your patience, you can ship us DVDs or CDs.

I've Uploaded my photos, but can't see them in the Gallery. Why Not?
Be sure to indicate that you're finished Uploading photos to your Gallery by navigating to your Dashboard, checking the appropriate Gallery, and clicking "Mark as Uploaded". That's our signal that we should process your images and then populate your Gallery.

Why must I wait to see my Galleries?
Other services force you to use jpeg files, which all browsers can show natively, so Galleries can be loaded immediately. But jpegs sacrifice the dynamic range and color gamut of your final print. This Site will never compromise your image quality.  We handle almost any type of file, none of which can be shown natively on the Web. So, those (superior-to-jpeg quality) Uploaded  files need to be processed to create the jpeg thumbnails and preview files that will be displayed in your Galleries. For purposes of editing and printing, however, we'll use your Uploaded, higher-quality files. The Gallery jpeg conversion process will be automated soon, so the wait to see your photos in your Gallery will be reduced.

I don't want any "processing" done on my files; they're just fine as-is. I don't want to go through the rigmarole  of paying a deposit and dealing with proofs; I just want to pay and get my prints. Is there a way I can do this?
You bet! Just ask for  the "rigmarole bypass" in the Special Instructions section of your print job in Spark, and we'll be very happy to arrange that.