New Features • What is it? • Sales FAQ • Tech FAQ • Version 6 User Manual  • Pricing/Upgrades  • Pro vs Std Comparison  

SALES FAQ's

What does the 5 Minute Photo Software do?
How much does the 5 Minute Photo Software cost?
What computer operating systems support 5 Minute Photo?
What are the minimum hardware requirements to install and use the software?
How long does it take after my order is placed that I will receive the software?
What do I get when I order the software?
How much is technical support if I have a problem?
Tell me more about your company...
Where can I get more in-depth information about the software and on-site printing?
Can I use virtual devices, instead of computers, for the Viewing Stations?
I don't know much about computers. Do you offer turn-key solutions?

What does the 5 Minute Photo Software do?

The 5 Minute Photo Software is actually two separate programs, the Loader Software and the Viewer Software. The Loader Software is installed on one main computer. It processes the images for printing and viewing from a data card created by a digital camera and stores them. The Viewer Software can be installed on any number of computers for customers to view the images that have been processed. All computers are networked together to function as a unit. The process from camera to customer normally takes less than 5 minutes! Hence the name...

How much does the 5 Minute Photo Software cost?

Click here to see our current pricing.

What computer operating systems support 5 Minute Photo?

Our software has been tested and is supported on the following 32-bit AND/OR 64-bit Windows Platforms: Windows XP (Home or Pro, SP2 or SP3), Windows Vista (SP1 or SP2), Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 (SP1). Some other operating systems may run the software, but these are neither recommended or supported, nor have we tested them.

What are the minimum hardware requirements to install and use the software?

Any computer running 5 Minute Photo should have at least a 1GHz processor, 1GB RAM, and 100MB LAN Card. The single PC running the 5 Minute Photo Loader Software should have a hard drive with enough free space to hold 3X the size of the original images (our software automatically makes 3 special/unique versions of each image processed [Original, Printing, Viewing]) and a memory card reader. NOTE: Our software will only perform as good as the equipment it is installed on. The more pictures you take and viewing stations you use, the better the equipment should be.

Hardware Specifications: While the Loader (Server) configurations can vary depending on the number of viewing stations you have connected to it, the operating system on the Loader (Server), the number of pictures taken per game/competition and the total number of pictures taken per event, we will provide a few typical configurations that are known to work. Each user's situation will be different and may require additional hardware, horsepower, optimization and network tuning.

SERVER: A typical 3 Viewing Station setup would need a Loader (Server) running Windows XP Pro or Windows 7 with at 2 GB of RAM, a 2.20 GHz or faster processor and sufficient free hard drive space to store 3X the total size of the original images. This configuration will handle events with approx. 100-150 images per game/competition and approx. 5000-10,000 images per event. This is based upon 1.5-3 MB sized originals (Med/Fine or Large/Std Camera Resolution). We highly recommend using Windows 7, Windows XP Pro, Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008 for the operating system on the Loader/Server.

An advanced 7-20 Viewing Station setup would require a Loader (Server) running Windows 7, Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008 (SP1) with at least 4 GB of RAM, a 3.0+ GHz processor and sufficient free hard drive space to store 3X the total size of original images. This configuration will handle events with approx. 100-200 images per game/competition and up to 10,000-50,000 images per event. This is based upon 1.5-3 MB sized originals. We highly recommend only Windows 7, Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008 for the operating system on larger setups with 6+ Viewing Stations.

VIEWER: The Viewer software does not need as much horsepower as the Loader/Server but having additional RAM and processing power (Mhz) never hurts. The Viewing stations should have at least 1GB of RAM (1-2 GB recommended). A lot of our customers buy used or refurbished computers for the viewing stations and add additional RAM and a new flat panel monitor to create an economoical Viewing station. We highly recommend using Windows 7, Windows XP (Home/Pro, SP2/SP3) (32-bit and/or 64-bit) for the operating system on the Viewing Stations.

Using a "complete" Gigabit network: gigabit network cards in ALL computers and a gigabit router/switch with CAT-6 cables (no wireless devices, no virutal devices and no 10/100 devices) will also improve network performance.

How long does it take after my order is placed that I will receive the software?

Orders are processed within 12-24 hours. Within this time, you will receive an email with a link to download the software and the user manual. If you elected for the User Manual and CD's to be shipped (US residents only), they will be shipped out within 2 days via US Postal Service Priority Mail. You will still get a download email even if you purchase the User Manual and CD's.

What do I get when I order the software?

You will get one copy of the Loader Software, one copy of the Viewer Software, and the User Manual. You are licensed to install the Loader Software on one computer. The Viewer Software License is unlimited and can be installed on any number of computers connected to the Loader/Server computer. The User Manual is always available online and can be downloaded here.

How much is technical support if I have a problem?

Email is the best and preferred method of technical support and will receive priority over telephone calls for technical support. NOTE: If we decide telephone support is the best way to resolve the problem, we will schedule a time to call when you are in front of the equipment so that we may properly diagnose the problem.  International callers will have to call into a supplied telephone number at a scheduled time (our 800 # will not work outside of the continental US).  Exceptions may apply.

Solutions to most reported problems are addressed in our online  Technical FAQ's page and should be referred to before contacting us via email.

Tell me more about your company...

5 Minute Photo started as a project to improve/increase photo sales after a friend saw onsite printing at a large baseball tournament. Several different combinations of software and hardware were tested and nothing made it very easy. At that point we custom-built software to process the images and share them on the network. This software was basic and did not have any of the fancy features that our current versions bear. We used the software for a while and then tweaked it a little more to fit what we were doing (what we call version 2). About this time, more and more photographers saw what we were doing and how many sales we were doing. People asked where to buy it and we told them we made it. We started selling it to a few photographers and before we knew it, people were asking for other features and version 3 took care of them. The rest is history as every version has been more and more technological and feature packed as directed by suggestions from our customers and other event photography professionals. We still offer a Standard Edition at a low cost that is similar to Version 3 with minor improvements and can be upgraded to the Pro Edition at any time.

Where can I get more in-depth information about the software and on-site printing?

Feel free to download our user manual by going here. You can get an idea of how the software works and what the workflow will be like. The User Manual includes screen shots of both the Loader and Viewer software. If you are new to onsite printing and viewing with computers, there is a "How To" booklet available by clicking here that was written by the founder of 5 Minute Photo and is constantly being updated. It has many tips and tricks that will save time and money when getting started and prevent you from making a lot of costly mistakes others make when starting out doing onsite event photography. It also lets you know what to expect as an onsite event photographer offering these services. Many things were learned the hard way when we got started. Be ahead of the game by going here and purchasing the "How To" booklet. Many have found it to be priceless! After reviewing the User Manual and the "How To" booklet, if you still want more info, you can request a copy of our demo/evaluation software by emailing your request to info@5MinutePhoto.com.

Can I use virtual devices, instead of computers, for the Viewing Stations?

We have tested some virtual devices with our software and have found that our software will run on a lot of these devices but should have a separate computer to act as the host that can also be used as a Viewing Station (in other words, don't use your Loader/Server as the host for the virtual devices). Since the virtual devices share the RAM and processor of the host you need to make sure the virtual device host has adequate RAM and processing speed to handle the addtional resources used by the virtual devices.

We also found that using the Loader/Server as the host for virtual devices presents some security issues since the users of the virtual devices can actually have full access to the server unit, which is a big security risk. We did find that using a separate host for the virtual devices works good. (not as good performance as separate computers but very acceptable for lower volume events and extra tight budgets)

While we cannot directly support virutal devices or user's networks, we will say that our software can work with these devices when setup/configured properly.

We hope this info and the use of the virtual devices will prove to be an effective, cost efficient, compact solution for some of our customers.   Diagram of Sample Hybrid Virtual Setup

I don't know much about computers. Do you offer turn-key solutions?

We offer complete pre-configured "Ready to Go" systems, to get you started right away. Just start with our Starter System that includes 1 Server/Loader and 2 emViewer Black Box Viewing Stations and expand from there. These systems come with the network setup and preconfigured, along with our software preinstalled and configured, ready to go. For more information on the Starter Kit System, click here.