Technical FAQ's
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01/Q |
| How do I create a Seemail message. (still picture with sound) |
| 001/A |
Get a Picture stored in your computer.
There are two ways to get pictures stored in your computer. The easiest is to "drag and drop" pictures from your Picture Album. Just put your cursor over the picture you want to use, click and hold down and drag the picture over to the Seemail message window, and then release.
Or you can just click Get Picture/Sound. A dialogue box will appear, asking you to find and select the picture you wish to use in your Seemail message. Select the picture you want. It will appear in your picture window
Now, add an Audio Message to accompany your Still Picture. You may either record your voice or get a sound file that is stored in your computer.
Take a picture with an attached digital video camera.
To take a picture with the camera attached to your computer, click Take Snapshot.
If you like the picture, proceed to Record Voice or Get Picture/Sound. (Record Voice lets you record your voice now. Get Picture/Sound lets you get a sound file that’s already stored in your computer to add to your picture.)
If you don’t like the picture, you can take another. Notice that the Take Snapshot button has changed to Show Camera Image. Just click on that and it will make your camera ready to take another Snapshot.
Get a sound stored in your computer.
To get a sound file stored in your computer, click on Get Picture/Sound. A dialogue box will appear, asking you to find and select the sound file you wish to add to your picture. Select the sound file you want. To hear your recording, click Preview Seemail message. If you don’t like it simply click Get Picture/Sound and choose another sound.
Record a sound.
To record live audio, simply click on the Record Voice button. To stop recording, click on the same button, which has changed from Record Voice to Stop Recording. To hear your recording, click Preview Seemail message. If you don’t like it simply click Record Voice and re-record.
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| 02/Q |
| How do I create a movie? |
| 02/A |
Make sure your video camera is attached properly to your computer. Prepare yourself, aim your camera, and hit record movie. Remember, you’re recording voice and picture at the same time!
When you’re done, simply click the same button, which has now become Stop Recording Movie.
To see and hear your movie, click Preview message. If you don’t like it simply click Record Movie and start again.
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| 03/Q |
| How do I create a picture-only Seemail message? |
| 03/A |
You may either take a live picture with an attached camera, or Get a Picture that is already stored in your computer.
To take a picture with the camera attached to your computer, click Take Snapshot.
If you don’t like the picture, you can take another. Notice that the Take Snapshot button has changed to Show Camera Image. Just click on that and it will make your camera ready to take another Snapshot.
There are two ways to get pictures from your computer. The easiest is to "drag and drop" pictures from your Seemail Photo Album.
Just put your cursor over the picture you want to use, click and hold down and drag the picture over to the Seemail message windowAnd release.
Or you can just click Get Picture/Sound. A dialogue box will appear, asking you to find and select the picture you wish to use in your Seemail message. Select the picture you want. It will appear in your picture window.
WINDOWS:
SAVE PICTURE ONLY SEEMAIL MESSAGE FOR WINDOWS
Get a picture into the Seemail screen by using drag & drop from the Album, by browsing to select a saved image, or from Take Snapshot using a live camera. To save your Seemail message click on Save Seemail Message.
A dialogue box will appear with 3 steps.
Step 1 is to name this Seemail message.
Step 2 is to choose the file type. The default is an .avi, the most common type of picture plus sound Seemail message. Click on the arrow next to the file type box and select .jpg (picture only) from the drop down menu.
Step 3 is to select the directory where you wish to save your Seemail messages. We suggest you use the default directory, Seemail message archive. All of your Seemail messages will be saved there.
When you’ve completed these three steps, click OK. Your Seemail message is saved and ready for sending.
MACINTOSH:
SAVE PICTURE ONLY SEEMAIL MESSAGE FOR MACINTOSH
When you are satisfied with the image, click on Save message. A dialogue box will appear with three steps.
Step 1 is to name this Seemail message.
Step 2 is to select the folder where you wish to save your Seemail messages. We suggest you use the default folder, Seemail message archive. All of your Seemail messages will be Saved there. When you’ve completed these steps, click OK. Your Seemail message is saved and ready for sending.
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| 04/Q |
| How do I create a sound only Seemail message? |
| 04/A |
You may either record your voice or get a sound file that is stored in your computer.
To get a sound file stored in your computer, click on Get Picture/Sound. A dialogue box will appear, asking you to find and select the sound file you wish to add to your picture. Select the sound file you want. To hear your recording, click Preview message. If you don’t like it simply click Get Picture/Sound and choose another sound.
To record live audio, simply click on the Record Voice button. To stop recording, click on the same button, which has changed from Record Voice to Stop Recording. To hear your recording, click Preview message. If you don’t like it simply click Record Voice and rerecord.
WINDOWS:
SAVE SOUND ONLY SEEMAIL MESSAGE FOR WINDOWS
Get a sound by recording your voice or by browsing to select a sound file using Get Picture/Sound.
To save your Seemail message click on Save Seemail Message. A dialogue box will appear with 3 steps.
Step 1 is to name this Seemail message.
Step 2 is to choose the file type. The default is an .avi, the most common type of Seemail message. Click on the arrow next to the file type box and select the .wav file type from the drop down menu.
Step 3 is to select the directory where you wish to save your Seemail messages. We suggest you use the default directory, Seemail message archive. All of your Seemail messages will be saved there.
When you’ve completed these three steps, click OK. Your Seemail message is saved and ready for sending.
MACINTOSH:
SAVE SOUND ONLY SEEMAIL MESSAGE FOR MACINTOSH
When you are satisfied with how it sounds, click on Save message. A dialogue box will appear with two steps.
Step 1 is to name this Seemail message.
Step 2 is to select the directory where you wish to Save your Seemail messages. We suggest you use the default directory, Seemail message archive. All of your Seemail messages will be Saved there. When you’ve completed these steps, click OK. Your Seemail message is saved and ready for sending.
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| 05/Q |
How do I save my Seemail message after I've created it?
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| 05/A |
WINDOWS:
To save your Seemail message click on Save Seemail Message. A dialogue box will appear with 3 steps.
Step 1 is to name this Seemail message.
Step 2 is to choose the file type. The default is an .avi, the most common type of Seemail message. You can also click on the arrow next to the file type box and select other file types from the drop down menu.
Step 3 is to select the directory where you wish to save your Seemail messages. We suggest you use the default directory, Seemail message archive. All of your Seemail messages will be saved there.
When you’ve completed these three steps, click OK. Your Seemail message is saved and ready for sending.
.avi’s are for sending picture and sound Seemail messages to PC users
.jpg’s are for picture-only Seemail messages to either PC or Mac users.
.wav’s are for sound-only Seemail messages to either PC or Mac users.
MACINTOSH:
When you are satisfied with your Seemail message, click on Save message. A dialogue box will appear with two steps.
Step 1 is to name this Seemail message.
Step 2 is to select the folder where you wish to save your Seemail messages. We suggest you use the default folder, Seemail message archive. All of your Seemail messages will be Saved there. When you’ve completed these steps, click OK. Your Seemail message is saved and ready for sending.
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| 06/Q |
| How do I send a Seemail message? |
| 06/A |
Seemail messages can be sent with your own e-mail program as an attachment.
1. Open your e-mail program and a new e-mail.
2. Find the button for adding attachments. It is usually called Attach, or Attachments or Attach File. Click on this and a dialogue box will appear, asking you which file you wish to attach. Select the Seemail message you created from the Seemail Archive.
3.You may then address your e-mail and write your text, click Send and your e-mail with your Seemail message attached is on its way!
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| 07/Q |
| How do I take a picture with the camera that is attached to my computer? |
| 07/A |
To take a picture with the camera attached to your computer,
click Take Snapshot.
If you like the picture, proceed to Record Voice or Get Picture/Sound.
(Record Voice lets you record your voice now. Get Picture/Sound lets you get a sound file that’s already stored in your computer to add to your picture.)
If you don’t like the picture, you can take another. Notice that the
Take Snapshot button has changed to Show Camera Image. Just click on that and it will make your camera ready to take another Snapshot.
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| 08/Q |
| How do I get a picture into my computer from a digital camera or a scanner? |
| 08/A |
All digital cameras and scanners come with software that allows you to get the pictures from the camera into your computer. Check your owner’s manual for instructions.
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| 09/Q |
| How do I get a picture into my computer from a regular camera? |
| 09/A |
1. Digital Processing
Just about anywhere you get your film processed today offers the choice of having your pictures returned to you in a digital format, either on a CD or by visiting a website and downloading your images directly into your computer. Ask about this option next time you drop a roll of film off.
2. Scanning
You can also scan your prints onto a diskette and then transfer them into your computer like you would any other file that comes on a diskette. If you don’t have access to a scanner, many commercial outlets such as Kinko’s have a scanner service that is easy to use and very reasonably priced.
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| 10/Q |
| How do I get pictures into my computer from the internet? |
| 10/A |
WINDOWS:
Right click on the picture and choose "Save Image As..." from the pull down menu, then select Seemail Photo Album as the destination file.
MACINTOSH:
Find an image you like on the internet. Click and Hold on the picture and choose "Save this Image as..." from the pull down menu, then select Seemail Photo Album as the destination file. |
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| 11/Q |
| How do I get sounds into my computer from the internet? |
| 11/A |
WINDOWS:
Go to any web site that has sound files to download (seemailinc.com is a great place to start). When you find one you want to save, you can either:
(1) download it (if that option is available from the web site you are visiting), or
(2) select the file you want to save by clicking on it. It will usually play the sound for you. If you want it, click File and Save As from the WINDOWS buttons. You can now name the file and select where you want to save it.
MACINTOSH:
Go to any web site that has sound files to download (the Goodies section at Seemailinc.com is a great place to start). When you find one you want to save, either your browser is automatically set to download it as soon as you select the sound, OR:
(1) when the sound bar appears in the Window and you can play the sound, notice the down-pointing arrow on the far right of the sound bar. Click on this, and a pull-down menu appears. Select Save as Source and choose the file you want to save it to, and hit Save. The file will be downloaded. OR:
(2) Select the file you want to save by clicking on it. It will usually play the sound for you. If you want it, click File at the top of your screen. Choose Save As. A dialogue box will appear. You can now rename the file if you wish and select where you wan tot save it.
IMPORTANT!! Always Save as either Source or .WAV file format.
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| 12/Q |
| How do I add sound to my Seemail message. |
| 12/A |
You may either record your voice or get a sound file that is stored in your computer.
To get a sound file stored in your computer, click on Get Picture/Sound. A dialogue box will appear, asking you to find and select the sound file you wish to add to your picture. Select the sound file you want. To hear your recording, click Preview Seemail message. If you don’t like it simply click Get Picture/Sound and choose another sound.
To record live audio, simply click on the Record Voice button. To stop recording, click on the same button, which has changed from Record Voice to Stop Recording.
To hear your recording, click Preview message. If you don’t like it simply click Record Voice and rerecord.
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| 13/Q |
| How do I get pictures already stored in my computer? |
| 13/A |
There are two ways to get pictures from your computer. The
easiest is to "drag and drop" pictures from your Picture Album.
Just put your cursor over the picture you want to use, click and
hold down and drag the picture over to the Seemail message window
And release.
Or you can just click Get Picture/Sound. A dialogue box will appear, asking you to find and select the picture you wish to use in your Seemail message. Select the picture you want. It will appear in your picture window.
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| 14/Q |
| How do I place pictures in my Seemail Photo Album? |
| 14/A |
WINDOWS:
You can copy any image file in your computer into the Seemail Photo Album directory by using the Edit/Copy command of WINDOWS. You can also drag & drop a file in WINDOWS EXPLORER from any directory into the Seemail Photo Album.
MACINTOSH:
You can place any image file into your Seemail Photo Album by Simply clicking on the picture file and dragging it to the Photo Album window in your Seemail e-messaging interface.
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| 15/Q |
| How do I delete pictures from my Seemail Photo Album? |
| 15/A |
WINDOWS:
Highlight the file by clicking it, and then click Edit/Delete from the WINDOWS command line.
MACINTOSH:
Just click on the image you wish to delete and drag it to the trash.
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| 16/Q |
| Have the Seemail application automatically open my e-mail program. |
| 16/A |
This is for advanced Windows users only.
In many cases, Seemail messaging software can launch your email program. Click on File, then Preferences, and select the "Open email program automatically." button. Then select your email program from the "Preferred email program" list provided.
If you do not find your e-mail application, select Other. You will then see a dialogue box asking if you want to find your e-mail program yourself. Select Yes. This will open the Microsoft "Browse" window. Find your e-mail application and select it. Then click Open. In the future, when you create and save Seemail messages, the e-mail program you selected will automatically launch.
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| 17/Q |
| Why can’t I hear sound? |
| 17/A |
| Be sure that your speaker volume is turned up. |
| 18/Q |
| I can’t find a way to attach my Seemail message to an e-mail. Why? |
| 18/A |
Some of today’s free e-mail services do not allow users to send or receive attachments. If you don’t find the word "attachment" or "attach" anywhere in your e-mail program, chances are you have a program that doesn’t allow you to use attachments. Check under the Help menu after you’ve opened a new e-mail and see if you can find a subject heading for attachments.
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| 19/Q |
| How do I find out if I have a microphone? |
| 19/A |
Virtually all computers in use today either come with a built-in microphone or have a port for plugging in an external microphone.
To find out if your computer has a built-in microphone:
WINDOWS:
Click on START in the lower left hand corner of your screen and scroll up to "HELP" and then select the INDEX tab. Now, type in the word "Microphone" in the space provided, and WINDOWS will guide you through setting up your PC to use your microphone.
MACINTOSH:
1. Under your Apple Menu (upper left hand corner of the screen), select Control Panels and then drag down to Monitors and Sound.
2. A dialogue box will appear. Select Sound.
3. Another box appears. If you have a built-in microphone, you will
be able to see and select built-in under sound input or sound monitoring source.
4. You will now be able to record your voice using the built-in microphone
To attach an external microphone (recommended for better sound quality):
WINDOWS:
Just plug the microphone into the jack provided by your computer, usually located on the back of the machine with a picture of a microphone.
MACINTOSH:
1. Check your computer’s manual to see where the microphone input is. Plug your microphone into this port.
2. Under your Apple Menu (upper left hand corner of the screen), select Control Panels and then drag down to Monitors and Sound.
3. A dialogue box will appear. Select Sound. Select External Mic under sound input or sound monitoring source.
4. You will now be able to record your voice using the external microphone
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| 20/Q |
| I sent a Seemail message to my parents, but when they opened it they didn’t hear any sound. What should they do? |
| 20/A |
1. Make sure they’ve clicked on the "play" arrow in the reader that displays your Seemail message.
2. Have them check to make sure they have speakers and that the speakers are turned up.
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| 21/Q |
My Seemail message took a long time to send. Why?
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| 21/A |
The length of the time it takes to send (or receive) a Seemail message depends on:
A. Modem Speed---the lower the speed of your modem, the longer it will take to send a Seemail message. Most regular e-mail users today have at least a 56k modem.
B. The length of the Audio portion of the message.
Since Seemail messages use audio, and audio takes a lot of time to send, we suggest that individuals without high speed modems create audio selections that are 10-15 seconds long at the most.
C. The amount of people on-line. The internet is like a highway…when there are lots of people using it, things tend to slow down. Try sending your Seemail message at night or during the middle of the day.
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| 22/Q |
| I sent a Seemail message to a friend and she can’t find it. Why? |
| 22/A |
Some of today’s free e-mail services do not allow users receive attachments. Have your friend check under the Help menu in her e-mail program and see if she can find a subject heading for " attachments". If it’s not there, chances are her e-mail provider does not allow users to send or receive attachments.
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| 23/Q |
I’m using Windows and I sent a Seemail message to a friend on a Mac and she could only see the picture for a second before the sound started. Why?
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| 23/A |
As of today, Macintosh computers cannot play an .avi file from beginning to end.
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| 24/Q |
| I can’t record sound using my microphone. Why? |
| 24/A |
WINDOWS:
Click on START in the lower left hand corner of your screen and scroll up to "HELP" and then select the INDEX tab. Now, type in the word "Microphone" in the space provided, and WINDOWS will guide you through setting up your PC to use your microphone.
MACINTOSH:
Many sound devices "take over" your microphone input. For example, if you recently listened to a CD on your computer, your audio input settings were automatically changed to "CD". To reset:
In the Seemail messaging application, select Preferences from the pull down menu under File. When the preferences window opens, select Audio. Under Input, select your microphone type, either built-in or external. Click OK.
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| 25/Q |
| I clicked on Take Snapshot and I got a black screen. Why? |
| 25/A |
Make sure you have a digital video camera attached and that it is turned on. If you have no camera attached, some systems will not recognize this and will give you a black image. You may still use the Get Picture/Sound function.
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| 26/Q |
| I am on a Mac and I sent a Seemail message to my uncle on his PC and he can't open it. Why? |
| 26/A |
PC users should always have an updated version of the FREE Quicktime software from Apple. It's a must have. Just have him go to http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/index.html and follow the simple download instructions.
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For more information, please contact:
Seemail Inc.
6717 S. Boulder Rd.
Boulder, CO 80303
PHONE: 303.442.4512
E-MAIL: support@seemailinc.com
URL: www.seemailinc.com
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