Frequently Asked Questions

JPG Basics

• How do I edit, submit or delete a photo after uploading?

  Just click the blue "Edit, Submit or Delete" link on the photo page. It's located at the bottom right of each photo when you're logged in. Once you make your changes, don't forget to click "Save"!

• Why can't I submit more than one photo to a theme?

  Out of fairness, we have a strict 'one photo per theme' rule, so just select your best photo for a particular theme. It's fine to switch out your submission with a different photo as long as the theme is still open, but keep in mind that you'll lose any votes gained (but you'll still keep all the comments, favorites, and props).

• What is Hotness?

  When a photo is submitted to a photo challenge or theme, the photos that the community likes best become "Hot." Hotness is determined automatically by factors including number of votes, comments, views, and favorites. A photo's hotness is not permanent, but can change based on how the community is responding to other photos in the theme, and we recalculate hotness daily. That's why even if nothing changes on your individual photo, its hotness could change based on the popularity of other photos within the theme.

  On the JPG homepage and the first page of any particular theme, we also show a selection of the hot photos in order to highlight the best photos from the site. The photos that display on these pages are pulled at random from the hot photos that we have selected to display. Hot photos also have a banner that links to more hot photos within the theme, along with tools that make it easier for other people to promote your photo on sites like Digg, Facebook, and StumbleUpon.

• What are Photo Challenges?

  Photo Challenges are themes we open for one week with a particular topic or challenge. At the end of the week, we select our favorite entries that best fit the theme description (often along with a guest judge), to become the weekly selections. For each issue of JPG Magazine, we select at least one weekly photo challenge to appear on the back page. You can see the selections from all our weekly photo challenges on the JPG downloads page.

• What are Props?

  A "prop" is like a compliment, or kudos — it just means that you like the photo. A prop is a way of leaving a comment and also saying that you enjoyed their photo. The photographer can then see how many props their photo has received.

• What does flagging a photo mean, and how do I flag one?

  If you feel there is a photo or story that does not meet our guidelines, then you can always flag it by clicking on the photo or story and finding the blue "Report a Problem" link. Our editors review all flagged photos and remove photographs that do not abide by our guidelines. We are unable to reply to flags, so if you'd like a response, or have a question for us, please contact JPG support directly.

• What about copyright?

  You retain all rights to your work. By submitting your work here, you grant JPG Magazine the right to do the following: put it on the web, print it in the magazine, and use it in the promotion of JPG Magazine. You may also receive an invitation to participate in a JPG gallery show or book — we're always looking for ways to promote our awesome members. Our copyright policy can be found here: http://jpgmag.com/about/copyright.html.

• How do you protect my photos from theft?

  When you submit a photograph to the JPG website we hold the original, high-resolution image privately. This is the version that we will use if your photograph goes to print. Displayed on the website is a version of your photograph with a much lower screen resolution with a maximum pixel width or height of 658 pixels. Although it's possible to right-click and save a photograph, we find that the reduced resolution is discouraging to most would-be photo thieves. The truth is, scripts that disable right-clicking are very easy to work around. Keeping the high resolution versions of your photographs off the website is the most effective way of preventing theft. And of course, our photographers always retain the rights to their work. Our copyright policy can be found here: http://jpgmag.com/about/copyright.html.

• I found these awesome photos on your site and want to use them for my personal use. How can I do that?

  The photographers that contribute their images to JPG retain the copyright of the photographs; therefore, you will need to obtain permission from each individual photographer. JPG itself is unable to grant copyright permission; Use without permission would be a copyright violation. If you'd like to contact individual photographers, the easiest thing to do would be to sign up for a JPG account. You can then send a site message to the photographers individually explaining your project and asking for permission.

• Do I need model releases?

  Generally speaking, you will not need a model release for photos submitted to JPG for editorial use. But there are important exceptions to respect people's privacy rights, so if you have any doubts, get a model release or consult a lawyer.

• What about nudity?

  JPG does not allow photos where the genitalia region is visible or photos that are explicitly pornographic. We do allow artful nudes if the genitalia region is fully covered. As a general guideline — no penises, no vaginas, and nothing in that immediate vicinity — period.

• Can I change my username?

  Sorry, but your username is the one thing you cannot change. You can change your display name at any time, but your URL is a permanent link to your photo page and anyone who wants to bookmark your photos will use this link — so these are unique and permanent for each user.

• I don't want to receive email from JPG.

  Just set your email preferences to "no email." When logged in, you can find your email preferences page here: http://jpgmag.com/account/preferences There's also an unsubscribe link at the bottom of every email we send.

• I want to delete my account.

  Just click on the "Edit Profile" link on your profile page, and follow the instructions under "Delete Account." But we'll be sad to see you go!

Photo Uploading Questions

• Why can't I upload more than 10 photos a day?

  Because we want you to be selective. We only want to see your best photos. Photo editing is as much of a skill as photo taking, and we don't want to be just a dumping ground for photos. We want you to upload your very best!

• Why do photos have to be 2200 pixels wide or tall?

  To make sure your photos look good in print (not fuzzy or pixelated), we require your photos to be at least 2200 pixels wide or tall and no larger than 10 megabites. And remember, that's just the minimum. When it comes to megapixels, bigger is better!

• Can I upload scans from film?

  Of course! We love film. You just need to make sure that you get your film scanned in at a high, print resolution (they need to be at least 2200 pixels wide or tall).

• I'm having problems uploading my photo.

  Sometimes your connection can time out with larger file sizes, so be sure to double-check that your photo is no larger than 10 megabites. You can make the file smaller by saving it as a medium-quality JPG. If the file is under 10 megabites and you're still having trouble, please contact JPG support.

• I uploaded a photo and it disappeared.

  We routinely delete photos that do not meet our photo guidelines. If your photo is deleted, we send you an email, so be sure to check your email. If you do not see an email from us, check your spam/junk box and make sure your email address is correct in your profile.

• My images look washed out, what's going on?

  Right now we can't support all color profiles for display on the website, but we use the original files for publication in JPG Magazine so your photo will look great in print. If you're familiar with color profiles, we recommend you convert your profile to sRGB — it retains the color the best for the web. Because we print from your original upload, we don't recommend you push the colors to compensate for any display variation.

Voting Questions

• How does voting work?

  JPG Magazine is created through a combined process of community and editorial selection. Every JPG member can vote on each photo once and we use community votes to find the best photos and stories on the site. After the themes have closed, the JPG editors make the final selections for which photos will be published in JPG Magazine. Getting a lot of votes does not guarantee publication — all photos are reviewed by the editors before publication — but the votes are definitely an important component.

• What am I voting on, exactly?

  You're basically saying: I think this photo should, or should not, be published in JPG Magazine.

  Remember, when we ask you to vote on the submissions in a particular theme, we're not just asking if the photo is good — we're also asking if the photo is a good fit for the theme it's in. There are lots of technically great photos that never make it into the magazine because they don't speak directly to the theme. Likewise, there are some photos that are not technically perfect, but they're such a good match for the theme topic that we include them.

• How many "Yeah!" votes does a photo need to be published?

  There is no minimum number. Really. We take lots of information into account, and the Yeah votes are just one factor. That said, if your photo has been submitted for a week and you still only have one vote, you might wanna consider submitting something else.

• So does voting even matter?

  Yes. We get thousands of submissions — far too many for the editors to review. The voting is very important because it sorts the photos: the best rise to the top for editorial review.

• Do photos that get submitted early have an advantage?

  No. We average out the votes by day, so all the photos have an equal chance. W don't look at the total votes each photo gets — we've got an algorithm that takes many factors into account: visits to the page, votes, time range, and more.

• Is this just a popularity contest?

  No. The final decision to publish a photo is still up to the editors. So it is possible for a top-rated photo to not be published because it doesn't speak to the theme, or just doesn't fit well, or because we've already got a photo just like it in the issue.

• Why are some photos votable and others not?

  When a photo has been submitted to a theme, and that theme is scheduled to be included in an issue, a voting box appears on the photo. Currently, voting only occurs when a photo is being considered for inclusion in the magazine.

• Can I change my photo submission without losing my votes?

  Nope. How fair would that be? You can switch out your submission as long as the theme is open, but you lose all the votes that photo had collected when you do. You can edit or update your photo description and you won't lose your votes.

• How come I can vote on my own photo?

  Even a politician gets to cast one vote.

• Isn't all this a little complicated?

  Only as complicated as it needs to be, hopefully. It would be easier to just print the most popular photos, but the magazine simply wouldn't be as good. Or we could be like every other photo magazine and only print the photos we like, but we think you're as smart as we are. That's why we're using a hybrid process: a little wisdom of crowds, a little editorial curation.

  We think the result is worth it.

Subscriber Questions

• When will I receive my first issue?

  The receipt of your first issue depends on when you submitted your order. In general, allow 4–6 weeks in the US, 6–8 weeks in Canada and up to 12 weeks internationally. It takes time to process your order and ship it out. Then there's the USPS...

• My issue seems to be late. What gives?

  If you have seen JPG on the newsstand and have not yet received your copy, it's probably in the mail. We try to make sure copies arrive in-home before they are on the newsstand. However, sometimes there are postal fluctuations that are beyond our control. Here's a list of late dates for US subscriptions to JPG (for Canadian and International, add 2–4 weeks to these dates):

  Issue #	Late date
  18	10/02/08
  19	11/27/08
  20	01/31/09
  21	04/04/09
  22	05/28/09
  23	07/30/09
  24	10/01/09
  25	12/03/09

  If you haven't received your issue by these dates, there may be a problem. Please visit our Subscriber Services page.

• How do I change my address?

  Address changes can be submitted online or by calling our Subscriber Services number: 1-800-361-8059 (within the US), or contact us. We'll need both your current name and address as it appears on your address label along with your new address. Please note that the Post Office will not forward periodicals mail so you will need to notify us of your change of address at least 6 weeks in advance of your move.

• How can I order back issues?

  A limited number of back issues are available for $10 (USD) each. Outside of the US, additional shipping applies. For Canadian, add $6 per issue; For International, add $10 per issue. All orders must be pre-paid. To order, call our toll-free number: 1-800-361-8059, or write to:

  JPG Magazine
  Attn: Back Issues
  P.O. Box 8509
  Red Oak, IA 51591-1509

  Please indicate which issue you are requesting and the shipping address.

• How do I cancel my subscription?

  If you would like to cancel your subscription, please visit our Subscriber Services page.

Got a question we didn't answer here? Let us know!