Duet - negatives CD question

I've been having some issues with Duet starting from issues on the day of the wedding, to it taking over 6 weeks to get our proofs (and that's with me emailing and calling).

We have a negatives CD included in our contract, and I wanted to get it now so that I could show the pictures to our friends and family who are out of state (post the pics on the web or in the ftp).
We already got the proofs, and are pretty happy with them, but we don't have a scanner. One of hte reasons we went with digital pictures is to make it easier to share our wedding pics.

Also, in some of the pics that we want in the album, our faces are too small to clearly see on the proofs. I wanted to check them out in their full size on the computer to make sure those pics came out well before we include them in the album. (And the album layout we get is also going to be small and unclear.) Having the CD would also allow us to play with some of the effects and get a sense of what they would look like before we tell Duet that we want those effects. (Like seeing a pic in black and white vs. color, since we have less then 10% of black and white proofs).

However, Duet is refusing to give us the CD now - I don't really understand why.

I feel so helpless since it's all paid for, and we don't have our albums or video - we have absolutely no control and no leway for anything.


If you got the negatives CD, when did you get it, and how did you deal with the issues above? What did you do about any specific effects that you wanted, did you get a chance to see how the effects came out before the album?

I have the same feelings as you...it would be much easier to have the CD right now. My only guess as to why they don't give it to you is because they use it to do the albums with and don't want to make a duplicate CD...but i could be wrong. I can't see any other reason why they wouldn't give it out since everything has been paid for.

If you find out, let me know
ETA: i did ask for it too and they said they would give it at the end of the job. Same with the raw footage of the video

Video footage I understand, since that they can use to make the video.

Pictures however - they still have the memory cards with all the pics. And if they already have a CD, how hard is it to copy a CD?


I would think that if anything, it would be easier for them, especially if I do the edditing myself instead of trying to explain to them exactly what effect I want. (And then finding out that it doesn't look good after all, and that I'd want something else.)

I am with you girls- this is turning into a nightmare, especially since I live out of town and can only come in on holidays. I did scan some proofs and play with them on the computer(this is the only way I found my thank you since I could bring it in and then email them what I wanted the editing dept to do) so that is one way to see what pics to put in the album. I scanned all the ones and played in photoshop what I wanted for effects.

But I must say, although our proofs overall were nice and definately conveyed the day well, they did miss a number of my must takes and the pics of my DH and me are so far away it looks like a friend with a digtal camera took them. I was really disappointed overall after seeing such incredible proofs from brides on here.

Duet has not tell me this themselves but I think the reason why they wouldn't release the CD, even though you already paid for everything, it's because if you want to make extra copies, you may need to order it from them. If you have the CD, once you make the copy of the picture, it will be much clearer and the quality better.
If you scan your proof to make a copy, it might not be the same quality. I'm just assumming this and it's the only reason I can think why they would this.
Sorry that you are having such problems. Duet has been sooo accomodating with me and I have nothing to say but great things about them.
Hope everything works out for you!

I think its because they may use some of those pictures as backgrounds for your albums.

I chose my proofs that I wanted in the album and when I got the layout, I saw they used soem proofs I didnt choose as a background... so they need access to them still.

It did take longer for me to get the CD. I don't think it's an issue of you ordering pics not from them, but they told me it takes longer for them to put them on a CD. I got it the month after the proofs, and they sent it to me because I couldn't get to the office. Overall I've been very pleased. I had to call about my proofs, and they said they were done. I wonder how long I would have waited had I not called.

Also, the layout for the album is really quite clear. Here's mine You can see the pics really well, and I am making more changes before it gets printed. I don't think that will be an issue. I left them post its saying which ones I wanted closer, or what effects I wanted.