Pinkle Toes 4 Photographers

Pinkle Toes 4 Photographers (PT4P) is a one-price-gets-it-all resource for photographers. Memberships provide you with customizable marketing/design tools & templates to help your business run more efficiently and so much more! You can browse the galleries to get an idea of the kinds of things offered. It's a unique and ever-evolving resource center for photographers of any skill or experience level. Here is what some of our members have said about PT4P. (top)

Can I just buy the templates individually?

PT4P is a one-price-gets-it-all kind of deal, so templates are not available for sale individually. This is how we are able to offer such a wealth of material at such an great price. (top)

What software do I need? Are the materials compatible with Mac or PC.

PT4P templates are done in Photoshop and will work in any version of Photoshop, but NOT Photoshop Elements. (Now is the time to upgrade to a full version of Photoshop anyway!). To take advantage of the Client Web template, you will need some sort of HTML editor (I use Microsoft FrontPage). Some documents (workflow and e-mail responders) may be Word documents.

Materials work with Mac or PC.

You can also check out this test file to see how PT4P templates work and if they will work with your version of Photoshop.

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Do you have memberships available now?

YES! (top)

Do I have to be a professional photographer?

No. There are no requirements to join PT4P (except that memberships are not available to individuals who live within 2 hrs. of Austin, TX). The materials are most useful, however, to those who have or are planning to start their own photography business. (top)

Do your materials work overseas or internationally?

We have PT4P members all over the world! Everything is in English and sized using customary units (inches, feet). Templates and measurements can easily be converted, though, if needed to suit your printer's specs. (top)

How will I get my materials?

I will send you a detailed e-mail containing the link, userID, and password to the download center where you can download and save the materials. (top)

How long can I keep my downloads?

When they're downloaded, they're yours. Forever. (top)

What level of experience do I need?

It's easiest for members who have some working knowledge of Photoshop. I do my best to provide detailed instructions on how to edit/use the templates, but if you will have to do some researching and experimenting on your own. This year, we have added an HTML clientWEB template, FLASH templates, and a website template, so some understanding of HTML and internet file management will be helpful. Again, I do provide instructions, but I can't possibly give a written explanation for *everything*. (I sure tried, though...the instructions are LOOOOONG).

In general, these aren't very complex templates and once you work your way through the basics, your understanding will grow exponentially. Unfortunately, I do not have the expertise or the time to teach every member how to use Photoshop or FrontPage or FLASH or any program, so you're going to have to dig around to find the answers you need (Google is a GREAT tool). All I ask is for your patience and that you try. Play around. Don't give up. Learn by doing. Then, if you've read through the instructions, experimented, and explored/researched on your own and you *still* have a question about how to do something, then you can ask it on the board and someone should help you quickly there.

You can also check out this test file to see how PT4P templates work and if they will work with your version of Photoshop.

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Do I have to join the membership board?

You don't have to, but it sure is helpful. Most of my communications to members is done through the message board. In addition, we all share tips, tricks, questions, and concerns about PT4P, the business of photography, photography itself, marketing, etc. on there. It's a very active board and it will help you move faster in working with your PT4P materials and your business in general. The people are GREAT on there and from all walks of life and levels of experience. It's an exceptional learning tool! (top)

What if I live close to Austin? How will I know if it's too close?

Get on www.mapquest.com. Type in your city and then type in Austin. If the drive time is over 2 hours, then you're fine. If it's at 2 hrs or less, then unfortunately, you cannot purchase a PT4P membership. The *only* reason for this restriction is that I share many of my marketing strategies in advance on the board and I still need to protect my own business. (top)

How long is my membership good for?

This year, PT4P will run from August 3rd, 2008 - July 30th, 2009. PT4P memberships are retroactive, which means that no matter when you purchase, you receive everything added from 8/3/08 - 7/30/09...basically, a year's worth of materials. So if you purchase in August of '08, you get everything in the download center until 7/30/09. If you purchase in March of '09, you're *still* getting everything in the download center up until 7/30/09. You always get a year's worth of materials no matter when you purchase so it's never a bad time to buy.

All v2.0 members can stay active on the board through August of 2009. (top)

How can I keep my materials from looking like someone else's?

You can change the colors, text, images, layout, purpose, etc. of any of the templates. You should always do more than slap your logo onto a template and call it yours, so do it. Make these templates your own. Change it up. Get creative. Find new uses for the templates. We have hundreds and hundreds of members all over the world with very different styles and tastes. These templates are so customizable, the chances of having something that looks *exactly* like someone else's are very, very slim. I've seen dozens of examples created by members using these templates and I have yet to see two that look alike. Also see this. (top)

Do you offer any workshops?

I'm not that crazy. Yet. (top)

If I pay the membership fee, do I still have to purchase the templates?

Nope. PT4P is a one-price-gets-it-all operation. You pay the membership fee, you get all the templates offered. On occasion, we do get special offers from our sponsors, but you don't have to buy anything else if you don't want to. (top)

Can I purchase the old materials?

At this time, the old materials are no longer for sale. (top)

I purchased, but I haven't received anything yet?

If you didn't receive a confirmation e-mail or links from me, then 1 of 3 things may have happened:

1. I didn't get your payment or I didn't get the notification that your payment came in.

2. My e-mails are in your junk mail. (This happens A LOT with yahoo clients).

3. My e-mails are lost in cyberspace.

So, if you've purchased and you don't receive anything from me within 48 hours, first, check your junk mail. If it's not there, just forward me a copy of your PayPal receipt and I'll get you set up. (top)

I lost my password and log in information...can you help?

The first thing you should do when you get your PT4P links and passwords is to PRINT THE E-MAIL and keep it in a safe place! But, if over the course of your membership, you do misplace that printout, you can e-mail me at michele @ pinkletoes.com. Be sure to include the e-mail address you used for your original PayPal payment in that message so I can look up your information. (top)

Is there going to be a PT4P v3.0?

I have no idea. A lot can change in a year. It really depends on my time, how v2.0 goes, and the overall need/desire for another round. (top)

Do you restrict memberships by region?

We don’t really restrict membership in certain areas (except in Austin simply because I give away my marketing strategies and ideas on the membership board). You can take a look at the member blog listings on the right side HERE. This list is not complete, however, because some members don’t have blogs or aren’t listed for whatever reason. This will give you a general idea of where our memberships are, but again, it’s not exact because people have yet to renew or list their blogs. (top)

It hasn’t really been an issue that I know of with members in close proximity because the materials are so customizable. The chances of two people having the same exact design/colors are quite slim. Also see this. (top)

How can I tell if there are members in my area?

You can take a look at the member blog listings on the right side HERE. This list is not complete, however, because some members don’t have blogs or aren’t listed for whatever reason. This will give you a general idea of where our memberships are, but again, it’s not exact because people have yet to renew or list their blogs. Also see this and this. (top)

Are the templates formatted for specific printers/vendors?

Yes, but they can be adjusted (move guides, change bleeds, etc.) to meet your particular printer's specs. I base the template on the vendor I think is best suited for the job, but you can pretty much format them to use whomever you choose. I primarily use WHCC, Asuka, and Vista Print. You will be able to see all vendors listed next to the corresponding template when you get access to the download center (top)

Are the fonts included with the templates?

No. You need to find/purchase fonts and their commercial licenses if needed on your own. When you open a PT4P template, you may get an error message asking you to replace the fonts with something already on your computer. This is okay and will not hurt your template. You may need to go back and make font/spacing adjustments though so the text still fits within the given space. (top)

Do you offer "group buys" or other discounts?

I don't know about you but it drives me nuts when I buy something only to see it go on sale just a few days later. I no longer offer group buys and very rarely do I have discounts/coupons. I like to keep it fair for everyone who purchases and besides, for all that you get, this is already an incredible rate!

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Are the templates easy to use?

It is extremely helpful if you have some working knowledge of Photoshop, but you can certainly "learn as you go" on these templates. I have provided very detailed instructions on how to work in the templates, but of course, I can't explain everything.

I will say they are NOT as simple as "dragging/dropping" your pictures and you're done. I have purposely left the templates UNFLATTENED so that you can customize colors easily and turn layers on/off that you want/don't want. This is what makes PT4P templates so unique and so varied among hundreds of photographers. There's so much opportunity to customize as little or as much as you want so no two photographer's products look the same.

You can also check out this test file to see how PT4P templates work and if they will work with your version of Photoshop.

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How does the website template work?

The website template is just that...a basic template you can customize to get a professional-looking presence on the web. What you see in the sample is what you get, except you can change out the colors, logo, text, and images, of course. The color block place holders show you the max size an image can be. (There is no proofing section). I provide detailed instructions on how to customize your template. It is a flash template, but you don't need any special software to customize it...just some sort of html editor (I use MS FrontPage). A comparable template usually runs around $60-$100 alone, so getting a template made just for PT4P included in your membership is quite a special offer!

When you're done, all you do is upload it to your server and you're ready to go. (You need to have your own domain and host. I use www.hostmonster.com for my web hosting).

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What is a "digital brochure" and do I need any extra software to use it?

In an effort to go "greener" with my business and to help fellow photographers save materials and money, PT4Pv2.0 has templates for digital brochures (small sample). You can create these to post on your website or send links to clients instead of mailing physical brochures. The great part is that this template can easily be converted for printing if you decide you'd rather have those instead. You should be able to edit and use the files included without needing extra software.

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Are the materials compatible with Photoshop Elements?

You can check out this test file to see how PT4P templates work and if they will work with your version of Photoshop. Sorry, but the templates are NOT compatible with Photoshop Elements. However, if you're planning to upgrade to Photoshop soon (and I recommend that you do!), then you will find the PT4P materials very useful to you.