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RULES | FAQs | PHOTO SUBMISSION TIPS | VIDEO SUBMISSION TIPS PHOTO REQUIREMENTS AND IMAGE EDITING TIPS Gather ye Hottie photos while ye may... PHOTO REQUIREMENTS: IMAGE EDITING TIPS Expert tips on scanning and sizing your photos from Maxim Online Creative Director Josh Turk. SCANNING If you have prints of your photos you would like to scan, there are a few things you should know: It makes life easier if you begin with a large image and keep that version on hand for later, because you'll need a higher-resolution image (larger file size) of the same pictures that you use for the contest if you are selected as one of the 100 semifinalists. We recommend that you scan your photos at 300 dpi (dots per inch) or higher, which is considered print-quality—that is, we will be able to use it in Maxim magazine. When you have finished scanning the image at this size, save the file with a name such as "hottie_highres.jpg." Now you will need to resize your image, making it smaller for the Web portion of the contest. RESIZING Most people find resizing their photos to be the biggest problem they encounter, so here's a general way of resizing your photos: SAVING YOUR PHOTOS TO YOUR COMPUTER Once you've sized the image to approximately 800 x 600 (horizontal) or 600 x 800 (vertical) pixels you will have to save your photo in the JPEG (.jpg) format. Choose "Save As" in your image-editing program, and select "JPEG" from the dropdown menu. At this point, the software may ask you if you would like to compress your image. For example, Photoshop uses a sliding scale for compression, with 12 being the highest quality and 1 being the lowest quality. We recommend you save at the highest quality possible to start. Since you are using the "Save As" feature, you want to rename the image so that you don't erase your high-resolution version. We suggest something like "hottie_lowres.jpg" Once you've saved your photos you will want to double-check that they are within the file size limits. You can do this by right-clicking the image in the saved location and choosing "Properties" from the menu to get the file size. If the file size of your image is over 250 kilobytes (250 KB), you will want to open the low-res image again in the image-editing software and compress the image a bit by moving the quality scale down slightly (you can find this compression tool under "Image Size" in Photoshop, for instance), and resave. Then check the file size by looking at the newly saved image's "Properties" as described above. Saving your photos within the 250 KB limit will allow you to upload them faster, and it will allow us to download and view your images faster, without sacrificing quality and viewing size. THINGS YOU SHOULD NOT DO TO YOUR PHOTOS Never try to enlarge a photo once it has already been resized or if it is originally smaller than our target size; this will result in distortion and blurring of the image. You will achieve the best results by starting with a larger image and making it smaller. Don't overcompress your photos; if you're using Photoshop, for instance, don't choose anything below 7 on the compression scale to make your image smaller. Overcompressed JPEGs tend to become blurry and unrecognizable. If you start with a resized image of 800 x 600 (horizontal) or 600 x 800 (vertical) pixels and 72 to 150 dpi, you should be able to reach that 250 KB file size without sacrificing quality. WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT Try visiting a FedEx Kinko’s or another local establishment with digital scanning services. If you’re truly Hottie material, we’re sure you’ll have no problem getting the photocopy jockey behind the counter to help you. VIDEO SUBMISSION TIPS Here's your chance to impress the masses in 3-D mode. Follow these instructions carefully—there might be a test! FORMAT: Tapes must be delivered in one of the following formats: Mini DV, HDV, VHS, BETACAM or DVCAM. SETUP: Videos should be shot in the best possible light. Employ a simple light source, but try to use natural light if nothing else. Avoid using a low light setting on your camera—this will make the footage look grainy and dull. Also, avoid shooting directly into a light source such as the sun, windows, or TV. When setting your focus, make sure the auto focus is turned off. Leaving it on may create a "pulsing effect" on your footage, causing it to look blurry as it continually switches in and out of focus. Try using a tripod to shoot your video, or have a friend shoot you instead. Every attempt should be made to get the cleanest-sounding audio. Turn off any background noises such as TV, radios, phones…or dogs. Change up the locations and use your available environments: Shoot in your bedroom, around the house, with your pets, or anywhere that will be fun and best show off your personality and natural hotness. Hey, what better excuse to lounge about your backyard pool! LEGAL: The entrant must own the copyright to the video or the entrant will be required to have the copyright owner (that is, if the video was shot by a professional videographer, for example) complete a Copyright Release. We will tell you how to get a Copyright Release if and when you're contacted for the contest. Also, the copyright owner will not receive payment from Maxim, which brings us to our last point…We will not provide any sort of byline or videographer recognition. The footage must have been taken within the past 6 months. As much as we appreciate the human form in all its naked state, videos containing nudity will not be used on our site, but will instead be raffled off among our sex-starved interns. FOOTAGE: Send us raw footage or a rough edit of the material you shoot. If you do edit the material into a segment, do not include music or graphics on your video images. Make sure not to edit out the fun stuff—we want to see bloopers, outtakes and anything randomly funny that may happen during your shoot. We also want to see your hidden talents: What special powers do you have that the other Hotties don't? Can you do something (Juggling! Sword-Swallowing! Sword-Juggling!) that no other Hottie would even try? Be safe and do not attempt anything that may cause you harm—we're looking for hotties, not jackasses! If you've any secrets to share, we'd love to hear them. Tell us revealing details about you that the world (and your parents) would be surprised to know. Double-jointed: Good. Triple-jointed: Even better. Finally, what characteristics do you possess that truly make you worthy of being a Hometown Hottie? This is your chance to show America what you gots! Good luck out there. RULES | FAQs | PHOTO SUBMISSION TIPS | VIDEO SUBMISSION TIPS |