Every TimeFrame keepsake holds two things: a photo you can see, and a video hiding behind the QR code. The photo gets the compliments. The video gets the tears. So it's worth five minutes of thought before you press record.
Good news: you don't need any filming skill whatsoever. You need 30 seconds and one honest moment.
What makes a video worth keeping
Voices, not productions. The most-replayed videos are simple: someone talking straight to camera, saying something true. "Happy birthday Grandad, we love you." That's it. That's the whole formula.
Real moments beat performances. The birthday song where everyone's out of tune. The toddler who gets distracted halfway through. The dog who wanders into shot. Keep all of it. Perfection isn't the memory: they are.
20 to 30 seconds is the sweet spot. Long enough to matter, short enough to replay fifty times. 45 seconds is our upper limit.
The two-minute technique
- Film near a window or outside. Light on faces makes everything better
- Hold the phone at eye level, steady, or lean it against something
- Match your keepsake photo: portrait photo, portrait video. Landscape with landscape
- Do one practice take, then use the second one. The second take is always the good one
Ideas if you're stuck
A message for their birthday. The story of the day the photo was taken. Everyone in the family saying one word each. The grandkids answering "what's the best thing about Grandma?" Trust us on that last one.
Sending it to us
Send the original file, not a WhatsApp forward, which crushes the quality. And if you're unsure about anything, send it anyway. We check every video before production and we'll flag any problems. Full details in the photo and video guide.