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Frequently Asked Questions
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General
A digital download - with high-definition video files (1080p, MP4) that you play through a projector or screen. No physical item is shipped. After purchase you get a download link; save the files to your computer, a USB drive, or a media player. A full List of the files and how to use them is in the README file included in every pack.Getting StartedUnderstanding Your Projection Craft Pack
Three things: a projector (or TV), something to play the file (a computer, laptop, USB media player, or a small device like a Raspberry Pi), and a surface (if you are not using a TV) - a window with a screen behind it, a wall, or a sheer curtain. That's it. No projection-mapping software, no special skills. Our setup guides walk you through every option. All packs come as one long loop and individual clips so you can build your own display with no editing required.Getting Started Guide
A few things.First, cinematic quality - our effects are animated and lit like film shots, not flat cartoons, so the illusion actually holds up. Second, every pack is a complete system, not a single clip: drop in the ready-made loop and your display runs itself with zero editing, or use the individual animations and included connectors - fades, holds and transitions — to build your own custom sequence and control exactly when the scares land. Click-and-go if you want it, fully directable if you don't. And third, we're maker-led: every download comes with the know-how to build the whole illusion, from the team behind the Creative Geekery channel. We help you get the result, not just sell you a file.Lean More:About UsGetting StartedWhat You Get in a Projection Craft Pack
Scrim is a light, semi-transparent mesh. It catches enough of the projected image to show a bright effect from outside, while staying see-through enough to add depth — perfect for ghosts. A sheer or chiffon curtain works beautifully and looks tidy in the window. Full details are in our Window Projection Setup Guide.
Often, yes. Many projectors have a USB port that plays video from a memory stick — no computer needed. If yours doesn't, connect a laptop, TV stick or media player via HDMI. Either way, keep just one video on the stick for a clean loop.Additional Links:Easy Set UpWindow ProjectionLooping Your Videos
The answer to this question depends on your projector and equipment (like external media player).Most projectors need a button to be pressed on the remote or projector after they have been powered up for them to start which often boots to its own menu instead of the HDMI source, and all projector's settings differ. Look for an "auto source" or default-input setting, then put the whole setup on a smart plug or timer to switch on at dusk. Our Playback & Looping guide covers the options and the trade-offs in full. However auto play from an external player connected to the projector is often much easier. The NEUMI Atom or a USB-stick projector auto-plays on power-up. But this is only helpful IF your projector selects the HDMI input on start-up.
That square is the projector's "black" giving off faint light. Turn the brightness down and adjust contrast/color so the dark areas emit as little as possible, and add a simple cardboard mask with a window-shaped hole a few inches in front of the lens to block the spill. Full details are in our Window Projection Setup Guide.
Each pack typically has few file types (please note packs may differ): Effect clips (the actual ghosts, creatures and scenes)Connector clips (short black or white spacers that sit between effects to smooth the joins)Fade-to-black and fade-from-black clips (for gliding into and out of black), and...Full Loop (the whole show pre-built into one file). If you just want it working, use the Full Loop.To build your own show, see our guide "Understanding Your Pack."
Connector clips are short spacer videos — black or white, some with window frames or backgrounds — designed to sit between your effect clips so one transitions cleanly into the next instead of hard-cutting. Drop one between each effect when you build a playlist or a long video. Our "Understanding Your Pack" guide shows exactly how.
Two ways: name the files 001, 002, 003… on a USB stick to make a playlist the projector loops in order, or stitch them into one long video in a free editor for the smoothest result. Our "Understanding Your Pack" guide walks through both, step by step. Also check out our "Looping Guide" for additional information.
As soon as your payment goes through, your download is delivered two ways: a download link appears on the order confirmation (thank-you) page immediately after checkout, and a confirmation email with your download link is sent to the email address you used at checkout. The email usually arrives within a few minutes.If it hasn't arrived, work through these in order — this solves it almost every time:Wait a few minutes. Email delivery can take up to 15–30 minutes at busy times. It's worth a short wait before anything else.Check your spam, junk, and promotions folders. Automated order emails very often land there. Search your inbox for "ProjectionCraft" to be sure.Check your account area. If you created an account when you made your purchase, your download is saved there too — just log in and go to your purchases. (No account? No problem — the email and confirmation page still have your link.)Check you used the right email address. If there's a typo in the address you entered at checkout, the email can't reach you. Check the address on your card/PayPal receipt against the one you expected.Try the confirmation page. If you're still on, or can get back to, the thank-you page from your purchase, your download link is there too — you don't have to wait for the email.Add us to your contacts. If your provider is blocking the email, adding our email for orders no-reply@stores-emails.com to your contacts (or to your whitelist) and retrying can help Still nothing after 30 minutes and a spam check? Use the contact form and choose "Download or access problem." Include the email address and, if you have it, the order number you used at checkout, and we'll get your file to you.Contact Us Form
The download link is available instantly on the confirmation page right after checkout. The confirmation email typically arrives within a few minutes, though it can occasionally take up to 15–30 minutes. If it's been longer than that, it's almost always sitting in a spam or junk folder for emails from no-reply@stores-emails.com - check there first.If you can't find an email from this address, see if your email provider is blocking no-reply@stores-emails.com - you can often 'whitelist' an email address if your provider is blocking it.
A few common fixes:Check your internet connection (we know its stupid - but worth checking first), these are large video files and a dropped connection can interrupt the download.Download on a computer if you can, rather than a phone or tablet. Some mobile browsers struggle with large files or hide where the download went.Don't rename or move the file mid-download. Let it finish first.If the link appears to expire or fail - try the link again.Still got issues - contact us via the form ("Download or access problem") and we'll sort it out.Contact Us Form
Yes. Your download link stays in your order confirmation email, so you can come back to it from any device. And if you create a free account using the same email address you bought with, all your purchases are saved in your account area for re-download any time — we recommend it, so you always have your files to hand even if you change device or lose the download. We'd also suggest keeping a personal backup copy once you've downloaded, just to be safe.
Our files are standard MP4 (H.264) video, which plays on almost everything, so if a file won't play it's nearly always one of a few simple things — usually a download or USB issue rather than the file itself. Work through these in order:Step 1 — Re-download the file (fixes most cases). The most common cause is a download that got interrupted and saved incompletely. Delete the file you have and download a fresh copy:Use a stable internet connection (avoid weak mobile signal — these are large files).Download on a computer rather than a phone or tablet if you can.Let the download finish completely before opening, moving, or renaming it. Try playing the fresh copy on your computer first, before putting it anywhere else. If it plays on the computer, the original download was the problem — and the rest of these steps are about getting it onto your player cleanly.Step 2 — Copy to your USB stick cleanly. If it plays on your computer but not off a USB stick or media player, the transfer is usually the culprit:Format the USB stick first so it's completely clean. Use exFAT format — it works with the widest range of players and handles large video files (older FAT32 can't handle files over 4GB, which some of ours may exceed). Formatting erases the stick, so save anything on it first.Copy only our video files onto the freshly formatted stick — remove other videos, folders, and junk. Some media players get confused by extra files or unexpected folders and won't play anything.Eject the USB stick safely before removing it — pulling it out mid-copy leaves a corrupted file on the stick even if the original is fine.Step 3 — Check your device actually supports the file. Most modern TVs, projectors, media players and media sticks play MP4/H.264 straight off USB. If yours won't:Check your device's manual for supported formats and the maximum resolution it accepts.Very old or very cheap players sometimes cap the resolution or don't support USB playback at all — in that case, playing from a computer or a dedicated media player (e.g. a small HDMI media box) is the reliable route.Step 4 — Try a different player app (if playing on a computer or phone). If you're playing on a computer or phone and the built-in player struggles, install a free, widely-compatible player like VLC (Windows, Mac, iOS and Android). VLC plays virtually any file and rules out a fussy default player as the cause.Step 5 — Convert the file (rare — the last resort). If, after all the above, your specific device still won't accept the file, you can convert it to a format your device prefers using a free tool like HandBrake (Windows/Mac). This is very rarely needed — it's for unusual or older hardware. If you reach this point, contact us via the form ("A file won't play"), tell us exactly what device you're using, and we'll help you get it working.Still stuck? Contact us through the form, choose "A file won't play," and tell us: the file name, the device you're trying to play it on, and which of the steps above you've already tried. That last detail saves us both time and gets you a faster fix.
All our packs are delivered as a ZIP file — a single compressed folder that holds all the videos, so it downloads quickly as one file. Before you can play the videos, you need to "unzip" (extract) it. It only takes a few seconds:On a Windows computer:Find the downloaded ZIP file (usually in your Downloads folder).Right-click it and choose "Extract All…"Choose where to put the files (or accept the default) and click Extract.A normal folder opens with all the videos inside, ready to use.On a Mac:Find the downloaded ZIP file (usually in your Downloads folder).Double-click it. It extracts automatically into a folder in the same place.Open the new folder — all the videos are inside, ready to use.On a phone or tablet:iPhone/iPad: open the Files app, tap the ZIP file, and it creates a folder you can open.Android: open your Files or "My Files" app, tap the ZIP, and choose Extract.Note: phones are fine for extracting and previewing, but for actually running a display you'll usually want the files on a computer or copied to a USB stick (see the playback question below).Important: always extract the ZIP first — don't try to play the videos from inside the ZIP file. Some devices will let you peek inside without extracting, but the videos may not play correctly until the ZIP is properly unzipped into a normal folder.Once extracted, you'll see the pack's folders (the different formats) and a README file with instructions — start there.
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