A birthday present they can step into
A birthday is the one day that is entirely about one person, and this gift is made of nothing but them: their face on the big screen above the square, their friends on the screens along the streets, their song playing as they drive. It works for a child turning eight, a friend turning thirty and a parent turning seventy — anyone whose life you have photos of.
- What it is
- A night city made from your photos: they appear on the big lit screens along the streets. They drive through it, or press Automatic and watch it as a film, with your song playing.
- What it costs
- One payment of £14.99, €14.99 or US$14.99, depending on your country. No subscription, no account.
- How you make it
- Add up to 20 photos and one song if you like (an MP3, otherwise our soundtrack plays), then pay £14.99, €14.99 or US$14.99 securely by Stripe. Your world is usually ready about a minute later; a slow connection takes longer.
- What you get
- One small file, usually under 10 MB. We also e-mail you a receipt with the file attached when it is small enough for e-mail.
- How they open it
- In the web browser they already have, on a phone, tablet or computer. No app, no account, and it works offline. On iPhone they open ourspecialworld.com in Safari, tap “Open a saved world” and choose the file. Phones play it sideways, in landscape.
Choosing photos for a birthday
Milestone birthdays: count the years
You have twenty photos, so let the age decide the rhythm:
- 18th or 21st: about one photo a year, from the first birthday cake to now.
- 30th, 40th, 50th: two to five photos per decade — baby, school, the first flat, the wedding, the children, today.
- 60th and beyond: include scanned prints of the early years. Photograph them flat, in daylight by a window, with no flash, so there is no glare.
An ordinary birthday: their last twelve months
For a child, a partner or a close friend, the best story is often simply the year since their last birthday: trips, little wins, silly faces. Ask a friend or sibling for two or three photos you do not have; those are the ones that surprise.
Who gets the biggest screen
The biggest screen, on the main square, goes to the photo whose shape suits it best — a landscape (sideways) photo — and among equally good fits, the earliest in your order. If you want a recent portrait of them there, choose a sideways one and put it first.
The birthday song
Two ideas that work: the number one from the week they were born, or the song they cannot stop playing this year. Add it as one MP3 you own, up to ten minutes long. Without one, our own soundtrack plays.
When to send it, and what to say
- At midnight or first thing: send the file by message so it is the first present they open.
- At the party: open it on a laptop, press Automatic and let the film play while the cake comes out.
- With a card: write “open the file I sent you” inside the birthday card, and send the file on the day.
“Thirty years, twenty photos, one city. Open the file and drive. Happy birthday.”
A look inside a finished world
Honest answers
Can a child drive it?
Yes. On a phone or tablet there are on-screen controls; on a computer, the arrow keys. If driving is not their thing, the Automatic button plays the whole city as a film.
Do phones play it upright?
No. On a phone the world plays sideways, in landscape, and asks them to turn the phone. Our website itself works upright as normal.
Will it say “Happy birthday” in the city?
Not at the moment. The city is the same lit night city for every gift; the birthday is in your photos, your song and the message you send with it.
What happens to photos of our children?
They are used once to build the world, then deleted from our server once your file is downloaded. If you do not buy, they are deleted when you leave, at the latest 15 minutes after you add them; while you are at the payment page they are kept until the payment finishes or is abandoned, about half an hour at most. We keep no copy.
Can I change a photo afterwards?
No — we do not keep your photos, so a finished world cannot be edited. If you made a mistake, e-mail [email protected] and we will look into it; usually that means letting you make it again.
How long does it take?
After you add your photos and pay, the world is usually ready in about a minute; a slow connection takes longer. Keep the page open until the download button appears.
Make their birthday world
Gather the photos first; everything after that takes a few minutes.
Add your photos. Add a song. Pay once and it is yours.