How to Download Your Lifetouch Digital Photos After You Order

You don't download Lifetouch digital photos from the Lifetouch site where you ordered them. They're delivered to a Shutterfly account. Here's the short version:

1. Wait for the email. About 3 to 5 days after you order, Lifetouch and Shutterfly email you an invitation.
2. Sign in to Shutterfly, or create a free account if you don't have one.
3. Open your Lifetouch page on Shutterfly, select a photo, and click Download Selected. To save a whole album, click View Albums, then Download.

Your copyright release is on Shutterfly too, next to your photos. Below: the full path from picture day to a file on your computer, how big the photos print, and what to do if they don't show up.

How Lifetouch digital images get to you

Since Lifetouch became part of the Shutterfly family of brands, ordering and downloading happen on two different sites:

1. You order on My.Lifetouch.com. Before picture day, you use your school's Picture Day ID from the flyer. After picture day, you use the Portrait ID and Access Code printed on your child's proofs or order sheet.
2. Lifetouch prepares your images. According to Lifetouch, digital images are available about 3 to 5 days after the order date.
3. You get an email from Lifetouch+Shutterfly inviting you to view your digital images.
4. You create or sign in to a Shutterfly account. Lifetouch says your purchased photos are added automatically once you have a Shutterfly account, or once you've moved an older account over.
5. You download from your personalized Lifetouch page on Shutterfly.

If you're looking for your photos on My.Lifetouch.com after ordering, that's why you can't find a download button there. The ordering site is for buying; Shutterfly is where your digital images live.

How to download your photos from Shutterfly

One photo at a time

1. Sign in to Shutterfly.
2. Click the dropdown arrow next to your name at the top of the page and choose Lifetouch. This opens your personalized Lifetouch page.
3. Select the thumbnail of the photo you want.
4. Click Download Selected. Lifetouch says this saves the image in full resolution.

A whole album

1. From your Lifetouch page, click View Albums.
2. Choose the album for your child or the school year.
3. Click Download to save every image in the album in full resolution.

A computer makes this easier, especially for albums with several poses.

Claiming your photos on Shutterfly

If the invitation email never showed up, you can claim your photos on Shutterfly yourself. Lifetouch says to start the claiming process at shutterfly.com/lifetouch-pictures and enter the email address you used to make your purchase.

You don't need your Portrait ID for this step. Lifetouch gives you a few different codes, and each one works in a different place:

If the claim comes up empty:

• Your order is less than 5 days old. Lifetouch says digital images can still be processing during the 3 to 5 days after you order.
• You might have used a different email. Try any other address you could have entered at checkout, like a work email or a partner's email.
• Your order didn't include digital images. Only digital images you bought get added to Shutterfly. To add them, use your Portrait ID and Access Code on My.Lifetouch.com.
• You ordered at a JCPenney Portraits studio. These studios are run by Lifetouch. You'll get an email from JCPenney Portraits when your images are ready to claim online, and they go to your Shutterfly account the same way.

What about a free digital image? Lifetouch's help pages don't describe any free digital image offer. Your Shutterfly page shows the digital images you bought. If a school flyer or email promised a free image, check that flyer or email for the details, or ask Lifetouch support to confirm.

What you get, and how big it prints

Lifetouch lists its digital photos as 2400 × 3000 pixels, and says they print best at 8×10. That's an exact fit: spread over an 8×10 print, the photo has 300 pixels for every inch, which is the level of detail print shops usually aim for, and nothing gets cut off.

You can print other sizes, but two things change: how much detail goes into each inch, and how much gets trimmed. The photo has the same shape as an 8×10, so sizes with a different shape lose a little from the sides. Here's how common US sizes work out:

To check other sizes or a different file, try our free photo print size calculator.

What this means in practice:

• 4×6, 5×7, and wallets have plenty of detail. Just check the crop preview when you order prints, so the top of your child's head doesn't get trimmed.
• Bigger than 8×10 means less detail per inch than Lifetouch recommends. Ask your print shop for a preview before you order a large print.

If you're printing team photos or making a banner, our guide to clean copies of team sports photos covers larger formats.

Your copyright release

As with most professional portraits, the copyright stays with the photographer, in this case Lifetouch, even after you buy the files. That's why Lifetouch provides a copyright release with purchased digital images, and it says the release is available on Shutterfly along with your images.

Read it before you print, edit, or share widely, since it spells out what you're allowed to do with the files. Download a copy and keep it in the same folder as your photos. Some photo labs and stores may ask to see a release before they print professional portraits.

Can't find your Lifetouch photos?

Work through this list before contacting support:

• It's been less than 5 days since you ordered. Digital images take about 3 to 5 days, so give it a little more time.
• You never got the invitation email. Search your inbox and spam folder for "Lifetouch" and "Shutterfly." If it's not there, claim your photos on Shutterfly with the email address from your order, as described in the claiming section above.
• You're signed in, but the photos aren't there. Make sure you're using the Shutterfly account that matches the email address on your Lifetouch order. If you have more than one Shutterfly account, check the other one too.
• You have more than one child. On the Lifetouch ordering page, switch students using the dropdown in the green banner in the upper right.
• You only bought prints. Use the link in your original Lifetouch email to add digital images. Lifetouch says you can use your Portrait ID and Access Code to order or reorder for up to 9 months after picture day.
• Still stuck? Call Lifetouch at 877-846-5012, the number on its digital image FAQ, or visit the Lifetouch Help Center.

If your Access Code is lost or something about your order looks wrong, Lifetouch support is the right place to go. They can look up your order and fix it.

Back up your photos

Lifetouch says it stores student photos "for a reasonable length of time," without giving a specific period. Don't rely on any online account as your only copy:

1. Download the full album to a computer.
2. Rename the files with your child's name, grade, and school year.
3. Keep a second copy in a different place, like an external drive or a different cloud service.
4. Save the copyright release alongside the photos.

Senior portraits, sports, and yearbook photos can have their own ordering paths at Lifetouch. For senior pictures, our guide to senior picture proofs explains what to expect after you order. If your school uses a different company, see how PhotoDay digital downloads work.

FAQ

How long does it take to get Lifetouch digital images?

Lifetouch says digital images are available about 3 to 5 days after the order date. You'll get an email from Lifetouch+Shutterfly when they're ready. If a week has passed with no email, check spam, then use the claiming process on Shutterfly.

What resolution are Lifetouch digital downloads?

Lifetouch lists them at 2400 × 3000 pixels and 300 DPI, and says they print best at 8×10. That's enough for sharp 8×10, 5×7, and 4×6 prints, though the smaller sizes crop a little from the sides because their shape is different.

Where is my Lifetouch copyright release?

On Shutterfly, together with your purchased digital images. Lifetouch provides a copyright release with every digital image you buy. Download it and keep it with your photos, in case a print shop asks to see it.

Do I need my Portrait ID to claim Lifetouch photos on Shutterfly?

No. To claim on Shutterfly, you enter the email address you used to make your purchase. Your Portrait ID and Access Code are for ordering or reordering on My.Lifetouch.com, for up to 9 months after picture day.

Is there a free Lifetouch digital image on Shutterfly?

Lifetouch's help pages don't describe a free digital image. Your Shutterfly page shows the digital images you bought. If a school flyer or email promised a free image, the details will be in that flyer or email. Lifetouch support can confirm what your order includes.

Who do I contact if my Lifetouch photos are missing?

Contact Lifetouch, either by phone at 877-846-5012 or through the Lifetouch Help Center. Have your child's name, school, and the email you used to order ready, plus your Portrait ID and Access Code if you have them.