LEGO®

How to photograph your creations for the LEGO MBA Gallery

Here are some tips to help you take the best possible photographs of your LEGO creations for uploading to the LEGO MBA Gallery:

• Be sure that your creation is made entirely of only LEGO elements.
• Use sheets of white paper as a backdrop.
• Light your model well, but do not point the light directly at model. This will limit the glare.
• Find the best angle for viewing your model. Look for one that shows the most detail possible in one shot.
• Try to keep the camera as still as possible and be sure your entire model is visible in the shot.
• Make sure that you are not in the photo! It is against LEGO child safety policies to publish photographs of our fans online.
• Shoot in focus. Compare your model to the shot to be sure the color matches. Make sure it is in focus and not too dark or too light.
• Make a folder on your computer and name it “My LEGO MBA Models” or any other name that makes sense to you. Then make sub folders named after the LEGO MBA kit that your model was inspired by.
• Save the photo file in the folder as an RGB JPEG.

How to Upload Creations to the Gallery

Steps to upload:

• LEGO MBA members can upload photos to the LEGOmba.com Gallery, as part of the "To-Do" List found on your LEGO MBA member desk page.
• Go to your To-Do list.
• Click on an “upload to gallery” activity like the Kit 1: Space Design Challenge.
• Click to complete the upload challenge.
• Follow the simple instructions to upload an image file from your computer into the Lego MBA gallery.
• Remember you can upload up to 5 images to each challenge.

Where can I upload my photos?

LEGO MBA members can only upload photos to the LEGO MBA Galleries through the To-Do list that appears on the member desk page for each kit.

How do I access the galleries?

If you are logged in, click the digital tablet on the LEGO MBA member desk to access to the galleries!

If you’re not logged in, or not a LEGO MBA member, you can still view the galleries by clicking the photographs on the MBA homepage desk.

If you are not logged in or not a LEGO MBA member, you will only be able to access the public gallery and read ratings and comments. Public MBA Gallery can be accessed from "MBA Connect" tablet on public desk. Log in to access the member galleries for each kit and to rate and comment on models!

How do I remove or change my photos in the gallery?

LEGO MBA Members can delete their gallery photos by:

• Create and Share
• Galleries
• My Creations
• Click “Delete” under the photo and the image will be removed.

What are the Pc/MAC file extentions I can upload?

The LEGO MBA Galleries support most image file formats including .jpg and .png.

What size file can I upload?

Please upload only images under 8 MB to the LEGO MBA Galleries.

How do I rate photos?

LEGO MBA Members can earn badges by rating images, so start rating!
To rate photos:

• Make sure you are signed in. Only members can rate photos.
• Go to a LEGO MBA gallery by clicking on the digital tablet on your LEGOmba.com desk.
• View the photos.
• Look for the Rate This Creation feature under the photo.
• Scroll over the stars until the number of stars that you would like to rate the model with is highlighted.
• 5 stars is the most you can give, 1 star is the least. Be fair and thoughtful – remember that you’re trying to help the builder learn and improve.
• Click on the number of stars!

How do I comment on photos?

• Make sure you are signed in. Only members can comment on photos.
• To comment on a photo, go to a LEGO MBA gallery and view photos.
• Look for the Comments section below the photos.
• Enter your comment in the comments field.
• All comments will be moderated.
• Please, if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.

Who can rate and comment on photos?

Only members can rate and comment on photos.

How do I have a comment removed?

For information and questions about comments, contact Customer Service by phone at 1-800-835-4386 M-F 8am-10pm and Sat-Sun 10am-6pm EST. Or simply email us at http://service.lego.com/en-US/contactus/contact-us-email/

MBA Gallery Moderation

As the LEGO Group has used many years to establish a friendly face to the outside world, we need to make sure that no custom uploads will damage this image. For your order to be accepted it must therefore be checked by, and pass moderation. Moderation control may take up to 48 hours, but we will contact you as soon as it is done. For now we can only ask you to please be patient.
Below you will find a list of things that will be checked, and hopefully accepted by our Moderation team.



Language: English Only

As our content moderators cannot possibly know all languages, we are sorry to say text and descriptions in other languages than English will not make it past Moderation.

No URL´s (web addresses)
The Moderation team will not allow the inclusion of any URL´s, or similar, linking to external locations that the LEGO group cannot control.


Discriminating content
The core philosophy of the LEGO Group builds upon creative fun and friendliness, anything that can be seen as hurtful to others, whether related to groups or on a more personal level, will not go through moderation.

Explicit words & Imagery
The LEGO Group wishes to maintain a child-friendly image and environment, therefore curse words as well as the words many mothers hope their children will not use, and or any creations related to these, will not make it through moderation.



Violence
As the LEGO Group wishes to maintain their child-friendly Image, any uploaded material that contains cruelty or explicit violence will be rejected by moderation.


Trademark violation (the use of Names, Logos, Protected Content)
We live in a world populated by companies and businesses. Wherever you find people you also find products, words and services that are created and delivered by all sorts of such organizations. Whatever they may offer, in most cases they have also made the necessary Trademark steps, in order of protecting their name, as well as other specific product details… preventing all their material from being used or misused by others.
When we spread our name and services, we protect them with a line that reads: “LEGO and the LEGO logo are trademarks of the LEGO Group ©2009 The LEGO Group”. This means no one else is allowed to use the LEGO® word-mark, and or the LEGO logo for any type of commercial purposes. We do not want our name, or any content we own or deliver, to be used for public or commercial purposes by outside parties. To remain consistent to such a rule, we ourselves do not use any names or material belonging to other businesses in our products (product is in this case: your custom model).

One good tip to make it past moderation is to use your own imagination instead of trying to copy existing names, designs or product-shapes. Having said this, we want you to welcome your surroundings and let yourself be inspired by the things around you; after all, all the products you know, are in some way inspired by the things our world either had, or was missing, prior to their creation. 


Following is a list of material types that will not pass moderation because of Trademark protection: 


Existing Company/Personal Names
Some trademark protected names include the name of your favorite restaurant, musician, band, type of car, ice-cream or chocolate provider.
Take a look at the different products you find at home, your clothes, pens, stationary, food products, electronic devices etc. If you look closely you will see that most of these display a brand name either as plain text or through the use of a logo (explained below). These names are all trademark protected and will not make it past moderation.
You can use the LEGO name and other names belonging to the LEGO group. You may also use geographical names and other names that are not property of private companies.

Product Names
To give you a few examples this could be the name of your favorite CD, song, movie, game, chocolate bar, car model.

You are allowed to use the LEGO name, and other names belonging to the LEGO group. (I.e. LEGO City, BIONICLE®, DUPLO® etc.)

Logos
A logo is a visual symbol that lets you know what company provides a certain service or product. Examples of logos can be found if you study just about any purchased product you may find in your home, or any other place (i.e. on clothes, electronics, and all types of packaging). You can see our LEGO Logo in the upper left corner of our home page. Logos belonging to other companies are owned by them, and will not be accepted as part of your model design. The only logos you can use within your model are those trademarked and owned by the LEGO group.

Designs
Example: The LEGO Group has protected the look of our Minifigure. As we do not accept that others use this for public or commercial use, we cannot allow ourselves (in this case you as you are creating an official LEGO Product) to use designs belonging to other companies.
I.e. we will not allow: a design based on your favorite cartoon character (unless this is a LEGO character), or a visual adaptation of your favorite CD/DVD cover.
We will allow your adaptations of public buildings, flags and other designs that are not owned by private companies.

The shape of goods or their packaging:
A box is a box and a car is a car, you can upload as many cars as you want, but if moderation can clearly see what type of car you had in mind, then your model will be rejected.
You may make all sorts of products, chairs, lamps, speakers, whatever you may think of. To give an example, please go ahead and make a car, just make sure it’s not too similar to any existing car (i.e. dad´s, your teacher´s, or your own favorite car). So use your imagination, and by all means be inspired by your surroundings, but please DO NOT COPY names or details of products made, and owned by others.

If your model meets the requirements listed above, it will be accepted.

So use your imagination, and by all means be inspired by your surroundings, but please DO NOT COPY names or details of products made, and owned by others.

The LEGO Group is not responsible for lost, distorted or misdirected uploads. If it does not go through, we must ask you to please try again.