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Frequently Asked Questions

General Information

Where have I seen Nucleus Medical Media’s content before? Nucleus Medical Media's medical illustrations, animations, and videos can be found on over 1,000 hospital and private practice websites in the U.S. A short list of clients include WebMD, Dr. Oz, The Doctors, NYU Langone, Detroit Medical Center, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Renown Health, Covenant Health, Gwinnett Medical Center, Lehigh Valley Health Network, and HCA Healthcare. You may also have seen them on Nucleus' YouTube channel.

How can I use Nucleus content? You may license the content for any of the following purposes:

  • Website License: display the content on your corporate website and share links to it on social media. Directly uploading the content to social media is not allowed under this license (see Media License).
  • Education License: display the content to patients and their families for educational purposes. Typical use includes incorporating the videos into EHR/EMR software, providing access via closed circuit television or tablets, or directing patients to view the videos online during or following a patient visit. You may display the content as-is, or in combination with other content, for non-commercial, educational purposes such as professional presentations, internal training, or continuing medical education.
  • Media License: You may create derivative works and directly upload them to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, web properties, etc. It is very important to note that you must edit the videos with your own proprietary content under the terms of this license, and you may not simply display the Nucleus content "as is." See the "Editing Nucleus Content" section of this page for more information.

How much does it cost? Licensing fees vary based upon a variety of factors. Please visit our Contact page to obtain a detailed estimate for your project. It is helpful to include details regarding:

  • how you intend to use the artwork (website, social media, broadcast, etc.)
  • how long you will need access to the content (typically 1, 3, or 5-year term)
  • which specific images or animations you wish to license

How can I be assured that your content is accurate and current? Illustrators and animators with graduate degrees in Medical Illustration create all of our content. Their training includes a rigorous curriculum of anatomy, physiology, histology, embryology, and other life science courses as well as formal art and visual communications instruction. In combination with a team of medical writers, the medical animators peer-review every script, draft, and final piece of artwork. The content receives a final review by members of the Nucleus Review Board, composed of experienced physicians, Ph.D.’s, and other allied health-related instructors.

Can I host the content? Yes.

Do I own the content once I pay for it? No, when you license from us, you are purchasing specific usage rights. Nucleus retains full ownership of all the work we create. We sell our work under a rights-managed, non-commercial license. Rights-managed licenses restrict how the content can be used (including limitations on size, placement, duration of use, and geographic distribution). Non-commercial licenses prohibit the content from being used for commercial gain. The details of these restrictions are outlined in our usage agreement.

How often are the animations in the NAL reviewed and updated? The animations in the Nucleus Animation Library are reviewed and updated regularly based on Review Board or customer feedback.

The Content Library

What types of visual content does Nucleus license? All of the content we license to the healthcare market is available for review in the Gallery.

What content is included in the Gallery?

  • Animations: There are over 250 medical animations covering topics that include cardiology, gastroenterology, neurology, obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), oncology, orthopedics, and much more. New medical animations are added frequently.
  • Illustrations: There are over 150 medical illustrations covering medical conditions, anatomy, physiology, trauma and procedures.

Licensing and Usage

What is a rights-managed, non-commercial license? A rights-managed license carries certain restrictions on how the content may be used (these can include limitations on size, placement, duration of use, and geographic distribution). Non-commercial simply means that the licensee is prohibited from using the content for commercial gain (example: Licensing a collection of images to resell a CD-ROM of our medical images). The details of these restrictions will be outlined in your usage agreement.

Is all of Nucleus’s content issued under a rights-managed, non-commercial license? Yes.

How long can I license the library content? Library content is licensed on an annual basis. Typically, our clients license for 1, 3, or 5-year terms.

Can I use Nucleus content in my PowerPoint presentations? Yes, with an Education License, you may use illustrations and animations in any project or presentation as long as the content is only displayed for the purpose of professional education and will not be used in a product for sale or giveaway, or in a marketing campaign.

Content Delivery

What file format are the animations? Animations are available as .m4v files. The format depends on the terms of the license:

  • For website and education uses – web resolution .m4v file (480 x 270 pixels, 15 fps), with the Nucleus logo and copyright notice on it.
  • For derivative works – large .m4v file (1920 x 1080 pixels, 30 fps), with only the Nucleus logo on it.

How do you deliver your animations? Animation delivery depends on the quantity of animations you license and how they will be hosted. If you are hosting the videos yourself, you may be given a username a password to download content directly from our website, or sent a link to download them from a cloud storage service (like DropBox). For larger animation orders, it may be necessary to ship them to you on a physical hard drive. If you would like us to host the videos for you, we can send you embed codes for your website, or build a microsite to house the animations.

What file formats are the illustrations? Illustrations are available as .jpg files. Image sizes vary, but most are available in a low or medium resolution for use on websites and PowerPoint presentations, and high resolution for print applications.

How do you deliver illustrations? Typically, a link to a download of the file will be sent to you via email. Illustrations can also be directly downloaded via a password-protected website for larger quantity requests.

Custom Content

Do you offer custom illustration or animation services? Absolutely. If you are interested in creating a custom illustration or animation for educational or marketing purposes, please submit a request at our Contact page. A representative of Nucleus will contact you via email or phone to discuss your project and provide a complimentary proposal detailing the scope, timeline, and costs.

How long does it take to have custom content created? The timeline for custom content creation varies based on the type of product, length, and other production details. To determine a timeline for your specific project, contact us.

Can I have my facility's logo embedded into the animations? Yes, for an additional cost, Nucleus can embed your facility's logo and text (i.e., marketing tag line, disclaimer, etc.) at the beginning or end of the animations files you’ve licensed. 
Or, if you prefer, you can have your logo play as a "pre-roll" or "post-roll" – a video that plays before or after the Nucleus animation, without actually embedding it within the animation. This is similar to how an advertisement runs prior to a YouTube video. If you choose to set up your own pre-roll, you would not incur any additional cost from Nucleus.

How do I implement pre- or post-roll videos with the animations? The actual mechanism of implementing a pre/post-roll video will vary with your website's video player implementation. For instance, if you are playing the animations from a Brightcove or Wistia account you can easily set up pre-roll as a separate video to play prior to the animation. Another alternative is to set up a Flash/HTML5 player that plays the pre-roll video first and then loads and plays the library animation.

Editing Nucleus Content

Can I combine Nucleus animations with my videos? Yes, under the Media License you may combine Nucleus animations with your marketing or educational videos to create unique presentations for your healthcare organization. These videos may be displayed on your website, social media such as YouTube, or broadcast television.

Can third party companies use Nucleus content to create videos for my business? Yes, if you have licensed the illustrations and animations under the Media License, you may provide the content to third party companies, such as marketing agencies, graphic designers, videographers, or others, to create your videos. The third party companies are bound by the same terms of the agreement as you, and cannot, among other restrictions, use the animations for other clients who do not have a license to use the Nucleus content.

Are there any restrictions for combining my videos with Nucleus animations? Yes. For each video, you or your marketing agency may use no more than two clips (30-seconds or less) from the Nucleus animations. The reason for this restriction is to ensure a complete differentiation between the new video you create and the Nucleus animations.

Translations and Subtitles

Are Nucleus animations available in Spanish? Yes, all of Nucleus’s animations are available in Spanish.

Are the animations available in other languages? Since the cost of translating animations is very high, the animations are being translated into multiple languages over time, based on requests from customers and partners. To review the available content by language, go to the Gallery and use the "language" pull down menu.

Do the animations have subtitles? All animations are subtitled in English and Spanish.

How do I know the foreign language translations are accurate? Nucleus contracts with Responsive Translation for all translations. This company’s expert translators are members of the American Translators Association and they work only in their native languages. They are also ISO 9001 certified. You can learn more about Responsive Translation's quality assurance guarantee by clicking here.

Is your translator medically certified? Yes. Our translation company, Responsive Translation, was certified by BSI Group America, Inc. on October 16, 2008 for ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 13485:2003 to meet customer requirements in products and services in the medical field. They are annually audited and maintain those certificates in good standing. We maintain these records and can send a copy to you upon request. Just visit our Contact page and submit a request mentioning "Medical Certification".

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