hdalbum User Designer Guide 2017 Collect Create Share Designer V 1.2
Table of Contents Contents Welcome to the hdalbum Designer... 2 Features... 2 System Requirements... 3 Supported File Types... 3 Installing the hdalbum Designer... 4 Launching the hdalbum Designer... 4 Updating the Designer... 5 Starting your Project... 6 Select your Product... 6 Select your pictures... 7 To Use the Wizard or Skip the Wizard?... 8 Using the Wizard... 8 The User Interface... 9 Creating your Project... 11 Adding, removing, moving, resizing, and cropping photos... 11 Page Styles... 13 Editing Objects... 16 The Editor Sidebar... 16 Completing your Order... 18 Contact Us... 25 hdalbum User Designer Guide V 1.2 1
Welcome to the hdalbum Designer The hdalbum Designer is a tool for creating Photo Albums, using your own digital images. Once your photo book is created, the designer tool will upload your images, secure order and payment process and finally submit your project for production. Features Create advanced Photobook and photo gift projects. Allows for quick and easy creation. Supports Mac and PC. Work with 100 s of pictures with ease. Work on photo projects from anywhere - requires no plugins, or Internet connection. AutoFill Photo Albums use your uploaded photos with one click, then edit photo positioning etc. Use a design wizard to help prompt and learn how to create a book very quickly. Comprehensive flight check prior to ordering hdalbum User Designer Guide V 1.2 2
System Requirements The minimum system requirements to use the Album designer are: Mac OSX 10.4 or higher or Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7 2.66 GHz processor or higher 2GB RAM 2GB free Hard disk space An active internet connection Supported File Types JPEG RGB / CMYK / Grayscale TIFF RGB / CMYK / Grayscale PNG RGB / Grayscale Alpha Channel RGB / TIFF / PNG hdalbum User Designer Guide V 1.2 3
Installing the hdalbum Designer Download the installer from http://storefront.dl5k.com/ Once you have downloaded the application, you are ready to begin installation of the hdalbum Designer. For PC users 1. Locate the application file: hdalbum Designer.exe and double-click the file to launch the installation wizard. 2. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the hdalbum Designer on your computer. For MAC users 1. Double-click the application file: hdalbum Designer.dmg and a new window will appear. 2. Drag the hdalbum Designer icon into your Application folder. Launching the hdalbum Designer Upon launching the hdalbum Designer, the editor will display an opening screen which will give you the option to create a new project or open a project that you are currently working on. After clicking Create New Project, you are taken to the product selection page. hdalbum User Designer Guide V 1.2 4
Updating the Designer If this is the first time launching the hdalbum Designer, a new window will appear asking you to update the application. Although this step is mandatory, it is recommended to get the full scope of features that the designer has to offer. You will also be able to update these items at a later time within the application (See below) hdalbum User Designer Guide V 1.2 5
Starting your Project Select your Product The product selection page will allow you to select from a variety of different sizes of books. A: B: The information button found on each product will give you a brief description of the product. Choose the product you would like to create and either double click or select next to continue. hdalbum User Designer Guide V 1.2 6
Select your pictures When adding pictures from your computer, you can add individual pictures or a whole folder of pictures. Be sure to navigate to the correct folder/location and press select. A: B: Once you have selected the pictures to use for your Photo Album, click next. hdalbum User Designer Guide V 1.2 7
To Use the Wizard or Skip the Wizard? The next screen will ask if you would like to use the wizard or to skip the wizard. The Wizard is a guide that will automatically layout your hdalbum for you to help get you started in the initial design process. The wizard is a great tool for beginners that are unfamiliar with the designer. You can always edit your book after using the wizard. Using the Wizard 1) Select the Number of Pages Use the slider to select the number of pages that you would like your book to have. Please note that as you add or remove pages, your total amount increases or decreases. The maximum amount of pages that you can have is a 100 pages and minimum is 20 pages. 2) Choose your background Select a background for your book. This background will be reflected on each page of your book. 3) Preview your design Preview the initial design that the Wizard has set up for your book. After selecting Next, you will be taken to the actual hdalbum Designer User Interface and the initial setup with the Wizard has completed. hdalbum User Designer Guide V 1.2 8
The User Interface H B C F G D A E A) Main Design Area B) Page Overview C) Toolbar D) Picture List E) Page Styles Area F) Shopping Cart G) Editor Sidebar H) Main Menu A) Main Design Area The Main Design Area is the large center work area in the center of the software that displays the content of the page. B) Page Overview The overview page serves as a preview pane for your Photobook project. You will have the ability to preview your book as you are making changes using the arrow buttons (as shown below). hdalbum User Designer Guide V 1.2 9
C) Toolbar 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 The Toolbar allows for easy access to common functions using quick action buttons: 1) Undo/Redo button 2) Save button 3) Add Picture Box 4) Adding Text 5) Auto flow (automatic placing of images) 6) Zoom In/Out 7) Previous/Next Page 8) Preview Option (previews entire project) D) Picture List The Pictures List shows thumbnails of pictures that are currently selected for your project. E) Page Styles Area The Page Styles Area allows you to select pre-designed templates, masks, backgrounds, frames, and scrapbooks to be used for your project. (For more information on various page style options, please refer to the Page Styles section) F) Shopping Cart Clicking the Shopping Cart will begin the ordering process. (Please see the Order Process section for more information) G) Editor Sidebar The Editor Sidebar allows objects in your project to be customized and allows you to crop, rotate, resize, apply filter effects, fade and enhance objects. (Please see the Editing Objects section for more information) H) Main Menu hdalbum User Designer Guide V 1.2 10
The Main Menu Options allow for the user to handle a variety of functions such as saving and closing a project, viewing options, insert options, and more. Creating your Project Adding, removing and moving pages. By default, your project consists of 20 pages (not including the cover). To add a page, simply click on the Page menu from the top menu bar, and then click Add. (Hotkey: Ctrl + Shift + I) Please keep in mind that you will add not only one page but a spread (2 pages) to your project when adding a page. To remove pages from your project, select the page spread you wish to delete from the page overview section, then click on the Page menu from the top menu bar and then click Delete. Finally select Yes to confirm deletion of the spread. To move pages in your project, click on the Page menu from the top menu bar, and then click Rearrange Pages. A new screen will appear which will allow you to select pages and move them up and down using the up and down arrows or by using the respective icons. *Please note: Pages can only be moved in pairs/spreads. Adding, removing, moving, resizing, and cropping photos Add a new photo to your project by clicking the + button on the left side of the application. (As shown below) Select computer then select Add Individual Picture Files to choose a selection of photos or Add Folder Containing Pictures to select an entire folder. Finally, click Select to add all photos that you have selected. To add photos to your page from the Picture List, drag the photo from the thumbnail on the left and insert it into a picture box within your workspace. To add an empty picture box to your workspace, click Add Picture Box from the Toolbar. hdalbum User Designer Guide V 1.2 11
When an image is placed on the page, it will retain its original proportions and be displayed in its entirety. If an image is dragged into a picture box, the image will be scaled to fit the frame and could be cropped. The hdalbum Designer will intelligently judge the size of the image in comparison to the image frame to determine the best scaling. When a picture from the Pictures List has been used a red star appears over the thumbnail, with a number of how many times the image has been used. (See image above) If a picture that has been inserted is of low resolution, a red warning icon will appear above the image (see picture below). Users can track where their pictures have been used. This is done by right clicking on the thumbnail, and selecting Picture Usage from the menu. hdalbum User Designer Guide V 1.2 12
Note. If the application cannot find pictures while opening an existing project or an order, a prompt will display. Clicking the Find Pictures button will open up a new window showing each picture that cannot be located. To remove a photo, right click the box containing your photo and select clear from the drop down list. To move a photo within a page, simply left click the photo you wish to move and hold the mouse button down while dragging to the desired location. To resize a photo, left click on the photo you wish to resize, click on a blue circle on the edge around the image and drag to the desired size To crop a photo, double click the photo, click on the white box in the bottom right hand corner of the photo then drag it to crop the image as desired. Page Styles The Page Styles Area allows you to select pre-designed templates, masks, backgrounds, frames, and scrapbooks to be used for your project. Masks A mask can be added to a picture box or shape simply by dragging it from the library onto the item. hdalbum User Designer Guide V 1.2 13
A mask will always scale to fit the box exactly and will never resize proportionally. When a mask is added to an item, the background color of the masked area can be changed via the Color option in the first tab of the Editor Sidebar. If you wish to remove a mask you can drag the mask named none onto the item or right-click the item and select the Remove Mask option from the menu. Backgrounds A background can be added to a page by dragging it from the library and onto the page. A background will always scale to fit the page proportionally which means that you can double-click on the background and change the crop like a normal picture. If a background is dropped in the centre of a spread then the background will occupy the entire spread. When a background is added to a page you can also drop a mask onto it and change the opacity like a normal picture. Changing the opacity will allow the page background color to show through allowing you to create different color effects. If you wish to remove a background you can either drag the background named None onto the page or rightclick on the page and select the Remove Background option from the context menu. Backgrounds can also be applied to multiple pages when in the creator or designer. Right click on a background within the library the following options will appear. Assign Background To All Pages this will apply the background to all pages and to each left and each right page separately, just as if the background was dragged only onto the left or right page. Assign Background Across Pages this will apply the background across all spread pages, the same as if it was dragged into the centre of the spread. Assign Background To All Left-Hand Pages this will assign the background to all left-hand pages of a spread page. Assign Background To All Right-Hand Pages this will assign the background to all right-hand pages of a spread page. Note: If the product is a single page product then the only option available will be to Assign Background To All Pages. hdalbum User Designer Guide V 1.2 14
Frames Frames can be applied to a picture to create an ornamental framing effect. To access the frames within the library simply click the Frames Tab. To add a frame to your pages, simply drag the selected frame to your work area. Scrapbook The Scrapbook stores pictures (such as clip art) that can be used by end-users when creating their projects and for creating page styles in Creator. To add a Scrapbook picture to your pages, simply drag the selected scrapbook image to your work area. hdalbum User Designer Guide V 1.2 15
Editing Objects The Editor Sidebar The Editor Sidebar to the right of the application contains controls that allow objects to be manipulated. Features of the Editor Sidebar include crop, rotate, resize, apply filter effect, fade, and enhance picture. In this area, you will find several tabs covering different categories (item/shape tab, picture tab, text tab, measurements tab, page background.). A) Item/Shape Tab The Item/Shape tab contains controls that affect the basic shape and appearance of an item. Shape: Changes the basic shape of the item (picture box or shape) selected. Can be changed to a rectangle, circle, or polygon. Please note that the shape of a line or text box cannot be changed. Sides: The number of sides of the shape can be altered by dragging the slider or by inserting a value. (ranging 3-10) Angle: The angle of the shape can be set either by rotating the dial control or by inserting an angle value. (ranging 0-359) Corner: This option will round the corners of the item selected by either dragging the slider or by inserting a value. Colour: This option will change the color of a text box, line or shape. Border: Enabling this option will give the item selected an outline to add definition. Size/Colour/Opacity: The size option will adjust the size of the border or thickness of a line. (ranging 1-40, 40 being the thickest border) To change the color of the border or line, click on the control and select the preferred color from the dropdown list. The Opacity can be adjusted with a range from 10-100. Drop Shadow: Enabling this option adds a drop shadow effect on the selected item. Offset: The Offset controls the distance you wish the drop shadow to appear. (ranging from 0-200) Angle: The Angle defines the direction of the drop shadow. The angle can be adjusted by rotating the dial control. Blur/Colour/Expand/Opacity: These controls allow you to further customize your shadow effect on the selected item. hdalbum User Designer Guide V 1.2 16
B) Picture Tab The Picture Tab on the Editor Sidebar allows you to customize a selected picture. Any adjustments made using these options affect the picture in your hdalbum only and do not affect the actual picture file. Orientation: In this section, the orientation of the picture can be controlled. Options such as Angle, and flipping the image horizontal or vertical can be altered. Picture Enhancement: Using the Picture Enhancement tools, you are able to adjust the brightness, contrast and also change the color mode. (select from Original, Sepia, and Black & White) Vignette: A vignette can be applied to the picture by selecting the checkbox. The shape, size, amount of blur, color, and opacity of the vignette can also be altered. C) Text Tab The Text Tab on the Editor Sidebar allows you to customize text within a text box. Font: The Font control allows you to select from a range of fonts that you have installed on your computer. You also have additional options to adjust the color, opacity, width, and horizontal or vertical skew of the font. Outline: The Outline option allows you to create an outline around your text and also adjust the color of the outline. hdalbum User Designer Guide V 1.2 17
D) Measurements Tab The Measurements Tab on the Editor Sidebar allows you to adjust the position and size of an item. This can serve as an alternate and more accurate method instead of dragging the object. Position: The position section can be adjusted by setting the exact X and Y coordinates of an item. Size: The size section can be adjusted by setting the exact height and width of an item on the page. Constrain Proportions: By selecting the Constrain Properties option, the item selected will always be resized proportionally to the original size. Offset: The Offset defines the vertical and horizontal position of the picture. Scale: The Scale % Value controls the magnification of the picture within the picture box. Zoom Lock: The Zoom Lock option controls if a picture can be dragged outside the bounds of the picture box. This option by default is always enabled but may be unchecked to allow the picture to be scaled or moved freely within the picture box. Angle: The Angle control allows you to control the rotation of the picture box on the page. E) Page Background Tab The Page Background Tab on the Editor Sidebar allows you to change the background color of pages. Simply select the preferred color on both left and right pages. If you do not see the preferred color of choice on the dropdown selection, you can click other to open a color palette to specify a different color. Completing your Order Step 1) Preview your Project We highly recommend that you thoroughly review every page using the preview function on the toolbar once you have completed your project. hdalbum User Designer Guide V 1.2 18
The preview window will provide an accurate representation of how your photo album will be produced. Once you have previewed your project, you are ready to begin the ordering process. To start the ordering process, click the shopping cart button from the toolbar. You can also begin the ordering process from the File menu and selecting Order. Step 2) Flight Check Next, the application will run a Flight Check to show any areas that might be a problem and displays the results. If the flight check only shows yellow error icons, you can cancel the order and return to your project to fix the problems or click OK to continue. If there are issues that remain unresolved, a window appears to ask if you wish to continue. However, if the flight check displays red error icons, these critical errors and the order cannot be placed until the problems are resolved. The following are the different error message circumstances that may occur: hdalbum User Designer Guide V 1.2 19
Red Error message circumstances: - Missing Pictures - Overflowing Text - Missing Font - Missing Mask - Missing Application - Missing Product Scrapbook Picture / Background - Missing Product Mask Yellow Error message circumstances: - Empty Picture Box - Empty Page - Empty Text Box - Low Quality Picture - Low Quality Background Picture - Low Quality Background Mask - Low Quality Picture Mask - Low Quality Shape Mask Once you are happy to continue, you can follow the instructions and reach the order disclaimer. Step 3) Order Disclaimer You must accept the disclaimer before you are able to start ordering. You will require internet access to start the ordering process. After reading the disclaimer select Start to be directed to either go to Add to Cart to work on a different project before going to the payment screen, or to go to Checkout to continue with the completion of the order process and be directed to the hdalbum online order page. hdalbum User Designer Guide V 1.2 20
Step 4) Create an Account/Login At the sign in screen, please select Create an account if you do not have an account and login at the left if you already have a login account. Complete the Create a New Account form. All fields marked with a red * are required. hdalbum User Designer Guide V 1.2 21
Once you have logged in, the order details page is displayed. Here you can enter the quantity required and choose the paper option preferred. (Luster or Glossy) Please note that the type of paper selected will reflect the type of cover your photo album will have. (I.E. if glossy is selected as the paper of choice, the cover will also have a glossy finish) hdalbum User Designer Guide V 1.2 22
Step 5) Shipping The next page is the shipping and billing address confirmation page. Here you will also be able to select your preferred shipping method. To change the shipping address, click on Change and a new window will open to change the address details. If the billing address is different from the shipping address, please uncheck the Same as Shipping Address option and click Change to modify the address in the new window. Step 6) Payment hdalbum User Designer Guide V 1.2 23
On the payment screen, the final cost of your order will be displayed along with shipping information. Please make sure all information is correct before moving forward and confirming your order. Once your order is accepted, the order confirmation screen is displayed (above), along with your order number. You will also receive an order confirmation email with this same information to keep for your records. Step 7) Uploading your Pictures/Pages The final step is to upload your project to hdalbum services. Your project is encrypted and saved locally to our servers and production of your photo album begins. hdalbum User Designer Guide V 1.2 24
Contact Us For any technical support issues or feedback, please contact your local hdalbums provider directly. IMPORTANT: To make sure that hdalbum Service s emails aren t filtered into your junk/spam mail filter, please add our email to your contact or list of trusted senders. hdalbum User Designer Guide V 1.2 25