User Manual-5.
User Manual-5.0 Album Xpress User Manual CONTENTS 1. Hello 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Scope and System Requirements MAC System Windows System 2. Opening the Tool Box – Getting Started 2.1 Registration 2.1.1 Online Registration 2.1.2 Offline Registration 2.2 Know Your Software 2.2.1 General Features 2.2.2 Controls and Navigations 2.2.3 Shortcut Tools 2.2.4 Preferences Language Unit Theme Facebook Layout 3. Getting Into the Job – Using the Software 3.1 Predefined Categories and Sizes 3.
7. 8. 9. 10. 3 6.1.1 Basic Filters 6.1.2 Artistic Filters 6.1.3 Other tools on Edit Photo window 6.3 Advanced Editing Job’s Done! – Saving and Exporting Open Project 8.1 Open Saved Project 8.2 Open as Template Troubleshoot Support User Manual-5.
User Manual-5.0 Album Xpress User Manual 1.0 Hello Congratulations on buying Album Xpress! This Manual will guide you on how to use this software effectively. 1.1 Introduction Life is full of colorful moments and Albums help recreate the magic of those special occasions long after they are over. Hence, Albums for any special occasion or landmark in life, such as weddings, birthdays and so on, should be created in a manner that helps one to relive and cherish those special moments.
User Manual-5.0 2.0 Opening the Tool Box- Getting Started This section deals with online and offline registration process and other tools like shortcuts, preferences and help. 2.1 Registration Once you have installed the Album Xpress software on your computer, you need to proceed to Registration. This ensures that all features of the software are made available to you. Registration is very easy and the user-friendliness of the software makes the process quick and simple.
User Manual-5.0 OR If you are registering the Standard version (STD) of the software, then you will get the Serial Number inside the box as well as behind the box pack. Enter this Serial Number in the serial number text box. After ensuring that all the fields are filled correctly, click on right-hand corner. in the lower The message confirming completion of the registration process appears on the screen (Image 2.1.1.1). You are now registered and can use the software. Image 2.1.1.
User Manual-5.0 In the first field- Serial Number (XXXXXXXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX), if you are registering the Professional version (PRO) of the software then the Serial number will be automatically generated in the serial number text box. You will also find the serial number inside the software box pack. OR If you are registering the Standard version (STD) of the software, then you will get the Serial Number inside the box as well as behind the box pack. Enter this Serial Number in the serial number text box.
User Manual-5.0 2.2 Know Your Software This section gives you a basic understanding of Album Xpress before you actually start working on the software. Running through this section will enhance your understanding of the options available and will help you to make finest use of the software. 2.2.1 General Features Album Xpress comes with several features, which are discussed in this section: Auto Album Creation: Album Xpress helps you to design and create the Album of your choice.
User Manual-5.0 Advance Photo Editing: Album Xpress has features—Lasso, Chroma, Touchup, Highlighter and Eraser— for advance photo editing to enhance the quality of the photos that make up your Album. Multilingual: Album Xpress is already loaded with multiple languages. Album Xpress supports Unicode. DgFlick keeps adding to its list of languages that Album Xpress works on. You could download the latest dictionary, which may include the language you are looking for.
User Manual-5.
User Manual-5.
User Manual-5.
User Manual-5.
User Manual-5.0 Select the units you want to work in, from . Select the different color themes in which you want your software to be displayed from , click on to get more Themes from Dgflick website. The history which was generated at the time of importing photos from Facebook will be deleted by clicking on the checkbox from Facebook option. OR If you want to work offline and want to access the photos from Facebook in future which are already accessed then keep the checkbox unchecked.
User Manual-5.0 3.1 Predefined Categories and Sizes Album Xpress is versatile software that lets you use its made-to-standard, predefined categories and sizes or create your own categories and sizes the way you want to. The ready-to-use Album types, which conform to printing and binding industry standards, come in six major variants. Each of these categories has multiple size options and you can choose the size that suits the Album you want to design. Table 3.1.
User Manual-5.
User Manual-5.0 3.2 Creating and Modifying Categories and Sizes * Album Xpress has a wide variety of predefined template sizes for Albums (please refer table 3.1.1). However, in case the Album size you have in mind is not among the standard sizes, you could create your own category and size, edit it or delete it as per your requirement. You can define your own custom Album parameters such as Cover, Pages, Size, Bind, Spine and Safe Area. 3.2.
User Manual-5.0 Image 3.2.1.2: The ‘Select Category’ window with the ‘Add’, ‘Edit’ and ‘Delete’ options On the next window: ‘Create Category’ (Image 3.2.1.3), Fill in the fields corresponding to the, ‘Name’: The name you want for your new Category. ‘Ref. Image’: The image you want for your Category, clicking on the icon to the right of this field lets you choose the reference image from the path in which you saved it. ‘Description’: Give a description of the category you are creating. Image 3.2.1.
User Manual-5.0 ! Leaving either the ‘Name’ or the ‘Ref. Image’ field blank will not allow you to save the Category. The new category is created and can be viewed along with the predefined categories. ! At any point during the process, you could click on the back button to go back to the previous window. On clicking this button, you are offered the chance to save/not save your changes or cancel the ‘Back’ command. You could also click on to go back to the home page.
User Manual-5.0 Image 3.2.1.6: The ‘Create Album’ window Define the units and DPI from here. Set the parameters below the Page Details. These are: Width and Height, Margins (Center/Left/Right/Top/Bottom), Page start (Left/Right), Page style (Page/Spread/Spread-Split), Number of pages (Minimum and Maximum). Select the cover type from Digital Cover (Yes/No). Set the parameters below the Cover details. These are: Width and Height, Margins (Left, Right, Top and Bottom), Spine and Split.
User Manual-5.0 Click on the lower left-hand corner to save the size you created. (Image 3.2.1.7) Image 3.2.1.7: The new size The new Album size is created and can be viewed along with the other Album sizes. Note: Features marked with * marks are only for PRO version users. 3.2.2 Editing a Category and Size * Editing a Category Click on categories and sizes. in ‘Create Album’ window (Image 3.2.2.1) to view the available Album Image 3.2.2.
User Manual-5.0 Image 3.2.2.2: The ‘Select Category’ window with ‘Add’, ‘Edit’ and ‘Delete’ option On the next page: ‘Edit Category’ (Image 3.2.2.3), You can add your edits to the, ‘Name’: Edit the name as per your choice. ‘Ref. Image’: Edit the Ref. image as per your choice by clicking on the icon to the right of this field lets you choose the reference image from the path in which you saved it. ‘Description’: Change the description of the Category as per your Choice. Image 3.2.2.
User Manual-5.0 Editing an Album Size To view the available sizes under a category, double click on the category. Alternatively, you could select the category and then click on in the lower right-hand corner. On the ‘Select Album’ window, (Image 3.2.2.4) select the size you need to edit and then click on . Image 3.2.2.4: The ‘Select Album’ window with ‘Add’, ‘Edit’ and ‘Delete’ option On the next page: ‘Edit Album’ (Image 3.2.2.
User Manual-5.0 Set the parameters below the Page Details. These are: Width and Height, Margins(Center/Left/Right/Top/Bottom), Page start (Left/Right), and Page style (Page/Spread/Spread-Split), Number of pages (Minimum and Maximum). Select the cover type from Digital Cover (Yes/No). You could add your comments by clicking on the ‘Comment’ button. Click The changes done get saved. on the lower right-hand corner to save the changes you made to the size.
User Manual-5.0 After selecting the category you wish to delete on the ‘Select Category’ window (Image 3.2.3.2), click on to delete it permanently. Image 3.2.3.2: The ‘Select Category’ window with ‘Add’, ‘Edit’ and ‘Delete’ option A dialog box asking if you are sure you want to delete it appears on the screen. Clicking on ‘Yes’ deletes the category permanently; clicking on ‘No’ aborts the operation.
User Manual-5.0 Image 3.2.3.3: The ‘Select Album’ window A dialog box asking if you are sure you want to delete it appears on the screen. Clicking on ‘Yes’ deletes the category permanently; clicking on ‘No’ aborts the operation. Note: Features marked with * marks are only for PRO version users. 3.3 Creating your Album Once you have modified or customized categories according to your requirements (Section 3.2), it is time to move on to the actual process of Album creation.
User Manual-5.0 Maximum 10 sizes get stored in this option. Image 3.3.1.1: ‘Create Album’ window Here create size as per your requirement. (refer section 3.2.1 Creating a category and size) Image 3.3.1.2: Adding new custom size for the Album After you add parameters for new custom size, click on to select style of Album creation. Here we will go with Perfect Album creation style.
User Manual-5.0 Image 3.3.1.3: ‘Select Theme’ window You can sort themes in following parameters. Theme: You can sort theme wise i.e. Wedding. Style: You can sort style wise i.e. General. Color: You can sort them color wise. You have 7 colors to sort themes. ! Additional icons on the page: clicking on allow you to alter the size of the thumbnails. If you select option, you will be redirected to ‘Design Album’ window where you will have to add photos manually into the selected theme.
User Manual-5.0 Image 3.3.1.4: ‘Select Photos’ window Shows the number of photos selected. Select the required photos; the selected ones have the green tick mark on the top left corner of the photo. To select the photo for cover, click on the icon on the top right hand corner of the photo. If you want to select a photo only for your cover and not for your inner pages of Album then uncheck the by selecting photo in cover option. The photo will appear like this.
User Manual-5.0 Image 3.3.1.5: ‘Select Photos’ window … photos selected with confirmation window Left side of confirmation window is showing details about selected and used photos for cover page and right side is showing the selected photos, used photos and the required pages for your Album. Set Maximum photos per page. Change the selected pages according to the pages recommended. Check the ‘Respect safe area’ if you want to maintain safe margins around the page.
User Manual-5.0 And in this way you are done with Perfect Album. You can save and export it. (refer section 7.0) 3.3.2 Eco Album Creation In Eco Album, your photos will get arranged in a particular size on all the pages. It gives you two options for selection of photo size i.e. small and medium size. Common Features : This lets you change to the path of your choice to select photos, backgrounds, clip-arts, borders and masks.
User Manual-5.0 Image 3.3.2.1: ‘Select Category’ window Select the category of your choice and continue with ‘Next’ button. Note: Eco Album option is available in following sizes only: 18 X 12, 15 X 12, 14 X 10 and 16.5 X 11 in page style and 36 X 12, 30 X 12, 28 X 10 and 33 X 11 in spread style. You will be redirected to ‘Select Album’ window from where you can choose Album size. Image 3.3.2.
User Manual-5.0 You will be redirected to ‘Select Theme’ window where you can choose theme for your Album. Image 3.3.2.3: ‘Select Theme’ window ! Additional icons on the page: clicking on allow you to alter the size of the thumbnails. If you select option, you will be redirected to ‘Design Album’ window where you will have to add photos manually into the selected theme. OR If you haven’t selected any theme and you choose ‘Design Album’ window for manual creation of Album.
User Manual-5.0 You can make changes to the photos using the options listed at the bottom of the page. (for details refer Section 3.3.5 Manage Your Photos) Shows the number of photos selected. Select the photos for your Album and move on to the next process with ‘Next’ button. When you click on ‘Next’ button, you will be able to see a confirmation window where following information will be displayed. Image 3.3.2.
User Manual-5.0 Image 3.3.2.6: ‘Design Album’ window … Album is created You can change photos or swap photos with each other. With button you can see preview of Album. Image 3.3.2.7: Preview of Album With this navigator Album. In this way, your Album is ready. You can save and export it. (refer section 7.0) , you can navigate through pages of 3.3.3 Auto Album Creation Album Xpress helps you to design and create the Album of your choice.
User Manual-5.0 The Process In ‘Create Album’ window, click on at bottom right hand corner of the window to select standard categories and sizes for your Album or create custom size. (refer section 3.3.1 Create Album with custom sizes) In ‘Select Category’ window, select the category for your Album. Image 3.3.3.1: ‘Select Category’ window Here we have selected Diamond Category. As you select category for Album, continue the process with ‘Next’ button.
User Manual-5.0 select the Album style. Select the Album style – Auto and continue with next button. You will be redirected to ‘Select Theme’ window. Image 3.3.3.3: ‘Select Theme’ window You can see preview of cover and Album pages here. Below preview, you can see available themes (templates) for your Album. You have different sorting option by which you can sort themes. They are as follow: Orientation: You can sort themes orientation wise i.e.
User Manual-5.0 Image 3.3.3.4: ‘Select Theme’ window … Themes applied If you select option, you will be redirected to ‘Design Album’ window where you will have to add photos manually into the selected templates. OR If you haven’t selected any templates and you choose to ‘design Album’ window for manual creation of Album.
User Manual-5.0 Image 3.3.3.5: ‘Select Photos’ window : A picture selected for the cover. The : A picture chosen for a page. The page number indicates this. at the top indicates this. Shows the number of pages selected and the number of photos required for the Album. Here select photos you want for your Album. You can use select all option to select all photos.
User Manual-5.0 Image 3.3.3.6: ‘Select Photos’ window … photos selected ! Clicking on displays the revised Album pages; alternatively, ‘hides’ them. Once you are done with photo selection process, continue process with You will be redirected to ‘Select Album’ window where you can see your Album is ready with selected themes and photos. option. Image 3.3.3.7: ‘Design Album’ window with ready Album Now your Album is ready to save and export. (refer section 7.
User Manual-5.0 Table 3.3.3.8: Photo Quality Indicator Interpretation Indicator and color The photo quality is not good; however, the final output will be satisfactory. Yellow The photo quality is poor and will not yield good results on printing. Orange The photo is unsuitable for printing. Red 3.3.4 Manual Album Creation In manual Album Creation software provides you full control over designing. You can give personal touch to your Album by adding your cliparts, background, shapes and decors.
User Manual-5.0 Rotates the object. To rotate the object as per your requirements, click on the tool and alter the x, y and z axis. You could also rotate it by 90 or 270 degrees and flip them vertically or horizontally also rotate the image manually by using . You could and entering the value of your choice or using the slider Helps you to use enhance the photos. To reset the change you made to the page. To redo a change you made to the page.
User Manual-5.0 with custom sizes) You will be redirected to ‘Select Category’ window. Image 3.3.4.2: ‘Select Category’ window In ‘Select Album’ window, select size for Album. Image 3.3.4.3: ‘Select Album’ window …. Size selection You can choose no of pages for Album from Once you select the Album size, you can continue the process with ‘Next’ button. You will be asked to select the Album style. Select the Album style – Manual and continue with next button.
User Manual-5.0 Image 3.3.4.4: ‘Design Album’ window … Album with blank pages Background Tab Click on the any solid color. Besides the in-built backgrounds, you could access and select backgrounds that you have saved tab on the option bar to select the background for your Album or to fill it with elsewhere by clicking on the browse button Click on . The last 15 paths used can be viewed.
User Manual-5.0 Image 3.3.4.6: The page with the selected background Uncheck the To fill the canvas with one single solid color, click on and place it on the color you wish to use as background for your Album. The whole page now gets a background of that color. Click on the tones available for each background. To change the tone, double click on the chosen tone. check box on the Background tab to expand the background on the page.
User Manual-5.0 Image 3.3.4.8: A photo as the background Photo Tab Click on the You could browse photos and even access the last 15 paths you have used. Sort the photos by clicking on sort by button you will see following options To use a photo, either double click on it or drag and drop it on the canvas (Image 3.3.4.9). tab on the ‘Design Album’ window to access the photos of your choice. Image 3.3.4.9: ‘Design Album’ window …. Photos added 46 .
User Manual-5.0 Rotating Photos Rotating photos in an Album keeping the creative design in mind adds to the overall presentation of the pages. Album Xpress gives you the option of either rotating the photo within the frame or rotating the whole picture along with the frame. To rotate the photo within the frame: keep your cursor on the rotate icon that is seen when you select a photo. Once the ‘hand’ symbol appears use the mouse to rotate it in the direction of your choice.
User Manual-5.0 (a) (b) Image 3.3.4.11: (a) Zooming in; (b) zooming out Panning Panning lets you view specific areas of the photo by moving the photo up or down and sideways in the document window. This gives to access to the areas that would otherwise remain obscure given the size of the photo. How to: Place the cursor over , which then changes to or the ‘hand symbol’. Now use your mouse to take hold of the photo and move it around to get to the area you wish to work on.
User Manual-5.0 The ‘Effects’ option- Give effects like Colorize, Blur, Opacity, Feather, Shadow Glow, Outline, Rotation, Presets and Blend. The ‘Flip’ option to flip the page either vertically or horizontally. Image 3.3.4.12: Right clicking outside photos Right clicking on the photos: Using right click after selecting a photo (Image 3.3.4.13) lets you access the following options directly: Cut, copy, paste (in case an element has been copied) and delete.
User Manual-5.0 Once the category is chosen the options under that category can be viewed in the drop-down box to the left of the category icon. Select your subcategory to further refine your search for suitable templates. Album Xpress comes loaded with more than 2,000 ready-to-use templates and thus it gives you a wide variety of templates to choose from. Border Click on photo.
User Manual-5.0 (a) (b) Image 3.3.4.15: Applying a ready tone to the border: (a) The original border; (b) the ready tones You can transform these borders freely on the photo. ! Additional icons on the ‘Design Album’ – Border screen: (i) To reset the changes. (iv) To rotate the border 270 degrees. (ii) To rotate the border 90 degrees. (v) To flip the border vertically. (iii) To rotate the border 180 degrees. (vi) To flip the border horizontally.
User Manual-5.0 (iii) Style (iv) Font Color (v) Ready presets can be availed from . Image 3.3.4.16: ‘Design Album’ window …. Adding a title for your photo Shape Click Double click on the shape or drag and drop onto the canvas. You can align and resize the shape or rotate it using To customize the shape according to your taste, click on Use the sliders on Use the color picker 52 tab on the option bar to select a shape you would like to add to decorate the page. on the shape. .
User Manual-5.0 (a) (b) Image 3.3.4.17: Adding a shape to the canvas: (a) On selecting the ‘Shape’ tab; (b) the customize option Now we will add some more photos to Album page and use equal size tool to make two or more photos of a same size. Image 3.3.4.18: ‘Design Album’ window …. Photos added Select the photo and adjust its width and height manually as per your desire. Now select the same photo and select other photos which you want to bring to current photo size and use Equal size tool.
User Manual-5.0 Effects To apply effects to your Album pages, click There are 10 different options under this category. They are: Colorize, Blur, Opacity, Feather, Shadow, Glow, Outline, Rotation, Presets and Blend. on the option bar. Colorize: Click on the photo to be modified and then click on the colorize preset to apply the effect to the photo. To manually make changes or customize, click on using and change the color, opacity and level .
User Manual-5.0 values in these fields . Image 3.3.4.20: ‘Design Album’ window … Applying Outline Effect to the photo Rotation: The photos on the Album page can be rotated using the predefined presets under the ‘Rotation’ option. Click on to change the values for the x, y and z axis and give the photo a 3-D effect. You could also flip the photo horizontally and vertically by using and , respectively. Presets: This option gives you certain in-built effects that you could use for your photos.
User Manual-5.0 You could even use your own clip-arts by accessing them using are available. Click on to access the ready tones for the clip-arts. There are 18 ready tones available for each clipart and you could use the color of your choice depending on your page setup by double clicking on the ready tone (Image 3.3.4.21). , where the last 15 paths accessed Image 3.3.4.
User Manual-5.0 Image 3.3.4.22: ‘Design Album’ window … Inserting text Mask Click the Select the photo to which you want to apply the mask and double click on the mask or drag and drop the mask on the photo to apply it (Image 3.3.4.23). You could even access the previous 15 paths. You can transform these masks freely on the photo. You could rotate the mask by 90 degrees , 180 degrees horizontally and vertically by using the and tab on the option bar to select the mask of your choice.
User Manual-5.0 Collage Album Xpress provides you with the facility of creating a collage of your remaining unused photos in the Album. Insert the photos you want to include in your collage by going to on the options bar. Image 3.3.4.24: ‘Design Album’ window … Photos for the collage To create a collage with your photos, click on Expanded collage will be created with Expand option. Here the photographs get overlapped that too with uneven sizes.
User Manual-5.0 ‘Fit’ option in collage tab will help you to design collage page without much overlap. Create Photo Collage button should be press to apply the changes. Crop the photos and then form a collage with ‘Crop’. The photos will set in the same size on the page. (Image 3.3.4.26) Image 3.3.4.26: The ‘Cropped’ Collage design with Collage tab Click on Background tab on the option panel to apply the background for the collage. Double click on the desired background or drag and drop it.
User Manual-5.0 (a) (b) Image 3.3.4.27: The ‘Shadow’ option applied to the collage. (a) before (b)after To ‘colorize’ the photos in the collage, select the checkbox of ‘Colorize’ from Collage tab, then click on to add the effect to the collage photos. The photos in the collage now display the colorize effect. After the photos are inserted on all your Album pages, your Album is ready and you could make the final modifications to it before moving on to printing.
User Manual-5.0 After selecting Category, Size and theme, we are redirected to ‘Select Photos’ window. On the ‘Select Photos’ window select the photos of which you want to create your Album. (Image 3.3.5.1) Image 3.3.5.1: ‘Select Photos’ Window You have the option of selecting the photos from the USB Hard disk Facebook Bluetooth CD/DVD Select any of the media where your photos are been saved. Go forward or backward with . : View your folders in list or icon style.
User Manual-5.0 Click on * at the lower option bar to edit mutilple photos at a time. Select the photos to be edited and click on . Here you can rotate, color correct, resize and rename your multiple photos. Select or to rotate your photos clockwise or counter clock wise. Select the photos to be edited and click on option to color correct your multiple photos. (Image 3.3.5.2) Image 3.3.5.2: Edit Photo window …. Batch Edit * – Enhance option On the ‘Edit Photo’ Window (Image 3.3.5.
User Manual-5.0 Image 3.3.5.3: ‘Edit Photo’ window If you do not wish to apply the changes on the current photo, click on To apply changes to all the selected photos, click on Click on . . to save all the changes made. Clicking on Save will create a folder for original image and will save the changes made on the copy of the image, without affecting the original image. Select option to change the size of your photos. * Note: Functions marked with * marks are only for PRO version users.
User Manual-5.0 : From the and tab you can see the changes applied. The tab indicates the quality of the photo. The quality of photos used here must be good to ensure clarity in the final product. Album Xpress has an in-built ‘Quality Indicator’, which warns you whenever the photo quality goes below the required standards. Click on if you want to resize the photos size wise. Select the desired size from .
User Manual-5.0 Click on to save the changes made. From button you can edit your photos individually as that of batch editor you can rotate, resize, rename and enhance. For Enhance option (refer section 6.0 Photo Editing) : Rotate photo clockwise. : Rotate photo counter clockwise. : Edit photos. Sort the photos by clicking on Click on . to select multiple photos, all photos or individual photos. : Shows the number of photos selected. : Indicates the photo highlighted.
User Manual-5.0 After selecting the photos and setting its arrangement click on to go to ‘Design Album’ window, where you can view the Album ready with the selected parameters and can also make any changes if required with the help of various tabs available. 3.4 Resizing Your Album Many a times, after the Album is done or while it is being designed, you might wish to resize it to another set of specifications. This is where the ‘Resize Your Album’ function available in Album Xpress comes to your aid.
User Manual-5.0 Image.3.4.2: ‘Select Category for Resizing’ – ‘Ruby’ Next, select the size you require on the ‘Select Album to Resize’ page, for example, size 15 X 12 (Image 3.4.3). Image 3.4.3: ‘Select Album to Resize’ – size 15 X 12 Click on The Album is now resized to category of your choice, the resized category and size can be seen on the top right hand corner of the ‘Design Album’ window (Image 3.4.4). In same way you can resize any created Album in any category and size.
User Manual-5.0 Image 3.4.4: The new category applied to the Album ! At any point during the process, you could click on the button to go back to the previous page. 4.0 Nuts and Bolts – Templates and Décors This section deals with various available features of template and guides you on how to get more, import as well as share, Save and Build and delete templates. 4.
User Manual-5.0 Backgrounds, borders and clipart’s are made available by a single click of the mouse. Besides, 18 readyto-use color tones are available for each of these elements and you can change the color of your elements to match the page color. This option is available even for your own decor. PSD templates can be converted to Ax templates for use while designing your Album. DgFlick also provides PSD to Ax converter application free of cost. To download, visit www.dgflick.com.
User Manual-5.0 To Get More templates, on the ‘Design Album’ window, go to the ‘Template’ tab to access the templates of Album. Click on ‘Galleria’. Click on Button (Image 4.2.1.1) to access more templates from the DgFlick website. Image 4.2.1.1: The ‘Get More’ button on the template tab You are now routed to www.dgflick.com, from where you can download the templates of your choice and proceed to creating your Album.
User Manual-5.0 Now select the templates from the location and click ‘OK’ to import them to your Template tab. Now you can apply the same to your Album. 4.2.2 Save and Build * Album Xpress gives you the option of building templates of your own. You can also share them with other users. This option is available only to the users of the Album Xpress PRO version. To start with the building process, you need to first save the template that you want to build.
User Manual-5.0 On the ‘Build’ window, select the templates and then click on . (Image 4.2.2.2) In the text box that appears next (Image 4.2.2.3), specify the name of the folder in which you wish to save it ( and the path where you want to place it. ) Image 4.2.2.3: Building your template - 2 If the path is not specified, the built volume is saved in the following path by default: My Documents\My Galleria\Album Xpress.
User Manual-5.0 Image 4.2.3.1: ‘Share’ window …. Sharing your template The templates are shared on DgFlick’s website. You need to log into your account using your username and password (Image 4.2.3.2) to be able to share templates. After entering your details, click on the ‘Sign In’ button to access your account. If you do not have a username and password, click on ‘Sign Up’ to start an account with DgFlick. Image 4.2.3.
User Manual-5.0 4.2.4 Delete * Besides building and sharing, Album Xpress also gives you the option of deleting any template that you no longer wish to retain in your template bank. To delete a template, select the template that you wish to delete. Click on at the bottom of the Template tab. A textbox asking for confirmation for deletion appears (Image 4.2.4.1). Click on ‘Yes’ to proceed with the permanent deletion, else click on ‘No’ to abort the process. Image 4.2.4.
User Manual-5.0 Blue tab on the photo: This indicates the photos used in Album on current page. Number on the tab: This indicates the number of times the photo has been used in the Album. Besides these options, photos can be sorted as ‘used’ and ‘unused’ by selecting the ‘Used’ button on the tab. Find Photo/Décor After you are done with an Album, if you need to return to it re-edit later on, you can find the source photographs, borders and mask by simply right clicking on the photo on the Album.
User Manual-5.0 key. Then click on to swap the photos (Image 5.1.2). This is particularly useful to fit a portrait photo into a portrait frame and vice versa. (a) (b) Image 5.1.2: Swapping photos (a) Original placement, (b) After Swapping, (c) Swap Icon (c) Use Photo as Background Album Xpress provided you with many backgrounds with its ready tone for your photos. Even you can add your own backgrounds from your hard disk.
User Manual-5.0 Copy, Paste and Clear Effects Album Xpress allows you to cut, copy and paste photos and effects on the photos in the Album. Right click on the element you want to copy and select the ‘Copy’ option on the drop list. Now paste it on to the location of your choice by right clicking on it and choosing the ‘Paste’ option. Lock and Unlock Photos Album Xpress generally ‘locks’ photo on the Album to ensure precise designing.
User Manual-5.0 (a) (b) Image 5.1.4: Horizontal flipping (a) before flip (b) after flip Vertical flip: Right click on the page and select the ‘Flip page’ option on the drop list. Select ‘Vertical’ to flip the page vertically (Image 5.1.5).
User Manual-5.0 (b) Image 5.1.5: Vertical flipping (a) Before flip (b) after flip 5.2 Advanced Page and Photos The following are the options available with Album Xpress for advanced page composition. Grid and Guideline Album Xpress gives you the option of using grids and other guidelines such as ruler, margins on the Album; you are designing to help you align your Album better and design with ease.
User Manual-5.0 Rulers: On the ‘Design Album’ window, you can view the rulers at the top and on the left of the page. Double click on the ruler to activate it and then drag and drop the green line that appears on to the page at the desired location to align an element against it. You could work with multiple rulers simultaneously. Select and delete the rulers to remove them from the page. Margins and Centerline: On the top, right-hand corner of the page, click on on the page.
User Manual-5.0 Arrange objects Album Xpress allows you the option of changing the position of an object on the Album i.e. send it backward or forward or to the back or front. Select the photo you wish to move backward or forward and click on to access the options under this function. Alternatively, use the right click button and on the drop list click on ‘Arrange’ to access the suboptions.
User Manual-5.0 Image 6.1.1.1: The ‘BCG’ option on the ‘Edit Photo’ window Move the sliders for the three parameters forward and backward to achieve the desired effect. Alternatively, you could enter the values for the parameters in the value boxes above the respective sliders. Image 6.1.1.2: The ‘BCG’ option Clicking on the ‘Auto Contrast’ button at the top will adjust the contrasts automatically. The changes can be reset by clicking on .
User Manual-5.0 Curve Color intensities can be adjusted by clicking on button on the options bar of the ‘Edit Photo’ window (Image 6.1.1.4). Select the color to be adjusted (RGB i.e. red, green or blue) from the drop list under the ‘Channel’ button. Image 6.1.1.4: The ‘Curve’ option Adjust the intensity by clicking on the curve and moving it as per your requirement. Level To adjust the input and output levels of the photo, click on ‘Edit Photo’ window (Image 6.1.1.5).
User Manual-5.0 Colorize To give a colour-film effect to the photo, click on (Image 6.1.1.7). Click on to select a color from anywhere on the screen to be used as a film on the entire photo. button on the option bar under ‘Basic Filters’ Image 6.1.1.7: The ‘Colorize’ option You could also select a color by clicking on the color bar next to the dropper icon (Image 6.1.1.8). Image 6.1.1.8: The color palette To adjust the opacity, move the slider on To reset the changes, click on . .
User Manual-5.0 Image 6.1.1.10: The ‘Feather’ effect applied to the photo To reset the changes, click on . Opacity Click on to adjust the opacity of the photo (Image 6.1.1.11). Image 6.1.1.11: The ‘Opacity’ option Adjust the opacity by moving the slider forward and backward or by inserting the value in the value box (Image 6.1.1.12). Image 6.1.1.12: Applying ‘Opacity’ to the photo To reset the changes, click on .
User Manual-5.0 Change the aspect ratio by clicking on the ‘Aspect Ratio’ box and select the required value. Select the orientation you desire by selecting either ‘Landscape’ or ‘Portrait’ (Image 6.1.1.14). Image 6.1.1.13: The ‘Crop’ option (a) (b) Image 6.1.1.14: Cropping: (a) Landscape; (b) portrait You can enter the values for the width and height after selecting the unit you want to work with . Uncheck the photo.
User Manual-5.0 You also have the option of using grid lines on the photo to help align it better while rotating. You could activate the grids lines by clicking on the box next to ‘Show Grid’ below the rotation slider (Image 6.1.1.15). Image 6.1.1.15: Using grid lines on the photo Uncheck the box to remove the grid lines. ! You could undo the changes by clicking on process. or load the original image by clicking on at any point in the 6.1.
User Manual-5.0 Image 6.1.2.1: Applying a ‘Mosaic’ preset to the photo Click on to reset the settings. Ripple To add a ‘ripple’ effect to your photos, click on button on the options bar. Select the preset of your choice from the 20 available presets and double click on it to apply the effect to your photo (Image 6.1.2.2). You could customize your ripple by clicking on and either adjusting the sliders for the amplitude and wavelength or entering values manually. Click on Image 6.1.2.
User Manual-5.0 Click on Move the slider or manually insert the value in the shift value box. Click on if you wish to customize your shift value. to reset the settings. Splash Click on Of the five presets that appear on the options bar, you could choose any one for your photo and apply the effect by double clicking on it. Click on Use the slider to change the value of the density or manually enter the value in the value box.
User Manual-5.0 Click on Use the slider to alter the swirl value, else manually enter the value in the value box as per your requirement. Click on to alter the degree of swirl. to reset the settings. Illusion Click on Of the 10 presets available under this category, you could choose any one for your photo by double clicking on it. Click on You could increase or decrease the section count by using the slider or entering the value manually in the value box.
User Manual-5.0 From the 13 presets available, you could choose and apply the preset of your choice to the photo by double clicking on the preset (Image 6.1.2.3) Click on to modify the ‘softness’ of the effect. Image 6.1.2.3: The ‘Softlense’ effect applied Use the slider to make the required change, else enter the value manually in the value box. Click on to reset the settings.
User Manual-5.0 Check the box corresponding to , to apply the effect to your photo (Image 6.1.2.4). Image 6.1.2.4: The ‘Sepia’ effect Uncheck the box to reset the setting. Charcoal Drawing To add a charcoal drawing effect to your photo, click on Check the box corresponding to Uncheck the button on the options bar. , to apply the effect to your photo. box to reset the setting. 6.1.
User Manual-5.0 Original and Before and After Images Original Image: In the course of working on your photos, you might decide to retain an original image or make a fresh set of changes. In such cases, you could load the original image once again by clicking on . Once the ‘Load Original’ icon is clicked the software asks for confirmation by displaying a text box. This text box warns that all changes made on the photo so far will be lost. You could click on ‘Yes’ to proceed.
User Manual-5.0 Image 6.2.0.1: ‘Edit Photo’ window …. Advanced Filters Click on the location in which you have saved it. You could even download plug-ins from the Internet. Most of Photoshop plug-ins is supported by Album Xpress. button on the page to import third-party plug-ins from Note: Advanced Filters option is not available with MAC. Lasso On the ‘Design Album’ window, select the photo you wish to modify, then click on on top option bar and select the option ‘Lasso’.
User Manual-5.0 Select The right-click on your mouse helps you to go back in case of an error. Use Finally, use At any point of the process, click on to see how the picture will appear after the change is applied and to view the photo as it was before the change. Save the changes by clicking on from the top tool bar to make the ‘layer’ you would like to use. to select the layer created. to invert the layer. . This allows you to save a copy of the new file in the path.
User Manual-5.0 Adjust the values for the feather and tolerance as per your requirement by moving the sliders for these values backward and forward or by manually entering the values in the value boxes. To undo a change or to make corrections to the changes made, use the correction tool on the page. You could change the brush and feather size by using the sliders or by entering the values in the value boxes.
User Manual-5.0 Highlighter On the ‘Design Album’ window, select the photo you wish to modify, then click on option ‘Highlighter’. The highlighter option helps to make any subject of your wish stand out in color against a black-and-white background. Once the photo is selected and ‘Highlighter’ option chosen, the photo, initially in color, opens in black and white on the ‘Highlighter’ page (Image 6.2.4). (a) Image 6.2.
User Manual-5.0 Eraser On the ‘Design Album’ window, select the photo you wish to modify, then click on option ‘Eraser’. The ‘Eraser’ can be used to erase the portions of the photo that you do not wish to retain in your Album. (a) Image 6.2.5: Eraser (a) before (b) after and select the (a) Adjust the brush size, the feather and the opacity by using the corresponding sliders or by entering the values in the value boxes.
User Manual-5.0 The default path for saving the project is displayed in the textbox as ‘My Documents \My Albums’. You could either save the project in this path or provide the path of your choice to save the project. Save the other elements used in the Album, such as cliparts, borders, shapes and so on, by checking the box against . Click on ‘Ok’ to save the project or on ‘Cancel’ to abort the process.
User Manual-5.0 Exporting in .jpg Format To save the project in a .jpg format, click on on the lower right-hand corner. The default path for saving the .jpg file appears in the textbox that is now visible on screen. The path is ‘My Documents\My exported pages’. However, you could change the path and save it in any location of your choice. Set the color profile by clicking on browse button. To split the Album while saving, check the box of .
User Manual-5.0 Clicking on ‘OK’ will create a low res. PDF file. Clicking on ‘Cancel’ will abort the process. Once the project has been exported you get the confirmation in a text box. High Res. PDFs Select to save the file with a high resolution. A file saved with this option will be in a printable format. The default path for saving the PDF file appears in the textbox that is now visible on screen. The path is ‘My Documents\My Exported Albums’.
User Manual-5.0 8.1 Open Saved Project To open a project that has been saved and exported, click on the Home icon of Album Xpress. You will be redirected to Home page where you can see ‘Open’ option at left bottom side. Click on ‘Open’ option. The projects you have saved are now displayed on the screen (Image 8.1.1) Through button you can give path of the folder where you have saved your project. Select the project you wish to work on and then click on ‘Open’. Image 8.1.
User Manual-5.0 9.0 Troubleshoot This section deals with questions most commonly encountered by Album Xpress users. 1. How fast can I create an Album? Ans: With Album Xpress, you have the option of creating Albums in a matter of minutes using Auto Album Creation. Once you select the templates and photos that go into your Album, Album Xpress will do the rest for you. 2. I do not wish to use Album Xpress ready templates. Can I design my own template? Ans: Sure.
User Manual-5.0 7. How will I send the designed Album to the customer for his or her approval? Ans: Album Xpress lets you export your Album project as low-resolution PDF files. These files have the following advantages: Low-resolution PDF files are good to view in any size and require no special software. Any PDF viewer can display such files and they can even be viewed on any mobile device. Since it is in PDF format, the customer can add his or her comments on any page/photo.
