Software Manual Clixx Pixx DesignSuite Home

Transcription

1 Software Manual Clixx Pixx DesignSuite Home Thank you very much for using Clixx Pixx DesignSuite to design and order your photo books or photo calendars. This manual explains important steps which you need for using the software. Overview Last Update: 1. Dezember 2008, 11:47 vorm. Version 4.00.x Seite 1. Installation of the program Install the software on your computer Create new photo book or calendar project Create a new photo book or photo calendar. Select from various sizes and templates Insert your pictures Simpy drag the pictures onto the predefined picture frames. Use your mouse wheel to zoom your pictures and select a cutout by dragging the picture within its frame. Sort your pictures by drag&drop. Changing page layouts Select another page layout and your pictures get rearranged automatically Background images and colors Use background images or color gradients matching to your pictures. Edit picture frame and shadow You can edit color and thickness of the picture border and adjust the appearance of the picture shadow. Using graphic effects Adjust your pictures directly in the program. You can choose between various effects like color intensity, luminosity and contrast. Insert text Add text to create a true photo story 9. Edit the calender If you are creating a calendar, you can edit starting month, quantity of months, fonts and colors. 10. Save and load a project Save your photo book or calendar on your hard disk 11. Order the photo book / calendar With this software, you can order the photo book or calender from your photo dealer, from which you received this program. 12. Error recovery / FAQ If you have problems or questions, we will help you here page 1 of 13

2 1. Installation of the software Where do I get the program? You will receive a free copy from your photo shop, photo studio or your photographer. You are able to create photo books and photo calenders yourself on your PC at home and then order them at your photopartner from whom you got the program. You either can get the program on CD or, if applicable, download it from the web site of your photo partner. Please contact him for further information. System requirements You need a PC that runs with Microsoft Windows. It has to fit the following requirements. Otherwise working with the program may slow down. Microsoft Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP or Vista Pentium processor Mhz or more MB RAM or more 50 MB free disk space for installation Please read first: The following operating instructions make reference to all products and formats possible with the software. If your individual version only shows a selection of products/sizes, please disregard any reference not applicable. I received a CD. How do I install the program on my PC? Place the CD in the CD or DVD drive of your PC. The setup program starts automatically. If it doesn t, please select your CD or DVD drive in the Windows Explorer. Start the file install.exe. Follow the instructions on your screen. I downloaded the program. How do I install the program on my PC? Start the downloaded setup file by double clicking. Follow the Instructions on your screen. Starting the program Select Programs/Promaxx/DesignSuite in the Windows Start-Menu. As an alternative, you also can select the shortcut on your desktop that was created by the setup program. Internet Download Online Update Hint: On the first startup, the software asks if you want to do an online update. Please do so, if you have internet access. This ensures that you are using the latest software version. As soon as the update is completed, please restart the program. You also can start the online update later, by selecting the menu item Help / Online Update. page 2 of 13

3 2. Creating a new Photobook/Calendar project When the program starts, it automatically opens the dialogue to create a new photo book or photo calendar. You can also find this dialogue at the menu item File/New Select a product Please select a product line, such as StudioAlbums/PhotoBooks or Photo Calendars. Select a format Select an available book or calender size, for example StudioAlbum 10x15. Then click next. Important: Please consider that you cannot change the calendar s or album s format afterwards. You have to create a new album if you want to change the format later. Select a design template There are a number of design templates available. The picture on the right side shows a preview. The design template defines the margins and background colour of your photo book / calendar. The layout can still be changed later. Click OK afterwards. Important: When designing a photo calendar, the choice of the design model is definite. This means that if you want to choose another design template later, you have to start over again. You now have created a blank photo album or calendar In the next chapters you get to know how to fill your book or calendar with pictures. Hint: You fill your book with different page layouts for positioning the photos. The program had preselected a choice of layouts. You are free to change these now or later. page 3 of 13

4 3. Inserting your photos Drag your photos on the predefined picture frames Select a folder with pictures on your harddrive. Then simply move your pictures per Drag&Drop on the predefined picture frames of the photo book or calendar Hint: You can also move multiple pictures at once into your album/calendar. Select multiple pictures with pressing the Ctrl -key. Now drag all pictures onto a picture frame and the whole set of pictures will be placed in the book/calendar. The pictures get inserted one by one into the pictureframes. Select the cutout of your photos Move the photo within the predefined picture frame. You can enlarge the photo with your mouse wheel to make it fit perfectly into the frame. Checking the resolution The resolution traffic light indicates if resolution (density of pixels) is sufficient. When the traffic light is green you are able to enlarge the picture without problems. A yellow traffic light indicates that you should not enlarge the picture much more. Pictures with a red traffic light you should be moved on to another, smaller picture frame. Re-sorting pictures You easily can shift pictures between frames by dragging the blue arrow on the right bottom of the picture and dropping it onto another picture frame. When you release the mouse button, the picture gets moved. If there already is a picture at this position, they get swapped. Hint: You can re-sort your pictures faster with working with the book preview. Click on the tab Pages. Here you are able to shift the pictures per drag&drop. Re-sort double pages You are also able to re-sort whole double pages. Click on the tab Pages. Click on the page numbers and move one double page on another position. A marker bar shows the new position of the double page. page 4 of 13

5 4. Changing the Layouts DesignSuite Home offers many different page layouts which you can use to arrange your photos in your album. There are also different layouts for calendars available. Showing available layouts Click top left on the tab Layouts. A list of the available layouts gets displayed. Hint: Layouts within the same colour group match very well. Applying a layout to an empty page Drag & drop a layout on a book page. The new layout gets applied immediately. Applying a layout on a filled book page If there already are pictures on the page, they get rearranged according to the new layout. Important: If you apply a layout on a page which already contains a number photos, some pictures might get removed if they do not fit into the new layout. Using panorama-layouts You achieve unique effects when you use double paged picture frames. Select a panorama layout for that purpose. You can find panorama layouts when you scroll further down the list of layouts. Mirroring layouts You have the possibility to flip layouts horizontally or vertically. Click with the right mouse button on the page work area and select flip layout vertical or flip layout horizontal. Example: Panorama Layout page 5 of 13

6 5. Background colours and pictures Use a colour, a colour gradient or a picture as a background of a book page. Applying a colour or a colour gradient Klick on the tab Colour. You can find it next to the tab Layouts on the right side. Select a colour or a colour gradient and drag it on the background of the page. Hint: If you want to apply a different background on each page, please click with the right mouse button on the background and deactivate the option Background on double page. Hint: If you want to apply own colours or colour gradients, please first move any colour / colour gradient on the background. Then click on the background and change the colour with the options on the bottom of the window. Click on First colour to select the upper colour or the colour on the left. Then click on Second colour to select the bottom or the right colour. The task Exchange colours swaps both colours. Using a background picture Click on the tab Backgrounds. Select a picture and move it onto the background of the page. You can define the cutout and the position of your background picture as easy as by a normal photo. Enlarge the cutout with the mouse wheel, then shift it on the right position. Hint 1: You also can use own background pictures. Just drag one of your own pictures onto the background. Hint 2: Empty frames will not be printed and will show the full background. Advice: Please check that the resolution of your background pictures is high enough (see checking the resolution chapter 3) page 6 of 13

7 6. Modifying picture frames and shadows Some design models use a picture frame or a pictureshadow. Use your own settings and apply them on one or multiple images. Edit picture frame preset Select a picture. Select the tab Frame. You can activate and deactivate the frame, and also define the size and the colour of the frame. To apply the settings on more pictures then click on Apply to and select either All on this page, All on this double page or All pages. When you want to load the standard frame settings, please click on Standard. Modifying shadow-settings Select a picture. Select the tab Shadow. You can activate and deactivate the shadow and also define the margin and the opacity of the shadow. To apply the settings on more pictures then click on Apply to and select either All on this page, All on this double page or All pages. When you want to load the standard shadow settings, please click on Standard. page 7 of 13

8 7. Applying graphic effects If you want to adjust colours of your photos you can select from a set of graphic effects. Select the tab Picture in the lower tab bar. Click on the symbol Filter at the right. Here you can select from several groups of colour filters. Lightness, Contrast, Intensity, Gamma Apply these filters if you want to improve your photo Hue, Saturation, Lightness Apply these filters if you want to alienate your photo Black-and-White, Colourize Apply these filters if you want to change your photo into sepia-coloured or black-and-white or if you want to colourise it with another colour Removing red eyes Apply these filters if you want to remove red eyes from persons on the photo. page 8 of 13

9 8. Inserting Text If you want to tell a story with your book, you can achieve great effects with texts above or next to the pictures. Creating a new text field Click on the symbol Text in the upper menu bar. A new, empty text field shows up in the middle of the current page. Inserting text Enter your text into the white field in the bottom area. Formatting the text You are able to format your text with all fonts of your computer. Select a font, a size and a colour, select bold, italic or underlined font face. You also can change the vertical or horizontal alignment in the text field. Moving the text field Move the text field to the position you want the text. You can adjust the frame size with the green squares. Rotating the Text field You want to rotate a text field? Just click on the red circle on the right side of the text field and adjust the wanted angle. Hint: Move the mouse away from the centre of the text field while you are turning it. By doing this you can adjust finer angles. Important: Place your text minimum 6mm from the border. Otherwise your text might get cut-off. Important: Please consider the rings which hold the pages together. Do not place your text within the 20mm in the middle (compare to the image on the right) page 9 of 13

10 9. Editing the calendar If you design a calendar, you are able to edit the standard settings of the calendar. Start by clicking on the calendar of the first month. At the bottom the calendar settings are displayed. Changing the calendar year If you want to edit the calendar year click on (+) or (-) besides the date. Change the starting month You want a calendar which does not start in January but in another month? Under first month you can set up the starting month. Adjusting number of months You also can order a calendar with more than 12 months. Select the number of months. Editing calendar settings Select this function to adjust the colours and the fonts of the calendar. Select OK or OK for all if you want to apply the new settings for all months. page 10 of 13

11 10. Saving and loading projects You are able to save your photobook or your photocalendar on your computer and to open the file later again. Saving a project Select File/Save as in the menu. Select a folder and a filename. The program saves the file in the format *.pmp. This project file contains all pictures, texts and photo book layouts used in your album/calendar. It can be opened and modified again later with DesignSuite Home. Important: This file is not applicable for transferring an order to your photo partner. Use this function only to save a project on your computer for later use. If you want to order your album or your calendar, please use the function Order (see chapter 11). Important: The file only can be opened with DesignSuite Home, but not with other programs, such as Microsoft Word. Important: If you want to open the file on another computer, please make sure that the computer supports all applied fonts. Opening project Select file/open in the upper menu. Select the saved project file (*.pmp) and select open. Important: You cannot open order files. They only can be opened by your photo partner. page 11 of 13

12 11. Ordering a photobook/calendar You are able to order your finished photobook or calendar at your photo retailer, photo laboratory or photographer, from whom you got this program. Select the symbol Order Select Order, when you are finished with creating your album or calendar. Entering ordering information Please enter a title for your project, for example photo album holiday 2008 or calendar 2009 for Sandra. This title is used for the processing of your order and does not get printed on your finished product. Please enter your address, phone number and address (if available). Then select OK. Saving the order file A window for saving the order file is displayed. Select a name for the file (for example Calendar 2009 Sandra ) and save it on your hard drive. Important: The order file is of the filetype *.pex and can only be opened by your photo partner from whom you got the software. Submitting the order You can select between several possibilities to submit the order file to your photo partner Burning the order file on a CD Save the order file to your hard drive first. Then use an application of your choice to burn the file on a CD. Give it to your photo partner, or send it to your photo partner by post mail. Saving the order file on a USB stick Save the order file directly on a USB stick and give it to your photo partner. You get it back immediately after the order is received. Possibly your photo partner also offers a transfer using his website. Please contact the support of your photo partner. Order Calendar 2009 John Doe page 12 of 13

13 12. Error recovery and FAQ`s The program is asking for a serial number, but I have not received one? Please ask your photo partner, he will tell you the required serial number without any charge. The program only works very slow / shuts down unexpectedly Make sure that your computer fits the system requirements. Contact your computer retailer, for getting information about solving the problem. The program does not start correctly / shows error messages Download he latest version of the program from the web site of your photo partner. Reinstall the program by deinstalling an again installing it. Does the problem occur again, please contact the support via . Report errors! You found a bug in our software? Please describe the error as detailed as possible, attach screenshots if necessary and send it by to: support@clixxpixx.com We will do our best to solve the problem very fast. This is legal information to potential licensees and business partners and not intended to be an advertising message: PROMAXX reserves all rights to the design, function and materials of these photo systems to the extent international patent laws allow. German utility models have been applied in DE covering the Photo- Book covers, the Clixx Pixx Ring System and other proprietary features to allow for worldwide patent protection of these proprietary technologies. PROMAXX and Clixx Pixx are registered trademarks of PROMAXX Innovative PC Print Media GmbH, Dietersheim / Munich, Germany. Potential business partner s contacts welcome. All statements, technical Information and recommendations about PROMAXX products are based upon tests believed to be reliable but do not constitute a guarantee or warranty. In no event shall PROMAXX be responsible for claims beyond the replacement value of the defective product or in any way liable or responsible for consequential or incidental damages. All marks and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. PROMAXX all rights reserved. Clixx Pixx Premium Photosystems PROMAXX Innovative PC Print Media GmbH Hauptstr.1e Dietersheim / Munich Germany SPro2 Manual DE - last update: 1. December 2008, 11:47 AM page 13 of 13