Getting Started
Contents Installation 02 The Launch Window 04 Create a New Project 05 Layout 02 Pictures 10 Page Reviews 12 Library 13 Template Area 18 Right-Click (Contextual) Menu 20 Toolbar 24 Options Menu 27 Image Boxes 28 Image 30 Text 32 Ruler 33 Page 34 Menu Toolbar 35 File 35 Edit 36 Insert 36 Page 37 View 38 Ordering Your Album 41 Sending an Order 45 Troubleshooting 47 A New Product is available but why can t I find it? 47 My images lie outside the red bleed line 48 A low quality image warning has appeared 49 I cannot load my save project 50 I cannot complete the checkout procedure 51 Colour Correction 53 My order will not upload 54
Installation To start using software, navigate to loxleycolour.com then Login at the top of the homepage using your e-mail address and password. Next, click on Software on the top menu bar, followed by and then Downloads. In the centre of the information box you will see two download options, Windows Download (for PC) or Mac Download. Install File P C When prompted, save the installation file to your desktop. Once the download is complete, navigate to your desktop and the LDP installation file should be visible. Just like any other software, double-clicking this should start the installation procedure. Follow the simple on-screen instructions and the software will install. Now the software is installed, an LDP icon should appear on your computers desktop. The software can be opened with a double-click. 02
Installation (continued) Install File Mac Once downloaded, double-click the.dmg file which has appeared on your desktop. This will open the folder below. Drag the LDP logo shown over the Applications folder shown and release to install. Mac users should browse to LDP in their applications folder. Once the application is launched, the icon should appear in your dock. You can now right-click (ctrl+click for Mac) and select keep in dock. 03
The Launch Window When the software menu loads, you are presented with two choices, Create a New Project or Open an Existing Project. 04
The Launch Window (continued) Create a New Project If you click on the new project option, this opens a further window. Here we can view and select all the products available, seek more information about those products or check for updates. We would recommend checking for updates each time the software is launched as new products and features are added regularly. To do this, select Create a New Project and click the Check for Updates button at the bottom left and when the next window opens, click on Start. You can select individual items from the list or, by clicking the tick box at the left hand side, all of the items. Updates available here 05
The Launch Window (continued) When back at the new project window, you can scroll through all of our products. Click on the picture Icon which will highlight in blue. Now click on the next button. This will allow you to choose the size required. 06
The Launch Window (continued) Once you have selected the desired product, you are prompted to create a project name. This can be anything you wish but ideally should be in relation to your project, i.e. Baby Emil Photobook, as it is used to differentiate between your various orders. You can also create new folders to group orders together, which is useful if you are designing more than one product for the same customer. 07
The Launch Window (continued) Once you have entered the name, click Create. The project is saved to your computer. On a PC, it is located in My Documents\Loxley Designer PRO Projects. On a Mac, it is located in the User\Loxley Designer PRO Projects. These files are crucial to your order and should not be altered or moved to another location. 08
Layout You are now presented with the main section of the software this is where you construct your albums and design your templates. The best way to understand our (and any new) software is to familiarise yourself with the layout and the various controls that are at your disposal. Pictures Toolbar Page Previews Library: Page Styles, Masks, Backgrounds & Scrapbook Spread Options Inspector: Node, Image, Text, Ruler & Page options 09
Layout (continued) Pictures The image palette is found at the left hand side of your screen. Thumbnails of all your images will appear here. To begin click the Add button at the top left of your screen. You can now navigate to the images that you would like to work with. The files will gradually populate the window down the left side. To begin click the + button at the top left of your screen. You can now navigate to the images that you would like to work with. The files will gradually populate the window down to the left hand side.over the Applications folder shown and release to install. Pictures Side Bar 10
Layout (continued) Right-clicking (ctrl+click for Mac) any of the images will produce a contextual menu. From here you canchoose from the following options; View Picture Rotate My Rating Remove Picture Show in Finder View a larger version of the image in a new window. Rotate the thumbnail in 90 increments. Give your image a rating out of five. Removes an image from the list. Takes you to the original image on your computer. At the top of the Pictures window, you will find a small button with a cog icon. This gives the option to; Categorise Sort Show My Rating Clear Picture List Allows you to order the images based on different criteria. e.g. Good practice would be to split your images into different folders based on the events of the day. A wedding may have folders called Getting Ready, Arrival, Service, Post Service Portraits, Speeches and Reception. When those folders are imported into LDP, you can then categorise by folder name. This will section your files based on your folder names. Allows you to arrange the images in sequence based on different factors. Displays the score you have given each of your images. Removes any images from the Pictures section. The Pictures area can be resized to give a clearer preview of your chosen images. Dragging the tabbed catch point at the top right allows you to increase its width. The slider bar at the foot of the section can be used to resize the thumbnail previews. 11
Layout (continued) Page Previews The page preview area is at the top of your screen. From here, you can select the spread that you would like to work on. The running order of the spreads here is the order the book shall be bound in. We have preset the minimum number of pages required for each product, i.e. a Bellissimo album has a minimum of 5 spreads whereas a Coffee Table Book album requires at least 10 spreads. The cover style shall vary depending on the project you selected earlier. When a spread or cover is selected, the template area in the centre of your screen changes to that spread. This means you can edit a pre-designed spread or select a new spread to design from scratch. Page Preview Spread Selected 12
Layout (continued) Library The library is found towards the foot of the screen. Here you can choose template designs, stock backgrounds, scrapbook images and mask styles from our preloaded range. Page Styles By selecting the Page Styles option at the bottom left of your screen, you will see our large range of page design templates. The Cog drop down menu allows you to browse from section to section. To utilise a page style, simply drag it to the template area on the screen. Library: Page Styles, Masks, Backgrounds & Scrapbook Page styles 13
Layout (continued) Backgrounds Some of our products include stock imagery that can be used as background designs. These can be found in the background tab in the library. Simply drag the desired image on to the required side of the template. You can also add your own stock images or images you use often, e.g. your logo, to the backgrounds palette. Click the Cog button, then browse to locate your file. A window will open for you to name your file. After naming it, click OK and it will appear in your backgrounds. Please note: Your added item will only appear in the palette of the product you are working on. Backgrounds Cog Button 14
Layout (continued) Scrapbook On certain products, the scrapbook contains stock imagery which can be used to complement your design. You can also add your own stock images or images you use repeatedly, e.g. your logo, to the Scrapbook palette. Click the Add button, then browse to locate your file. A window will open for you to name your file. After naming it, click OK and it will appear in your scrapbook. Please note: Your added item will only appear in the palette of the product you are working on. Log in use 15
Layout (continued) Masks Masks have also been included to enhance your album design by altering the shape of an image box. Clicking on the Masks tab displays the range of masks available. When you have chosen your mask, it can be dragged onto an image box. Any file that is then placed in that image box will be altered to the mask s shape. If masks are not visible, make sure to check for updates as described on page 6. You can add your own masks to a project. A mask is simply a JPEG made up of black through to white. Black areas will appear as a solid image, white will be transparent, and shades of grey will appear as an opacity change. Masks in use 16
Layout (continued) Saving pages and layout If you have designed a layout that you would like to save for future use, click the Cog button (bottom right) and save the page or spread as a Page Style. You can now enter a name for the new page style and create a new category for it to be saved into. The same process applies to both backgrounds and masks alike. 17
Layout (continued) Template Area The template area, found in the centre of your screen, is where the design process happens. There are a selection of foreground nodes with a background area behind. Once you have found the template that you like in the Page Styles palette, simply drag it onto the main window. The desired images can then be dragged into the nodes from the image palette at the left of the screen. The images rescale to fit the pre-sized box. However, selective cropping is achieved by double-clicking the image. A new window appears which allows cropping and zoom alterations. Selective Crop Box 18
Layout (continued) When a node is selected, resize points are visible at each edge of the box. Clicking and dragging these points resizes the whole image node. Clicking on the centre of the box allows you to manoeuvre it by dragging to a new position. Any number of nodes can be manipulated at the same time by holding shift and clicking your selection. Any size or effect alterations now carried out shall be applied to all the selected nodes. It is easy to swap any given picture in a picture box via drag and drop. The function becomes active when a picture box containing an image is clicked and the mouse button is held down. The thumbnail will then appear allowing the user to drag and drop the picture into a different picture box. If the user releases the mouse button while over another picture box, the images within the two boxes will be swapped. Resize points 19
Layout (continued) Right Click (Contextual) Menu If you right-click (ctrl+click for Mac) any node, a small options menu appears. Align/Space Trying to design album spreads by eye can result in misaligned images. This is because monitors cannot show the small details that may appear on print. Things such as small gaps and differing dimensions can all result in a disappointing printed book. LDP has alignment functions which allow you to accurately lay out your design. 20
Layout (continued) If you select one image box, hold shift and then select another box, you can align the boxes in relation to each other. This helps when you are creating a bespoke template design and enables you to keep nodes in line. Align Top Align Bottom Align Left Align Right Align Vertical Page Centre Align Horizontal Page Centre Align Horizontal Spread Centre Aligns top edge of selected boxes to top edge of highest box. Aligns bottom edge of selected boxes to the bottom edge of the lowest box. Aligns the left edge of selected boxes. The furthest left selected image is used as the reference point. Aligns the right edge of selected boxes. The furthest right selected image is used as the reference point. Centres all selected boxes to page s vertical centre. Centres all selected boxes to page s horizontal centre. Centres all selected boxes to spread s horizontal centre. 21
Layout (continued) The latest version of LDP also allows you to space nodes in relation to each other. Again, multiple boxes are selected by holding shift. Right-click (ctrl+click on Mac) any of the selected boxes & choose Align/Space followed by Space items. You can now enter the size of the gap you wish all your boxes to be separated by, both vertically or horizontally. If you are trying to set boxes to sit side by side, then enter zero as the value. This will ensure there is no gap between the selected boxes. The drop down menu dictates which point of the box you are measuring from. Leaving this at the default setting (Items) is probably the most useful, however it can be changed to space items from their centre point etc. 22
Layout (continued) Arrange The Arrange option dictates the order of the various layers on any given template. You can bring nodes forward or send them backwards depending on how you would like them to appear. This is particularly useful when nodes overlap. Fit The Fit option quickly sizes any selected node to the page or spread dimensions. This can be used to create a background node or a full bleed design. Cut, Copy, Paste, Delete and Clear There are some editing tools that can prove to be useful: Cut or Copy a node and paste it to a new location on the template to maintain the dimension of the original handy when trying to create uniform boxes. To remove an entire box and its contents choose Delete, whereas to remove the contents alone, Clear is the tool to use. 23
Layout (continued) Toolbar Just above the template area you will find the toolbar with the following 8 options: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 Undo/Redo 2 Save 3 Add Picture Box 4 Add Text Box 5 Autoflow 6 Magnify 7 Previous/Next Page 8 Preview 24
Layout (continued) Undo/Redo The undo/redo arrows are very useful when mistakes are made. As the name suggests, they simply retrace your steps, right back to the starting point, or indeed take you to the most up to date stage of your design. Save The small hard disc icon saves your order in it s current state, allowing you to work on it at a later date. The file is saved under the project name you selected at the start of the process. Add Picture Box A new picture node can be added to your current page design by clicking this button. It will be at a default size but can be resized to suit. If the added node is to be a background, right-click the node, select Fit/Fit to Spread. Right-click the node again followed by Arrange/Send to Back. Add Text Box A new text node can be added to your current page design by clicking this button. It will be at a default size but can be resized to suit. Double-clicking the node opens a new window. From here you can format your text just as you would in Microsoft Word or textedit. 25
Layout (continued) Autoflow An incredibly quick way to design the pages of an album. When pressed, this intuitively selects templates and designs layouts based upon either the order of your files or the proportion and orientation of your images. Varieties of the available templates are selected and the images dropped in. The resulting design must be checked when complete in order to avoid poor cropping or image selection. Change Product Allows you to change the size of the product (within the same ratio) and cover of the book. Once selected, you will see the project change along with the cover. At this point you will be prompted to check the cover as your design could have changed if images have already been placed on another cover template. You are now able to send the order to us with the correct cover/ size. Magnify The magnifier options allow you to zoom in and out of the template area. Previous/Next Page The previous/next page buttons allow you to skip to the next page of your project. Preview The preview button allows you to quickly view each page at full screen size. 26
Options Menu At the right hand side of your screen, you should find the Inspector which contains various option menus. These are used to create new image boxes, text boxes, drop shadows and various other creative additions to your design. 1 2 3 4 5 1 Node 2 Border 3 Text 4 Ruler 5 Page 27
Options Menu (continued) Image Boxes The first menu contains most of the creative controls. If you select any image box and adjust the settings, the result will be visible on screen. Node with 5pt blue border at 60% opacity Altering shape of nodes Node with 2pt white border, rounded corners and drop shadow Image Boxes Shape The shape menu determines the overall shape of the image box. You can choose from a rectangle, an oval and a polygon. When the polygon is selected, the slider bar alters how many sides the image box has. As you can see, it is possible to create triangles, pentagons, hexagons etc. The angle adjustment rotates the whole image box. The opacity slider bar adjusts the opacity of the image box(es) that are selected. If you choose the rectangle shape, you can then use the corner adjustment to round the edges of the box. 28
Options Menu (continued) Image Boxes Border A border or stroke can be added to any selected nodes: Size Colour Opacity Alters the thickness of the border. Alters the colour of the border. Alters transparency of the border. The controls can be adjusted until you are happy with the result. If you prefer, a value can be entered into the box to the right of each control. This helps keep the borders consistent across an album design. Image Boxes Drop Shadow The controls for drop shadows are simple and any adjustments are instantly visible on screen. Offset Angle Blur Colour Expand Opacity Alters the distance between the shadow and the node. Alters the angle the shadow falls to. Alters the hardness of the shadow. Alters the colour of the shadow. Increases or decreases the size of the shadow (default is same as node size). Alters how solid the shadow colour is. The border and drop shadow options can be used in conjunction with one another. Please see previous image on page 28 for reference to both the Border and Drop Shadow options. 29
Options Menu (continued) Images The second menu contains controls that relate to the image in any given image box. Using Black & White and Sepia effects Image Orientation The Orientation menu alters how the image sits within the image box. It can be flipped in 90 increments and also reflected vertically or horizontally. Image Colour The Colour menu allows you to adjust a selected image from colour to black and white or sepia. 30
Options Menu (continued) The Vignette menu uses slider bars and drop down menus to give different effects to the image you have selected. It can only be activated when a selected node contains an image. Shape Size Blur Colour Alters the aperture shape of the vignette. Alters the size or thickness of the vignette. Alters the hardness of the edge of the vignette. Alters the colour of the vignette. Opacity Alters the opacity or transparency of the applied vignette. 31
Options Menu (continued) Text You can add a new text box by using the Add Text button in the toolbar, and then customise the format to suit your layout by choosing an alignment side, altering the margin size and changing the line spacing. You can edit the text by double clicking the text node. The options here include text size, colour, font, alignment and styles (bold, italic and underline). Using Black & White and Sepia effects Text Menu 32
Options Menu (continued) Ruler The ruler menu is used to position and size any selected node. This can be used as a more accurate alternative to dragging the box to your required size, as the manual input allows for fine control. The position coordinates use the top left of the screen as the zero (X at 0, Y at 0). The Constrain Proportions tick box keeps the ratio between the width and height of the node the same, when one of the dimensions is altered. The angle dial alters the overall angle of the node. This has a very fine, 360 control. A manual total can be entered into the box at the right hand side of the dial for a more precise position. 33
Options Menu (continued) Page The page menu is used solely for altering the background colour of a spread. You can opt for a separate colour left and right or a uniform colour across the spread. If you have used a background image on a given design and then alter its opacity, the chosen background colour will show through. Previous design with background images set at 80% opacity, with a blue page on the left and a magenta page on the right Page Menu 34
Menu Toolbar As previously seen, the menu toolbar at the very top left of the application offers various options... File The file menu allows you to save or exit your order. However, it also allows you to check the project and create proofs. When Check Project is selected, a window opens displaying any empty pages the order contains along with any files that may be too low in resolution. The affected pages should be checked and adjusted where necessary. The Create Proofs option allows you to output individual JPEGs of your album design that you can supply your customer with. When this process is started you are asked to choose if you would like to have the whole album rendered or just selected pages. Select where they are to be saved and click OK. The files will appear in the selected folder and automatically carry a proof stamp, which cannot be disabled. You can also alter preferences form this menu. Dimensions can be changed from millimetres to inches and vice versa. 35
Menu Toolbar (continued) Edit This menu contains the standard cut, copy and paste commands that can be found using the right-click menu. Insert The insert menu allows you to add text or image nodes. You can also insert various shapes, one of which is a line. The properties of this line can be altered using the first menu at the right hand side of the screen. 36
Menu Toolbar (continued) Page There are various page options found here: Insert Duplicate Add Delete Inserts a fresh page before the one currently selected. Inserts a duplicate of the page currently selected. Adds a fresh page at the end of the project. Deletes the page currently selected. It is also possible to rearrange the running order of the book here. A new window opens, allowing you to drag a selected page to a new position. 37
Menu Toolbar (continued) View Through the view menu, you can hide (or show) the various palettes that make up the software. This can give a larger area to view the pages, which can be useful. View Rulers Rulers can be displayed or hidden around the template. Left hand image showing with rulers. Right hand image showing without rulers 38
Menu Toolbar (continued) View Guides Guides similar to those found in Photoshop can be activated using this option. They are dragged from the ruler bar to the desired position on the template. 39
Ordering Your Album When you are satisfied that your album is ready to send, you first should backup your order by clicking the save button. Once saved you can send your design by either clicking on File followed by Order or clicking the shopping trolley at the top right of the template area. Shopping trolley 40
Ordering Your Album (continued) A window summarising your order will appear highlighting any pages where there may be file size issues. It would be wise to double check these files at this time. If you are happy to proceed, click OK. Shopping problems on each page A disclaimer appears next. Please ensure you read through the terms and conditions, and only accept if you are happy to do so. Please note, this must be ticked to continue. 41
Ordering Your Album (continued) You are now taken to a website login section. If you are registered you can log straight in. If not, register at the link provided. Please note: The login is currently separate from our standard website. If you have not registered at this specific section before, you shall have to do so now. The first page you see summarises your order. You can also choose a specific cover here, if the product allows. For example, green leather. Embossing/etching details can be added on products where this option is available. 42
Ordering Your Album (continued) You can now choose your shipping options; shipping address, billing address and shipping method. 43
Ordering Your Album (continued) Special instructions can be added at this stage. 44
Sending Your Order After receiving order checkout confirmation, you must return to the software. You will now be presented with a new window. From here you can upload the order via broadband or save the project to your hard disc. If you select the Test button, the software calculates how long the order will take to send. This is based on a combination of your current upload speed and the overall size of the order. 45
Sending Your Order (continued) Selecting sending order via mail allows you to backup the order to your hard disc. The resulting folder can then be burned to CD or DVD and posted to the lab. 46
Troubleshooting A New Product is available but why can t I find it? Whenever we launch a new product, an e-mail is sent to our customer base to keep them up to date on our latest offerings. If you have launched LDP and cannot view the new product(s), this indicates your version is not fully up to date. To remedy this, click on Create a New Project at the initial launch screen followed by Check for Updates. Tick the boxes of the required updates (we would recommend ticking all the downloads) and those products should begin downloading. Shopping problems on each page 47
Troubleshooting (continued) My images lie outside the red bleed line The bleed line displayed in LDP on each album page is an indication of the area of your design which may be cropped. Our hand-made Bellissimo albums are trimmed when printed and bound to give a flush finish. To allow this, we place a red line approx 12mm from the edge of all pages to create a safety buffer all crucial image and text nodes must lie inside these lines. For example, if you were to place a node 6mm from the template edge, this may end up being right at the page s edge once trimmed which is not aesthetically ideal. Correct layout all image & text nodes are within guides Incorrect layout images & text are likely to be lost during the trimming process. 48
Troubleshooting (continued) A low quality image warning has appeared If you have overtly cropped or enlarged an image, the Low Quality Picture warning may appear. This shows when images are deemed to be of insufficient size for a given image box. LDP carries out a pixel count over the length of the box and if this drops below 150dpi, the warning will appear, e.g. if you have a file that is 1000 pixels wide within a 10 box, your image will be set at 100dpi meaning the warning will appear. However, if you drop the same image into a 5 box, the warning will not appear as your file is now set at 200dpi. The warning message is not a certainty that the file will print to an insufficient quality. However, it is a useful tool, which prompts you to double check files before submitting an order. Low Quality Image indicator 49
Troubleshooting (continued) I cannot load my save project If you are trying to load a previously saved album design, you may come across an error message indicating that your images are no longer in their original location. LDP operates to use your computer s processing power most efficiently. When you design pages, your files are not saved as part of that album; instead there is a link to the files location on your computer, e.g. if your image IMG_001 is located in My Pictures/Folder A, then LDP will use that path to display the designed page, and not the original JPEG. This ensures your computer does not have to cope with a multitude of large JPEGs allowing it to run faster and more smoothly. If you receive the warning message, this means that the files are no longer at the original location. If you return the files to the original folder, the order will load. Alternatively, selecting Find Pictures allows you to browse to the missing files new location. If the album has been created with images from a CD, the CD must be in the drive when reloading the design in order for the path to be found. LDP only uses the full version of the JPEG at the very last stage where you elect to save the order to CD or upload the files to our server. 50
Troubleshooting (continued) I cannot complete the checkout procedure If you have completed your design, you then proceed to the checkout section. This is web based and will appear once the start button is clicked at the disclaimer stage. If you are not taken to the web page, this indicates a pop-up blocker may be in use and is blocking access to the checkout facility. Make sure any such application is disabled or amended to allow the LDP software full access. Internet Explorer has its own pop-up blocker incorporated into the browser, which can be disabled by selecting: Tools/Pop-up Blocker/Turn off Pop-up Blocker. Internet Explorer pop-up preferences 51
Troubleshooting (continued) Firefox pop-up preferences A firewall could also block LDP s access. Again, browse to the application/ program list within the firewall and ensure LDP is allowed full inbound/ outbound access to the Internet. Or on a Mac, launch System Preferences/ Security/Firewall. Mac Firewall preferences 52
Troubleshooting (continued) Should I select colour correction? Loxley Colour offers a free of charge colour correction service on all orders. When your files arrive to be printed, one of our skilled colour technicians will assess each and every one of your files on screen and adjust the colour and density until a satisfactory result is achieved. If you prefer, you can opt for no colour correction. In this case, your monitor needs to be profiled specifically to our print outputs using a calibration device such as the Eye-One or Spyder (refer to colourconfidence.com). This will give you a generic monitor profile and rid you of any inappropriate settings. You can then order a set of test prints, labelled Free of charge calibration prints, without any colour correction. These prints may not be to our highest standard, in terms of colour and brightness, but they will indicate how close your monitor is to our print profile. You would then need to alter the settings on your monitor, whilst comparing to the print, until the best match is achieved. 53
Troubleshooting (continued) My order will not upload When you have completed your design and progressed through the checkout facility, you should be prompted to save or upload the order. If you choose to upload the files, the software will automatically connect to our server and begin upload via FTP. If the order does not progress at all, this indicates something is blocking the transmission, which could be your computer s firewall. To counteract this, make sure that you only have one firewall active, e.g. if you are Windows based and have an aftermarket firewall such as Norton 360, McAfee or AVG Enterprise, then ensure the Windows firewall is deactivated. Next, check that LDP is allowed full Internet access within the firewall s settings. The firewall should have a program section where all the programs that require Internet access are listed. It will state whether or not each program is allowed Internet access, and can be amended to suit. Norton 360 preferences 54
Troubleshooting (continued) McAfee preferences AVG Enterprise preferences 55
Troubleshooting (continued) My order uploads but is very slow A few things can influence Internet transmission speeds. Broadband, by its very nature, is asymmetric meaning the upload speed is a fraction of the download speed. You may not realise this and expect your order to send much quicker than it actually will. Each Internet user is also subject to a contention ratio, which varies from ISP to ISP. This means that you may share the connection to your local exchange with a certain number of users. If, for example, your ratio was 30:1, then you share the line with 29 other users. If they were all to be online at the same time as you, then your speeds would decrease. This is why the Internet operates at higher speeds through the night (off-peak), as there are fewer users online. 56
Images Jo Barker Photography. All information contained in this document is correct at time of publication Loxley Colour 2014.