| Navigating the BookMaker Software |
The top left corner offers a standard tool bar with BookMaker specific features The options include: File, Get Photos, Organise, Enhance, Book, BookShop, View and Help. Many of these menu items can also be reached from the design bar at the bottom of the screen.
File
Under the file menu in BookMaker, there are the
following menu items.
| New Book | ||
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Select this when you are creating a New Book | |
| Open Book | ||
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Displays all of the books you have created. Click on any of the titles to open and display the book. | |
| Save | ||
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All book files are automatically saved in the BookMaker software. You can also click Save to preserve the changes you have made to your book. If you forget to save, the software automatically saves the changes you have made. | |
| Save As | ||
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Use the Save As to give your book a title. You can create different versions of the same book by saving multiple copies under different titles. | |
| Rename Book | ||
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This allows you to change the name of your book without making a new file. | |
| Delete Book | ||
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This will remove your book and the associated photos from the software. | |
| Export Book | ||
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This allows you to save a copy of your book onto your hard drive. This is a useful feature for backing up your PhotoBook. | |
| Import Book | ||
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If you have Exported a book onto your hard drive and deleted it from BookMaker, you will use this function to Import the book back into the software. If you bring your book file to a different computer, you will use this function to bring the book file into the software. |
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To copy photos into BookMaker, click on Get Photos, and select your photo files from the directory. Your photos will be displayed on the upper portion of the screen.
| There are three ways of selecting photos to be used in your book: | ||
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Drag and drop the photo into the lower filmstrip area: Left-click on the photo, drag it into the filmstrip area, and release the mouse-button. | |
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Double-click on the photo. Please be aware that clicking too quickly may duplicate the image in the filmstrip area. Each photo that you select will be added at the end of filmstrip, all the way to the right. | |
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Left-click on the photo you want to add and then click on the Add Photos button at the bottom of the screen. | |
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To select multiple photos, hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard while selecting your photos. | |
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Use the scroll bar beneath the filmstrip area to preview all the photos you have selected. | |
Removing Photos
| There are two ways of removing a photo from the filmstrip area: | ||
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Right-click on the photo and select Remove Photo. | |
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Left-click on the photo and click on the Remove Photo button located at the very bottom of your screen. | |
Removing the photo will remove it from the software,
not from your computer. If you want to add this
photo back into the software, you will need to
go to the original file on your hard drive and
follow the instructions above.
Now that you have your images selected and placed into the filmstrip area, you can change the order in which the images are displayed. Click on Organise to rearrange your images.
Click on the Organise option from the toolbar located at the bottom of your screen.
Your images will be displayed in the order in which they were placed in the filmstrip area in the Get Photos function. The sequence of your photos is maintained in all functions of BookMaker. If you change the sequence of the photos in either the organise or the Book modes, the changes are reflected in both modes.
You can view your images in either the Photos view or the Pages view in order to rearrange photos or pages in your book. Select these options from the very bottom of your screen:
Photo View
The Photos view displays your images in the order they were copied into the software.
Left-click on the image and drag it to the position where you want it to be (a vertical blue line will appear)
Pages View
The Pages view will display your images in the Theme and Template combination that you select in the lower right-hand corner of your screen. For more information on themes and templates, refer to the section entitled Themes and Templates.
The image in the first template will flip positions with the image in the second template.
You will not be able to add pages from this function. To add pages, click on the Book mode from the toolbar at the bottom of the screen. For information about the Book mode, please refer to the section entitled Book.
To move pages: Left-click on the page number and drag the page to the position where you want it to be (a vertical blue line will appear).
The BookMaker software provides a number of tools to enhance the way that your photos will be printed. The Enhance features are accessible in all of the BookMaker modes (Get Photos, Organise, Enhance, and Book) from the standard menu bar on the top of the screen. However, you may find that the Enhance mode and the Book mode are the most effective places in the software to enhance your images.
| In Enhance mode, only ONE image is displayed on the screen. | ||
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Click on the Enhance tab on the toolbar in the lower portion of the screen below the design mat. The enhance features will appear below it. The Back and Next buttons on the upper right-hand corner of the screen will allow you to view every image of your book in the Enhance mode. | |
| In Book mode, you can enhance your images while seeing how they will appear on the page (in relation to the other images on that page). | ||
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When you are in Book mode, in the 1 Page or 2 Pages view, left-click on the image that you would like to enhance. A toolbar will appear on the screen above the image and all 10 enhance features are displayed as icons (as opposed to text). |
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Alternatively, if you right-click on the image that you would like to enhance, a list of all enhance options will appear on the screen next to the image.
Below is a list of the enhance features accessible through BookMaker:
Rotate: This feature will rotate the image 90 degrees (one quarter turn) clockwise (to the right). Images may need to be rotated if the original photo was imported in the incorrect orientation (landscape/horizontal instead of portrait/vertical, or vice versa). The photo can be rotated back to its original position, if desired. If you have an older operating system, there might be a lag time between clicking the button and the actual rotation of the image. If you click the Rotate button too fast or too many times, the image might take a few seconds to reorient itself to the desired position.
Flip: This feature flips the image such that the final result is a "mirrored" image of the original. Selecting the Flip button again will not flip the image back to its original position. In order to flip the image back, click on the Undo button.
Black and White: This feature converts a colour image to a black and white image. Selecting the Black and White button again will not convert the image back to colour. In order to convert the image from black and white to colour, click on the Undo button.
Auto Adjust: This feature is designed for those images that may benefit from slight adjustments in tone, brightness, or contrast, such as:
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Images that are slightly washed-out or over-exposed | |
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Images where the subject is underexposed and appears too dark because of a bright background | |
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Images where the picture may appear "flat" and may look better with a little more contrast |
The Auto Adjust feature will not correct out-of-focus images, images that have a colour caste, or images that resulted from "special" settings on your digital camera (e.g. sunsets or non-flash night/party scenes) nor will it make small image files larger, or improve the resolution of low-resolution images
If you want to revert your adjusted image back to its original state, click on the Undo button.
Auto Fit: This feature will automatically resize your photo so that it fits into the photo frame of the particular page layout you selected. To undo the auto fit, click on the Undo button.
Zoom In: Clicking on the Zoom In feature will enlarge a photo in increments of 1%. Hold down the Shift key on your keyboard while you're clicking on the Zoom In button in order to enlarge your photo in increments of 5% each time you click on the Zoom In button.
NOTE: If the outline around your photo changes from blue to RED, the resolution of this photo is below the recommended level for using the current zoom feature. The red outline around the photo indicates a less-than-optimum resolution. Please zoom out or use the photo with a higher resolution. If this photo is not adjusted or removed from the book, it will not print as sharply as it appears on your screen. It is strongly recommended that you adjust or remove any images in your book that have red outlines around them.
Zoom Out: Clicking on the Zoom Out feature will reduce the size of the photo in increments of either 1% or 5%. Hold down the Shift key on your keyboard while you're clicking on the Zoom Out button in order to reduce the size of your photo in increments of 5% each time you click the Zoom Out button.
Move: This feature will move (re-position) the photo within the confines of the photo frame. Click the Move button and then position the cursor (hand) on top of the image you'd like to move. Click the mouse button to grab the photo and drag it into the position you want it in. When you have the photo where you want it, release the mouse button. To get the image back to where you had it originally, click on the Undo button. If the original picture filled up the entire photo frame (prior to re-positioning it), you could also click on Auto Fit so that the picture will resize to fit the frame again.
Undo: Clicking on the Undo button will undo any of the previous enhancements done to the photo. It will get it back to the last position or size it was in or convert it back to its original colour prior to the enhancement.
Redo: Clicking on the Redo button will redo any of the previous "undo" commands done to the photo.
Book
In the Book mode, you will be able to add photos
and captions, create pages, enhance images, and
modify your theme and template selections. We
recommend that you activate the Advanced
feature on the bottom of your screen.
This feature provides full access to all the design
tools.
Overview of Book
The left-hand side of your screen displays the photos that you have selected for your book.
The right-hand side of your screen displays the Advanced template options that you can add to your page sequence.
The centre of the screen displays the grey-striped design mat.
The white rectangle in the centre of the design mat represents your page.
The area directly above the design mat displays your library of books (scroll down to view full list), the Preview tool bar, the page navigation keys, and the page print options (single-sided or double-sided printing)
Directly below the design mat is the page sequence
Below the page sequence is the design tool bar
On the bottom of the page on the far left-hand side are options to print the following features on every page of your book (except on full-bleed pages):
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Footers | |
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Page Numbers |
In the bottom of the page directly beneath the design tool bar are the following options:
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Caption Editor (Use in conjunction with the 1 Page or 2 Page view in the Preview tool bar. Click on the caption box to open the Caption Editor) | |
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Add Page | |
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Remove Page | |
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Advanced |
Themes and templates
Theme and Template options are located in the
lower right-hand corner of the screen.
The Theme determines the placement of the photo on each page.
| To select your theme: | ||
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Make sure you're in Book mode. | |
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Then go to the lower right-hand corner of the screen and select your desired theme using the drop-down menu. | |
The Template specifies the number of pictures you
want to have on each page. You can choose one
of the Templates offered within the theme or custom
select a template for each page using the Advanced
feature.
When you choose a Theme for your book, it is applied to your entire book. Multiple themes cannot be used in one book; however, the Various Mixed theme combines features offered in the other four themes for maximum flexibility.
The placement of the pictures and captions on the page moves as you select your Theme and Template combinations. This is displayed in the rectangular white area in the design mat. If you change themes or templates during the design of a book, please be sure to Preview your book before purchasing.
Horizontal images should be placed into horizontal frames and vertical images should be placed in vertical frames. It is recommended that you choose frames that are in the same orientation as the photos. Use the Advanced feature to select the ideal frame for your photos.
For more information about the theme and template options — please see the "Understanding Book Design" section.
BookShop is a menu item located on the top menu bar of BookMaker. You have the ability to do the following items with BookShop:
Shop for MyPublisher Products: Click here for a brief comparison of book prices and features.
Order Now: Click here when you're ready to order your book. This will take you to the Shopping Cart log-in page. The Purchase button on the lower tool bar serves the same function.
Price Check: Click here at any time to check the price of your book. Prices for all three types of books will be displayed.
View
View gives you the ability to turn on and off
certain BookMaker features.
Show all Warnings: This option cannot be turned off. This feature automatically displays important notifications to you as you make your PhotoBook.
Show all Tool Tips: Click here to turn on or off the design tips that display while your cursor passes over your photos.
Help
These options will provide you with more information
about MyPublisher and the BookMaker software.