# Working with Layouts

### What is a Layout?

A layout comprises one or more empty frames acting as templates for images and text. You can change the position, size and alignment of these frames.

All of these commands can be used before and after adding your own images and text.

To add new layout frames press the icons "New image" or "New text" in the toolbar. For more details see "Inserting images into the layout and editing images in the layout" and "Inserting and editing texts" later on in this chapter.

### Selecting a Layout

Click the "Layout" tab in the object browser.

The default setting in the selection box is "Display all…", however, you can also restrict the layout preview to the number of images you wish to use in the layout via the selection box.

Double clicking the preview applies the layout to both of the pages that are shown; to apply the layout to one page only, hold down the left mouse button and drag the layout to the required page.

### The Layout Frame

A layout frame is a placeholder into which you can insert an image. It is displayed in the product editor as a semi-transparent icon while it does not contain an image.

#### Selecting a layout frame

You can select a layout frame by clicking on it.

To select multiple layout frames drag a selection frame around them with the mouse. You can add more frames to this selection by holding down the "Ctrl" key and clicking more frames with the mouse. You can use the same method to remove a frame from the selection. Simply hold down the "Ctrl" key and click the selected frame again to remove it from the selection.

The scale, rotate, position and delete functions all work with multiple, selected layout frames.

#### The Editing frame

If you select a layout frame, an editing frame is drawn around it – this is a line that clearly highlights the frame borders. This indicates an "active" frame.

#### Scaling a layout frame

The editing frame has a number of handles, corner handles at the corners of the editing frame and side handles at the center of each side of the frame.

You can use the handles at the corners and sides to scale the frame size.

The corner handles keep the aspect while scaling the layout frame.

The side handles scale the layout frame in one direction only (width or height).

#### Rotating the layout frame

You can use the rotation handle, which lies slightly within the frame, to rotate the frame while holding down the mouse button.

To rotate the frame through 90 degrees, you can use the tools "Rotate frame counter-clockwise" and "Rotate frame clockwise" in the toolbar.

#### Moving a layout frame

To move a layout frame position the mouse pointer directly on the editing frame until the pointer changes into a cross with arrow heads, then hold down the left mouse button and drag the frame to the required position.

Alternatively, you can use the arrow keys on your keyboard. The selected frame will move gradually in a specific direction by repeatedly pressing an arrow key, or by holding down the arrow key.

#### "Position active frame"

The "Position active frame" group of commands gives you absolute control over the position, rotation, size and zoom factor of your content. It groups the three previously described steps and the zoom command in a single dialog box. The command group is also available in the layout frame drop-down menu (right click the frame), and you can select multiple layout frames to apply the same values at the same time.

The dialog box for this command group has four tabs "Position", "Rotation", "Size" and "Zoom".

The "Keep..." options are enabled by default.

##### "Zoom"

The zoom factor determines how the image scales within the frame.

You can either keep the current zoom factor, or set a new zoom factor.

The zoom factor is defined as a numeric value in percent.

This function does not apply to text boxes. To change the font size, you must format the text.

##### "Size"

The layout frame size is defined in absolute centimeter values for the height and width or the image is scaled as a percent value. This also works with text boxes.

##### "Rotation"

The "Set rotation" option rotates images by absolute values. Rotation relates to the product editor workspace.

The "Rotate image" option rotates images relatively. Rotation relates to the image and/or the layout frame. If the layout frame has already been rotated, the new rotation is added to the current rotation value.

You can also use this command to rotate text boxes.

##### "Position"

This positioning option lets you place images and text images in the layout with millimeter accuracy.

As a reference, the page width (for vertical positioning) or the page height (for horizontal positioning) of the layout area is displayed.

This explains why the page width for photo books always relates to the full page spread.

The following positions are supported:
Before: |  |  | "Move all images uniformly" |
"Center mid-point horizontally " |  |  | "Center mid-point vertically " |
"Align right vertically " |  |  | "Align left vertically " |
"Align bottom horizontally" |  |  | "Align top horizontally" |

Mid-point, right, left, top, and bottom all relate to the layout frame.
Horizontally and vertically relate to the layout area.
There is an additional mid-point option that lets you position the layout frame at the center of the page.

Caution: Avoid moving images so far that they drop off the visible area of the editor window. If you deselect an image, you will not be able to move it back. It will automatically be removed from your order.

#### Aligning and arranging frames

If you select multiple frames, the command "Align and arrange frames" becomes available in the drop-down menu.

It takes you to additional commands which let you align the images right or left, or flush at the top or bottom You can also match the rotation and size of the images.

#### Layout frame order

Frames can partially overlap. Buttons are available in the toolbar for this purpose (in the "Additional frame settings" program group): "Move active frame forward" and "Move active frame backward".
This lets you control the order in which the images overlap.

#### Deleting a layout frame

You can delete a layout frame from your layout by selecting the frame and either pressing the "Delete" icon in the toolbar, or by pressing the "Del" key on your keyboard.

### Saving a Layout

After customizing a layout, or creating a new layout, you can save the layout to be able to apply it to other pages.
To do so, use the "Save layout" command in the toolbar.

By default, the layout for the left half of the double page spread is saved; if you want to save the layout for the right page, you must first select a layout frame on this page.

The layout then appears as a thumbnail in the layout object browser, and is tagged with an asterisk.

### Inserting Images into a Layout and Editing Images

#### Selecting images

Click the "Images" tab in the "Object browser".

In a similar style to your operating system’s explorer, you can navigate to the image directories on your storage media in the top section of the "Object Selector".

All the images in the directory you have selected are shown below this.

Images that you have already used in your photo book are checked.

You can change the thumbnail view size using the zoom slider at the bottom.

The drop-down menu (right click the image view) gives you various view, sort and paste options:

##### "Find similar"

After selecting an image, this function finds images in the same directory that you either photographed at the same time (by date and time) and/or that look similar. You can use the slider to set the degree of similarity.

##### "As background"

These commands let you add an image of your own as the background for right, left or both pages (double page spread). In contrast to backgrounds supplied with the software, images that you insert as backgrounds can be edited in the product editor by double clicking and then using the photo viewer.

##### "Selected images as collage..."

Creates a collage from multiple selected images. The size and position of the images is adjusted automatically. You can execute this command multiple times in succession until you are satisfied with the results.
You can then move the images in the layout frame to find the most suitable image detail.

##### "Sort by..."

Sorts images either alphabetically by filename or chronologically by date and time of recording.

##### "Update directory"

If you add image files to the current directory while you are working with the photo software, the new photos may not be display immediately. This command forces the software to reload the directory and thus the thumbnails.

##### "Display filename"

Displays or hides the filename below the thumbnails.

##### "Sort by colour"

Displays the images by colour tone grouped in a separate window.
Horizontally or vertically or adjacent images will match well on the same page in your photo book. Double clicking the image inserts it into the photo book page. Tip: Make sure you select a background with a matching colour.

##### "PHOTO BOOK Assistant"

Only for photo books. Launches the Photo Book Assistant. (See the chapter "The Photo Book Assistant")

##### "Photo Show"

Launches the photo viewer. (See the chapter "Photo Show".)

The photo show (with image editing functions) can also be launched by double clicking the preview image. Caution: If you edit an image in the object browser and not in the workspace, the original file is overwritten with the edited version when you save your work. Of course, you may want to do this.

#### Inserting images into the layout

To insert an image into your layout, hold down the left mouse button and drag it from the object browser to the required layout frame. The image will then fill the layout frame.

The layout frame will react in two possible ways:

1. The image scales to match the layout frame. The layout frame remains unchanged and the height or width of the image is modified, depending on which aspect of the image and the frame offers the best match.
   Any parts of the image that extend beyond the frame are no longer visible, but you can scale the height and width of the layout frame and use the "Scale down image" / "Scale up image" tools to define the image selection shown in the frame.

2. The layout frame scales to match the image. You can see the "whole" of the image, and the layout frame changes to match the longer side of the image. Again you can scale the layout frame. If you use the handles at the corners to scale the layout frame, the aspect will be kept and the image will automatically scale. If you scale only the width and height of the layout frame, the parts of the image that are outside the layout frame are no longer visible.
   When scaling up a layout frame, the image scales proportionally; this is not true when you scale down a layout frame. In this case you must scale down the image manually in the frame using the "Scale down image" / "Scale up image" functions.

You can set the layout frame behavior using the options in the header for all images you insert. See the Chapter "Program Options".

Alternatively, you can drag your image or images to an empty part of the page, or onto a totally empty page (delete the default layout frame before you do) and then position the image(s) freely.

#### Swapping images

You can hold down the mouse button to drag an image from one layout frame to another. If the other frame already contains an image, the images are swapped.

#### Deleting images

To remove an image from the product editor, first select the image (click on it) and then press the button "Remove selected elements from selection", or press the "Del" key on your keyboard. Pressing the "Del" key a second time additionally removes the layout frame.

Selected images are identifiable by the highlighting frame drawn round the image.

To select multiple consecutive images at the same time, use the mouse to draw a frame around the images you want to select, or select the first image you want to remove, hold down the shift key on your keyboard, and click the last image you want to select.

To select (or unselect) multiple non-consecutive images, hold down the "Ctrl" key and click each image without releasing the "Ctrl" key between clicks.