# Ordering Prints and Posters

When ordering digital images (premium, standard, or poster) you can only insert image files; the product properties (e.g. size and quantity) are displayed and set in the object toolbar.

## Picture Ordering Layout Overview

Main Menu for controlling the software
Object browser Directory browser at top, image preview below | Object toolbar With settings for images
Product editor (this is where selected images, which you can then order, are displayed and can be formatted and edited.)
Product toolbar With the zoom slider for changing the image view size, and the Order button.

## The Object Browser in Image Order

The object browser for images is subdivided into two tabs: "Local" and "Web albums".

### The "Local" tab

In this tab you will find the images that you have stored locally, that is, on your computer. 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:

#### "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 displayed 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 color"

Displays the images by colour tone grouped in a separate window.
Double clicking the image inserts it into the photo product.

#### "Photo Show"

Launches the photo show. (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. If you want to avoid this, save the edited image under a different name in the photo viewer, or insert the image into the product editor first, and then open it in the photo viewer from this source (when you save, select the option "Only for this order").

### The "Web Albums" tab

This tab gives you the option of registering with the "locr" and "flickr" photo communities and adding the photos you upload to these addresses to your photo product.
If you are not a member of these communities, you can use the "Info" link to register.

For "locr" you also have the option of automatically uploading the images you use for your order to "locr".

### Inserting images

To insert an image into your photo product, hold down the left mouse button and drag it from the object browser to the product editor desktop.

You can also drag whole directory trees, including subdirectories, into the product editor. This inserts all the images in these directories into the product editor.

## The Object Toolbar in Image Order

The object toolbar in the product editor for image orders contains the properties for one or multiple photos with the following settings:

### Photo index label

(For premium images only)

In addition to the exposed images you receive a photo index with premium images. This is a card (for a larger number of images, often several cards) with thumbnails of all the images in the current order.

You can define the labels, the heading, for this index here. It is a good idea to use an mnemonic name such as e.g. "Holiday at the North Sea 2008", or "Auntie Frieda’s 60th Birthday".

### Size

You can set the number and size for all the images in the product editor while the image is selected.

You can specify the number and size individually for each image (click the image in the product editor), e.g. if you require multiple prints of, or a different size of print for, some images.

### Selecting the Aspect

The traditional image format in photography is 3:2 (which results in the traditional 6x4"), however, today's digital cameras often use different aspects.
At the top edge of the product editor you can select how to expose a photo with an aspect other than 3:2.

If you do not select an image in the product editor before doing so, this setting will apply to all subsequently added images. "Variable Length" means that your image will printed in it’s saved aspect ratio thus printing the whole image. "Classic Size (3:2)" crops your image to fit the traditional 3:2 aspect ratio. This means that areas of your image will be cut off or 'cropped'. These cropped areas are indicated by a red hatch in the product editor image preview. With many photos cropping part of the image will not remove any significant details, however, in some cases important image content (e.g. feet and hair) may be lost. For this reason, you can mix "Variable Length" and "Classic Size" within a single order.

To set the format for a single image, select the image in the product editor and click the option "Variable Length" or "Classic Size". This changes the format for the currently selected image only.

### "Optimization"

The automatic image correction (AIC) software is a software used by the photo laboratory to automatically correct the white balance and other image properties and thus obtain the best possible quality for the photo.

You can enable or disable automatic optimization by checking or unchecking the "Optimization" box.

It makes sense to disable AIC if you have used an image editing program to optimize the image, or in the case of images with critical colors such as sunsets or candle light (automatic white balance would falsify the red hues in the sunset or the yellow candle light).

You can enable automatic optimization individually for each image in the product editor preview for the image.

### "Delete selected elements"

This function does exactly what it says. It deletes the selected image, or the selected images from the product editor.

## Image order product editor

Each photo inserted into the product editor is listed with a thumbnail preview in the product editor.

The following setting options apply to selected images or thumbnails, and only to the selected photo in each case:
You can enable or disable optimization (AIC) at the top of each preview thumbnail in the editor.
There is a size selection box at the left in the bar at the bottom edge of the thumbnail. On the right you can set the number of prints you would like to order of this image.

You can specify these options and aspect behavior in the object toolbar at the top. However, after selecting at least one image, these settings will only apply to the selected image or images.
If you have not selected an image, these settings apply to all images.

Tip: As you cannot change the number size, aspect and optimization for all images at the same time without selecting an image, you might think you have a problem if all the rows of thumbnails in the product editor are completely filled. This means that you do not have an empty space in the last row of the workspace to deselect the images. Simply press "Ctrl" + A to select all images. You can then change the options for all images as if you had not selected any images at all.

The color of the lower bar in a thumbnail indicates whether the resolution is sufficient for good quality.
Green means: The image resolution is sufficient for good quality and you will not experience any loss of quality if you use the current image size.
Yellow means: The image resolution is not perfect and slight loss of quality can be expected if you use the image at the current size. You can either accept this, or choose a small print size (e.g. 6x4" instead of 7x5").
Red means: The image resolution is too low for good quality, and you can expect clearly visible loss of quality. (An additional "Caution" icon is displayed in the image itself.) You can either order a smaller sized print (if this improves the quality), or choose not to use the image.

## Product Toolbar

The product toolbar contains the tools that can be used with the whole product.

#### "Zoom"

The zoom slider lets you modify the product view size.

This does not change the size of the finished images; it simply enlarges or reduces the view size so that you can see more detail or to give you a better overview.

#### Product overview

There is an overview bottom right (you cannot click it) that tells you how many prints you have selected for ordering all told and how much these prints cost.