Frequently asked questions
Please search here for answers to the most common questions regarding Album DS, if you don’t find an answer please use the support form to contact us, thanks.
How to configure the window to make visible both Photoshop and Album DS?
In Windows just resize both applications and place Photoshop at top and Album DS smaller at bottom.
In Mac OS X you need to enable Application frame at Photoshop’s Windows menu and if needed dock the panels to the main window, then resize Photoshop’s unique window at top and Album DS smaller at bottom.
If desired you may enable “Always visible” in Album DS preferences to get it as a floating window over all other applications.
I get a Photoshop® error while inserting a background
Please disable Version Cue in Photoshop® preferences – File handling
I get sometimes a message like “The file … has been modified …, do you want to save it ? ” or similar in Photoshop®
Please disable Version Cue in Photoshop® preferences
May I use templates from other designers or my old ones with Album DS ?
As long as the template files are PSD documents, you may convert them to Album DS templates. Please select the space to be filled with a picture and click at “Selection to shape” in Album DS Extras, this has to be done with all picture places. Finally save the document with Abum DS option Sheet – Save as template.
Sometimes when I use a picture, it doesn’t recognize that the image has been used.
Please make sure to use Album DS saving options and not the Photoshop® ones, only Album DS will take care of the used pictures.
When I import pictures which are numbered sequentially (as in the filename) they are not kept in order within Album DS, try as I might I cannot seem to get them to display in numerical order.
Pictures are sorted in the main Album DS window in two ways:
– Picture capture date and time following EXIF data, this is the default order.
– Filename
You may change from one to the other by selecting the appropiate value in Pictures or you may drag the pictures to the correct position
Does Album Ds support RAW format?
Album DS supports files in JPEG and TIFF format, but you will find very usefull a way to indirectly work with NEF ( or any other raw format) files.
First convert your RAW files to JPEG format in a fast way using batch method or use the JPEG files provided by your camera if it is capable to save both formats, the you can start to design the album with this JPEG files; please use Album DS scaled mode as this is the fastest method.
Once finished the design you only have to convert the actually used (for the album) RAW files to JPEG and correct them if necessary, then you may use the Pictures menu option to Import pictures and update
Does Album DS include printing features ?
Regarding that Album DS uses Photoshop®’s working area and the files are true PSD and JPG files you may use Photoshop®’s own printing options which will take care also for color profiles which may be very important for printing albums.
The demo includes all the templates that the full version does ?
The demo version is fully functional for 30 days but only includes a small subset of the templates, masks, etc of the final version. It will notmark your pictures or sheet, this way you may create a full album with it.
Album DS stays on top, can I disable this ?
Album DS will stay at top like a real toolbar for Photoshop® allowing to interact with this program, you may deactivate this feature by unchecking Album DS always visible at the Configuration tab
Is there a way to respace shapes evenly from each other while designing templates ?
The biggest advantage of Album DS is using Photoshop® working area, this way you may benefit from all the Photoshop® tools and one of this great tools is the spacing one.
To place 4 shapes evenly from each other you have to place the one at most left at the desired position and then the one at most right, now select the 4 shape layers and select the Photoshop® Move tool and make sure you have selected to view Options in Photoshop®; many of the Move tool options are for alignment and one of them is for horizontal spacing.
Press at this option and the 4 layers will be placed with the same distance between in the sheet, you may also use the options to align at top or bottom and many other positions
When I double click in a image the program auto-resizes it to fit the height or weight of the frame/mask, but is it possible to just insert the image, inside the mask, using the program without any change in the size/resolution of the image? I ask it because many (real many) times, after we insert an image there is the need to put it biger just to frame a part of the image, but if we do so, the image will lose quality because it was scaled up after it was resized to the frame.
If you have enabled Rasterize pictures at the Configuration tab you may use the Update single picture or Update all pictures in the Pictures menu to reload the pictures with a fresh high definition copy.
If this option is not enabled the picture layers are smart objects and therefore you won’t have any quality loss resizing.
The program starts but I can’t see the main Album DS window (old versions)
Album DS saves the position of the window when closed, this data is saved to the file Position.txt in the main Album DS folder. After deleting this file Album DS will open at the default initial position. If you are using Mac OS X Lion or up this folder is located in user / Library / Application Support / Album DS.
Can I modify the supplied templates?
Of course, after opening a template you may use the Photoshop® move tool to redesign it. You may also delete a shape layer or add a new one with the rectangle tool. Remember that rotations should be made with the Album DS Pictures menu.
Can I resize the picture in the album sheet?
Yes, please select the picture layer and use the Photoshop® Move tool to resize or reposition the picture. Press Shift to maintain the picture proportions.
To rotate use the Album option.
I have a finished album and want to change resolution, is this possible?
Please use the integrated option to resize the whole album at the main Album – Album options menu.
After updating a picture I have got a disproportioned picture, why?
This is due to rotating a picture or shape with the Photoshop Move tool. You should only rotate a picture or shape layer using the Album – Pictures – Rotate option
May I use templates from other vendors?
If these templates are PSD files you may use them. You have to convert the predefined picture spaces to shape layers. This may be done by selecting this space and execute the action supplied with our program to convert a selection in to a shape layer. When done, delete the old layers and save the template with the Album application.
How to create a template for B&W pictures?
Select the shape layer where you want a B&W picture, CTRL+click on the mask and you will get a selection with the same size and form as the shape layer. Now select the Tone and saturation adjustment layer at bottom of the layers palette, slide saturation to 0. Next time you insert a picture in this shape it will be a B&W picture.
Remember to select the adjustment layer with the shape layer when resizing or rotating the shape layer.
You may add any kind of adjustment layer in this way, a sepia toning layer or a curves layer. You may also create a partial desaturation layer for mixing B&W and color in the same picture, just create a tone and saturation layer and paint with black at the new adjustment layer mask; the black areas will be colored areas.
May I rename the templates folders?
Yes, you may delete or rename any template folder and create your own ones. You only have to keep the main Templates folder.
Is it possible to join templates?
Our templates are PSD files and you may do with them almost any Photoshop® available process like:
Horizontal or vertical flip.
Add more shapes or delete them.
Add backgrounds or drawings, we recommend you use the rectangle tool for drawing and modify them with the pen tool as this will create vectorial shapes.
Change the opacity of the layers
Add adjustment layers.
Include text, even path guided text.Etc.
The design possibilities are almost infinite. You only have to keep in mind that rotations should be done with the application and you should not modify directly the pictures in the sheet because this will be replaced with the original ones (in scaled mode)
What about color space settings and lab profiles.
Album doesn’t manage the color of your pictures or album because all the files are opened and saved by Photoshop®.
Most users should set the space color management by Photoshop® as default in Selection and Preferences. A good option is to select also “convert to working space” and “Don’t ask” as this will automatically convert all documents you open (including Album DS templates) to your preferred color space
Which is the system configuration recommended for Album DS?
Any hardware configuration capable to work well with Photoshop® may be used. Although we recommend a double screen system, being the first one a panoramic and calibrated monitor and the second a cheaper one with similar vertical resolution to the main screen. At first screen we will work and see the pictures and album sheets, in the second the Photoshop® tools and windows will be placed with Album DS.
For sample, a first monitor of 1680×1050 pixels and a second one of 1280×1024 would be a good solution.
I get a Photoshop® message to convert the template to the actual color space
To avoid this message you may set Photoshop® so that any opened document will be converted to the working color space without asking, please see color space settings in Photoshop®.
I get a Photoshop® message “Retry – Continue”
When Album DS connects with Photoshop® this application should be free of any user interaction, sometimes ( even inadvertendly) Photoshop® is activated by the user and in this case this message may appear, simply Retry or continue until Photoshop® takes control again.
Are the Windows and Mac versions compatible, which are the main differences ?
The Album DS versions for Mac and Windows are very similar but you have to take in mind the windows behavior of both operating systems. In Mac you will have to resize the Photoshop window to get both applications visible simultaneously or activate Always visible at the Album DS configuration tab.
May I save my albums in an external drive ?
Yes, but take in mind that full resolution sheets may be very large and therefore you may notice a lack of performance at Photoshop and as consecuence at Album DS. Our recommendation is to work with an internal drive and create periodically backups in the external.
