AdoramaPix Forums/Community Chat/Announcements
New PixPublisher Release
Al Escudero
posted this on October 18, 2010 09:29 pm
We've made a number of exciting changes to our photo book editing software. Check out the list below to see whats changed.
Snapping to elements
We've made it easy to align elements on a page spread to each other, or to the page itself. By feature is on by default, but you can turn it off by clicking the snap to elements button under the workspace.
When moving objects they will snap to:
- The center of a page or spread
- The edges of a page
- The center point of another object
- The edges or corners of another object
- Any line that is parallel or perpendicular to another object on the page
This snapping works when moving objects, or when resizing them.
Multi-select.
We have added a multi-selection feature. You may select several objects by holding “Ctrl” or “Shift” button, or by clicking the multi-select button on the toolbar beneath the workspace.
- All selected objects will be highlighted so you’ll know exactly what was selected.
- You can copy, paste, or move a selected group.
- You can change properties like border, opacity, shadow, text font, etc. for all objects in the group.
Object Styles
We have made it easier for you to copy style settings such as borders and shadows to other objects on a page. This works with photos as well as text.
- If you make a style change to an object, then add another object of the same type, it will take on the same style settings.
- Don't want the same settings? CtrlZ/Undo removes them.
- You can multi-select objects and apply a style change, or clear them.
Quick Zoom
Whenever you adjust the zoom on the workspace a triangle will show you the default position. Click on the triangle to return to pull spread view. When you do, the triangle will pop to the zoom position you were at, allowing you to return to it with a single click.
Theme grouping
We grouped our themes during the setup phase to make it easier to find the template style you're looking for. Just click on a group heading to expand that group of themes.
Additional Import options
We're glad to announce that you can now import your photos from several additional sources. In addition to Picasa and Flicker we now offer SmugMug, Photobucket and Phanfare as well.
Expanded Properties
In the Properties Properties Window (Accessible from the View menu) in addition to the size, position and orientation of an object you can also see the object type and name. Please note we have fixed it so that tab can now be used to move to the next input field.
A Smarter Mirror
The mirror function (in the upper right corner of a selected photo) now remembers the selected photo area (if you've cropped or panned) and mirrors only that area.
Better Image Sorting
- If your original images have EXIF data then “Sort by date” will sort images by date when photo was taken rather than the date they were uploaded.
- Sorting by name is no longer case sensitive.
A Finer Grid
We made the minimum setting for the grid 1/10 of an inch and allow you to set it in 1/10 of an inch increments.
If you have any questions about any of these new additions, or if you find that any of them are not working as expected, please let us know!
Comments
They all sound like great new additions...wondering if the books that have been created will be affected? Say if I wanted to go in and edit an old book.
Hi Vida. If you go in to edit an old book, you will be using the new version of the editor. The new editor doesn't change the content of your book, it just makes it easier to do your work.
Regards,
AL
I started my book before the changes and finished it after. The software runs much better and faster, and I particularly like the snapping to elements feature.
Still needed: the ability to delete photos from the list of elements: you have this but it doesn't work well, it goes into perpetual do-loops or something (the software hangs). Also: the ability to import PNGs or tiffs with transparency. Did I mention the need to import PNGs or "stickers" with transparency? (I have left this note all over these forums.)
Would be nice: Since I can't import my own stickers, if I could download the backgrounds I could make up my own matching pages and import the whole thing. I like your themes, tho, so don't really want to make ALL my pages in my own software. So making your backgrounds downloadable would be a workaround to the lack of ability to use my own PNGs.
Hi Leslie. Thanks for the comments, we're constantly working on improving the software. We will definitely offer a way to upload stickers in a future update.
With respect to downloading backgrounds, unfortunately that isn't possible. A number of our backgrounds are obtained under commercial use licenses which allow us to use and modify the art for printed products, but not to resell it or redistribute it 'as is'.
Regards,
AL
hello, I'm in the process of ordering a 12x12 76pg album. I just wanted to know if the same photo paper from all the other sizes,(6x6 8x8) will be used. I basically want to know how much thicker is the 76pg book going to be compared to a 30pg book.
Thx, Liz
Hi Liz. Its exactly the same paper. As a ballpark I would say the pages will be about 9/16th of an inch thick. About 13/16th of an inch with covers.
Regards,
AL
I am sure that my pictures have EXIF data but yet "Sort by date" gives me a weird arrangement. They look fine when I am jus looking at the gallery that I have in AdoramaPix but not in the book editor section.
Also I am using the new winter theme that you guys have uploaded. I love it, but I have found that the layouts section in PixPublisher is empty. Could you guys add the different layouts of that theme there? Thanks
My last comment, I promise :-) It would be good to add to PixPublisher a tool to group several objects (for example a picture, its frame and some ornament) so that one can resize them all at once if necessary. It would be something similar to the group option in Power Point.