The Junction

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July 2009

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Poor, under-appreciated Nanny

July 22, 2009 in Soap Box, Tip by Ian | Comments

Spell checker

Even though I tend to ignore MS Word’s spelling and grammar checker, I do try really hard to avoid making mistakes. But if I slip up the world doesn’t end, and I sleep easy.

I don’t think it’s such a good idea to ignore Nana PJ though, because she’s trying to ensure I get a first class album back … and ordering a second-rate album can be annoying, slow and really expensive. A bit like a cringe-inducing spelling mistake in your new print job.

Here’s Nana PJ on the job (click on the images to view them full size) …

1. I’ve edited this page since exporting, so my page layouts are out of date (red warning, lower right)…

Nanny 1

2. I haven’t designed my cover (this warning popped up when I clicked Send Order)…

Nanny 3

3. And my favourite: the red cross between apertures says they’re too close together, so my album company won’t be able to cut the mat…

Nanny 2

Nana PJ’s got a bit bossy of late, and has asked album vendors if she can stop me sending my order if I’m naughty. ‘Cos she knows I’ll be sorry. At least she doesn’t pester me about wearing a vest.

Cheers, Ian

At last!

July 21, 2009 in Album Design by Johannes | Comments

Version 1.27 turned up the other day …. in the usual way, unannounced, with the usual set of promises, and a small degree of suggestive insistence.

I downloaded the update as requested and at first paid little attention to what might have changed … Then I noticed the absence of the album specs from the Tools window … Thinking I had misplaced them I soon realised that they had been relocated.

What a great idea that is!

Now the flowchart approach works simply and logically, tries to minimise the potential for idiocy and is much less mysterious.

Suddenly I feel that PJ has moved on from being the teenager that it was to a robust and effective design tool.

My thanks to Danny, Ian, Stephen and the PJ design team for taking PJ to the next level.

Thanks heaps

Johannes

I thought film was dead…

July 19, 2009 in Noticed by Ian | Comments


Thanks Heather.

Cheers, Ian

Remix beta 1.27: New user interface

July 17, 2009 in Announcements by Nigel | Comments

As promised, here’s a video Ian, Akshay and I recorded showing you PJ’s new simplified and streamlined workflow, as well as the new interface that’s been implemented in this version.

Click here to check out 1.27 (13 mins)

I’ll post another video soon showing you how to send a design order to Queensberry. It’s so easy you’ll be astounded – no kidding.

Cheers, Nigel

Pricing

July 17, 2009 in Noticed by Ian | Comments

“Let’s start out with a universal truth. A digital photograph costs nothing. Nothing to make, nothing to store, nothing to transfer and nothing to see…”

Now we have your attention, there’s an interesting and thoughtful post about pricing on Lighting Essentials. Thank you to @PicSeshu for pointing it out.

Cheers, Ian

Another new beta, v1.27

July 16, 2009 in Announcements by Ian | Comments

1-27a

The industrious PJ developers have certainly been busy. They’ve just posted another new beta that builds on the last release, v1.26. Put them together and we have a transformation.

Ever since we first released Remix we’ve been asked to simplify and streamline the workflow, and we believe we’ve done that here.

As you can see from the screen shot, album set-up has been transformed – reduced to a single screen that can gather up all the information an album vendor needs to make your album (click on the images to see them full-size).

This particular screen shot is to order a Queensberry, but the options that PJ displays will vary depending on what your supplier offers. (On that point, notice the new “Design, Print and Assemble” service option.)

At the top of the window you’ll see new navigation buttons. They will step you through the entire process, from setting up the album, through cover and album design, to exporting the layouts and sending your order. Just work logically from left to right. Photojunction will alert you if it discovers a problem (like an out-of-date print layout) or something you haven’t done yet (like design the cover). You can go back and make changes until you’re ready to send the order.

1-27b

The high-res export screen is also transformed. It’s another single screen, to which we’ve added a file list and status reports (warnings). Look at the buttons below the list. You can now open and edit your page layouts in Photoshop without ever leaving Photojunction!

But wait, there’s more. Project set-up is also a single screen. Photojunction can now upload your orders via FTP (introduced in v1.26). The Collection Builder now let’s you start from where you left off. And there are more bug fixes of course, including some issues from 1.26. You can read the release notes here.

Please, enjoy!

Cheers, Ian

PS Nigel will be releasing two movies very shortly.

PPS A reminder of the main new features in 1.26 – adding text to album layouts; importing PSDs as templates and images; proof sheets; replicating and rotating templates; manual image sort.

FTP functionality

July 14, 2009 in Album Design, Tip by Ian | Comments

Continuing our tour of the major new features in the latest beta, check out this movie on Queensberry Connects about the FTP functionality we’ve built into v1.26b. We’ve added an upload function to the Order Wizard so you no longer need LabFTP. It’s automatic, so you don’t need to think about it – Remix just uploads everything the supplier needs. Even our resident geeks like not having to think for themselves. Occasionally.

Cheers, Ian

PS The Order Wizard only works with participating album suppliers – we’re happy to talk to yours!

This is how a virus works …

July 13, 2009 in Noticed by Johannes | Comments

I see something cool somewhere and have to share it with my ten best friends … and some of them like it enough to share the love … You know the rest … actually the same works for the flu.

So there I was prowling the Digtal Wedding Forum and saw this little baby and thought, Wow! I have to show all the people who haven’t seen it yet.

This is not about me trying to discover something new, but sharing the love.

hugs, Johannes

PS Didn’t somebody at Olympus do a great job? [He wants one - Ed]

I might not be the photographer for you…

July 10, 2009 in Noticed by Nigel | Comments

“You don’t want a photographer – you want a storyteller …

“The camera is just a tool I use to tell the story …

“I don’t work for you.”

Paul Edwards from the [b] School explains his philosophy about photography…

Food for thought.

Cheers, Nigel

Replicating and rotating templates

July 9, 2009 in Album Design, Tip by Nigel | Comments

We’ve added some new functionality to two buttons you’ll know well. Until now, the Rotate buttons in the Event Window have just rotated images. Now they allow you to rotate single sided templates as well (by 90, 180 or 270°).

Simply select the single sided template and use the buttons to rotate it to the right or left.

picture-112

In this case the template has been rotated 90° to the right, and is ready to apply to a layout.

picture-10

OK, that’s half the story. By default templates are double-sided, and you can select them and click the Split button at the top of the Event window to make them single-sided.

But Photojunction doesn’t split the original. It makes a single-sided copy and keeps the original. Very handy if you’ve got a square album and want to make three copies so you can rotate them by 90, 180 and 270°.

Cheers, Nigel

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