Layout Palette

The palette includes the following tools (reading from top to bottom in the order they appear on the palette; more details follow):

Align apertures relative to the page.
Align apertures relative to each other.
Change the display order of apertures (ie send them towards the back or the front).
Swap images between apertures.
Rotate the aperture and/or image.
Change the type of layout (standard, panorama, wings and flips)
Some matted album suppliers also allow “no-mat” layouts in matted albums.
Add shapes and background colours to pages (but only in un-matted “digital” albums).
A Navigator.

Align to page

These align an aperture to the top, bottom, left, right or centre of the design area (whether that's a side or panorama). The tools use a default “space to page edge” that you can set for each supplier in Preferences (your supplier can also set a legal minimum).

As you roll over the align-to-page buttons, you’ll see lines appear on the layout to preview what Photojunction will do if you click the button.

As well, in this area you’ll find buttons to delete and add apertures. The Add button creates “empty” apertures (without images – you can drag images into them if you wish). You can also add apertures by dragging them on to the page, or using templates, and delete them with the Delete key.

The Lock button prevents you moving an aperture either with the mouse, the arrow keys or the alignment tools. When apertures are locked all you can do is change the images in them, crop, zoom etc. Sometimes Photojunction locks apertures automatically, such as when your album supplier does not allow use of the design tools, or after you have created high-res exports. The later is a gentle reminder to you that editing the layout will make your exports out-of-date, but you you can unlock and edit if you wish.

align apertures

The Align Images tools align images (or apertures) to EACH OTHER, and therefore require more than one aperture to be selected.

Four of the top row of keys aligns apertures to their left, right, bottom or top edges. The apertures will move to align with (eg) the leftmost or rightmost image. As with align-to-page, you’ll see preview lines appear on the layout as you roll over the buttons.
The top-right button enables you to group apertures together, so that they respond to the alignment tools as if they were a single aperture.
The bottom-left buttons align the vertical or horizontal centres of selected apertures.
The bottom-right buttons SEPARATE apertures from each other. You can use a default “space between apertures” that you can set for each supplier in Preferences (your supplier can also set a legal minimum).
If you try dragging and dropping apertures you'll discover the "snap-to" function. As the centre (or top, bottom or side) of one aperture moves into alignment with another, a preview line will appear. If you "drop" the aperture while the line is visible, the aperture you're moving will “snap” into alignment with the stationary one.

Move apertures

These tools allow you to change the display order of apertures (ie send them towards the back or the front), or even swap the images between apertures, as in the right-hand graphic above.

Rotate aperture

Click the buttons to rotate the aperture clockwise or counterclockwise. Hold down the Shift key to rotate 15deg instead of 1deg per click. If Lock Image is checked the image rotates with the aperture. Otherwise it remains as (caution - notice the impact on cropping!) There's a button to cancel rotation if you change your mind.

Album layout types

These buttons allow you to select one or other of the the various layout types Photojunction offers. As the graphic above shows, there are two rows of buttons. The top left button group allows you to toggle between Standard and Panorama layouts. They work the same regardless of whether you're working on matted or digital albums.

Layouts are Standard by default. That is, Photojunction behaves as if each side is a separate design area. For example the Centre Align tool places an image in the centre of the side, and you cannot place an image across the centre of the layout (the gutter of the book).

If you click the Standard/Panorama toggle to change to Panorama, the two sides will together comprise one design area: you will be able to place an image across the centre of the layout, and if you use the Centre Align tool it will place an image across the gutter, in the centre of the layout.

The top-right group of buttons only appear if you’ve chosen a matted album format AND the supplier allows you to add “un-matted” openings or sides to it (in effect allowing you to mix digital and matted in the one book).

In the second row there are three groups of buttons.

The left group allows you to add (or remove, by toggling) left and right Flip pages. Flips are extensions to the base page that fold out to offer extras sides on which youi can display images.
The middle group allows you to add (or remove) left or right Wing pages. Wings are half-panels mounted on top of a base “side” that open out to reveal another display area underneath. You can add apertures to the outer wing as well as the inner surface. Check with your supplier to see if wings and flips are available.
There is a single button on the right with which you can toggle Photojunction’s Photo-safe Guides on and off. By default they are on, as we recommend.

Shapes and Background Colour

You can add coloured rectangular or oval shapes to your digital pages, and also specify a background colour layout by layout. These tools only appear when you’re designing digital (un-matted) pages.

You can resize the shapes you add just as you can image apertures, as well as add effects such as changing opacity, adding borders etc.

The Navigator

Since you can display page layouts full size or even larger, it’s highly likely you sometimes won’t be able to see the entire layout. The Navigator enables you to see, and change, the layout area that is visible on screen.