Working with Fotoslate 4

At OPUS Albums we use FotoSlate 4 from ADC Systems in Canada.  We recommend it.  The following is not a comprehensive guide to the use of FotoSlate, for that you should use the on-screen facilities of the program.  There are good help screens and wizards to facilitate your album design.  Here are a few tips,

Understand what FotoSlate is:

All the printing projects you build in FotoSlate contain the same basic elements:

·        Every project in FotoSlate consists of one or more pages, whether the project is a CD cover, T-shirt transfer, or photo album.

·        A page consists of a frame containing at least one of three kinds of object - an image object, text object, or calendar object.  

·        An object works like a placeholder into which you can place images, text, or pre-formatted calendars.

·        A blank page in FotoSlate serves as a framework into which you place objects.

·        Objects work as placeholders for calendars, images, and text. The placement of objects determines the layout of a page.

·        A usable page contains any number of objects.

·        A completed page contains objects that, in turn, contain text and images.  

·        A project consists of one or more pages. 

Select a template first.  If possible use one of the wizards.  If not select from one of the standard schematics.  Remember you can easily change the background – concentrate on the picture layout, borders etc. 

Make sure that you have the right paper size.  Being an American product you will find that it defaults to American paper sizes.  However A4 is as well supported as American ‘letter’ size – you just have to make sure it is clicked.

Set up your margins – remember OPUS Albums need a punching margin.  It is good to print to the edge of the page – but allow one inch (2.5cm) on the left hand side when preparing Print & Bind albums (one sided) or alternate sides if you are working on Photo Art.

Layout the pictures using the templates – and then move them round if you want to add text, rotate etc.

Don’t be afraid to change the shape.  Maybe most are in rectangular frames – add interest by a balanced ellipse.  But don’t overdo it!

Touch up the photos – crop if the subject is being ‘lost’.  Change the lighting levels.  The whtepoint and blackpoint levels are very easy to use – and not easily accessed in many packages.  Be careful when changing colour.

Add titles and text.  With text it is easier to type into Microsoft Word and then copy into FotoSlate 4. 

Make sure that you save your work regularly.  If you have two versions that you want to compare just use different file names.  You can cut and paste when you come to make the final version.

Remember FotoSlate does not store the actual photos.  It does not change them (except via the editor).  It brings the pictures into the selected area to display and print.