Software

The FREE Vanilla Photobooks software is downloaded and installed on your computer. This means you can create and preview your Vanilla photobook offline before placing an order. Make as many changes as you want to the images, layout and pagination! Once you’re happy with your photobook, the software will optimise and prepare it to be print ready. Place your order and your photo book will then be uploaded so that we can print it for you.

Image library

The image library is where you can store your images, ready to be used. You can add multiple files that can then be categorised into named folders. The image library can be stretched so that you can see more of your images, and you can alter the size of the thumbnails using Zoom.

You can then select your images according to type, orientation, rating and more. Any images you don’t want can be easily removed from the image library. Any changes you make to images in the image library do not affect the original source.

To place an image on the page simply drag and drop the image into position. Every time you use a picture it’s recorded on the thumbnail in the image library; the number in the small red icon indicates how many times the image has been used, so you don’t have to keep checking through all your photobook pages.

Toolbar

• undo/redo (up to 100 stages)
• save your project
• add a picture box
• add a text box
• use Autoflow to fill your project automatically
• with images from your image library
• zoom in or out
• move to next or previous page
• preview your project

Page styles

Use the existing page styles or create your own. You can even save your own page styles to use over and over again. Just drag and drop onto your project for an instant page layout.

Masks

Add borders, fades, text, scenes etc using Masks to give an extra dimension to your project. Create your own using software packages such as Paint or Photoshop and then import them into Vanilla Photobooks for instant use.

Backgrounds

Backgrounds are a great way to liven up a page. You can add your own eg landscapes, patterns, textures etc.

Scrapbook

The Scrapbook can be used to store pictures such as clip art or for holding mini layout templates that you intend to use throughout your Vanilla photobook.

Page preview

Check how your Vanilla photobook is looking using page preview. You can flick through the pages quickly and rearrange the order if you wish.

Current page

This is your project canvas. Drag and drop your images, borders, backgrounds etc onto the page. Play around with them as much as you want to create your perfect Vanilla photobook. You can also add rulers and a grid to your canvas to help get your design right.

Inspector

The Inspector panel contains the more advanced features of
Vanilla Photobooks software. You can do just about anything
here, including:

• change the size, shape, angle or colour of an image or graphic shape
• round the corners of a shape or image
• edit the opacity
• add a border and change its size and opacity
• add a drop shadow and manipulate how it looks eg blur, colour, opacity
• change the orientation of an image or shape and flip vertically or horizontally
• turn a colour image to black and white or sepia
• change the brightness and contrast of an image
• add a vignette to an image and manipulate how it looks eg shape, size, blur, colour
• hange the alignment of text to either the top, bottom or middle of a text box, plus change margins and line spacing
• position an item using coordinates
• size an image using measurements (metric or Imperial)
• change the background of the page/cover/spine

There's so many different effects you can achieve!