HP PHOTO CREATIONS V1.14 User Manual

HP Photo Creations User Guide v1.14

Welcome! ..................................................................................................................................................... 3

System Requirements ................................................................................................................................ 5

Quick Start ................................................................................................................................................... 6

Print at Home .......................................................................................................................................... 6

Ship to Home .......................................................................................................................................... 9

Tool Panels ........................................................................................................................................... 14

Quick Change Tools ............................................................................................................................. 15

Photo Tools Drop-Down Menu ............................................................................................................. 15

Quick Design Overview ........................................................................................................................ 16

Feature Reference ..................................................................................................................................... 19

The Product Catalog ............................................................................................................................. 19

Importing Photos................................................................................................................................... 20

Photo Selection ..................................................................................................................................... 21

Step-by-Step Layout Method ................................................................................................................ 22

Working with Your Photos .................................................................................................................... 23

Working with the Layout Preview ......................................................................................................... 25

Design Precautions .............................................................................................................................. 27

Quick Tools ........................................................................................................................................... 28

Working with a Photo Book’s Storyboard ............................................................................................. 29

Working with Themes (the Basics) ....................................................................................................... 30

Working with Text ................................................................................................................................. 31

Working with Touch-Up Controls .......................................................................................................... 33

Advanced Design ................................................................................................................................. 36

Adding Additional Photos to your Project ............................................................................................. 39

Saving Your Project .............................................................................................................................. 40

Good saving habits ............................................................................................................................... 40

Starting Over ......................................................................................................................................... 41

Loading a Previously Saved Project ..................................................................................................... 41

Transferring Designs ............................................................................................................................ 42



Ordering ..................................................................................................................................................... 44

Placing an Order ................................................................................................................................... 44

Uploading your Order ........................................................................................................................... 46

Continue Shopping ............................................................................................................................... 47

Print at Home ............................................................................................................................................. 48

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) ........................................................................................................ 52

Computer System ................................................................................................................................. 52

Design and Usage ................................................................................................................................ 52

Terminology .......................................................................................................................................... 54

Ordering ................................................................................................................................................ 54

HP Photo Creations User Guide v1.14

Glossary ..................................................................................................................................................... 55

HP Photo Creations User Guide v1.14

Welcome!

HP Photo Creations, powered by RocketLife, is the fast, easy way to make professional quality keepsakes from your photos. Within moments, you’ll be making elegant photo books, calendars, coffee mugs, greeting cards, and more. Our Smart Arrangement Technology is like having an experienced designer by your side. You’ll see your photos transform into colorful, multilayered designs that tell a story.

Want to get even more creative? You can personalize almost every part of the layout with text, graphics, and sophisticated effects such as tinting and transparency.

Best of all, once you finish your design, you can try it on every item we make — no need to start over. The lifelike 3D previews let you see just how your projects will look.

Print at Home or Ship to Home — It’s Your Choice

A few clicks later, your order is on its way to our nationwide network of professional printing companies. We ship to all 50 US states and territories as well as to US military addresses.

Or to enjoy your creations right away, you can also print many projects (such as photo books, cards, and collage prints) at home, using high-quality paper from HP and others.

Birthdays, vacations, weddings, graduations, baby showers, holidays, sports…don’t let your memories just sit on your computer. Bring them to life with HP Photo Creations, the fast, easy way to make beautiful photo gifts and keepsakes.

Here’s what our customers are saying:

“I just wanted to let you know that I received the book and it’s beautiful!” “I really like the mugs I made using this software. I think they are a really great gift idea for

Father’s Day, birthdays, or any of the other gift-giving holidays.” “I literally spent over two hours on this — not because it was difficult but because it was so

amazingly easy, fun, and thorough! I had to try out everything.”

HP Photo Creations User Guide v1.14

“I just received my book and I love it. I would like to order additional copies.” “I showed my book to my creative writing group last night, and they were all impressed. They

wanted to know where I had gotten it produced.”

HP Photo Creations User Guide v1.14

System Requirements

1GHz Pentium 4 processor

•

256MB RAM

• 15MB hard drive space

• Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7

• Broadband Internet connection

HP Photo Creations User Guide v1.14

Quick Start

You can make professional-looking photo products in Photo Creations with just a few clicks, or you can customize them extensively. In either case, you start by choosing how you want to print and receive your products — on your home printer or through the mail. Your choice affects the types of products you can make. (You can’t print a leather-bound photo book at home, for example.)

Next, you pick a type of product, add your photos, and preview the arrangement. In most cases, the automatic Smart Arrangement looks great, but you can edit the layout and even the photos to personalize it further. (You can also try your designs on different products; the layouts adjust automatically to fit the new shape.) When you’re satisfied with the way your project looks, you then print it yourself or submit the order for processing.

To start, click one of the tabs below the product preview:

• Print at Home

• Ship to Home

We describe how to use these options in the sections below.

Print at Home

To print a project on your home printer, start by clicking the Print at Home tab.

HP Photo Creations User Guide v1.14

Step 1: Choose a Product to Make

In this example, we’ll choose Prints.

1. Click the Print at Home tab; a series of product categories will appear.

2. Choose a category (choose Prints & Collages for now).

3. Select a product (choose Prints).

4. Click the Add Photos button.

Step 2: Import Your Photos

Next, the software will ask you to locate the photos you want to use. You can choose photos on your computer or ones you’ve uploaded to an online service such as Flickr.com. For now, let’s choose photos on your computer.

1. Click the My Computer button. A file browser window will appear.

2. Select a folder of photos, or specific photos within a folder. Tip: The more photos you select, the more creative layout possibilities you’ll have.

HP Photo Creations User Guide v1.14

3. Click the Add Photos button. The software will import your photos. To add more, click the My Computer button again.

4. After you’ve loaded all the photos you want to use, click the Continue button.

Step 3: Choose a Print Size

1. Click once on the photo you want to print.

2. Select a print size (for example, 5x7) by clicking one of the buttons at the left side of the screen.

3. Click the Print 5x7 Prints button.

Step 4: Customize Printer Settings

A window will appear, showing you how the photo will look when printed. In most cases, you will simply click the OK button to begin printing, but you can also make adjustments first:

• In the Print Adjustments section, you can choose between:

o “Best fit full page” (the software resizes the photo to fill the page) o “Print 5x7” (the software prints the photo at the actual size — 5x7 inches in this example)

• In the Copies section, you can choose between:

o “Print selected page” (only the current photo prints) o “Print all pages” (all imported photos print)

HP Photo Creations User Guide v1.14

• To select a different photo without returning to the main screen, click the Previous or Next buttons.

When you’re done, you can click the Catalog button to start another project.

Ship to Home

Step 1: Choose a Product to Make

In this example, we’ll make a wedding Photo Book.

1. Click the Ship to Home tab; a series of product categories will appear.

2. Choose a category (choose Photo Books for now).

3. Select a product (choose Square Photo Books).

4. Choose a Theme Category best suited for the occasion (choose Wedding ).

5. Select a Theme (choose Just Married).

6. Click the Add Photos Button

HP Photo Creations User Guide v1.14

Step 2: Import Your Photos

1. Click the My Computer button. A file browser window will appear.

2. Select a folder of photos, or specific photos within a folder. Tip: The more photos you select, the more creative layout possibilities you’ll have.

3. Click the Add Photos button. The software will import your photos. To add more, click the My Computer button again.

4. After you’ve loaded all the photos you want to use, click the Continue button.

Step 3: Confirm Photos (and rotate if necessary)

By default, our Smart Arrangement Technology will group your photos by the date they were taken. You can also opt to lay out your book manually. In either case, this is a good time to verify which photos you want to use and make sure they’re rotated correctly.

1. To temporarily enlarge a photo to see it better, simply click on it.

2. While the photo is enlarged, you can click on the rotation buttons to rotate it left or right.

3. Click the enlarged photo again to return it to the normal preview size.

4. If you don’t want to use a particular photo, click its checkmark to deselect it.

5. Each type of product has a minimum and maximum number of photos. Note the Ideal Range indicated in the meter at the bottom of the page. If you need to import additional photos, click the Add Photos button.

6. Click Continue when you’re ready to begin the layout.

HP Photo Creations User Guide v1.14

Step 4: Design Your Title Page

1. Select up to three photos for your title page by clicking them.

2. Click the Continue button. Smart Arrangement will design the book and show you a 3D preview.

3. To add a text title, click the Add a Title button. A text panel will appear.

4. Type some text (for example, “Our Wedding”) in the box. Your words will appear in the 3D preview.

5. If you like, experiment with fonts, colors, size, backgrounds, and alignment by clicking the corresponding buttons. You can also add captions or additional text areas.

6. When you’re happy with your design, click Continue.

HP Photo Creations User Guide v1.14

Step 5: Personalize Interior Pages

The software will show all the pages in your photo book in a horizontal row called the storyboard. You can click on any page in the storyboard to personalize it, or proceed to order your book. Here are some of the many customizations you can make:

• Photos tab — Access your used and unused photos, along with unique theme graphics

• Themes tab — An entire library of themes is available, great for any occasion

• Text tab — Apply photo captions, as well as independent bodies of text

• Touch-Up tab — Enhance your photos with useful tools such as Crop and Red-Eye removal

• Design tab — A wide range of advanced design options are available for the perfect look

Please refer to the Design Guide To save your work in progress, click the Save Projects button at the top left.

section for tips that will help you make the most of your projects.

HP Photo Creations User Guide v1.14

• Click Continue when you are ready to order

Step 6: Choose Sizes and Quantities

1. Click the + and – buttons next to each type of product to select the number of copies you want.

2. Choose among available book sizes with the buttons at the left. Note that some book types have additional options, such as a photo jacket.

3. As you set your quantities, you’ll notice the price change in the left side panel.

4. When you’ve finished choosing sizes and quantities, click the Add to Cart button

Step 7: Confirm Quantities

The software will check your project for errors such as photos that are too small to print clearly, and then create the final high-resolution files for printing. You can also adjust quantities here.

1. Click the Show Details button to reveal additional itemization info and a layout preview.

2. Use the + and – buttons to change quantities as desired. (Click the X button to remove items from the cart.

3. This is a good time to save your project if you haven’t already. Click the Save button. You may also want to try your design on other products, such as photo cards and mugs. Thanks to our unique technology, your layouts adjust automatically so you don’t have to start from scratch. To see how it works, just click the Continue Shopping button. Your current project will wait safely in your cart while you experiment.

4. Click Check Out when you are ready to order. Your project will begin uploading. (This may take several minutes.)

HP Photo Creations User Guide v1.14

Step 8: Submit Your Order

Order with confidence! We use industry-standard SSL encryption to process your orde r safely.

1. Enter your billing and shipping information.

2. Choose a shipping method (expedited shipping is available).

3. Click Complete This Order to finalize your secure transaction.

After your order uploads, the software will display an onscreen receipt, which you can print for your records. We will also send you a receipt via email.

When you’re done, you can click the Catalog button to start a new project, or transfer your design to another product of your choice.

Tool Panels

After you’ve selected your photos and created your project, you’ll notice a set of editing tabs to the left of the Preview Screen, which open the following panels:

Photos

• Used Photos

• UnusedPhotos

• Graphic Elements

Themes

• Select Category

• Apply Theme

Text

• Text Font

• Text Color

• Text Background

Touch-Up

• Touch Up

• Crop

• Brightness

• Red-Eye

• Airbrush Effect

• Monochrome

• Sepiatone

• Rub Through

• Blur

• Photo Border

• No Border

• White Thin

• White Thick

HP Photo Creations User Guide v1.14

• Black Thin

• Soft Thin

• Soft Thick

• No Border / No Shadow

• Photo Tint

• Monochrome

• Sepia Tone

• Assorted Tints

• Transparency

• 10% Increments (0–100)

Design

• Select Category

• Apply Theme

• Theme Variations

• Placeable Graphics

• Photo Borders

• Background Color or Photo

• Copy Photo To Page

• Copy Photo To Page Spread

• Background Photo Tint

• Background Photo Blur

Quick Change Tools When you are in any of the Tool Panels above, a set of Quick Change buttons (Designs, Layouts, and Rotations) will appear at the top of the panel. These buttons are great for making quick and inspiring

variations to your designs.

• Designs button — cycles through all the available variations in the current theme.

• Layouts button — cycles through a set of layouts appropriate to the number of photos on the

page.

• Rotations button — cycles through subtle photo rotations.

Photo Tools Drop-Down Menu

You will find a Tools drop-down menu at the top left corner of any selected photo, placeable graphic, or text box. Click on it to open the Photo Tools menu. This menu contains the following features:

• Rotate — Rotates the selected photo 90 degrees left or right.

• Layer — Moves a photo, placeable graphic, or text box to the front or back of another object on

the layout.

• Crop — Allows you to trim the edges of the selected photo.

• Add Photo Caption — Opens the Text Panel. Here you can type or paste a caption and adjust

alignment, size, and transparency of text. You can also adjust the font style and color.

• Make Favorite Photo — Makes the selected photo the largest in the layout.

• Make Photo Full Page — Enlarges the selected photo to fill the page.

HP Photo Creations User Guide v1.14

• Copy to Background — Copies the selected photo to the background, blending it with the current theme.

• Remove Photo — Removes the selected photo, placeable graphic, or text box from the layout. (Removed photos are returned to the Unused Photos tab in the Photos panel in case you want to use them later.)

Quick Design Overview

This is an overview of the steps in creating and ordering a photo product.

Browse the Project Catalog

1. Select a Theme Category.

2. Choose a theme appropriate for the occasion.

3. Select “Ship to Home” or “Print at Home.”

4. Choose a product type from the associated tab (for example, Premium Photo Books).

5. Choose a product type (for example, Portrait Lay-Flat Premium Leather).

Add Photos

1. Click the Add Photos or Start Creating button.

2. Select My Computer to choose photos from your computer.

3. Add individual photos or an entire folder. (The more photos you add, the more creative layout possibilities you’ll have.)

Create a Project

1. Click Continue after adding your photos.

2. Select the photos you’d like to work with.

3. Notice the Ideal Range shown in the photo counter. Add or remove photos if necessary.

Automatic Smart Arrangement

1. Click Continue.

2. Select up to three photos for your title page, then click Continue.

3. To add a title, click Add a Title — or Continue to skip this step.

Build This Book Manually

1. Click “Build this Photo Book manually.”

2. You can import as many additional photos as you wish

3. Click Continue.

Apply Themes

1. Click the Themes button.

2. Choose a desired Category and associated Theme.

3. Apply the theme to pages, spreads or the entire book.

4. Click the Designs button above to cycle through theme variations.

5. Click Design and manually select a Theme Variation.

Create Page Spreads

1. Select the Photos or Touch-Up button.

HP Photo Creations User Guide v1.14

2. Use the Add or Remove spread buttons.

3. Unlock the spread to add or remove individual pages.

Layout Variations

1. Click the Try Layouts button.

2. Click Tools>Make Favorite Photo.

3. Manually reposition, resize, or rotate your photos.

Drag & Drop Layout

• Drag Used and Unused photos to the layout.

• Drag Used and Unused photos to storyboard pages.

Tools — Drop-down editing tools menu

• Click the Tools button.

• Select a feature, such as “Crop Photo.”

Photo Borders

1. Select a photo on your layout.

2. Click the Touch-Up button.

3. Click the Photo Border button.

4. Select a desired border style.

5. Add the same border style to all photos on the layout.

6. Click the Design button.

7. Click the Photo Borders button.

8. Select a border style for all photos.

Photo Tints

1. Select a photo on the layout.

2. Click the Touch-Up button.

3. Click the Photo Tint tab.

4. Choose a desired tint.

Saving a Project

1. Click the Save button.

2. Name your project, then click the Save button. You can save multiple projects under different names. You can also overwrite existing projects (replacing them).

Opening a Project

1. Click Open at the Product Catalog.

2. Select your saved product.

3. Click Open.

Ordering Projects

1. Select the desired product type and available options (left panel).

2. Adjust your quantities with the + and – buttons (right panel).

3. Click Add to Cart when you’re ready to order

HP Photo Creations User Guide v1.14

Review the Cart

1. Click the Show Details button for a project preview.

2. Adjust quantities as desired. You can also remove products from the cart by clicking the X button.

Check Out

1. Enter your billing and shipping information.

2. Choose a desired shipping method.

3. You can apply any valid coupon code if available.

4. Click Place Order when you’re ready.

After the order is uploaded, the software will display an onscreen receipt, which you can print for your records. You’ll also receive an order confirmation via email.

Continue Shopping

After your order is complete, click the Continue Shopping button to return to the Project Catalog. You can start creating more projects right away.

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