"Projects, Products, Events, Clients…”

You'll find the words Projects, Products, Events, Clients and Exports used in a very specific way throughout the program and documentation. On this page we explain what we mean by them and introduce Photojunction's main windows and wizards.

In Photojunction we work on Projects, which consist of four linked components: Clients, Events, Products and Exports:

We shoot an Event (eg a wedding) for our Clients (eg the bride and groom), who buy Products (eg albums).

Why do we use words like Event and Product instead of “wedding” and “album”? Because they’re more generic. Not all Events are weddings, and not all Products are albums.

You can’t create a new Product (let’s say an album) directly. First, you must link it to both a Client and an Event. The reason for that is we're building a database where all your work will reside, and so the Project Browser can keep track of it for you, as the following screen shot shows.

If you open the image above and view it at full size you'll see that we have shot four Events for the same Client (Sarah and Graeme). The five Products we can see in the third panel (three albums and two slideshows) all relate to the highlighted Event – their wedding. Click here to go to The Start Window for a more detailed explanation.

The difference between Products and exports

Your Products in turn have Exports.

For example, the Exports from an album design are the orders and image files that you export and either:

• Save to your hard disk, or

• Send to your album vendor and lab for manufacture. 

The Export from a Slideshow is the QuickTime movie file saved on your hard disk.

You can navigate directly to all the Products and Exports related to a particular event from The Events Window.

Album Resources and Lab Settings

Album Resources and Lab Settings are control files to help you ensure that the Products you design and the Outputs from them comply with what your suppliers need. For example:

• Your page layouts are the right size and follow your supplier’s specifications.

• Your image files are the correct dpi, size and file type.

Not getting these basic requirements right leads to huge amounts of frustration and wasted time for both you and the vendor.

Windows and Wizards 

There are a few Photojunction windows that you won’t see often unless you change your set-up. Click these links for more about them: Register , Preferences , Lab Settings , Album Resources .

What we want to concentrate on here is introducing the windows and wizards that you will use constantly. We’ve provided links to take you to other pages for more detailed information.

The Start Window appears whenever you open Photojunction or, once you’re in the program, you close the Project you’re working on. It gives you a way to start a new Project or go straight to the ones you were working on most recently. It can also take you direct to the Project Browser. Click here for more.

The Project Browser lists all the Projects you’ve ever created. You can set up new Clients, or create new Events for them (such as weddings) or new Products (such as albums) or you can edit the ones you’ve already started. Click here for more.

The Event Window is Grand Central when you’re working in Photojunction. The navigation panel on the left gives you direct access to the image groups and collections relevant to the current Event, and to all its Products and Outputs (albums, slideshows etc). You can import more images, jump directly to your templates, and much more. Click here for more.

There are two basic windows for album planning – the Album Layout window itself and the Tools Window. But the Tools Window has four palettes (Album, Layout, Image and Preview). If you have the monitor space you can separate the four palettes into separate windows. Click the links for more about the Album Layout Window and the Tools Window.

The Slide Show window enables you to make slideshows of your images or your album layouts, or both, and save them as QuickTime movies in a variety of formats. Click here for more.

The Project Setup Wizard takes you through the four steps of defining a Project:

1. Identify the Client (eg the bride and groom)

2. Identify the Event (eg the wedding)

3. Locate the Images related to the Event

4. Define and design Products for the Clients

Depending on where you are in the program, the wizard will start with Step 1 and go from there. But if you’ve already completed Steps 1 and 2, you could, for example, “jump onto” the wizard at Step 3 to add another Product. Similarly, you can jump off at any time you like. Click here for more.

The role of the Export Wizard is to determine exactly what print files you want to create and who is to print them. It then uses the relevant Lab Settings to make sure that the files you’re about to create can be printed by your Lab (in other words, ensure they comply with your Lab’s file specifications).

Its second job is to create the files automatically with no effort on your part (and no room for error!). Click here for more.

The job of the Send Order Wizard is to prepare your album and printing orders to your suppliers:

• Ask for confirmation that you’ve finished work on the Product design, and lock the file to prevent  accidental changes.

• Check that all image files required for the album are present and correct, and ask you to correct any problems found.

• Check that all high-res exports have been created and are up-to-date and valid for the lab which is to print them.
  

• Check what files need to be sent to your album supplier and/or lab, save them as a "bundle" to disk ready to upload or burn to CD/DVD and send confirmatory emails to to the vendors.

Click here for more.