ULTIMATE Deluxe Instructions

Installation

Firstly follow the same installation instructions for Ultimate Free.

Before you start setting up montages we recommend you run a few tests to ensure you are familiar with Jalbums and Ultimate at a basic level and so that you can test your montages.

The majority of TABS found in ULTIMATE Deluxe are very self explanatory. These instructions are particularly focused on the montage system and how to generate your own montages. Your first couple of montages will take you approx. 30 – 60 mins. After you have created 3 or 4, it should only take you about 10 minutes each.

Pre created montages can be downloaded from the Forum.

Overview.

ULTIMATE Deluxe montage templates works best to ratios that are linked to your pricing matrix. For this reason you should offer print sizes for that template to the same ratio (ie 3:2 ratio for montage size 30”x 20”,with image sizes 18”x12”, 9” x 6”, 6” x 4” etc). You can construct any montage ratio you wish, square, 5:4, panoramic, anything and insert any ratio/orientation layer you wish on the canvass. But the print sizes you offer for that montage ratio should be the same ratio. Although ULTIMATE Deluxe will allow you to have different template ratios with different print price ratios, when you come to complete the order you will not be able to print 3:2 ratio montage on a 5:4 ratio print size, without cropping which may alter the layout appearance.

Within your template you can place any size and any ratio layer you wish (Including overlays), and your clients can place any image they wish within that layers boundaries, regardless of image ratio and orientation.

Just visit demo link and drag and drop a few images, it is very easy for both the photographer and their clients to understand.

Constructing Templates

ULTIMATE Deluxe comes preloaded with several templates. We recommend and encourage users to share templates in the OneFShop forum.

How to construct your own template

Firstly construct your template in Photoshop. The example below is based on a 30”X20” canvas with one layer (image) 18”x 12” portrait and two (images) 9”x 6” landscape. This has been set at 300dpi which is recommended by most pro/am labs. This can be re-sized later if your preferred printer suggests a different dpi. You can have as many or as few layers as you wish, it is up to you when designing your template how many images you would like to include.

To make a template, firstly create a layer at your preferred ratio (ie 30” x 20”) for your background. Then create a second layer for your first image (ie 18”x 12”) and position accordingly on the subsequent layers/images. Next we need to find the XY (left/top) co-ordinates of each layer (the red dot) to the top left hand corner of the canvas as shown in the example below. These XY co-ordinates need to be entered into ULTIMATE Deluxe.

It is a good idea to save this template as a psd document and name it “Template A” when you then receive an order for “Template A” you can simply open Template A.psd, and insert the required images as per order over the layers (add any borders/canvas colour if selected by your client and save with a different name, dont overwrite your template). If the order is then for an 18”x12” montage print, resize your template and forward to your lab for printing. It is always a good idea to create your montage in the biggest print size you offer as when you resize down you won’t loose any quality, and as the ratios are correct your images will be reduced accordingly.

Getting the XY co-ordinates of your template

As mentioned earlier all templates are based on ratios of the canvas size, It does not matter what unit of measure you use, inches, mm, cm, pixels etc. You may also find it beneficial to sketch your template on a piece of paper. (In fact although these instruction are very much set up to use in Photoshop, I now find it easier to construct on a piece of paper and use a calculator, and then feed in the details into Photoshop to create my PSD document for order fulfilment)

When you have constructed your template in Photoshop.

Select your first layer (always goes left to right top to bottom)

CTRL+T, In the top left hand corner of PS. This gives the XY coordinates of Layer 1 X: 300 Y: 300

You will need to select the top left hand location indicator in PS as shown by the green dot , otherwise it will give you the XY of the centre point on that layer.

Complete all layers, noting the XY coordinates as you go along on a sketch.

In this example the canvass size is 30”x20” at 300dpi, making the dimension 9000 pixels by 6000 pixels (it makes no difference what unit of measure you use, in all examples we have quoted pixels) . Layer 1 is an 18”x12” layer or a pixel dimension of 5400 x 3600. This is placed so that it centres top to bottom in the canvass (ie: 300 pixels gap top and 300 pixels gap bottom).

Changing the template.UMD file

Open the default.umd template in notepad or similar and you will see below that creates the above template

Note: X=Left Y=Top

<montage name="Template D" width="9000" height="6000" border="1">

This line covers the name of the template that ULTIMATE Deluxe uses and that is also used on your order email, the width and height of the canvas, and the thickness of the border if selected by your client.

The next line is layer 1, the 12”x18” <picture width="3600" height="5400" top="300" left="300"/>

Always goes from top to bottom, left to right and shows the height/width and the XY (left/top) position of that layer on the canvas. The next line is the second layer (image 2); the third line the third layer (image 3) and so on.

Examples

Example A

If you wanted to take out the 3^rd image then just remove that line as shown below

This creates a template:

If you wanted to add the third layer back and change that layer to a 4”x6”, copy and paste a new line and adjust the height/width and co-ordinates as shown below.

This is the new created template:

With this example we have centred the 4”x 6” with the 9”x 6” above and aligned the bottom with the 18”x12” .

This is the new created template:

Let’s change the 4”x 6” to create two additional 9”x 6” and change the orientation of these to portrait.

This the new created template: Anew line has just been copied/pasted and the top/left adjusted

All that has been done is a new line has been added by copy and paste with the width/height adjusted to rotate and new top/left co-ordinates. You can add as many layers as you wish just by adding lines and adjusting the dimensions/co-ordinates.

Example E Image Overlay Templates

You can also set up a template so that the first image acts as a background and covers the entire canvas (you can have multiple layers as over layers). The other images then “sit” on top of the first image.

You can see that the first image has the same height/width as the canvas size and the top/left coordinates are “0” .Image 1 then cover the whole canvas but the remaining images will be placed on top.

This is the new created template:

PLEAE REMEMBER TO SHARE YOUR TEMPLATES. Save the psd document with either the umd file or just the text.

Time to earn more money!!!

Uploading a Template

You have now created your montage templates. Save these files in your text editor as ie: Template D.umd. For every new template you create it is important to rename the template as shown below. Also remember to rename it the same as your PSD so that you can identify which template has been ordered.

<montage name="Template D" width="9000" height="6000" border="1">

Screen Grab Montage Manager

Select “Install Montage” and browse to your Template D.umd file and select. A prompt is given to say that the montage has been installed correctly and details with a preview are displayed. This provides a quick check to ensure that the height/width or top/left have been not been mixed up. If you need to adjust, remove montage, correct the .UMD file and reinstall the file,

Setting the prices.

Every montage can be individually priced regardless of montage size. For example you may want to charge more for a 30"x20" six image montage, and less for a 30"x20" four image montage. This is your choice. The montage that you have just added is now seen as an “Unpriced Montage” select “Add to Price List” and enter your print description(s), prices (remember to offer only print price ratios that are the same as your montage ratio) and any discounts. You can also remove/add montage prices for a project and save your pricing matrix (it is held as default so when you restart Jalbums they are still loaded) You can also save different prices for different projects, again you have full control.

TIPS: When you enter any information into a pricing chart you need to click outside of that cell so that the information is saved (this is a JAVA thing) Also right click does not work, but ctrl+c (copy) and ctrl+v (paste) will.

You can also save different pricing and monatge packages for different projects.

Completing your orders

When an order is placed you get an email with details of the montage required.

Montage No: 1
Template: Template E | Height: 6000 | Width: 9000 | Border Size: 1
Picture[1]: endon_0172.jpg | Top: 0 | Left: 0 | Height: 6000 | Width: 9000
Picture[2]: endon_0171.jpg | Top: 150 | Left: 6150 | Height: 1800 | Width: 2700
Picture[3]: endon_0173.jpg | Top: 2100 | Left: 6150 | Height: 1800 | Width: 2700
Picture[4]: endon_01732.jpg | Top: 4050 | Left: 6150 | Height: 1800 | Width: 2700
Background Color: White | Code: #ffffff
Picture Border Color: None | Code: transparent

This tells me that Template E has been ordered with the picture number and image file name for that corresponding layer. Open your saved “Template E.psd”, open the file names above, resize the image to correct size and place over the corresponding layers.

TIP: Worthwhile downloading a free desktop sticky, copy/paste the details above onto the sticky so the information is in front of you when you are constructing your montage print in PS.

If you have any queries, ideas or need any help just post on the forum and we and our existing users will be more than happy to help.

Should you wish to share any montages you create with other users we would be delighted to hear from you.