Photobook Theme Creator

Here you can set up Photobook Themes to assign them to your Magic Photobook Templates. For testing you can assign them at the Designers Side.

How to assign Photobook Themes for testing

Later you will assign them through the API to add the Attach Parameter “PHOTOBOOK_THEME=themename” to the call.

You can define two different types of Photobook Themes. One is used for the AI based Creation of a Magic Photobook where the uploaded images will be distributed automatically to the images frames of all pages. The other one is the so called “Freestyle” Photobook where the images will not be distributed automatically. The initial “Freestyle” Photobook got a fixed number of pages and fixed Layout Snippets for each page/ spread.

If you allow both types of Photobooks the Buyer will be asked for which one to start with.

AI or Freestyle Photobook

Add Themes

Photobook Manager

Universal Theme

Note: Please set up only ONE Universal Theme for your Printess Account!

A Universal Theme is very special. So please:

But if you create your own Layout Library make sure that:

Note: If you are using your own Layout Library with your own Tag to create a Universal Theme make sure that you are using the same Tag for the Basic Collage Tag!

Learn more about the Basic Collage Tag

Learn more about Theme Keywords

If you press “Add Theme” a popup window will ask you to define a name for the new Theme. The default text is “universal” because this is the base for any Photobook. A Universal Theme only includes Layout Snippets with the Keyword “basic”. They include Splitters to match any number of images the Buyer would like to place on a page.

Learn more about the Keyword “basic”

They don’t have any backgrounds and no other than image and text frames included. So the first Photobook Theme you have to create is the Universal Theme. Because it is essential for any Magic Photobook. So stay with the name “universal” and press ok. The new Theme will be displayed now at the Theme List.

Theme List

If you click on the Theme icon a new dialog will open. At the Theme Tags Tab the Printess Tag “printess-book-universal” is assigned by default. Below all Layout Snippets available under this Tag are displayed. You can now choose from the existing Layout Snippets to drag them and drop them at the right hand side to define your “universal” Photobook Theme. Each Layout Snippet shows you if it is made for the cover, a single page or a double page.

  1. Any Layout Snippet works only for the page it is made for: cover, single-page OR double-page.
  2. Cover and Single-Pages are defined for the AI generated AND the “Freestyle” Photobook.
  3. The Layout Snippets of the Double-Pages are only defined for the “Freestyle” Photobook. Thats why you can define a fixed number of pages.
  4. For the AI generated Photobook ALL Double-Page Layout Snippets are used - depending on the number of pages which has to be rendered automatically - based of the the number of uploaded images and other settings the Buyer is choosing.

Theme List

On the upper left of the “Freestyle Page Setup” area you can drag and drop a Layout Snippet to define the thumbnail of the Theme or you can just click on that area to upload any image instead.

If your configuration is done you just click “ok” to save your “universal” Theme.

You can now go to your Printess Photobook Template to assign your “universal” Theme at the Buyer View Appearance Settings.

How to assign Photobook Themes for testing

Your first Magic Photobook is done! This setup could be used for most of the Photobooks.

Define a unique Cover

Theme List

In addition to your Universal Theme you can add a unique Cover and Background. Because a lot of Photobooks include the same Inner Pages and only differs in the Cover and the Background. A good example are the Printess Travel Themes.

They all use the same Layout Snippets for the Inner Pages, First Page and Last Page - the same used for the Universal Theme. But they got different Covers and Backgrounds for Paris, Rome and London etc.

So open your Universal Theme and press the button SAVE AS on the bottom right of the window.

Save Theme As

A popup window will open where you can type in the name “Paris”.

Define Theme Name

Now you have got two Themes displayed in your Theme List.

Two Themes In Theme List

Click on your “Paris” Theme to reopen the Photobook Theme Creator.

Configure the Paris Theme Step 1

  1. Go to the Tab Search Tags
  2. Search for the Tag printess-book-travel
  3. Drag the Cover Layout Snippet “Paris”
  4. Drop it at the Thumbnail area
  5. Drop it at the Cover area

Now go to the Tab background.

Configure the Paris Theme Step 2

  1. Search for the Tag printess-background
  2. Scroll down a bit to drag the “Paris” background
  3. Drop it at the Background area
  4. Press OK to save it

Now you have set up the Paris Theme to have two different Themes displayed in your Theme List.

Theme List With Two Themes

Specific Theme

In difference to a Universal Theme this type of Theme includes tailor made designs and backgrounds. They are designed for a special occasion like birthdays, weddings, or vacations. Consequently, a static number of images may be needed to meet the design requirements - like in our example.

Layout Library MagicBook Baby

These three images frames of the Layout Snippet above do not have the Splitter option activated because of their shapes and designs. This makes this Layout Snippet look very nice but it could only be used for a Double-Page with three images.

But the Magic of each Photobook comes from the automated split of image frames to match different numbers of images for the different Double-Pages. That’s why you have to add Double- and Single-Pages which includes Splitters to your Layout Library - like this example.

Layout Snippet including Splitter Frame

The red aura indicates that this frame is set to Splitter. So this image frame can automatically be splitted - depending on the number of images which has to be placed.

Create a Specific Theme

Press the button “Add Theme” and type in the name “baby” in the popup window to press “OK” to save it.

Add Theme Baby

Now remove the Tag “printess-book-universal” from the Theme Tags Tab.

Set Up Theme Baby First Step

  1. Search and assign the Tag “printess-book-baby-theme”
  2. Drag and drop the Cover Layout Snippet to the Thumbnail area and the Cover area of the Freestyle Page Setup
  3. Drag and drop Single Page Layout Snippets to the first and the last page of the Freestyle Page Setup
  4. Drag and drop Double Page Layout Snippets to the double pages of the Freestyle Page Setup
  5. Reduce the number of Inner Pages to 20.

Your Theme should now look like that:

Result Set Up Theme Baby First Step1

Now go to the Background Tag and remove the Tag “printess-background”.

Set Up Theme Baby Step2

The background Layout Snippets are now automatically assigned to the Photobook Theme because the Layout Library used for the setup includes a backgrounds Document with the Keyword “background-design”. So you only have to press “OK” to save that Photobook Theme.

Layout Snippet Tags

To set up a Photobook Theme you can use different Layout Snippets Tags to assign them as different Resources.

Layout Snippet Theme Tags

Theme Tags

Any Layout Snippet of any Tag you are assigning here will be used for the AI generated Photobook and for the Layout Tab at the Buyer Side where the Buyer can choose from. On the right hand side is a corresponding search option to assign a Tags.

Search Tags

Any Layout Snippet of any Tag you are assigning here could be used for the setup of the Freestyle Photobook version. On the right hand side is a corresponding search option to assign a Tags.

Background Tags

Any Layout Snippet of any Tag you are assigning here could be used as the initial background for the Photobook. On the right hand side is a corresponding search option to assign a Tags.

Keyword Filtering

You can filter the assigned Layout Snippets by their Keywords.

Filtering Theme Tags

Sticker Snippet Tags

Here you can add Sticker Snippets Tags to your Photobook Theme. It will overwrite the existing Sticker Groups in your Photobook Master.

Sticker Snippet Theme Tags

So you have to make sure that the Sticker Group which you would like to overwrite does exist in your Photobook Master!

Sticker Groups Master Template

You set them up at the Stickers Tab of the Resources Panel.

Learn more about Sticker Snippets Assignment

Stickers

Here you assign the Tags of the Stickers you would like to use to overwrite the #STICKERS Group in your Photobook Master.

Text Stickers

Here you assign the Tags of the Stickers you would like to use to overwrite the #TEXT Stickers Group Photobook Master.

Photos Stickers

Here you assign the Tags of the Stickers you would like to use to overwrite the #PHOTOS Stickers Group Photobook Master.

Stickers Keyword Menu

Here you can select a Keyword Menu to overwrite the Keyword Menu for any Sticker Group you are overwriting in the Photobook Master.

Sticker Groups Master Template

Keyword Filtering

You can filter the assigned Sticker Snippets by their Keywords.

Filtering Theme Tags

Freestyle Page Setup

Here you can not just set up the Freestyle Photobook. The Freestyle Photobook got a fixed number of pages and fixed Layout Snippets for the Double Pages. But the Layout Snippets which you define for the for Cover and Single-Pages will also be used for the AI generated Photobook.

Freestyle Page Setup

On top of this window you find the following settings:

Freestyle Page Setup Header

  1. Drop a Cover Layout Snippet on this area to define the Thumbnail of the Theme. You can also click on this area to upload any other images to be used as a Thumbnail.

  2. Define a number of pages for your Freestyle Photobook.

  3. Define which Themes should be shown at the Buyer Side. The Buyer can then switch the Photobook Themes.

  1. You got three options to choose from for the Magic Photobook setup. Depending on your choice:

Freestyle or Magic Photobook

  1. Here you define the Keyword/s for the Theme Filtering above.