The first time you access SDS, you will need to create a new account. Once you have registered, you can use your username and password to log in whenever you want to access the application.

First, create your account.

Enter your Full Name, Email Address, Username, and Password. Then confirm your password by entering it a second time. Finally, click the Sign Up button. You will then be redirected to the Login page.

The application remembers your login details, so you will not need to enter them every time you use SDS.
However, make sure you remember your username and password, as you will need them if you log in from another computer or device. If necessary, write them down and keep them in a safe place.

If you forget your password, simply click the Forgot Password link on the Login page.
Enter your email address and click Get Password.

An email containing instructions to reset your password will be sent to you.

Now that you have successfully logged in, the next step is to create a new product. In the next video, we will show you how to set up your product and start designing.

Create a New Product

After you have successfully logged in and you open the SDS, the first screen you see is the Products screen.

From here, you can create a new album or any other available product by selecting it from the appropriate button. You also have access to all the products you have created previously. From this list, you can open or delete any product. For albums, you can also create a copy, design the cover, or design the slipcase, when available.

To create a new product, the first step is to define its orientation, size, and other basic settings.

Let's go through the process.

• First, enter a name for your product in the Studio Reference field.
• The units of measurement are always in inches, so there is no need to change this setting.
• Next, select the product type.

When creating an album, you need to choose its orientation, size, and the number of spreads it will contain. If you prefer a page background color other than the default white, you can select it here.

Keep in mind that the number of spreads and the background color can also be changed later while designing your album, so these settings simply provide a starting point.

When creating any other product, the available options will appear in the fields below. For example, when creating a Wall Art product, you only need to select its orientation and size. Unlike albums, Wall Art products are created one at a time, and the background color cannot be changed.

For Prints, Hipster Packs, and Frame Mounts, you can also specify the quantity you want to create. As with Wall Art, the background color cannot be changed.

Once all the settings have been selected, click Create Product.

The App will open the design workspace, where you can begin creating your product.

For Prints, Hipster Packs, and Frame Mounts, the quantity you selected during product creation will already be available, and the layouts will be populated with slots automatically. All you have to do is drag your images into the layouts to complete your design.

Now that your product has been created, the next step is to import your images. In the next video, we will show you how to add your images to the App and prepare them for designing.

Import Images

After creating and saving a new album, you will be directed to the Spread Creation screen. This is where you import your images and begin designing your layouts.

Importing Your Images

To import your images, click the Import Images button located in the upper-right corner of the screen. Once the upload is complete, a confirmation message will appear, informing you that all images have been successfully imported.

Image Filters

After your images have been imported, the Image Filters appear at the bottom of the image panel. These filters allow you to quickly display specific types of images by clicking the corresponding buttons:

• Horizontal images
• Vertical images
• Images already used in a spread
• Images not yet used

You can clear all filters at any time to display the complete image list.

You can also use the Sorting option to organize your images according to Filename, Date Taken, or Size.

The Sort by Date Taken option is especially useful when two or more photographers have captured images from the same event. It arranges all images according to the time they were taken, allowing photos from different photographers to appear in the correct chronological order.

You can use the other sorting options according to your workflow and preferences.

Rotate and Delete Images

To rotate an image, hover your mouse over it and click the rotate left or rotate right button. To remove an image from the album, click the Delete button that appears when hovering over the image.

To delete multiple images at once:

• Hold down the Shift key
• Select the desired images
• Press the Delete key on your keyboard

Viewer Mode

To preview an image in full size, simply double-click on it. This activates Viewer Mode, allowing you to examine the image in greater detail before placing it into your layout.

Now that your images are imported, the next step is creating your layouts. In the next videos, we will show you how to create layouts automatically and manually.

Create your Layouts Automatically

Now let’s see how easy it is to create your album layouts using the automatic layout functionality of the app.

When I drag an image onto the page, it is automatically placed in a layout position. At the same time, several alternative layouts are generated, so I can easily choose a different one if the first option does not suit me. If I drag a second image onto the page, the layout automatically changes again. New alternative templates are loaded based on the images currently on the page. In this example, we have one horizontal and one vertical image.

The same thing happens every time I add a new image. Also, every image that I place on a page becomes slightly faded in the image library. This helps me easily see which images have already been used in my layouts.

When I double-click on an image, I enter Zoom Mode. You can clearly see that the image is selected because the blue selection indicator starts rotating around it. While in Zoom Mode, you can use the + and – buttons on the image to zoom in or out. You can also drag the image with your mouse to position it exactly where you want.

When you are satisfied with the result, simply click outside the image or press Enter to exit Zoom Mode.

Now let’s move to the second spread.

I will drag these images onto the page and select this layout template.
Next, I will select these two images and use the Swap option to exchange their positions.
As you can see, there are many tools available in the top toolbar of the application. For example, if I click Fill Color, I can change the background color of the spread. Let’s set it to black.
Then I will select these images, open the Effects panel, and add a small white stroke around them.

You can learn what each of these tools does by exploring the Help section of the application. And that is how the semi-automatic layout system of SDS works.

Auto Fill Spreads

Now let’s see the Auto Fill Spreads feature, which can populate all the spreads of your album with images in just a few seconds.. First, we will clear the current spread using the Clear Spreads button.

Next, we open the Auto Fill Spreads panel. As you can see, there are many available options. For this example, we will choose to place a specific number of images on each spread.

Let’s select 4 images per spread, and then click the Create Album button. As you can see, all 20 spreads of the album are automatically created in just a few seconds. And of course, you can still add or remove images from any spread at any time.

Now that you know how to create layouts automatically, the next video will show you how to use Manual Layout to take full control of your design.

Create Your Layouts Manually

In addition to Auto Layout, SDS also offers a fully Manual Layout option, giving you complete creative control over your album design. The Manual Layout option gives you full control over your spreads. Once selected, you can freely move and adjust images to create a customized design.

Let’s see how this process works.
In this video, we will look at two examples. First, how to modify an existing layout. Then, how to create a layout completely from scratch using an empty spread.

Let's check the first case… To switch to Manual Layout, click the Auto button. This changes the album from Auto Layout mode to Manual Layout mode.

As we can see, on the right side of the spread we have these 4 images. While in manual mode click and drag with your mouse to select the 4 images. A selection box appears around them. While they are selected, they are treated as a group, so we can move them together, align them as a group and transform them, by dragging either from a corner or from a side. We can also do the same for a single image.
While in Auto Layout, images remain fixed in their layout positions. Once you switch to Manual Layout, you are free to move, resize, align, and transform them in any way you like.

Now let’s check the second case… create a layout from scratch.

We select these images, click the delete key on the keyboard and delete them.

Then, add a slot from the top menu. Slots act as placeholders for your images. In addition to slots, you can also add shapes, which are used for decorative purposes and do not accept images. Resize the slot and center it on the spread. As you will notice, the smart guides make this process very easy.

At the bottom of the application, there is a toolbar with several useful tools.

From left to right, you can see the position and dimensions of each slot. Next to them are the Divide and Merge buttons.
First, we wiil devide this slot into seven vertical sections. Then use the Merge option to combine some of them and create the layout you have in mind.

This approach allows us to maintain equal spacing between the images and keep them perfectly aligned in the center of the spread. Next, we will resize the central slot and add text on top of it. We will type the names of the couple and choose the font we prefer. Then, we will align the text with the top of the slots.

Click Background Settings to choose a background.
You can either upload an image from your computer or select one of the backgrounds included in the application. For this example, we will choose one of the built-in backgrounds and slightly reduce its opacity so that the images stand out more clearly.

Finally, we will place our images inside the frames.

Now that you know how to create your layouts, the next video will show you how to adjust the gap between images and fine-tune the appearance of your spreads.

Change Gap Between Images

Let’s see how the option to adjust the spacing between images works.

Navigate to the layout you want, and click the “Change Gap” button, located on the right side of the bottom toolbar.A popup will appear. Use the slider to adjust the gap — from 0, for no spacing at all, up to 20, which is the maximum.

You can apply this to any layout without selecting individual images. Just make sure the layout is selected — you’ll see the blue outline indicating this.

Now that your spreads are fully designed, the next video will show you how to use the Page Manager to organize and manage your album spreads.

Page Manager

When working on larger albums, managing many spreads can become difficult. The Page Manager provides a complete overview of your album, allowing you to easily organize and manage your spreads.

Let's see how to use it.

To open the Page Manager, simply click on the Page Manager button. When the Manager opens, you can see all the spreads of your album in the order they have been created.

At the bottom of the panel, there is a zoom slider that allows you to zoom in up to two times on your spreads.

At the top, there are three buttons.

• The Delete button allows you to remove any spread you no longer need.
• The Close button closes the Page Manager.
• The Apply button becomes enabled after you change the order of your spreads or delete any of them.

The process is very straightforward. Select any spread and drag it to the position where you want it to appear in the final album. When you are finished, simply click the Apply button, and all changes will be updated in your album.

Now that your album is complete, the next step is to export your design. In the next video, we will show you how to create a proof for your client.

Export Proof

After completing your layouts, the next step is to send them to your client for approval.
SDS offers two options for this process.

Option 1: Export as PDF

You can export your album as a PDF file at 1600px width resolution and send it directly to your client.
This is a simple and straightforward solution that works well for photographers who prefer a traditional review process.

Option 2: Export Proof Online

For a more interactive experience, you can create an Online Proof.

To do this:

• Open the Export menu
• Select Export Proof Online

Within a few seconds, the Online Proof will be generated. Once it is ready, click the Open Preview button.
When the web page opens, click the blue Copy Page URL button and send the link to your client via email.

How the Online Proof Works

At the bottom of each spread, your client will see two options:

• Approve
• Add Comments

They can review each layout and select the appropriate option.
If they choose Add Comments, they can write their requested changes in the notes field below the spread.

Approving Multiple Spreads

If the album contains many spreads, your client does not need to approve each one individually.
At the bottom of the page, there is an Approve All button.
By selecting this option, all spreads are approved at once.
They can then use the Add Comments option only on the spreads that require changes.

Completing the Review

Once the review is complete, the client clicks the blue Submit the Review button.
You will then receive an email notification confirming that the review has been submitted.

Viewing Client Feedback

The next time you open the album in SDS, each spread will display a status icon in the top-right corner:

• A green check icon indicates approval
• A red alert icon indicates that changes are required

To read the client’s comments, simply hover your mouse over the red alert icon.

After your client approves the design, the final step is exporting your album for production. In the next video, we will show you how to export for print and create a slideshow.

Export for Print and Slideshow

Once your clients have approved the album and you are ready to send it for printing and binding, select Export for Print from the Export menu. Your album will be exported as high-resolution files, including all details, and sent directly to our binding workshop.

Important: The export for print can only be performed once per album, so make sure this is the final version with all client corrections before sending it for print.

Export Slideshow MP4

After sending the album for print, the Export Slideshow MP4 option becomes available.
This feature allows you to create a slideshow with music that can be saved on your computer and shared with your clients. The slideshow can be viewed on any device, including TV, computer, tablet, or mobile phone.

To use this option:

1. Select Export Slideshow MP4 from the Export menu
2. A dialog window will appear
3. Enter the names of the couple (optional). If entered, the names appear in white text on a black background on the first slide
4. Select the music file for the slideshow (required)

Once you have made your selections, the slideshow will be created automatically.

Notes

• The music file determines the duration of the slideshow
• The slideshow will automatically fit the timing of the music to the number of spreads
• After creation, a notification will appear, allowing you to download the MP4 file for sharing

Congratulations! You have completed the full album design workflow. Your product is now ready for production.