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.

The Automatic Layout option is the fastest way to create your album. It provides a complete starting point, while still allowing you to make further adjustments later using the Free Edit Layout option.

When I drag an image onto the page, it is automatically placed into a layout position. At the same time, several alternative layouts are generated, allowing me to quickly choose a different option if the first one does not suit my design.

When I drag a second image onto the page, the layout automatically changes again. New alternative layouts are generated based on the images currently placed on the page. In this example, we have one horizontal and one vertical image.

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

When I double-click on an image, I enter Zoom Mode. You can 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 a different 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. This is how the Auto Layout functionality of SDS helps you create professional album layouts quickly and efficiently.

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 several 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 created automatically in just a few seconds.
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 Free Edit Layout to take full control of your design.

Create Your Layouts Manually

In addition to Automatic Layout, EDA Online also offers a fully Free Edit Layout mode, giving you complete creative control over your album design. Free Edit Layout gives you full control over your spreads. Once selected, you can freely move, resize, and adjust images to create a completely customized design.

Let's see how it works.In this video, we will create a layout completely from scratch using an empty spread. To switch to Free Edit Layout, click the Automatic Layout button. This changes the album from Automatic Layout mode to Free Edit Layout mode.

Now we will 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 cannot contain images.

We will resize the slot and position it where we want on the spread. At the bottom of the application, you will find a toolbar with several useful tools. From left to right, you can see the position and dimensions of the selected slot.

Next is the Divide-Merge button. Click it to open the Divide-Merge panel.

First, we will divide this slot into seven equal sections by selecting 7 Pieces and clicking Divide Vertical. The Divide-Merge panel is extremely useful when creating custom templates. You can quickly divide slots into as many equal sections as you need, all with consistent size and spacing.

Using the Merge options in the Divide-Merge panel, you can also combine slots to create more advanced layouts in just a few clicks. For example, we can merge these four slots into one.

Then we can divide the other slots again into two horizontal sections, creating a completely new layout. Now we can close the panel, as we no longer need it. Next, we will resize the left slot to make it bigger. Then we will select all the slots and align them as a group to the center of the spread. The Smart Alignment Guides make this process quick and precise.

We will then resize all the slots together by holding Shift + Alt while dragging. This keeps the entire layout perfectly centered on the spread.

Now it is time to place our images into the slots. This image goes here. And one by one, we will fill our template. We will double-click on the images we want to zoom in on. As you will notice, this helps give the images a similar framing, since some of the images are wider than others.

This makes the layout more visually balanced and gives us a better-looking spread. Okay, we are good here. Now the only thing that looks out of place in this spread is the top three images, which are in color.

So we will select these three images, open the Effects panel, and click the Grayscale option to convert them to grayscale. And that's it. Using the Free Edit Layout option, we have created a completely custom layout with seven images, exactly the way we wanted.

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

The Change Gap option allows you to change the default spacing between images used by the default templates.

For example, if you create an album using the default templates and want to use different spacing between the images, you can use this option. You can change the gap for all the spreads in your album, or only for individual spreads, if you wish.

Let’s see how this option works.

Click the “Change Gap” button, located on the right side of the bottom toolbar.
A popup will appear. If you want to adjust the spacing on all the spreads of your album, check the “All” box and use the slider to adjust the gap for all your spreads — from 0, for no spacing at all, up to 20, which is the maximum.

You can apply this option to all your spreads without selecting individual images.

If you want to change the gap on only one specific spread, navigate to that spread and make sure the layout is selected — you’ll see the blue outline indicating this. Then check the “Current” option to change the gap only on the selected spread.

Please note that this option is available only for album layouts, and not for Montage Frames, Canvas, or other products.

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.

Spread 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.
EDA Online offers two options for this process.

Option 1: Export as PDF

You can export your album as a PDF file 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 Online Proof:

The Online Proof feature makes album approval easier by creating a direct communication channel between the photographer and the client. Instead of exchanging messages and screenshots, clients can review the album online and leave comments exactly where changes are needed.

To do this:

• Open the Export menu
• Select Export Online Proof

A form will appear where you can enter your client's details and send an email invitation to review the album.
After filling in the client information, the Online Proof will be created and your client will receive an email containing a link to open the proof.

Your client simply clicks the link in the email and opens the Online Proof page, where they can view the complete album and navigate through the spreads using the left and right arrows.

While reviewing the album, the client can add comments below any spread where changes are required. All comments are saved together, making it easy to keep track of the requested updates.

If no changes are required, the client can simply click Approve Album to complete the review process.

If changes are needed, the client can add their comments and click Submit Feedback. You will then receive an email notification informing you that feedback has been submitted.
If revisions are required, the email will also tell you which spreads need changes and exactly what changes have been requested on each spread. This allows you to know what needs to be updated before you even open the app again.

By clicking the link in the email, you will be taken directly back to the application. Spreads with client feedback are clearly marked with a red warning icon, allowing you to immediately identify which spreads of the album require updates.

By clicking the warning icon, you can review the client's comments and also add a reply or update for the client.

After completing the requested changes, you can create a new Online Proof. The previous comments and your replies remain available to the client, providing a clear history of the review process and making communication easier throughout the approval workflow.

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.