The user’s manual is available directly in the software. Click on the HELP menu and choose Help. This will download the manual locally to your system. This website also provides an online version, and downloadable PDF versions.

LumaPix does not print the manual, since it is updated frequently. It would be out of date before it left the printing presses. A pdf version can be downloaded from our website should you wish to have a copy for reading outside of the software.

FotoFusion is pleased to offer direct technical assistance for its products. However, before contacting us, we do ask that you consult this FAQ in detail, the video tutorials in the software and the user’s manual. You can reach support at 1-877-586-2749

FotoFusion contains tutorial videos. Click on the blue movie clapper icon in the bottom right-corner of the Create screen to watch the software in action. The videos are also available on this website.

The User’s manual provides in-depth instructions. Click on HELP and choose Help to download the manual, and consult it. The manual is also available on this website.<

Yearbook users should speak to their Yearbook publishing company to arrange training directly.

Please note: FotoFusion does provide technical support for all of its products, but we do not provide one-on-one training. The resources listed above should teach you everything you need to know about the software.

If you are designing a template, or want to add a color/texture block in your design, add an empty frame to your page.

Choose the Insert Frame button on the toolbar, over the canvas

To make a solid color frame, for a design element on your canvas, select the frame, open the Image editor. First, turn off the “Drop Photo Here” checkbox. This will lock the frame from being able to accept a dropped image. Next, go to the Background fill section, use the color-picker to add a color, and increase the opacity to 255.

Extreme and YearbookFusion users will find multi-page templates available for use. Use the Pages hover to manage the pages within the template: duplicate pages, delete pages, move pages up and down the stack, etc. Extreme and Yearbook users can also use a collection of basic templates to build their books. Under the Search hover, on the Create screen, type “basic” as a keyword. A series of blank framed templates will appear. Right-mouse select the templates, one at a time, and choose APPEND. They will be added to your project. If required, go to the Pages hover to right-mouse select the template to conform it to your selected page size. Version 5 users will also find the ability to rotate the templates from the right-mouse menu.

No Printing/Output options

Some Yearbook and Extreme users may not have an output tab or the ability to print. It may have been turned off by the book publishing company that provided the software to you, only allowing you to send the project to them directly for printing.

I’m getting a watermark warning

You might have premium graphic content on your canvas: Purchase or remove the premium item to print your layout without watermarks.

You might be running the trial version of the software: Purchase and Activate the software  to print your collage without watermarks.

The collage you are trying to output is beyond the limitations of your license type.

Some versions of the software distributed by printing companies will only allow you to make a proof copy with watermarks, and then send the project to them for printing.

Resolution Warning

Your computer’s memory cannot handle the size of the project: Reduce the resolution and try again.

You can render to common file format types – .jpg, .tiff, .png, .pdf, .bmp, .gif formats. Extreme users also can choose .psd and .pdf format.

Your yearbook publishing company can provide exact details to you – there are multiple ways to receive projects in FotoFusion.

Upload directly to your Publisher

1. Open the book, with all the pages compiled into it in the correct order.
2. Click on File > Upload to Publisher
3. Choose Upload as Flattened Project (they won’t be able to edit the project); or choose Upload as Archive to send the project recipe and source images.

Other publishers may retrieve your finished project via your Remote Storage folder or may get you to render or archive the project, and transmit it to them by a dropbox on the internet or even have you save them to a DVD or memory stick.

Extreme (V4+), Studio (V3)

There is no limitation for these licenses: Output and printing resolution is dependent only on your computer’s own memory resources.

Enhanced(V4+), Pro (V3)

Output is limited to a maximum of 3900×5700 pixels or 13”x19” at 300 dpi.

Scrapbook Essentials (V4), Standard (V3)

Output to a maximum of 2000×2000 pixels or printing to a maximum of 12”x12”.

Lite (V4)

Printing is limited to a maximum of 12”x12” if you are using the bundled templates only.

Low-resolution warnings are caused when the quality of images used on your canvas dip below a level of tolerance. Common causes of low-resolution warnings include: Using graphics taken off the internet, Using low quality images from a mobile device camera, Zooming in tight on a larger image, Using an image as the background canvas double-spread, Expanding a logo graphic past its normal-use size.

Getting the perfect workflow for color management can sometimes be challenging. Follow these steps, and you should get the results you want:

•  Make sure that Adobe Gamma has been disabled from your system.
• Whenever possible calibrate your monitor using a calibration device.
• Make sure that Photoshop warns you if you open a file that uses a different color space.
• Whenever possible try to build a collage with images that use the same profile to avoid mismatches.
• Use the appropriate color profile when you are rendering the collage from FotoFusion.
• If you are using adobeRGB, double check with your lab if they actually support aRGB as most don’t and will process your collages as if they were sRGB files which may result in color shifts.
• Make sure you are using the appropriate ICC profiles to match your printer/paper type.

Printing at home can often be a challenge. FotoFusion is designed to send your project to your printer, but there can be problems with the printer and the printer driver receiving/interpreting the information. Generally, if you choose PRINT PREVIEW from the File menu, FotoFusion will display the way the project is being sent to the printer. Choose PRINTER SETUP to access the PROPERTIES of your installed printer driver. Ensure that it is set to the correct number of printouts, to the correct page orientation, and the correct quality.

If the project doesn’t print, check to ensure the printer has been selected (under Printer Setup) and monitor the progress of the job in the Printer tray. If the project “dies” in the tray, you may need to reinstall your printer driver from the manufacturer’s website.

FotoFusion does not embed your images into the project files themselves. They are linked to the source images, usually located on your computer. If you receive a missing image warning, check the project on the Create screen: Missing images will be marked with a red warning.

Common causes of missing images are:

• File names are changed after using them in the project.
• The images were stored on a device that is currently not connected to the computer.
• The project was saved on one computer in a network, then reopened on a second computer in that same network, but it refers to images that only the first computer can “see”.

Only FotoFusion Extreme Version 4+ can output to a multi-layered PSD file.

*PSD export is unavailable in the trial mode.

Free bundled graphic content is viewable directly in the software.

Version 5

Templates are viewable in the Home Zone. Choose New Project, then select the Templates section. Embellishments can be found in the Create screen’s search hover (Papers, Frames, general Search) under the Free tab.

Version 4

Choose the Bundled content button in the Start zone to see a list of all available content. Alternatively, go to the Start zone’s Marketplace area to view templates – the large thumbnail preview will display a banner for free content by license type. Embellishments can be found in the Create screen’s search hover (Papers, Frames, general Search) under the Free tab.

YearbookFusion

Users may be limited to using their printing company’s predefined page sizes, or may be able to create custom size pages. An array of resources are available in the Create screen hovers (papers, frames, LP Art) and in the Gallery, under the LumaPix Clipart folder.  Catalogs of the Yearbook embellishment graphics are available on our website as downloadable PDFs.

You might have premium graphic content on your canvas: Purchase or remove the premium item to print your layout without watermarks.

Use the Search hover on the Create screen to locate material by type or keyword.

Unfortunately the only way to bring in a psd template is piece-by-piece. You’ll need to save off the component layers as jpg (backgrounds) or png (for transparency) and reassemble them in FotoFusion.

PSD Import will be in a future version of the software

FotoFusion can read .collage and .scrap type files. A few individuals resell collections of FotoFusion templates in these formats. Unfortunately the only way to bring in a psd template is piece-by-piece. You’ll need to save off the component layers as jpg (backgrounds) or png (for transparency) and reassemble them in FotoFusion.

PSD Import will be in a future version of the software

Pretty much anything you can create, shoot or scan can be used within FotoFusion. Support File formats are jpg, gif, tiff, emf, png (for transparency).

Mattes are jpg or png files, created as 100% black on 100% white. Mattes need to be tagged to work properly in Version 4+ Enhanced & Extreme licenses.

Version 5

Purchased items will also appear under pre-set search hovers, under the Purchased tab. Version 5 will also mark templates with a “You own this” banner over the item.

Version 4

Your purchases can be found under the FILE menu by selecting OPEN MY PURCHASED DOTSCRAP ITEMS. A search hover will launch with all your purchases.

Version 4 & 5 (Enhanced, Extreme) allows you to use Organize tab to catalog your graphic collection.

Fotofusion applies Non-Destructive effects: You can zoom in and pan the image within a frame, but the original image will never be recropped.  You can apply attributes to the frame as a whole, such as gradients, mattes, overall tinting, brightness, etc., even the matte cutting tool.

If you need to edit the image directly, you will need to open it in Photoshop or Corel Draw, or another image editor of your choice.  Do so to spot color correct, remove blemishes, or draw/manipulate the image directly. If you save the changes in your photo editor on the original file, FotoFusion will update the view presented on your canvas.

FotoFusion does not embed your images into the project files themselves. They are linked to the source images, usually located on your computer. If you receive a missing image warning, check the project on the Create screen: Missing images will be marked with a red warning.

Common causes of missing images are:

• File names are changed after using them in the project.
• The images were stored on a device that is currently not connected to the computer.
• The project was saved on one computer in a network, then reopened on a second computer in that same network, but it refers to images that only the first computer can “see”.

To fix this: Ensure that the drive is accessible on this computer and use the “Locate Missing Images” tool under the Tools menu.

There is no one correct workflow for creating albums in FotoFusion::Extreme. We offer three suggestions, but every user will find the workflow that is suitable to their needs.

Design by template

Open one of the templates provided by LumaPix. Six albums are included with your Extreme license, but others are available for purchase.  Version 5 users: From File > New project, look at the album templates. Version 4 users: from the Start Zone, go to the Marketplace to look at the album templates. Extreme users can edit these albums freelye: add/move/delete/resize pages and frames, swap backgrounds and change frame border effects. You can drop your images in manually, from the image editor, or autopopulate the album, using file date/time to sort the image sequence.

The AutoCollage Album

The AutoCollage album method provides a very quick way to start a custom job. Open a blank double-page spread, then click on the AUTOCOLLAGE button over the canvas area. Run through the AutoCollage Wizard: select as many (or all) images in your event, and add them to the dropper. On the Creative Options tab, be sure to specify the following:

• Multi-page: Set the IMAGES PER PAGE option to the total number of pages you will require in your album, minus the front and back pages. The first and last pages are “album sides “ or “singles”, not doubles, and usually will feature portrait shots that do not follow the sequence of the album. So, if you want to make a 40 page album, create 19 pages (40 minus 1 cover minus 1 back page , then divide by 2 for double page layouts).
• Timeline/Sorting: Sort by EXIF Date/Time. Providing that the date & time on your cameras are set correctly, this will order the wedding to the flow of the event.

On the Canvas Size Options tab, set your page size (eg. a 10×10 album will be 10×20) and set the page to ALBUM TWO-PAGE SPREAD. You may wish to RESPECT CENTER LINE (so no image straddles the gutter) and add Safe or Bleeds. You can also use the Album Manufacturer Presets (click on the arrow next to the page dimensions). Hit OK to generate your fully populated 38 page album in seconds, with the images flowing across the pages in order of the event.  Edit your album, page-by-page, adding any creative embellishments (eg. backgrounds, mattes, smart frames), resizing the images, etc. Remember that you can cut (Ctrl-x), copy (Ctrl-c) and paste (Ctrl-v) images from one page to another, or duplicate them (Ctrl-D).  Preset border styles can be very useful to apply a common look across the album; set one frame to the desired style for the album, save it as a preset, then apply it to all image frames on each page.

Last, click on the  hover in the Create Screen to add the first and last pages to the project, which should be set as ALBUM SIDES or SINGLE PAGES. Bring images to these pages directly from the Images tab, or remove a few particularly good portrait shots from the interior of the album to highlight on these pages.

The “From Scratch” Approach

Use the Images hover to drag and drop your images onto the canvas, one at a time, to create custom pages. You can use the Organize tab as well, to triage your images into Buckets. Find your images on the Source tab, drag them into buckets at the top of the Organizer (right-mouse select next to Bucket 4 to add additional images). Use the buckets to sort the images into categories or sections of the book. When you go back to the Create screen, you’ll find the Buckets hover will give you access to the sorted images, allowing you to drag them onto the canvas. Use the Papers and Frames hover to add graphics to the project as well, if you like.

There is no one right work flow for creating a yearbook project. A yearbook can be created by a single individual on one computer.  It can be created by a group of people working in a shared computer lab, or by a group of people working in various locations, from home, at work, and at school. Using remote storage may simplify the interactions between the group members.

Coming soon in Version 5: a composite maker service, using the YearbookFusion panel tool features.

Pro-photographers can render their projects in low-resolution, using watermarks and/or the “overlay image info” option to create files to share with their clients. Because FotoFusion is resolution independent, you can render a project on demand at any choice of resolution, without affecting the project or source images. You can also add a custom watermark if you wish – turn the watermark option on.

Yearbook users who require a proofing document should speak directly to their yearbook company.)

The majority of FotoFusion users are free to send their files to any printing service of your choice. First, you will need to render your FotoFusion project files via the Output to a File tab.

Some FotoFusion users will have received their software directly from a printing company. Most of these users will find the Upload to Publisher option under the File menu, which will allow you to transmit your project directly to the printing company, but limit your ability to create output to send to other printers. Speak directly to the company if you unsure of how they should receive your files.

Complete tutorials for creating panels is available in the user’s manual and the tutorial videos, which are part of the software itself.  Only Yearbook licenses can make automated panel pages.

To save a project, so that it can be reopened in FotoFusion:

• Go to the top menu, under FILE and select SAVE.
• Give the file a name.
• Point to a directory folder of your choice.
• Save the file. The project will be saved as a .scrap file format.

FotoFusion does not embed your images into the project files themselves. They are linked to the source images, usually located on your computer. If you receive a missing image warning, check the project on the Create screen: Missing images will be marked with a red warning.

Common causes of missing images are:

• File names are changed after using them in the project.
• The images were stored on a device that is currently not connected to the computer.
• The project was saved on one computer in a network, then reopened on a second computer in that same network, but it refers to images that only the first computer can “see”.

Templates are simply FotoFusion projects saved for use with new images.

Templates are available in the software in Version 4+. Version 5 users will find templates under the Home Zone > New Project area; Version 4 users will find them under the Start Zone’s Marketplace area. Both Version 4 & 5 users can also use the general Search hover on the Create screen to locate templates (by keyword, and by type = Template).

In Version 4 & 5, projects made on an activated copy of FotoFusion can transfer projects to another computer that is also running a fully activated copy of FotoFusion.

Because FotoFusion does not embed the source images in the project, you need to archive the project with the images to move it from one computer to another. To archive, launch the project, then choose  from the File menu item ARCHIVE/RESTORE. You can archive for Public sharing (any online user), or privately for your user id only, or for one other specific user. This will create a .scrappackage file format type – make a note of the directory where the project is being created.

Move the .scrappackage file to the 2nd computer, and return to File > Archive/restore  to RESTORE the project. The .scrappackage will reopen, depositing the source images into a folder on your system, and allowing you to resave the project.

Double-click outside the canvas of your project to open the Canvas Settings editor. Choose to resize the entire project to a new set of page dimensions, or to change your pages manually. You can type new dimensions immediately, or change the project’s form factor.

Version 4 and Version 5 users can change the defaults for all preset values in their respective editors. Select any text or image frame, then open an editor from the toolbox (eg. the Frame border editor, the Shadow editor, the Image editor). Reset the currently selected frame to your new default. Click on the >> button at the top of the editor, and choose SAVE SETTINGS AS DEFAULT FOR NEW FRAMES. You can also make a gallery of presets in this area, or choose to reset the defaults temporarily, until you make a new change to them.

The area outside the red line on the canvas will be trimmed off once the project is printed and cut down to the finished size.  This ensures that the background will be printed to the full edge of the page. Always make sure any important parts of your design fall inside the Safe Area, and that your design background fully extends through the Bleed Line. Any design content that lies between the Design Area and the Bleed Line may be trimmed off.

Complete tutorials for creating panels is available in the user’s manual and the tutorial videos, which are part of the software itself.

*Only Yearbook licenses can make automated panel pages.

PSPA is the acronym for the Professional School Photographers’ Association. A “PSPA” or “PSPA CD” refers the standard means of organizing a database linked to portrait images. The database describes the people in the photos – names, group affiliations, etc.

PSPA indexes are usually created with special software owned by portrait photography studios.  YearbookFusion can read the index files, but cannot generate one.

Creating a PSPA is a very laborious process.  Always ask your yearbook publishing company or portrait studio if they can provide this to you as it will save hours of work. If this is not possible, you’ll need a spreadsheet software (eg. Excel), the portrait images in a standardized sized jpg file, a class roster, a lot of time, and a good proofreader or two.

We’ve created an Excel file to help you through this process. Download it from our website for a complete instruction set, a sample PSPA database and a worksheet.

FotoFusion Extreme does not allow you to import a datafile.  We are working on a solution for composites based on a PSPA index import – details available soon. For now, composite layouts must be made manually. Your images will either need to be renamed to the person in the photo (eg. Jane Smith.jpg), or you will need to type labels under each image.

FotoFusion Extreme does not allow you to import a datafile.  We are working on a solution for composites based on a PSPA index import – details available soon. For now, composite layouts must be made manually. Your images will either need to be renamed to the person in the photo (eg. Jane Smith.jpg), or you will need to type labels under each image.

YearbookFusion is conceived as a complete pipeline between schools and yearbook printing/portrait studios. YearbookFusion licenses can only be purchased in blocks of 10+ licenses by yearbook companies. A branded, customized version of the software will be provided to you. Book printing companies and yearbook publishers should contact us to learn about our array of installed and web-based products designed to get your clients’ work to you.

LumaPix does not sell individual Yearbook licenses to schools, church groups or other organizations, but we can point you to a local publishing company in your area where you can obtain a license and printing services.  Contact us if you require these services.

Yearbook licenses provide 40 seats per license. This means that a school could install on any combination of school and home computers, up to 40 users.

YearbookFusion licenses can be purchased in blocks of 10+ one year expiring licenses by yearbook companies (printing companies, photo studios). The price of licenses is determined by the quantity of the purchase, the size of the schools, and where the books will be designed (at school, in your studio).

There is no one right work flow for creating a yearbook project. A yearbook can be created by a single individual on one computer.  It can be created by a group of people working in a shared computer lab, or by a group of people working in various locations, from home, at work, and at school.

To open template sets, go to the Home zone and click on TEMPLATES.

The bulk of the yearbook graphic collection is available under the GALLERY hover. Click on the down arrow icon to point to the folder named “LumaPix clipart.”  Inside you’ll find thousands of items, such as background papers, covers, cliparts and header labels.

Remote storage is a “cloud storage” solution, sold as an option add-on license for Yearbook license. It allows all users activated under a particular user id to save projects to the LumaPix server, so that all committee members can access the yearbook project files regardless of their physical location.  Users will be prompted to save and open from local or remote storage when working in YearbookFusion while connected to a high-speed internet connection.

Remote storage also opens up the Gallery, to allow users to upload images for shared use. Users can create folders, add images, and even pass a website address to other members of their school so they can send images to the yearbook committee through any web browser, without installing the software. Your yearbook publisher can also access your remote storage folder.

The dropbox is a feature enabled in YearbookFusion when a remote storage license has been allocated.  The dropbox provides a website address where images can be added to your Gallery folder without requiring the software to be installed.

First, ensure that your account has an active remote storage license allocated to it. Ask your yearbook publisher to check that a license has been provided (if they have offered to do so) and that it has not expired.

Second, ensure FotoFusion is online. Look on the Create screen, on the bottom right corner – if you see a grey icon with a wavy line – good! FotoFusion does see your internet connection. If you see an orange plug, then FotoFusion is offline – either a high-speed internet connection is not available, or is being blocked by security software or network settings.

Third, if you are online, go to HELP on the menu, then choose Support > Run connectivity diagnostic. The software will try to reach particular websites and server locations, to see if the network settings are enabled properly.