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Table of Contents
Welcome to Photopia! 12
Coming to Photopia from ProShow 12
Product Comparison 12
Starting with The Wizard 13
Start a New Project 13
Welcome Window 13
Choose a Theme 14
Wizard Settings 14
Add Content (images, video, captions) 15
Customize Content before running the Wizard 16
Add Your Music 20
Build and Preview the Slide Show 22
Customize Your Show 23
Remix your show 23
Publish Your Show 25
Create Your Own Show - Fast 25
Start a Project 25
Change the UI Layout (optional) 26
Add Images 27
Add Captions 29
Apply Slide Styles and Transitions 30
Add Your Soundtrack 32
Adjust the Timing 33
Quick Sync 33
Manually adjust the timing 34
Publish Your Show 35
Learning Photopia from the Ground Up 36
The Home Page 36
Top Icons 37
Hamburger Menu 37
Preferences 38
Appearance 38
UI Size 38
Color Scheme 38
Tool Tips 39
Mouse Wheel Zoom 39
Home Screen Preferences 40
Welcome Dialog 40
Groups 40
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Keyboard Preferences 40
Long Key Press 40
Delay 40
Playback 40
Display 40
Full Screen 40
Monitor Choice 40
Project Files 41
Project Location 41
Auto Save 41
Auto Save Projects 41
Backup 41
External Editors 41
Show Defaults 42
New Shows 42
Default Motion Settings 42
Default Caption Settings 42
Miscellaneous 43
Automatic Updates 43
Error Reports 43
Communication Preference 43
Prompts 44
Slide Styles 44
Delete Project 44
Wizard 44
Missing Fonts 44
Import 44
Sync Audio 44
Export/ Import Libraries 45
Import from ProShow 48
Activate Subscription 48
Manage Account 49
Overview 49
Seats 49
Canceling Your Subscription 50
Subscriptions 51
Orders 51
Account 52
Address 52
Users 53
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Help 53
About Photopia Director 54
Enter Registration 54
Check for Updates 54
Project List 54
Types of Projects 54
Project Information 55
Project Groups 55
Tags 56
Keywords 57
Project View Options 58
Deleting a Project 60
Combining Projects 61
Reverting to a Backup 61
News 62
The Manage Effects Window 62
Importing Effects (Styles, Transitions, Templates, Wizard Themes, Packages) 63
Removing Effects 63
Categorizing Effects 64
Types of Content 65
Images 65
Scaling 66
Graphic Elements 68
Video Files 69
Video Clip Settings 69
Duration 69
Timing (Trim) 69
Speed 69
Loop 69
Hold 69
Video Sound Settings 70
Soundtrack During This Video 70
Video Trimmer 70
Caption Layers 72
Fonts 72
Adding a New Caption Layer 72
Font Browser 73
Macros 76
Insert Symbol 77
Basic Caption Settings 78
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Description 78
Font 78
Caption Size 78
Color/ Texture 78
Text Field 78
Advanced Caption Settings 79
Caption 79
Format 79
Horizontal and Vertical Alignment 80
Font Size 82
Line Spacing 83
Character Spacing 84
Color/Texture 84
Mapping Mode 86
Text Box 88
Caption Layer Settings 91
Visibility 91
Local / Global 91
Reset Layer 91
Caption Slices 93
Solids and Gradients 95
Masking Example 95
Adjustment Example 95
Special Effects Example 96
Line Example 96
Shape Example 97
Under Text Layer Example 97
Audio 98
Show Soundtrack (Music) 98
Audio Settings Tab 98
Master Volume 99
Fade Soundtrack at End of Show 99
Defaults For Slide Sounds 99
Soundtrack During Other Sounds 99
Soundtrack Tab 99
Song Title, length, and preview 100
Track information 100
Track Volume and Fades 100
Offset 101
Trim 101
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Audio Trimmer 102

Audio Sync Options 103
Sync show to audio 103
Quick Sync 104
Slide Sounds and Narration 104
Graphical user interface, applicationDescription automatically generated 104
Sound Timing 105
Custom Sound Settings 105
Narration 105
Video File Sound 106
Starting a New Slideshow 107
User Interface Layouts 108
The Light User Interface 109
The Basic User Interface 109
The Advanced User Interface 109
Compact 110
Customizing Your Layout 110
Closing, Adjusting, and Resetting the Panels 110
Center the Main Preview 111
Navigation / Options Panels 112
Project Tab 113
Project Settings / Project Settings 113
Shows List / Show Settings 113
Show Tab 114
Show Settings 115
Watermark 115
Show Background 116
Soundtrack 117
Slide Tab 118
Slide Settings 119
Slide Name and Notes 119
Slide Timing 119
Flag Slide 120
Slide Style List 121
Slide Style Information 121
Variant Information 121
Slide Style Search and Categories 122
Slide Style Filter 122
Slide Style Sort 123
Slide Sound Tab 123
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Layers and Content Tabs 124

Layer Settings 124
The Browser 126
Computer File Tree 127
Search 127
Sort by 127
View 128
Used in Show 128
Right-Click (Windows) and CTRL+Click (Mac) 128
The Music Library 129
Select Collection 129
Refining Your Music Search 130
Favorites 131
Search, View, and Sort 132
Previewing Songs 133
Solid Colors 133
Preset Colors 134
Hue, Saturation, and Lightness 134
Eyedropper Tool 134
RGBA number 135
Resolution 136
Recent Colors 136
Gradient Layers 137
Presets 137
Customizing Gradients 138
Gradient Type 138
Resolution 143
Color Keyframes 144
Adjusting Color Keyframes 146
Favorites 148
Social Media 148
The Preview Window 149
Player Controls 149
Layer Adjustment Tools 150
Selection Tool 150
Position Tool 150
Rotate Tool 150
Skew Tool 151
Tilt Tool 151
Motion Path Tool 151
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Preview Tools 152

Safe Zone 152
Toggle Grid 153
Define Grid 153
Show Inactive Layers 154
Darken Inactive Layers 154
Hide Inactive Layers 155
Show Keyframe Markers 155
Show Motion Path 156
Center Point Tool 156
Canvas Position / Zoom Tool 157
Reset Canvas 157
Zoom Slider 158
Under the Right Click - Preview Window 158
Preview Modes 159
Single View 159
Double View 160
Triple View 160
Keyframe Thumbnails 161
The Slide List 161
Slide Information 163
Adding Single Images to Slides 163
Adding Multiple Images 167
Moving Layers Between Slides 169
Show Background 170
Changing your Show Background 171
Image Adjustments - Show Background 173
Video File - Show Background 173
Using a Custom Background in Individual Slides 174
Slide Styles 174
The Slide Style List 175
Applying Slide Styles 176
Applying Styles to Multiple Slides 178
Transitions 180
Choosing a Transition 180
Excluding Backgrounds from Transitions 181
Changing the Transition Time 182
Timing Mode 182
The Layer List 182
The Layers List Structure 183
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Layer Information 185

Linked Layers 186
Working with Layers 186
Layers List Tools 189
Under the Right Click 190
Copy Settings between Layers 190
Content List 191
Content Settings 193
Crop 193
Caption Layers 197
Video Layers 197
Adjustments and Animations Tabs 197
Static versus Animated Attributes 197
Adjusting the Values 199
Position 200
Zoom 201
Rotation 202
Rotation Center 202
Tilt 204
Skew and Flip 204
Color Adjustments 204
Hue 205
Colorize 207
Compositing 208
Default and Normal 208
Lighten (Maximum) 209
Darken (Minimum) 209
Multiply 209
Screen 209
Linear Dodge (Add) 210
Subtract 210
Difference 210
Overlay Luminance 210
Overlay Per Channel 211
Soft Light 211
Color Dodge 211
Divide 211
Color Burn 211
Linear Burn 212
Outline 212
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Shadow 214
Vignette 217
Shape 217
Type 217
Size 219
Corner Size 219
Border Size 220
Solid Borders 221
Fill Corners 221
Presets 222
Chroma Key 222
Crop 224
Animations Tab 225
Understanding Keyframes 225
The Keyframe Timeline 226
Time Ruler 226
Keyframe Markers 226
First and Last Keyframe Effects (Fly in and Fly out) 226
Under the Right Click 227
Right-Click on Keyframe: 227
Right-Click in Empty Space: 227
Creating Animation 228
Basic Animation 228
Intermediate Animation 230
Advanced Animation 235
Easing Mode and Motion Path 249
Easing Mode 250
The Easing Window 250
The Graph Window 252
Motion Path - Bézier Handles 253
Layer Effects 256
Fly-In and Fly-Out Effects 257
Behavior Effect 257
Filter Effects 257
Follow Filter 257
Timeline View 258
Working in Timeline View 259
Adjusting Slide and Transition Times 260
Moving the timeline 262
Audio Tools 262
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Volume 262
Fade 263
Move 263
Trim 263
Volume Control Points 263
Keyframes View 264
Keyframes View Layout 265
Adjusting Keyframes on Multiple Layers 266
Selecting Multiple Keyframes 266
Aligning Multiple Keyframes to a Specific Time 267
Shapes 268
Applying a Shape 268
Adjusting Shape Position 269
Editing the Shape 270
Groups 273
Creating a Group 273
Animating a Group 274
Masking Layers 275
What is a Masking Layer? 275
Adding a Masking Layer 276
Grayscale Masks 276
Transparency Masks 278
Using Adjustments with Masks 279
Masks vs Shapes 280
Video Files as Masks 281
Adjustment Layers 282
What is an Adjustment Layer? 282
Applying Adjustment Layers 282
Using Adjustment Layers 283
Animating Layers under the Adjustment Layer 284
Animating the Effects of Adjustment Layers 285
Animating the Adjustment Layer Itself 286
Slices 287
Adding the Slice Effect 287
Slices Options 287
Slice Animation and Timing 289
Animating Individual Slices 290
Slices in the Keyframe Timeline 291
Caption Slices 292
Creating Your Own Effects 293
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Creating Slide Styles 293

The Style Project Window 294
Place Markers and Style Content 294
Replaceable Layers 297
Layer Names and Descriptions 297
Variants 298
Creating a Variant 299
Variant Settings 299
Style Settings 301
Exporting the Slide Style 301
Creating Transitions 301
Creating a Basic Transition 303
Creating a Cover Transition 306
Creating a Complex Transition 310
Creating Layer Effects 315
Fly In and Fly Outs 315
Behaviors 320
Creating Layer Filters 322
Saving a Show Template 322
Creating Wizard Themes from Styles and Transitions 322
New Wizard Theme – Section List 324
Effects & Options 325
Static (Title) Slides 325
Dynamic Section Effects 326
Theme Settings 327
Theme Information 327
Creating an Effects Package 328
Package Settings 329
Adding and Removing Effects from a Package 330
Publishing Your Project 331
Video 331
Share Online 331
Television 331
Devices 331
Other 332
Favorites 332
Creating a Menu 332
Themes & Layouts 332
Settings 333
Music 333
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Customizing Your Menu 334

Navigation 334
Output Queue 334
Appendix A: Image File Extensions 336
Appendix B: Video File Extensions 337
Appendix C: Audio File Extensions 338
Appendix D: Keyboard Shortcuts 338

Welcome to Photopia!
Photopia is more than a slide show program. It’s video creation software with automated and advanced tools to
create amazing videos for any occasion.
Creating beautiful videos is fast and easy with a slide show creation Wizard, Templates, and pre-designed Slide Styles /
Transitions for almost any occasion. Audio can be added from your own collection or from the built-in royalty-free
Music Library. Photopia also provides more advanced options for direct control over everything from Layer Keyframes
and Adjustments to audio fades and video trimming.
This guide explains the easiest methods for creating videos then moves on to the advanced options that provide
precise customization. No matter which method you choose, it’s easy to create stunning videos with Photopia. It’s
even possible to use both methods in the same slide show.

Coming to Photopia from ProShow

Photopia was created by some of the original ProShow developers, giving them a chance to expand their innovative
technology and features to a new platform.
If you are a seasoned ProShow Producer user, you will find Photopia has most of the same tools as Producer, plus a
whole lot more!
If you were using ProShow Gold, you will find a lot of new features in Photopia. Some of these tools and features may
be unfamiliar (ex. keyframes, masking) but in time you will probably wonder how you ever got along without them!

Product Comparison

Photopia Director and

Creator include the following
advanced animation tools:
● Keyframes
● Easing Mode
● Masking Layers
● Adjustment Layers
They also include the ability
to import Templates, Styles,
and Transitions from
third-party vendors.
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Starting with The Wizard

The Wizard is a tool designed to automate the process of creating a slideshow.
A slide show made using the Wizard can be published right away or it can become the starting point for further
customization.

Start a New Project

Click the New Project button from the home
screen then choose the Wizard option in the New
Project window.

Enter a Show Title and select an Aspect Ratio. If

you are unsure which Aspect Ratio to use, keep the
16:9 default, which is used for most widescreen
monitors and TVs. There are also options to
include Tags and Keywords to your show. The
default Save Location can be changed by clicking
the Browse Button and choosing a new folder.

Click the Create button to start the Wizard.

Welcome Window

The Welcome screen provides basic

information about the Wizard. Selecting
a heading on the left will provide
additional information on the right.
To bypass this welcome screen the next
time the Wizard is opened, uncheck the
“Show Introduction…” option at the
bottom of the window.

Click the Continue to Wizard button to

move to the next window.
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Choose a Theme

The Select Theme window contains a list of installed Themes.

Themes are groups of effects (Slide Styles and Transitions) the
Wizard will use to create your show.
The list on the left displays Themes grouped into categories.
Each Theme will display a thumbnail and description. You can
search for a specific Theme using the Search bar at the top.
Once you have a Theme selected, click OK.

Wizard Settings
The Wizard Settings window guides you through options for Wizard Settings, Content, and Music.

● Theme – The current Theme (group of

effects) is shown along with a Change button
if you would like to select a new Theme.
○ Grouping – Enable this option
to let the Wizard group adjacent images into a
single slide.
○ Order – Enable this option to
let the Wizard randomly determine the order
of your images and videos. To manually
determine the order of your images, this
option should be disabled.
● Pacing –This option controls the pace,
or speed, of the slide show. A lower Pacing
value (below 100%) results in a slower slide
show (longer slides) while a higher value
creates a faster show (shorter slides).
● Audio Syncing – This option ensures the entire show fits the exact length of the Soundtrack. Note that the
Audio Syncing option overrides the Pacing option when a Soundtrack is provided. The pace of your show,
when Audio Syncing is enabled, is determined mathematically by the length of your soundtrack and the
number of slides that must fit that length.
UI Layout (lower left corner) –This option determines the UI Layout the program will use after the Wizard has
successfully created (or updated) the slide show.
When you are ready to add Content, click the Next button.
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Add Content (images, video, captions)

The Select Content window is where you will add images, video, and captions. Click the Add Photo / Video button to
add images and videos, click the Add Title button to add a title slide. All other options at the top are disabled until
there is content in the show.

Selecting the Add Photo / Video button opens the Browser window. Use the folder list on the left to navigate through
your computer to select the folder that contains your images. Select one or more images / videos that you would like
to add, then click the OK button. To add additional image or video files from other folder locations, click the Add
Photo / Video button again.
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Customize Content before running the Wizard

There are several options to customize your content before any Slide Styles / Transitions are applied.

Re-arrange – Content can be re-arranged by clicking and dragging to a new position.

Rotate – Content can be rotated in 90-degree increments by selecting the image, then click the Rotate button. Each
click rotates the image 90 degrees.
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Title Slide – The Add Title button adds a new title slide. This is a text-only slide. Title slides are often included at the
beginning / ending of a slide show and can also be used as section dividers. The caption can be customized (font,
color, etc.) after the Wizard has applied effects. Most Title Side Styles do not include more than two captions. This also
applies to Images / Videos with Captions. The Wizard will only apply Slide Styles that match the number of captions.

Captions – Select an Image / Video, then click the Captions button add a caption to that image / video. The same basic
rules that apply to Title slides also apply to Captions on images / videos. You can add as many Captions as you’d like
but most Themes will only include Slide Styles with one or two captions.
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Select Style – The Select Style button allows you to choose a specific Slide Style for the selected content. When the
Wizard is run, it will not apply a different Slide Style to any Content that has a manually applied Slide Style. This allows
you to control which effects are used for certain content.
Slide Styles can be applied to single images or groups of images. When applying a Style to multiple images, the images
must be adjacent to one another and selected when the Slide Style button is clicked.

When choosing a Style, look for the same number of

Layers as the number of images that were selected.

Images in a multi-image Slide Style will be grouped in the

Content list with the name of the applied Slide Style shown
below the group.
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To see a video file displayed full screen, instead of having the Wizard apply a Slide Style to it, apply the No Style Slide
Style.

Select your video file from the Content list, then click the Select Style button.

Choose the No Style option from the list of Slide Styles and click the OK.

Your video will display No Style at the bottom, indicating that

the Wizard will not apply a Slide Style to that video.
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Other modifications that can be made to your content before running the Wizard include:
● Remove Style – This option removes any applied Slide Style.
● Delete – This option removes the selected content.
● Randomize – This option puts the selected content in a random order. If only a single image / video is
selected, the entire Content list will be randomized.
● Trim Video – This option opens the Trim Video Window allowing the beginning / ending of the video to be
removed.

Add Your Music

The suggested length at the top of this window is

determined using the Pace settings from the Wizard
Settings window. This is only a suggestion. Using more
or less music is fine and will make the slides go slower
or faster (assuming the Sync Audio option is enabled).

Click the Add Audio button to import audio tracks to your slideshow. This will launch the Browser where you can
select songs from the Photopia Music Library, or use the computer file tree to import a song of your own.

Once you have an audio track imported, there will be more

options for duplicating, removing, previewing, and editing your
audio track (in an external editor).
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Below the list of audio tracks are Fade In, Fade Out, and Cross Fade settings. The default Fade In and Fade Out times
are 0.10 seconds, which is appropriate for untrimmed songs. The default Cross Fade time is 2 seconds. This option,
which only applies if you have more than one song, controls how much adjacent audio tracks overlap. When the Cross
Fade is zero there can be silence between adjacent untrimmed audio tracks, since many audio tracks include a small
amount of silence at the beginning / ending.

The Estimated Show Duration is below the fade times and includes the number of photos / songs along with the
targeted show / music duration. These values update as audio tracks are added / removed.

At the bottom of this window, on the left-hand side, is a

dropdown menu for the UI Layout that will be used when the
Wizard is finished. Learn more about User Interface Layouts
here.
To start the Wizard and build your show, click the Build button in
the lower right-hand corner.
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Build and Preview the Slide Show

When the Wizard is finished, you can preview your show. There are player controls for play / pause, fast forward and
rewind, as well as jump to the previous and next slide. The slider bar above those controls allow you to scrub through
your show. There is an option to view the preview full screen.

After you have previewed your show, there are three options to choose from to continue:
● Run the Wizard Again - this will reapply the same Theme to your content, which may result in different Slide
Styles / Transitions being applied. This option is best if you like the Theme but want to see a different
arrangement.
● Return to Wizard - this will return to the beginning of the Wizard, allowing you to start over again with a new
Theme and new content.
● Apply + Continue - this will open the completed show into the main Photopia UI, using the UI Layout chosen
in the previous window. In the main Photopia UI you will be able to further customize your show.
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Customize Your Show

After the Apply + Continue button is selected your slide show will open in the main Photopia UI. Nearly every aspect
of a slide show can be changed from the main UI.
● The order of your slides can be changed
● Different Slide Styles can be applied
● Different transitions can be applied
● The slide and transition times can be changed
● The font and color of your captions can be changed

Remix your show

The Wizard can still be used in the main UI using the Remix options.

To apply new Slide Styles to selected slides or new slides that were added, use the Remix option. Select specific slides
(using the Ctrl / Cmd or Shift Key), then select Remix selected slides with wizard, either from the Effects menu at the
top of the User Interface (above left), or under the right click in the Slide List (above right). Note: this feature can only
be used with adjacent slides.
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The Wizard Settings window will open, allowing you to apply these options to your selected slides.
Remix selected slides with wizard is also a great way to add new slides without re-running the Wizard for the entire
show. Simply add new images or videos to additional slides, select those slides, then Remix them.

You will be able to preview the changes to those selected slides, Run the Wizard again, or Apply and Continue.
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If you would like the Wizard to remix your entire show, choose the Remix option at the top of the screen or choose
Remix show with wizard under the Effects menu or under the right click in the Slide List. This will start the Wizard
from the beginning, giving you all the same options as starting a new show with the Wizard from the Home Page.
Remix options are available for any show, not just a show that began with the Wizard. Once you are happy with your
show, click on the Publish button in the upper right corner.

Publish Your Show

There are many Publish Options in Photopia. You can publish onto a Blu-ray or DVD disc that includes customizable
menus or publish as an individual video file or to a variety of social media services. If you are not sure what output
format to choose, it is recommended to start with the MPEG-4 video file type. The MP4 video format is one of the
most widely supported output options available.

Create Your Own Show - Fast

Using only the basic features of Photopia, you can create a simple but beautiful slide show in a matter of minutes. This
is a great way to start learning Photopia, mastering the basic features first, then moving on to more advanced features
when you are ready.

Start a Project
Photopia Director will always start on the Home Page. This is where you will see a list of your projects that you can
open and continue to work on. Starting a new slideshow does not require using the Wizard. You can also start with a
Blank Show, use a Template, or even Import an existing slide show.
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Click the New Project button in the upper left-hand corner to get started. The first three options will start a new show
/ project. The Effect option will create a new Effect Project and the last option will import and convert a ProShow
Show. Select the Blank Show option, and give your show a title. There are also options to add Tags and Keywords
(Learn more about Tags and Keywords here).

Change the UI Layout (optional)

Photopia will default to the Advanced User Interface Layout. This layout gives you access to advanced features such as
keyframes, groups, masks, and more. Advanced features can be overwhelming. If this is your first show in a slide show
program, it is recommended that you start in the Basic UI Layout.
At the top of the screen, there is a UI Layout button. Click this
button and choose the Basic option. The user interface will
appear less cluttered, with only a Preview / Browser window, a
Slide List, and an information tab.
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Add Images

Select the Browser tab and use the file tree to select a folder with images you’d like to use. If you are working on a
Mac, you may need to click the message in the lower-left corner of the Browser to mount the folder you intend to use.

Add your images one at a time by either dragging your image onto a slide marker, or by double clicking on your image
to add it to the next slide.
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To add more than one image into multiple slides, hold down the CTRL (or CMD) key while selecting them in your
Browser (shown left), then release the CTRL (or CMD) key, then drag-and-drop them into the slide list.

Multiple images can be added to a single slide by holding down your CTRL (or CMD) key to select your images, then
continue to hold your CTRL/CMD key as you drag and drop them into a single slide .
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Add Captions

To add a Caption, select a slide and click on the Captions button below the Preview window. Enter your caption into
the text box and click Done.

When applying Slide Styles to slides that have captions, find Styles that have the same number of Caption Layers that
you added. After applying a Slide Style, you can customize the font and size of your caption.
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To change various caption attributes, click on the Content Tab, then select your Caption Layer. The bottom of this
window will show customizations for Font, Size, and Color, and the text itself.

Apply Slide Styles and Transitions

Slide Styles are pre-animated effects that can be added to your slides.
To view a list of Slide Styles installed in your program select a slide and click on the Slide Style Tab in the right-hand
panel.

Select a Slide Style from the list shown. To

preview the selected Slide Style, click the
Preview button at the bottom.
Searching for Slide Styles is made easier with
categories listed on the left and a Search Bar at
the top. The number of Layers and Captions in
each Style are listed on the far-right side. You
can add a Slide Style to your Favorites category
by clicking on the star associated with that
Style. There are also Filter and Sort options to
help narrow down your search. To apply the
selected Style to your slide, click Apply.
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After the Slide Style has been applied you can change the place marker your images were added to by reordering the
layers in the Content Tab. This can be done before or after applying a Style, but it must be done in the Content Tab.

Use the up and down arrows, or drag and drop your layers, to change their order. Your images will change
placemarkers without needing to apply the Style again.
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The default Transition between slides is a blend (or fade). To choose a different transition, click on the transition
between two slides in the slide list. This will bring up the Transitions window where you can search for and preview
Transitions in the same way as Slide Styles. Categories are listed on the left, individual Transitions are on the right,
with a Search bar at the top. To preview a Transition, select the ‘play icon’ shown just below the preview area in the
Transitions window. Select Apply when you are ready to add the transition.

Add Your Soundtrack

Photopia includes an extensive royalty-free Music Library. These songs can be used in slide shows that are shared on
social media websites without giving attribution. You can also add music files from your computer. If you use a
copyrighted song from your computer, and do not have a license to share that song, you may find that your slide show
is removed / modified on social media websites.
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Click the Add Audio button to bring up the Add Audio Track(s) window. This will default to show the Photopia Music
Library. The categories on the left will narrow down your search to help you find the right style of song for your show.
Songs can be previewed by selecting them then clicking the ‘play icon’ at the top of the list of tracks. You must be
connected to the internet to add and preview songs from the Photopia Music Library if they have not been previously
downloaded. With your song(s) selected, click the OK button (or double click the song) to add it to your slide show.
Adding a song from your local computer can be done from the same window. Click the ‘computer icon’ in the top-left
corner of the Add Audio Track(s) window, then use the folder list to search for the audio file you want to use. Select
your audio file and click the OK button to add that track to your slide show.

Adjust the Timing

Quick Sync
The timing of the Slides and Transitions can be
adjusted in two ways. Using Quick Sync, Photopia can
mathematically adjust your Slide and Transition times to
match your total Soundtrack time. Click on Tools > Quick
Sync – Entire Show. This will modify your slide /
transition times to make the total number of slides match
the total Soundtrack duration. You can also Quick Sync
Selected Slides. Learn more about Quick Sync.
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Manually adjust the timing

Manually adjusting the slide / transition times can match your
Soundtrack to your slides in ways that Quick Sync can’t. Manually
adjusting your slides forward or backward allows you to align
visuals in your slides to certain parts of the songs in the slide
show. A program can’t “hear” a crescendo and match a slide to it,
but you can.
The number boxes beneath the Slides and Transitions accept
numbers down to 1/100th of a second for extremely precise
editing.

For a more visual method of adjusting the Slide and Transition times to match your music, use the Timeline View. In
this view, the Slide and Transition times are adjusted by changing the visual length of the Slide and Transition, which
may help when matching specific sections of music. The Timeline is only available in the Advanced and Compact UI
Layouts.
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Publish Your Show

When you are happy with your slide show, you are ready to Publish it! Click on the green Publish button in the upper
right corner to choose a publishing option.

Different publishing option categories are available on the left. When you select an option, more detailed information
about that option will appear on the right.
● Video - Custom video files
● Share Online - Directly upload to Social Media Websites
● Television - Burn Discs to play on Television sets
● Devices - Files that can be played on Apple, Android, and Windows devices
● Other - Publish a standalone exe file
When you have found a publishing option you would like to use, hit Create.

This has been a basic overview of the slideshow creation and output processes in Photopia.
Continue reading to learn about Photopia’s advanced features that, when mastered, give you the ability to create truly
complex and stunning slideshows.
 36

Learning Photopia from the Ground Up

In previous chapters, you learned how to create a slideshow quickly using either the Wizard, pre-designed Slide Styles,
or a combination of both. The speed at which you can create this type of show is largely dependent on the program
doing most of the work for you. It also means you have little control over the details in your show, individual slides, or
music timing. After creating some shows with the faster methods, you might be ready to customize those shows even
further, or you may be ready to build your own animations from the ground up.
To do this, it is best to learn everything, from the ground up. All features, tools, and workspaces in Photopia are
connected to one another. While you may be tempted to find an answer to a single question, you will often find that
you also need to learn something else that your question was connected to in order to fully implement your vision.

Important projects on tight deadlines are NOT a good starting point for this learning process.
Photopia is a very robust program that cannot be mastered in a day or two. Give yourself plenty of time to play with
all the features, learn the best workflow that fits your style, and you will be creating unique and beautiful shows in no
time.

Let’s start with the basics.

The Home Page

The Home Page is where you will begin each time you launch Photopia. The Home Page includes a list of all your
Projects, the latest News from Photopia, options to import projects and shows, manage your effects, and check for
Photopia updates.
 37

Top Icons
The top of the Home Page provides four options to begin using Photopia.

New Project - this is where you will begin to create Projects, including Show Projects, Effect Projects, and Importing
ProShow Shows to convert them to Photopia Projects.
Import - this will load a single file, including ProShow Shows, ProShow effects, and of course Photopia Projects and
Effects. Once imported, the slide show will be in the list of projects and can be opened from that location for further
editing. To import multiple Effect files at a time, use the Manage Effects Window.
Manage Effects opens the Manage Effects window.
Help provides access to the User’s Manual, online Video Tutorials as well as the Photopia User Forum.

Hamburger Menu
In the upper right corner of the Home Page, there are three lines (they look like a
hamburger). Clicking on these lines gives you quick access to the following:
● Preferences
● Export Library
● Import Library
● Import from ProShow
● Activate Subscription
● Manage Account
● Check for updates
● Help
● About Photopia
 38

Preferences
Before beginning a new project, it is recommended to double check the appearance and show preferences.
Preferences can be accessed under the Hamburger Menu on the Home Page, or use the CTRL+F1 keyboard shortcut.
When inside a Project, Preferences can be accessed under the Edit menu.

Appearance
The first section in the Preferences
window is Appearance.
This includes settings for
● User Interface
● Home Screen Preferences
● Keyboard Preferences

UI Size
This option changes the size of text and other objects in the program.
Photopia offers five preset UI Size options, as well as a custom option. Using a
larger UI Size will provide larger text throughout the program along with larger
slides and other objects. This may require more scrolling to see slides in the
Slides List, layers in the Layers list, and options in other areas. Using a smaller UI
Size will do the opposite, which can be helpful if you want to see more slides /
layers listed at once.

Color Scheme
This option lets you change the colors displayed in the User
Interface.
Photopia Director defaults to the Dark Color Scheme and
Photopia Creator defaults to the Light Color Scheme. Either of
these schemes can be used, regardless of the program you are
using, or one of the various built-in presets. You can also modify
existing color schemes or create custom color schemes, by
clicking on Customize.
 39

In the Color Configuration window, start by changing the

Base Color to create an entirely new color scheme.
Secondary Colors can then be changed for a more refined
color palette.
To save your color scheme as a new preset, click on Save at
the bottom of the Color Scheme list, and give your new
color preset a name.

To continue with your choice, click Ok at the bottom. There

are also options to
Reset the Color Configuration window, and Cancel.

Tool Tips
Enabling the Tool Tips option allows Slide Information pop
ups to appear when holding your mouse over a slide.
Information included in the Tool Tips are
● slide / transition times
● Slide Style applied
● number of images / captions / slide sounds

When the Tool Tips option is disabled, basic tool tips such
as descriptions of the animation tools (shown left), will
always be visible.

Mouse Wheel Zoom

This option allows you to use your mouse wheel to change
zoom layer values, in addition to scrolling panels up and
down. Disable this option if you only want your mouse
wheel to scroll panels, but not zoom layer values.
 40

Home Screen Preferences

Welcome Dialog
This option controls the Welcome Dialog display.

Groups
This option controls the display of project groups in the
Projects list.

Keyboard Preferences

Long Key Press

This option controls the display of the special characters flyout menu.
Delay
This option sets the delay for the special character pop-up window.

Playback

Display
Direct X is enabled by default in Photopia. Direct X is Microsoft’s standard rendering method and only applies to the
Windows operating system. Using the Direct X feature generally allows Windows to display things faster. When Direct
X is disabled, Photopia must use older (slower) methods of displaying graphics on screen. This option should remain
enabled unless you are troubleshooting a specific display issue.

Full Screen
This option displays a message when toggling the Full Screen Playback option, letting you know when you have
switched from playback inside the Preview window to Full Screen playback and vice versa.

Monitor Choice
When using more than one monitor, this option allows you to choose which monitor is used for Full Screen playback.
 41

Project Files

Project Location
This option sets the target save location for new projects. The default is Documents > Photopia Slide Shows. This
location can be changed, but it is recommended that you save to a local hard drive, not an external drive. Projects can
be archived to an external drive as needed once they are complete.

Auto Save
This option enables an automated backup of the project currently being edited. This is a single backup file used for
recovery purposes only. It is NOT related to the Backup files stored in a project folder.

Auto Save Projects

This option determines the frequency of the Auto Save option.

Backup
This option controls the number of project backups that will be maintained for each project. These backups are
created each time the project is saved and are NOT related to the Auto Save feature.

External Editors

External editors for Image, Video, and Audio files can be assigned to launch and import files directly from Photopia. If
you edit those files, you will be editing the duplicate Photopia saved in the Project location, not the original file.

On a Windows Computer, click the Browse button next to the editor you would like to choose (Image, Video, or
Audio). Navigate to the Program File (exe) for the program you would like to use.
On a Mac computer, click on the Browse button next to the editor you would like to choose (Image, Video, or Audio),
then choose your program from the list of installed programs.
 42

Show Defaults

New Shows
These settings will only apply to
new shows, not current shows.
Slide Duration - sets a default
time for new slides
Transition Duration - sets a
default time for new transitions
Scaling - sets a default for how
layers will appear in the preview
window. Options include Fill
Frame, Fit to Frame, Stretch to
Frame, Fit to Safe Zone, and Fill
Safe Zone

Default Motion Settings

Easing Mode determines how your layers will animate between keyframes.

Default Caption Settings

Sets defaults for Caption layers for the following attributes:
● Default Font – sets a default Font for each new caption.
● Default Size – sets a default Font Size for each new caption.
● Default Color – sets a default Color for each new caption.
● Horizontal Alignment – sets a default horizontal value to Left, Right, Center, or Fill.
● Vertical Alignment – sets a default vertical value to Center, Top, or Bottom.
 43

Miscellaneous

Automatic Updates
Enable this option for prompts to appear when updates for Photopia are available. You will still be able to choose
whether to install each update. Leaving this option enabled is recommended.

Error Reports
These options enable anonymous error reports, basic and extended, which are used to improve the program.

Communication Preference
This option allows you to opt in / out of email communications from Photopia.
 44

Prompts

Slide Styles
Enables a warning about overwriting settings when applying a Slide Style.

Delete Project
This option is a fail-safe to ensure projects are not accidentally deleted. When enabled, the word “Delete” must be
typed into a pop-up window to delete a project.

Wizard
Enables the display of the introduction screen each time the Wizard is used.

Missing Fonts
Enables a ‘missing font’ message when loading a project that uses fonts Photopia cannot locate. The message includes
an option to choose alternate fonts.

Import
Enables a progress window when importing audio / video files

Sync Audio
When adjusting the end of a Soundtrack clip to match with a specific slide, a prompt will appear, warning you that this
action will alter your slide and transition times to align with the audio.
 45

Export/ Import Libraries

Use this feature to export entire libraries (Projects, Styles, Transitions, Wizard Themes, etc.). This is the easiest way to
transfer a collection of files to another computer, including moving from one platform to another (Windows and Mac).

To export a collection of Photopia files, select the Export Library option under the Hamburger Menu. Photopia will
scan all your projects. The next window will show categories for Projects and Effects on the left. When Shows is
selected (shown above), the right side of the screen will display your Project Groups and individual projects.
 46

When an Effect type is selected (shown above), categories and individual effects will be displayed on the right. All files
in your program are selected, by default. To specify individual files to export, choose Select None above the Projects
and Effects list to remove all checkmarks. Then select the files you’d like to export, either individually or by clicking on
Select All at the bottom of the effect list to select all items in a single category.
● A white box in the Projects and Effects list indicates that no files in that category are included in the Export.
● A gray box indicates that some files were selected to be exported, but not all items in that category.
● A blue check mark indicates that everything in that Project or Effect type will be included in the export.
Options at the bottom of this window include Backups and Split large files for easier transfer. Once you have selected
the projects and effects to export, click the Ok button. Choose a location and file name for the archive to be saved.
 47

Importing the Archive file (on another computer, for

example) is done in the same manner. Choose Import
Libraries from the Hamburger Menu. Browse to find the
Archive File that you exported.

Once the Archive has been imported, you will see a list
of categories and individual files. You can choose to
import everything by leaving the blue checkmarks on
the categories or choose individual files inside the
categories to import.
 48

Import from ProShow

There are two options to import ProShow files.

● Import ProShow Effects will import all currently installed ProShow effects into Photopia. Any ProShow effects
that are not currently installed into a ProShow Program on your computer will not be imported through this
option. The number of ProShow files available for import is shown. If there are a lot of ProShow files, this
option may be the easiest to choose but it may also take some time to complete.
● Import ProShow Files imports ProShow Projects and Show files, but not effects. If you would like to import
individual ProShow effects, use the Import button at the very top of the Home Page or the Import button in
the Manage Effects window.

Activate Subscription

Activating your Photopia subscription is as simple as entering the email address and password for your Photopia
Account. If you prefer, you can use the Use Registration Key option instead or the password option. If you have
forgotten your password, click on the Forgot Password link to reset your Photopia Account password.
 49

Manage Account

Enter the username and password for your

Photopia account to manage your subscription
and account information from inside the
program. The following settings can be
managed from within Photopia:
● Seats
● Subscriptions
● Orders
● Account
● Address
● Users

Overview

The top of the Overview tab displays your subscription

information. This includes:
● ID
● Type
● Status
● Renewal Date

Seats
Photopia can be installed and activated on up to two computers from either platform. The Seats information displays
a list of the computers on which the program has been activated with the subscription shown. You can nickname seats
for easier identification and deactivate individual seats when they are no longer needed.
If you need to take a break from your
subscription, you have the option to Pause it.
This will revert the program to trial mode on
your computer(s) and you won't be billed for
the time your subscription remains paused. Rest
assured, you won't lose any of the projects you
were working on. Note that while your
subscription is paused a trial banner will be added to any shows that you preview or publish.
 50

Canceling Your Subscription

There are two important timeframes to keep in mind when planning to cancel your subscription:

Cancelling your subscription

within the first seven days after
purchase or renewal will
automatically result in a full
refund of the most recent
subscription charge. Choose
the Cancel Immediately option
to end your subscription now
and have that refund applied.
Your program installations will
revert to evaluation mode after
choosing this option.

If it has been more than seven

days since your most recent
subscription renewal, or initial
purchase if there have been no
renewals, you can choose to
cancel your subscription at its
next renewal date.
The subscription will remain
active until that renewal date,
at which time the subscription
will end and your program
installations will revert to
evaluation mode.

A message letting you know where to access

your other subscriptions will be displayed at the
bottom of the Overview tab if there are other
subscriptions in your account.
 51

Subscriptions
Photopia offers additional subscriptions for Platnum and Silver Music Collections. Information pertaining to all your
program and Music Collection subscriptions will be listed in this tab, including subscriptions that are active, paused,
canceled, or pending payment.

Select a subscription from the top section of this tab to manage that subscription. You will see information for the
selected subscription just below that top section along with Seat and subscription management options below the
information area. You can Rename or Deactivate an active Seat from the Seats section. You can also Activate, Pause, or
Cancel the subscription using the buttons at the bottom of this tab. The Order button here will bring up the Order
Information window with details about the subscription purchase and any past renewals.

Orders

The Orders tab provides details for all subscription purchases and renewals in your account. Click the Download
Invoice button to download a PDF invoice for the selected order. The billing address for the selected order can also be
updated here, which applies to the selected order and does not affect the account information.
 52

Account

The Account tab is where you can change your account name, display name, email address, and account password.

Address

The Address tab is where you can update personal information attached to your account, including your name,
physical address, phone number, and email address.
 53

Users

The Users tab is for those who need to manage multiple subscriptions for different users, primarily for business use.
Users added here can be associated with a subscription from the Subscription tab to allow them to activate that
subscription using their own email address and password, instead of the username and password from your account.
You provide an initial password when creating the User then they can update their password as needed using the
Forgot Password option in the Activate Subscription or Manage Account windows within the program. Note that the
Admin option is enabled by default in the User creation window. This option allows the user to Pause or Cancel the
subscription(s) with which they are associated. This option can be disabled when the User is created or at any point in
the future.

Help

The Help Center window includes the following options.

● Open User Manual – this will launch the interactive
online manual in PDF format.
● Watch Video Tutorials – options for watching video
tutorials include playing inside Photopia, or watching
online.
● Watch 3rd Party Video Tutorials – These tutorials,
from Choice Slides, are less formal in nature and will
give more show building advice from the perspective
of a professional video editor.
● Community – The online Photopia Forum is where
you can communicate with other Photopia users
about your slide shows, using the program, and
other topics.
● What’s New – this is a list of all updates to the
program, including new features and bug fixes.
 54

About Photopia Director

The Photopia version number of the build you are using is located on the About page, as well as the name that your
program is registered to, and the Registration ID.

Enter Registration
You must be connected to the internet to use this feature. Enter your Photopia registration key here to activate the
program.

Check for Updates

You must be connected to the internet to use this feature. If there is an update to the program a full list of additions
and changes will be displayed.

Project List
In Photopia Director there are different types of Projects, including Show Projects and Effects Projects

Types of Projects

The most common type of Project is a Show Project. There are also Projects for building your own Effects, such as
Slide Styles, Transitions, Layer Effects, Layer Filters, Wizard Themes, and Effect Packages.

With Shows selected on the Home Page, you will see a list of existing Project Groups and Show Projects.
 55

Project Information
Each project will display a thumbnail, along with other information. An arrow on the left side of a Project indicates
that there is more than one show in the project. Clicking the arrow displays the shows that are inside that project. If
a project includes more than one show, the project thumbnail will match the first show’s thumbnail. Learn how to
create a Show Thumbnail here.

Information about each Project is displayed next to

its thumbnail including its name, the number of shows
in the project, the number of slides in the project
(for all slide shows combined), and the total duration
(for all slide shows combined. Optional Tags or Keywords
will also be displayed.

Project Groups
Project Groups are custom groups that you can place your projects in for better organization.

Photopia starts with three default Project Groups: Deleted Shows, All Shows, and Archived. You can create new
Project Groups by clicking on the New Project Group button, then give your new project a name. Project Groups can
be created inside another Project Groups.
 56

After a Project Group has been created, you can add a Project to that group using drag-and-drop or by right-clicking
and assigning your project to a group.

Tags
Tags allow you to assign a visual color code to your projects.
 57

To add a tag, right-click on a project then select the Tags flyout menu. Tags can be added to a project from this list or
by typing the corresponding tag number on your keyboard.

To create a new tag, click the Manage Tags

option. In the Manage Project Tags window
you can
● Add
● Delete
● Name (Label)
● Color
All tags can be customized, including the
default tags.

Keywords
Keywords add searchable terms to your
projects.

In the example above, three projects have the Keyword “2023” add to them. When typing that Keyword, or even parts
of that keyword, into the Search box, filtered results appear in the list below.
 58

Keywords can be added to your Projects during the initial creation of the project or by right-clicking on an existing
project and selecting Project Information. Individual keywords should be separated by commas.

Project View Options

Above the project list are options for viewing in Thumbnail or Detail view, Sort, and Filter.

The Thumbnail view will show an image

thumbnail of each project, as well as any
tags and keywords associated with the
project.
 59

The Details view displays information about your projects in columns. The sort order can be changed by clicking on
any column header. Both views have a Search bar to search for Projects based on their name and added Keywords.

The project list can be sorted using the Sort drop-down menu. To
reverse the sort order click the ascending / descending icon to
the right.

Projects can be Filtered by Tags and

Keywords. Filtering reduces the
number of projects shown to projects that
use the selected filter only.
 60

Other icons at the top of the Projects List include:

● Open will open a selected project, which can also be done with a double-click.
● Delete will move the selected project(s) to the Trash group, where there are more options, including Restore
and Delete Permanently.
● Copy will make a copy of the selected project. This can be useful when you want to make significant changes
to a project but also want to keep the current version of the project.
● Rename will rename the selected project.
● Combine will combine projects, either in one continuous show or in separate shows.
● Revert gives you previous backups to open
● Information opens the Project Information window. This window includes project details and the ability to
set the project Group / Keywords / Tags.

Deleting a Project

Selecting a Project and clicking on Delete moves the project to the Trash Project Group. There are more options once
you have selected a Project inside the Trash Project Group.
● Delete Permanently will remove the selected Project from your program.
● Restore will move the selected project out of the Trash Project Group and back the main group.
● Empty Trash will permanently delete ALL projects in the Trash folder.
 61

Combining Projects

Combine will create a single new show from your selected shows. You will have options to add / remove shows,
change the order in which they will be combined, create a new title for the combined show, set an Aspect Ratio, and
you choose if you would like a blank slide to be inserted between each show.
This option will create a single new slide show. It will NOT put separate shows into a new project.

Reverting to a Backup
To open a previously saved version of a project, click the Revert button. This will bring up the Revert to Backup
window, which lists the last ten previously saved backups.
 62

Backup files (*name.b05*, for example) are created when the project is saved. There is a date / time listed for each
backup to help you narrow down which backup you want to load.

Opening a backup of a project does not change your current, most recently saved, project. To replace the current
version with the selected backup, click Save.
The Information icon, displayed as a lowercase “I”, will open the Project Information window. This window includes
project details and the ability to set the project Group / Keywords / Tags.

News
The right side of the Home Page displays a News feed from
Photopia. Here you will find links to new tutorials, free effects for you
to download, and new Music when it becomes available.
To remove a news item from this list, click on the “X” in the upper
right corner of that item.
To hide the News section of your Home Page, click on the down arrow
button in the upper right corner of that section.

The Manage Effects Window

 63

The Manage Effects window is where you can import, categorize, and delete your effects. These include Slide Styles,
Transitions, Wizard Themes, Show Templates, Effect Packages, and more.

Importing Effects (Styles, Transitions, Templates, Wizard Themes, Packages)

The Manage Effects Window can be opened from the Home Page, or under the Effects Menu when inside a show.
To import effects into Photopia, click the Import button in the lower left corner. Locate the folder that contains the
files you’d like to import, select the file(s), then click Open. After an effect file has been imported it becomes available
throughout that Photopia installation.
Several types of effects can be imported, including Photopia files that have the STA file extension and ProShow effect
files that have a variety of extensions (including PXS for Slide Styles and PXT for Transitions).
All Effects are organized into Categories. Use the Search Bar at the top of the list to locate an effect by its name. If you
are unsure of the Category the effect is in, select the All Effects category before using the search feature.

Removing Effects
To remove effect(s) from your program, select the effect(s), then click on the Remove button. Unlike projects, there is
no ‘trash’ system for deleted effects. To restore an effect, it must be imported again from the original source file.
 64

Effects can be hidden from the program, without deleting them. To hide an effect, select it inside the Manage Effects
window, then click the Hide button (crossed-out eye icon). Hidden effects will appear ‘ghosted’ in the Manage Effects
window and not appear at all in other parts of the program.

In the example shown above, the “Logo Opener” Slide Style has been hidden using the Manage Effects window. That
Slide Style is now missing in the Slide Style list.
To unhide a hidden effect, select the effect in the Manage Effects window, then click the eye icon.

Categorizing Effects
Organizing effects into one or more categories can make them easier to find.
 65

Select an effect in the Manage Effects window that you would like to categorize, then click the Categorize button at
the bottom of the window. To add your effects into existing categories, click the checkbox next to that category.
Effects can be added to more than one category. To remove them from categories, uncheck the box next to that
category. To create a new category, click the Add button at the bottom of this window, and give your new category a
name.

Types of Content
Images
The main type of content used in Slideshows is, of course, photographs. Photographs can come in many different file
types, orientation, and pixel size.
Photopia supports several image file types including JPG, TFF, BMP, and PNG. See Appendix A for a full list of
supported image file types.
All image orientations can be used; Landscape (Wide), Portrait (Tall), Square, and Panoramic. The quality of an image
depends largely on how many pixels it contains (ppi or pixels per inch).
4K (UHD) video is 3840 pixels wide by 2160 pixels tall. That is about 8 MP (mega pixels). High-Definition video (1080p)
is 1920 x 1080 pixels. That is about 2 MP. Using images larger than these sizes is generally not a problem, however
using multiple large images can negatively impact program performance. A good guide is to use images no greater
than twice the size of the expected output format. Likewise, using very small images (ex. 400 x 200 pixels) can lead to
poor quality output as those image layers get scaled up to the resolution of the output format. Generally speaking,
you want to avoid using images with a resolution less than 80% of your intended output resolution.
 66

Scaling
Images will fit differently inside your slides depending on the Scaling you have chosen. This will be most apparent with
Portrait images, as you are fitting a vertical rectangle (your image) into a horizontal rectangle (the slide show area).

Fit to Frame (shown above), fits the entire image inside the frame of the slide show. This will cause you to see the
slide / show background (black by default) on the left / right sides of the image layer. If your image is larger
horizontally, you may see the background on the top / bottom of the image layer instead.

Fill Frame (shown above) fills the screen with the image. This may result in parts of the image being outside the visible
viewing area.
 67

Stretch to Frame (shown above) will stretch your image to fit inside the slideshow frame exactly, but will often distort
the image.

Fit to Safe Zone fits the entire image inside the Safe Zone area. This is used to show parts of the screen that may be
cut off when shown on older TVs. To view the Safe Zone, click on the far left icon above the preview area.
 68

Fill Safe Zone fills the Safe Zone area with the image.

Graphic Elements
Other types of images, such as PNG or TIFF files, can be used as supporting graphics in your slides.

A file that has an embedded alpha channel will appear with a checkered
background in the File Information Tab. That checkered background represents
the transparent areas.
 69

Video Files
Photopia supports several video file types including MP4, MPG, AVI, and MOV. See Appendix B for a full list of
supported video file types.
Video files can be used as layers in a slide or as the Show Background.

Video Clip Settings

Video files have the same Layer Setting options that are available for an image layer, including Image Source, Shape,
Scaling, Rotation, Visibility, Local / Global toggle, Style / Template toggle, and Reset Layer.
When a Video File is selected in the Layers List, there will be additional Video Clip Settings available in the Layer Tab.

Duration
This will show the total duration of your video clip. If the clip is trimmed, this will show both the original and trimmed
durations.

Timing (Trim)
Selecting the Trim button opens the Video Trimmer Window. Video clips can only be trimmed from the beginning or
end of the clip. Middle sections of a video clip cannot be trimmed.

Speed
Adjusting this slider bar will change the speed of the video clip. A value higher than 100% will speed up the video,
causing it to have a shorter duration, while a value lower than 100% will slow the video, resulting in a longer duration.
Any speed other than 100% will automatically disable audio from the video layer.

Loop
This option will loop the video infinitely. This is most useful for looped video backgrounds. Unchecked, your video will
simply stop playing, and disappear, at the end of the duration time.

Hold
This option will hold the last frame of your video file past its duration length. Use this option when the video is shorter
than your slide + transition times to avoid the image disappearing from the screen.
 70

Video Sound Settings

These settings will only be shown when your video file has embedded audio.

These settings control the Volume of your video layer and set Fade In and Fade Out times. Offset will move your
audio forward or backward in time, separate from the video.

Soundtrack During This Video

These settings control the Volume of your Soundtrack while this video file is playing. There are also Fade In and Fade
Out settings. To keep the Soundtrack playing with no change, set the Volume to 100%.

Video Trimmer
The Video Trimmer window will trim video files from the beginning and/or the end of the clip.
 71

The top of this window shows a video timeline. Use this timeline to trim the beginning and/or ending of your video
clip.
There are three markers inside the timeline to help you trim your video:
● a green Start Frame marker
● a fuchsia Playback marker
● a green End Frame marker

The sliders beneath the timeline will zoom the video timeline in and out, and reposition it to see smaller increments
of time. You can also use your mouse wheel while hovering over the timeline to zoom in and out, and click and drag
the timeline to reposition it.

Each timeline marker has a corresponding video frame shown below.

The left Preview frame shows the current playback marker location. The center video frame shows the Start Frame
marker and the right video frame shows the End Frame marker.
 72

Beneath the Start and End Frame previews are tools to help you trim your video:

● Step forward and backward, one frame at a time

● Set Trim Point to set your trim marker at the current location of the playback marker
● Reset button to move your Trim markers back to the beginning and end of your video clip.

The information at the bottom of the two Trim Windows provides the frame number and time, in minutes and
seconds, of the exact location of the trim marker.

Caption Layers
Caption Layers behave like Image / Video layers. Captions can be animated over time, move up and down in the Layers
list (giving you the ability to put a caption above OR below an image / video), and can have adjustments applied to
them.

Fonts
Photopia can access all fonts installed on your computer. To add a new font, install it on your computer, then restart
Photopia. Follow these instructions to install new fonts:
Windows
Double click on the font file. This will open an installation window showing an example of the font. Click the “Install”
button at the top.

Mac
Double-click the font in the Finder, then click Install Font in the font preview window. After your Mac validates the font
and opens the Font Book app, the font will become available.
After installing the font, reboot your computer to make it available in Photopia's Fonts List.

Adding a New Caption Layer

New caption layers are added by clicking the “T” icon at the top of the Layers list. A new Title Slide can be added using
the “T” icon that has a box around it, located at the top of the Slides List.
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When adding a new caption layer or Title Slide the Add Caption window will appear for you to type in your text. This
window also allows you to choose a Font and enable the Bold / Italic settings. Directly to the right of the Font
dropdown menu are three icons for using a Font Browser, adding Macros, and Inserting Symbols.

Font Browser
This gives a visual representation of the fonts installed on your system. This feature can be helpful in finding specific
fonts, seeing which fonts are already used in the current show, and viewing what a custom phrase looks like in
different fonts. (Learn more)

To open the Font Browser, select the first icon to the right of the font drop-down list.
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Pressing a letter on your keyboard will make the font list jump to that part of the alphabet. There are categories on
the left to help narrow down your search.
● Favorites (click on the star to the right of the Font to add to this category)
● Recently Used
● Used in Show
● Variable Width
● Fixed Width
● Symbolic

There are text view options at the bottom of the screen to change how the font is displayed.

Sample - displays all fonts using the phrase “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog”. This phrase can
be changed using the Configure Sample Text option.
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Caption - uses the text entered into the Caption Layer text field to display the font

Characters - displays all capital and lowercase letters, along with numbers and basic symbols.

Configure Sample Text - enter new sample text that will appear when the Sample view is selected.
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Macros

Macros are keystrokes that Photopia translates into a specific set of information in place of the keystrokes.

All Macros will start with a backslash (\) then either a lowercase or uppercase letter.
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Macros can be added by using the Insert Macro window or by typing the keystroke into the text field.
Backslash lowercase “f,” (\f) for example, will display the file name of the top-most image in the Layers List.

Insert Symbol

This option will show a visual representation of the symbols and special characters for the selected font.

Each font will have different symbols and characters available. If a font
has hundreds of symbols, such as Arial, use your mouse wheel or the
scrollbar at the left to see more symbols.
When a symbol is selected, an example of the symbol and a Keyboard
Shortcut for that symbol will be displayed at the top of this window. The
Keyboard Shortcuts can be useful for symbols that are used often.
Instead of opening the Insert Symbol window, you can simply use those
keystrokes (alt+233, in this example).
To add one or more symbols to your caption and stay in this window,
select the symbol in the list, then hit Add at the bottom of the window.
To add a symbol and exit the window, select Add & Close.
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Basic Caption Settings

With a Caption Layer selected in the Content tab, the Content Settings window will show basic caption settings.

Description
Text entered in the description field is only shown in the Content Layer List and not displayed on screen.

Font
Choose a font from the drop-down list and enable Bold / Italic settings.

Caption Size
Caption Size is a percentage of the Font Size. The Font Size can only be set from the Caption Settings tab of the
Advanced / Compact UI Layouts.

Color/ Texture
Click the colors swatch to change the color by using the hue and saturation wheel to pick a different solid color. To
choose a gradient, select the gradient window at the top of the Browser. Click the folder icon to add an image as a
texture inside the Caption.

Text Field
Enter your text here to be displayed on screen.

For all other Caption Settings, you will need to be in Advanced Mode (or Compact Mode).
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Advanced Caption Settings

With a Caption Layer selected in the Layer List, more settings will be available in the Caption Settings tab of the
Options Panel.

Caption
This section is identical to the Add Caption window, including options for
● Font
● Bold/Italic
● Font Browser
● Macros
● Insert Symbol
● Text Field

Format
This section includes settings for
● Alignment
● Font Size
● Line Spacing
● Character Spacing
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Horizontal and Vertical Alignment

The alignment settings adjust the text alignment based on the Caption Layer Position Value. For all examples shown
here, the layer position value will remain centered, at 0,0. Alignment values include Left, Right, Center, and Fill.
Alignment values include Left, Right, Center, and Fill.

Center Horizontal Alignment aligns each line of text with its own center, based on the number of characters in each
line.

Left Horizontal Alignment aligns the left edge of each line to the position value, in this case the position value is
centered.
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Right Horizontal Alignment aligns the right edge of each line to the position value, in this case the position value is
centered.

Fill Horizontal Alignment will cause the caption text to fill up the available space, in much the same way “Justify”
would do in a text editing application. Extra spaces may be added to achieve this effect.
Vertical Alignment also uses the Layer Position as the reference point for alignment. The three settings for Vertical
Alignment are Top, Center, and Bottom.
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Font Size
Font Size is relative to each Font, not the slide show frame size or playback / output dimensions. This can cause the
same line of text to appear to be larger or smaller, depending on the font chosen, despite using the same Font Size
value.

This is “Tahoma” at a font size of 30.

This is "Alana” at a font size of 30.

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Line Spacing
Line Spacing increases / decreases the space between multiple lines of text in a single Caption Layer. Similar to Font
Size, it is relative to the applied Font rather than the slide show frame size or playback / output dimensions.

This is “Tahoma” with a line spacing of 110.

This is "Alana” with a line spacing of 110.

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Character Spacing
Character Spacing increases / decreases the space between characters and is also affected by the applied Font.

Color/Texture
Captions can have three types of Color / Texture applied.

● Solid Color
● Gradient Color
● Texture / Image

To apply a new Solid Color to your caption, click the color swatch to open the Browser window. Use the Hue /
Saturation wheel in this window to change the color of your caption text.
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To apply a Gradient to the Caption, click on the same color swatch to open the Browser. Select the Gradient window
in the Browser to choose a new gradient. The way the gradient is displayed is related to the Mapping Mode, which can
be very subtle.

To apply a Texture (i.e., an image file) use the same Browser window that appears when clicking the Color / Texture
swatch. Click the ‘computer icon’ in the upper-left corner of the Browser window to find / open the image you would
like to apply.
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Mapping Mode
Different Mapping Modes (Fill, Stretch, Fill Frame, Stretch to Frame) can result in subtle differences with a big impact.

The difference between Fill and Fill Frame becomes more apparent when using a rainbow gradient. When Fill mode is
used (above left), the gradient fills the text box, allowing all the colors to be seen inside the text.

When the Fill Frame mode is used (above right), the gradient fills the entire slideshow frame. The colors that are
shown inside the caption depend on where that text is positioned in the slideshow frame. In Fill Frame mode, the
texture fills the slideshow frame NOT the caption. The blues and greens at the outer edge of the gradient aren’t seen
inside the text layer.

If a portrait-oriented
image is used, the image
fills the text box
horizontally, but the top
and bottom of the image is
cut off by the text.
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Using the Stretch mapping mode will force your image to fit the caption text exactly, which will ensure the full image
is used but may cause distortion in that image as it is mapped to the aspect ratio of the caption text.

Using the Stretch to Frame mapping mode will force the image to exactly fill the slide show frame, which may also
result in image distortion.
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Text Box

The Text Box option allows you to define the area in which your text is shown. When the Text Box settings are not
used (shown above), Photopia will use your text, as entered, for the defined area. This is shown as a dotted line
around your text.

Typing text, without hitting the enter key, will result in a straight line of text, possibly extending beyond the viewing
area. This could be used to pan the text horizontally.

Pressing the Enter key after “BOX.”, “TO”, and “TO” results in the caption shown above.
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If the Box Height setting in the Text Box option is checked and left at the default of 50, the top and bottom lines of the
box are now solid, but the last line of our text is not visible. When only the Box Height is defined, your text inside will
not adjust to fit (this is not true for Text Width).

Raising the Box Height to 60 allows all text lines to be seen. (shown above)
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With both the Box Width and Box Height checked you can define an area for your text. This area might match the
area of a portrait image, for example (shown above) . However, if Word Wrap is not enabled your text will not be
constrained to the width.

Enabling Word Wrap forces all text to fit inside the text box (shown above).
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The Shrink to Fit option ensures that your text fits in the Text Box area by setting a minimum Font Size for the text.
The program will start at the original Font Size then reduce that size, to a minimum of the listed Shrink to Fit size,
stopping when all characters in the caption fit in the Text Box area.

Beneath the Text Box Settings is a Name field. Use this to rename your Caption Layer in the Layers list. This
information is only displayed in the Layers list. Layers can also be renamed by right clicking on the layer and choosing
“Rename Layer.”

Caption Layer Settings

The last settings in the Caption Settings Tab are the Layer Settings. These function in the same way for Caption Layers
as they do for Image Layers.

Visibility
Enabling this option makes your Caption layer visible, disabling it hides the layer, but does not delete the layer.

Local / Global
Enabling this option turns your Caption into a Global Layer and applies it to every slide. Leaving this option
unchecked keeps the caption as a Local Layer, applying it to the current slide only.

Reset Layer
Reset Layer returns the layer back to its default settings and removes any adjustments made.
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The last section is a text field for Layer Notes. These notes do not appear anywhere in your slide show or on the layer
itself. When you enter text into the Notes field a speech bubble icon is displayed in that layer in the Layers list
indicating that the layer has notes. (Shown below)
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Caption Slices
Photopia Director gives you the ability to animate words and individual characters separately. These are Word and
Character slices.

To access the caption slices, open the dropdown menu arrow to the left of your Caption Layer in the Layers Tab.

When selecting the Words slices layer, a dotted line will appear around each individual word, as opposed to the entire
caption. This indicates that each word can be animated as a single unit.
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Selecting the Characters slices layer shifts the dotted lines to be around each character, indicating that you can
animate each individual character.

To animate any of these slices individually, click on the Open Slices icon on the right side of the slices layer.

A new layer list for each word / character slice will appear. Any of these slices (words or characters), can be animated
the same way as an image layer.
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Solids and Gradients

This is an introduction to the use of Solid and Gradient Layers, which are created internally in the Browser Tab. Learn
how to add and customize Solid Layers and Gradient Layers here.
The following images show examples of how you can use Solid and Gradient Layers in your slides.

Masking Example
Masking Layers work the same way as a stencil. They can mask (hide) parts of your slide while letting other parts show
through. In the example below, a gradient masking layer is used to hide the outer edge of the image, while allowing
the center to be seen.

Learn more about Masking Layers here.

Adjustment Example
Adjustment Layers work the same way that Masking Layers do, but instead of hiding parts of your slide, they allow you
to add image adjustments to parts of the slide. In the example below, a gradient adjustment layer is used to
desaturate the outer parts of the image, while keeping the center in full color.

Learn more about Adjustment Layers here.

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Special Effects Example

Partially transparent layers can be created using gradient keyframes. In this example two keyframes on the left side of
the gradient have zero transparency while two keyframes on the right have a transparency set to 100. Use the RGB
Colorspace for best results.

Line Example
Thin lines can be created using either Solid or Gradient Layers. To create a thin line, enter a small number in either the
Horizontal or Vertical number boxes.

In the example below, the Vertical Resolution was changed to 10, resulting in a horizontal line. The Scaling for these
layers must be set to Fit to Frame or your “thin line” will fill the frame.
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Shape Example
Shapes can be applied to any image layer, Gradient, or Solid.
Learn more about Shapes here.

Under Text Layer Example

Solids and Gradients can be used to make text layers easier to read when they are over an image. (Shown below)
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Audio
Photopia supports many different audio file types including M4A, MP3, WAV, and OGG. See Appendix C for a full list of
supported audio file types.
Audio files can be used in the Show Soundtrack or as a Slide Sound in individual slides. Audio from video files also
interacts with audio from the Show Soundtrack and Slide Sounds.

Show Soundtrack (Music)

The most common audio used in a slide show is music. Click the Add Audio button directly above the Slide List to add
audio to the Show Soundtrack.

This will launch the Music Library from the Browser. Double-click an audio track to add it to the Show Soundtrack. Use
the Computer icon in the Browser to add a song from a location on your computer instead of the Music Library.
Once you have added a song to the Soundtrack, you will find it listed under the Show Tab in the Navigation Panel. If
you click on that audio track two tabs appear in the Options Panel: Audio Settings and Soundtrack.

Audio Settings Tab

This tab controls the base audio settings for the entire slide show.
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Master Volume
This is the volume for all songs in your soundtrack.

Fade Soundtrack at End of Show

This option forces your soundtrack to fade out at the end of the slide show. The Duration of the fade can be set to
match the last transition / slide or use a custom duration.

Defaults For Slide Sounds

This sets the Volume and Fade In / Out for all Slide Sounds in your slide show.

Soundtrack During Other Sounds

This sets the Volume and Fade In / Out for the Soundtrack during Slide Sounds and video layers with sound.

Soundtrack Tab
This is where you will find information related to each individual soundtrack file in your slide show.
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Song Title, length, and preview

This information related to the selected track is shown at the top of the Soundtrack tab.

Track information
This information is listed below the waveform and includes the original file location, song duration (with trimmed time
if applicable), Start time in show, and audio attributes.

Track Volume and Fades

This controls the Volume level for the selected audio track, along with Fade In / Out times.
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Offset
The offset setting allows you to create space between songs or to have them overlap.

A positive number will move the selected song further down the timeline, creating space between the previous audio
track.

A negative number will move the selected song earlier on the timeline, creating a crossfade with the previous audio
track.

Trim
Trim will edit the beginning / ending of the audio track but can not edit sections in the middle.
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Audio Trimmer
Clicking the Trim button in the Soundtrack Tab for an audio file will launch the Audio Trimmer window.

At the top you will see an audio waveform with Left and Right channels. For Mono audio files, there will only be a
single waveform. There are four markers inside the timeline that you can click and drag. The two top markers are your
Start and End points, trimming the beginning or ending of your audio clip. The two bottom markers control the fades.

Directly beneath the audio waveform are two timelines; the top timeline displays the time of this individual audio
track and the bottom timeline shows where this audio track falls in the entire show.
There are also standard playback controls for play, pause, and stop. The keyboard spacebar will also stop playback.
The two arrow icons will set your Start and End trim points. Play your soundtrack, then click on either the Start or End
trim buttons to set the trim point while listening to the playback. The total duration and trimmed duration are also
listed here.

There is a Zoom slider bar below the audio timeline to see smaller increments of time. Using either the zoom slider or
your mouse wheel while hovering over the timeline, will increase / decrease the size of the timeline. Clicking and
dragging the timeline will reposition it. There are also Start / End and Fade In / Out number boxes which can be set by
typing in a new number. Reset buttons are included for each option.
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Audio Sync Options

Audio Sync options are found under the Tools Menu at the top of the Photopia Interface. These provide quick
methods for syncing your slides to your music.

Sync show to audio

The top option under the Tools menu is Sync show to audio. This provides multiple options for syncing the Soundtrack
to slides in a single window. The times displayed at the top of this window are the Show Length, Soundtrack Length,
and the Difference between the two. In the example below, there is nearly a 3 minute difference between the slide
times and the soundtrack time.

With the settings shown, the Slide and Transition times for all slides will be adjusted to fit both soundtracks, the slide
time proportions will be kept as they exist (longer slides will remain longer, but with different times), and transitions
will not be adjusted to more than 3 seconds.
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Quick Sync
The three Quick Sync options will automatically sync your slides to the chosen option:
Quick Sync - Entire Show will change slide / transition times to match the entire show soundtrack.
Quick Sync - Selected slides will set slide / transition times for selected slides to match the full soundtrack.
Quick Sync - Selected slides to track will sync only the audio track of your choosing to the selected slides.

Slide Sounds and Narration

Custom Slide Sounds and Narration can be added to any slide.

Click on the Slide Tab in the Navigation Panel and select the Slide Sound Tab. This will open Slide Sound settings in the
Options Panel. To add an existing sound file from your computer, click the Select button.

After a sound is added to a slide, a red waveform and Track Information will appear in the Slide Sound tab.
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Sound Timing

● Offset - this setting moves the sound forward or backward on the timeline using positive or negative
numbers.
● Continue - Enabling the Continue playback option allows the Slide Sound to continue playing after the slide
has ended.
● Slide Time - Enabling this option will lock the slide time to the sound length, which may change your slide
time to fit the sound file.
● Trim & Fades - the Edit Fades and Timings button will open the Audio Trimmer.

Custom Sound Settings

Custom Slide Sound Setting - this option sets Volume and Fade In / Out levels for this individual Slide Sound.
Custom Soundtrack During This Sound - this option bypasses the normal Soundtrack During Other Sounds option for
this individual Slide Sound. Set the Volume to 100% to keep the Soundtrack at full volume.

Narration
Narration can be added to a slide using a microphone connected to your computer. Each slide can contain only one
audio track, which means narration cannot be added to a slide that already has a Slide Sound.
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To start recording your narration, click the Record button in the Slide Sound tab to bring up the Record Audio window.

The Record Audio Window includes options to change the save location, select a Recording Device, and determine
the Quality of the recording.
When you are ready to record, hit the Record button at the bottom.

When you are finished recording, the Cancel button will change to a Discard button.
● Record will begin recording again, without saving your previous recording.
● Save will save your recording.
● Discard will delete the recording and exit the window.

Video File Sound

Video files can have sound embedded in them. There are Sound Settings for video files under the Video Clip Settings
in the Layers Tab, which are only visible when a video file is selected.
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The two sound settings for Video files, Video Sound Settings and Soundtrack During This Video are disabled and
collapsed by default. Making an adjustment to the settings will automatically enable them.

Video Sound Settings affect only the sound that is attached to the selected video file.
Soundtrack During This Video will adjust the Volume and Fade In / Out times of the Soundtrack during this video.

Starting a New Slideshow

To start creating a new Slideshow, click on the New Project button on the Home Page. This will bring up a new
window that has three options to start a new Show Project, an option to start a new Effect Project, and an option to
Import files from ProShow.
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The first three options will begin a new Slideshow using:

● Wizard - The Wizard uses Themes, which are a collection of Slide Styles and Transitions that will be randomly
applied to your images. Wizard Themes provide a quick and effortless way to apply effects to an entire show,
while still giving you control over the look, the music, and the timingLearn more about creating a show using
the Wizard here.
● Blank Show - This option gives you the most control over your slide show. You can build your own slides using
all of Photopia tools and effects, apply individual Slide Styles and Transitions to your slides, or a combination
of both. Learn more about starting a blank show.
● Template - Show Templates are fully designed shows with empty place markers for you to add images and
videos. Show Templates can be customized to suit your needs (adding, removing, rearranging slides). The
flexibility of each Template depends on its design.
Each of these choices have options for naming your new show, choosing an Aspect Ratio, selecting Tags, adding
Keywords, and choosing a Save Location.
When you are ready to begin, click the Create button and Photopia will launch into the main User Interface Layout.

User Interface Layouts

The User Interface Layouts provide options to work in simple, less complicated workspace, but with less tools, or a
more complicated workspace with access to all the tools. The UI Layout choice will not affect your show. You can start
in Basic, then jump over to Advanced to adjust a keyframe, then go back to Basic. The four UI Layouts to choose from
are Light, Basic, Advanced, and Compact.
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The Light User Interface

This layout most closely resembles the Lightbox view in ProShow. Slides appear in a left-to-right / top-to-bottom
grouping, instead of in a horizontal row. The Light layout has only two panels.

The list of slides is on the left, where

you can adjust your content / timing
and rearrange slides.
The Options Panel is on the right and
includes the Preview, Browser, Slide
Style, Content, Audio, and Show
settings tabs.
The Light layout does not include the
Layers list, Adjustments tab, or
Animations tab. This makes it most
useful for quickly putting together a
show using pre-built Slide Styles and
Transitions, but not building or customizing your own slides.

The Basic User Interface

This layout has all the same features as the Light layout, but has three panels instead of two.

The Preview / Browser tabs share

space on the left side of the window
while the Slide Styles, Content, Audio,
and Project tabs are in the Options
Panel on the right. Slides are in a
horizontal linear list at the bottom of
the window.

The Advanced User Interface

The Advanced layout has access to all the tools within Photopia. This makes the Advanced layout the most feature
rich layout and the most complex.

There are four panels in the Advanced layout.

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1. Navigation Panel - This panel on the left of the screen includes the Project, Show, and Slide tabs.
2. Browser / Preview Panel - This panel in the center includes the file Browser and Preview tabs.
3. Options Panel - This panel on the right shows different options based on what is selected in the other panels.
4. Slide List Panel - This panel at the bottom includes the Slide List in two modes: Slides and Timeline. It also
includes a slide-specific Keyframe interface for more precise keyframe layout control.

Compact
The compact User Interface layout is identical to the Advanced layout, but the tabs and panels are thinner for better
use on lower resolution monitors, like many laptops.

Customizing Your Layout

Closing, Adjusting, and Resetting the Panels

Closing the Navigation and Options Panels allows you to increase your workspace and “hide” tabs and panels that you
may not be using. Both panels have arrows that point down when the panel is open (shown below left). Clicking on
that arrow closes the panel and the arrow turns to the side (shown below right). Click on it again to open that panel.
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Panels can also be adjusted by hovering your mouse over the line where two panels meet. When your mouse turns to
a double arrow, click and drag to resize those panels.
Panel sizes can be reset using the Reset Window Layout option in the View menu.

Center the Main Preview

The Browser / Preview Panel and Options Panel can switch positions. Click the Center the Main Preview option in the
View menu to enable this change. The default is to have the Preview window in the center of your screen and the
Options Panel on the far right (shown below).
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When working on multiple layers in the Layers List, and Adjustments or Animations in the Options Panel, moving
those two panels next to each other allows for easier access (shown below).

This is the UI shown when the Center Main Preview option is disabled.

Navigation / Options Panels

The Navigation Panel on the left side of the interface is connected to the Options panel on the right side. When an
option is selected in the Navigation Panel, the Options panel will show settings related to your navigation choice.
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(All screenshots have changed the View to have “Center the Main Preview” unchecked This allows the Navigation and
Options panels to be adjacent.)

Project Tab
Project Settings / Project Settings

Selecting Project Settings in the Navigation Panel (left) will open the Project Settings tab in the Options Panel (right)
The Project Settings tab in the Options Panel has the following settings:
1. Rename
2. Add Notes
3. Project Details
4. Manage Tags
5. Manage Keywords
6. Manage Project Groups

Shows List / Show Settings

Under the Project Settings in the Navigation Panel is the Shows list. This is a list of all the slide shows in your project.
When a show is selected, the Show Settings tab will appear in the Options Panel.
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To add a new show to your Project, select the New icon at the top of the Shows list. This will give you the same
options as starting a show from the Home Page (Blank, Wizard, Template, Import). There are also options to remove a
show from your project and duplicate a show. To rearrange the slide show order, click and drag a show up or down in
the list. Selecting a slide show in the Project tab will also open the Show Settings in the Options Panel.

To add an existing slideshow to your project, click the Import

Show into Project option from the File menu. This will bring up
a list of all your Projects to choose from.

Note that this option puts a copy of the selected slide show into
the current project. It does NOT remove or modify the selected
slide show in its original location.

Show Tab
At the top of the Show Tab in the Navigation Panel there are three navigational tools to open settings in the Options
Panel: Show Settings, Watermark, and Background.
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Show Settings
Selecting Show Settings in the Navigation Panel
opens a Show Settings tab in the Options Panel.
This is the same tab that is shown when a Show is
selected in the Project Tab.
In this tab you can:
● Rename your Show
● Add Notes
● Change the Show Thumbnail
● Change the Aspect Ratio
● Set Slide and Transition time defaults
● Set a Fitting Mode Default
● Adjust the Safe Zone
● See Details for this Show

Watermark
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Watermarks are seen on every slide and are commonly used to display a business name.

To add an image as a Watermark, click the folder icon under the Watermark thumbnail in the Options Panel then
choose the desired file from the Browser pop-up and click the Ok button.

Watermark images can be adjusted like other image layers, although they cannot be animated.
Any adjustments made to a Watermark are global and appear on every slide.
Watermarks can be created from Caption Layers, as well. Add a caption layer to any slide then drag it above the word
transition in the Layers list. Make any adjustments to this layer, including size, position, color, etc. then enable the
Global Layer checkbox in the Caption Settings tab.

Show Background

The Show Background is also Global. It can be any type of image, video, solid, or gradient layer.
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To change the Show Background, click the folder icon under the
background thumbnail. In the Browser window, navigate to the
image you want to use, select it, then click the Ok button. Solids
and Gradients can also be used for the Show Background.

Show Background images can have adjustments applied to them, like any other image layer. These adjustments will
be Global and applied to every slide. Show Background images cannot be animated.
To change the background for a specific slide, but not the entire show, add a layer to that slide and bring it below the
word background in the Layers list, but above the Show Background layer. These background image layers CAN be
animated.

Soundtrack
The Soundtrack list at the bottom of the Show Tab lists all audio files in the Show Soundtrack. There are options to
add, copy, delete and preview songs from this tab. To rearrange the song order, use the up / down arrows in the upper
right corner, or drag and drop to reorder.
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Selecting a track in the Soundtrack displays the Audio Settings and Soundtrack tabs in the Options Panel. The
Soundtrack tab (shown above) allows you to preview the selected song, gives you information about that song, and
allows you to set track settings / trim options. Learn more about Soundtrack Settings here.

The Audio Settings Tab is for all songs in your Soundtrack. This is where Global Audio Settings are adjusted including
Master Volume, Defaults for Slide Sounds, and Soundtrack During other Sounds. Learn more about Audio Settings
here.

Slide Tab
The Slide tab in the Navigation Panel provides access to everything you need to create and manage your slides. The
three options at the top of the Navigation Panel will open new tabs in the Options Panel.
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Slide Settings
Selecting Slide Settings in the Navigation Panel (shown below) will open the Slide Tab in the Options Panel.

Slide Name and Notes

The Slide tab in the Options panel shows an
image / thumbnail of the selected slide.
There are two text fields for Name and Notes. The
name will be displayed at the bottom of the slide
itself and inside the Slide Settings tab at the top of
the Navigation Panel.

Slide Notes are only displayed in this panel.

Slide Timing
There are three options to set your Slide Time.
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● Manual allows you to type the desired slide time directly into the Slide.
● Automatic is used with the Quick Sync options
● The Lock to option will lock your slide time to one of three options: a video layer, the Slide Sound, or a
specific time of your choosing. If you choose the Lock to option, your slide time cannot be changed manually
until the Timing mode is switched back to Manual or Automatic.

Transitions can be changed by clicking on the associated icon, then selecting a different transition. The Transition
times can be changed in this tab.

Flag Slide
In the Settings area of this tab you can Flag your slide as well as Hide either the watermark or the background for this
specific slide. Flagging a slide puts a yellow flag at the top right corner of your slide in the Slides List and the
Navigation Panel.

Reset Slide will remove any Slide Style, keyframe animations, or other adjustments currently applied. This is
effectively the same as choosing the “No Style” slide style.
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Slide Style List

When the Slide Style option is selected in the Navigation Panel your Slide Style List will open in the Options Panel.
Learn more about applying Slide Styles here.

Slide Style Information

Directly above your Slide Style list is more information about the currently selected Slide Style, including its name,
recommended times, description, categories, and any variants it may have.

Variant Information
A Variant determines whether the Style
can be used with more than one
image orientation. Clicking on the “i”
next to the Variants brings up more
information about those variants.
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The Style Variants Window indicates the Show Aspect Ratios

and Image Orientations the Style will work with, and which
ones they will not. You do not need to do anything to have the
correct variant applied. Photopia will automatically detect
your image orientation and apply the correct variant.

Slide Style Search and Categories

The Slide Style list shows a thumbnail for each Slide Style, its name, and recommended Slide / Transition times.

The Category option is listed at the top-left corner of the Slide Styles list (above left). You can click the link next to the
Category label for a drop-down category list or click the double-left-arrow icon to include the Category list next to the
Slide Styles list (above right).
The Search bar filters the Style List in the Category selected. Only Styles that include the entered word will be shown.
Clicking the star icon on the right-hand side of the list will add that Slide Style to your local Favorites category.
The numbers on the right-hand side of the Style List indicate the number of Captions and Layer in the Slide Style.

Slide Style Filter

The Slide Style list can be filtered, reducing the number of Styles shown. To set a filter, click the link next to the Filter
label.
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The Slide Style list can be filtered using the following properties:
● Number of Layers in the Style
● Number of Captions in the Style
● Aspect Ratio allows by the Style
● Image Orientation used in the Style
● Location of the Style
Keep in mind that all Slide Styles that do not meet the selected criteria will be
hidden from the Slide Styles list.
If you can’t find a Style that you are looking for, double check the Filter
Settings. Select the Reset button to remove any filters and ensure that all
Styles installed will be shown.

Slide Style Sort

The Slide Style list can be sorted based on the Style Name, number of Layers, or Number of Captions.

Slide Sound Tab

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When the Slide Sound option is selected in the Navigation Panel, three tabs will appear in the Options Panel: Audio
Settings, Soundtrack, and Slide Sounds.

The Audio Settings and Soundtrack Tabs are also displayed when selecting an audio file from the Soundtrack List in
the Show Tab. The additional Slide Sound tab is where you can add a sound file or record a voice narration.

Layers and Content Tabs

Beneath the top three options in the Slide Tab in the Navigation Panel are tabs for Layers and Content (Advanced /
Compact layouts only).

Each of these lists show the content inside your slide, but in different ways. When a Slide Style is applied, the Layers
list contains all content, including construction layers, such as Groups, Masks, and other layers that you may not need
to adjust. The Content tab only contains the content you might need to adjust, including layer placeholders, captions,
or layers added after a Style was applied.
Click these links to learn more about the Layers tab and Content tab.

Layer Settings
Layer Settings are located in the Layer tab in the Options Panel when a layer is selected in the Layer List. There are
several settings and options available in the Layer tab.
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● Source – This shows a thumbnail of the image or layer along with the Select Source (folder icon), Open in
External Editor (folder with arrow icon), and Information (lowercase “i” icon) buttons.
● Shape – This option applies a Shape to your image / video layer.
● Scaling – Choose between Fit to Frame, Fill Frame, Stretch to Frame, Fit to Safe Zone, or Fill Safe Zone.
● Rotation – This option rotates the layer in 90-degree increments. This change is applied before layer
animations.
● Visibility – This option toggles the visibility of the layer.
● Local/Global – Unchecked sets the layer as local, meaning it is only in the current slide (the default for most
layers). Checked sets the layer as a global layer, meaning it will be present in every slide.
● Reset Layer – This will remove any changes that you have made, such as scale, position, or rotation, and reset
your image back to the default settings.
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Name and Notes – Below the thumbnail for your image are Name and Notes text fields. The Name field will replace
the image file name in the Layers list. Notes will only appear in the Layer tab, but a Notes “speech bubble” icon will
appear to the right of the Layer Number in the Layers list, indicating that it has notes attached.

Layers can be selected by clicking another layer in the Layers list from the Navigation Panel or by clicking the
dropdown menu at the top of the Layer tab in the Options Panel and clicking a different layer.

The Browser
The Browser enables you to quickly add content to your slide shows. It supports adding files from your local computer,
the royalty-free Music Library, and third-party services. The Browser also has options for adding Solid Colors and
Gradients. Different icons at the top of the Browser represent the various access points.
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Computer File Tree

This icon displays a file tree that allows you to search through your computer to find images, video,
and audio files that you have on your local computer.

The Computer File Tree provides several options to search, view, and sort your media. Folders in this list can be added
to the Favorites list by right-clicking on the folder and choosing the Add to Favorites option. This is done with
ALT+click on the Mac platform.

Search
The Search bar filters the results in the folder selected.
Only files that include the entered word will be shown.

Sort by
Sorting your images is made easy with the Sort
dropdown menu. To reverse the Sort order, simply click
the arrow on the right side of the dropdown menu.
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View
Browser information can be toggled between Thumbnail and List Views. Column categories can be sorted by clicking
the column heading in Details View. The Options Panel displays information related to a selected file.

Thumbnail View Details View

Used in Show
When an image is added to a show, a green circle with a white number will indicate how many slides the image is used
in. Duplicates on a single slide aren't counted.

Right-Click (Windows) and CTRL+Click (Mac)

There are more options under the right-click (Windows) or CTRL+click (Mac) in both the Thumbnail and Details views.

● Add to Show adds selected images to the show

● Add as One Slide adds selected images as one slide
● Add to Selected Slide(s) adds to pre-selected slides
● Add to Placeholders adds to placeholders in Slide Styles
● Go to Slide takes you to the slide an image is used in
● Preview opens an image information window
● Change the view between Icon and Details
● Change the Sort by option
● Show Columns set visible columns (Details View)
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The Music Library

The Music Library in Photopia includes a large collection of tracks at no additional charge. There are
also substantially larger collections of tracks available through the optional Platinum or Silver Music
Subscription options. These are collections of royalty-free songs for personal or commercial use. Click
the Music icon in the Browser to access the Music Library.

Select Collection

The Select Collection option will default to the built-in collection. This collection contains songs that are free for you
to use for personal and commercial projects as part of your program subscription.

If you're looking for more options, click the Select Collection button to browse and subscribe to one of our premium
Music Collections, which offer thousands of additional songs.

In the next window, select one of the premium music subscriptions, then click on Select.
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To preview a collection before purchasing it,

choose the Try For Free option. This will take
you back to the Music Library with your
selected collection in the list. You can preview
all the songs in the collection, but you won't be
able to add them to a show unless you have an
active subscription.
To purchase a subscription, simply click on the
Subscribe button. Once you have subscribed,
you can activate your subscription by clicking on
the Activate button.

Refining Your Music Search

Photopia's Music Library organizes songs into categories and subcategories that are listed on the left side of the
window. You can select multiple categories by using the checkboxes on the right side of the category name.
Additionally, you can use the Duration slider at the bottom to refine your search to fit within your desired length. It is
also possible to limit your search results to specific artists.
To refine your search further, you can add keywords and phrases to the search box located at the top of the window.
To reset all of your search parameters, click on the Reset button at the top.
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Selecting a song displays information on the right in the

File Information tab, including its name, artist, duration,
preview options, category details, and lyrics.

Favorites
The Special Selections section of the Category list
includes the Favorites and Used in Show categories.
Click the star icon on an audio track to add that track to
your Favorites category.
Songs can be added to the Favorites list in the Details
View by right clicking on a song and choosing Add to
Favorites.
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Search, View, and Sort

The Search bar and Thumbnail/Details Views in the Music Library work the same as the Computer File list.

Choose the Details View to sort your music and click on any of the columns at the top to sort by that category.
Right-click (or CTRL + click on Mac) then choose Sort By to sort by a column that is not listed.

Right-click (or CTRL + click on Mac) and choose Show Columns to add or remove columns from the Details View.
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Previewing Songs
All songs in the Music Library are initially stored remotely (in the cloud). Songs and song previews (30-second preview
clips) will need to be downloaded before they can be played. This will start automatically when you click the Play
button for either the Preview or Full Track.

If you have not downloaded a song yet, you will see a cloud icon next to the star in the Thumbnail view, and the
download icon will be available.

If you previously downloaded a song, the cloud icon will be missing and the download icon will be ghosted.

Solid Colors
The Solid Color window is where you can create Solid Color layers using presets, the Hue / Saturation
wheel, or the eye dropper. The Alpha option lets you specify the amount of transparency for the
layer. You can also give a Solid Color layer a specific resolution, which can be helpful if you need a
Solid Color layer at a specific aspect ratio.
There are five different ways to choose a specific color for your Solid Color Layer:
● Preset Colors
● Hue / Saturation Wheel
● Eyedropper Tool
● RGBA Number
● Recent Colors
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Preset Colors
There is a large selection of preset color swatches available for you to
choose from on the left side of the Solid Color window.
To use a preset color, click on a color swatch, then click the Apply
button.

Hue, Saturation, and Lightness

Choose a specific color based on these three values:

● Hue - Click and drag on the outer circle to find the basic color or hue.
● Saturation - The triangle on the inside shows the intensity, or saturation, of
the color from left to right. The furthest point to the right is the most saturated.
● Lightness - The lightness of the color or hue is the vertical points in the
triangle. The furthest point to the top is pure white and the bottom is pure black.
Lightness and Saturation are set together by clicking and dragging inside the triangle.
The triangle in the upper right corner shows the current color.

Eyedropper Tool

The Eyedropper tool allows you to pick an exact color from any part of the screen, including
inside other applications. To choose a specific color from an image you have in your slide
show, use one of the following methods:
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Select your image from the Browser first, producing a large thumbnail of that image in the File Information tab. Once
your image is available in the Options Panel, use the eyedropper tool to select your color.

The Eyedropper tool also works by selecting a color directly from

your Layers list, or the Slides List below.

The Magnifying Tool (located in the upper right

corner of the screen) can help you see exactly which
colors you need from your slide thumbnails.
Select the Magnifying tool, then click on the
Eyedropper tool and choose your color from
anywhere on the screen.

RGBA number
The RGBA numbers are a standardized way to reference colors (with transparency). Entering an RGBA number into the
text field at the top will automatically match the color with the RGBA number.
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RGBA Sliders
The RGBA sliders are located beneath the Hue / Saturation Wheel. RGBA stands for Red, Blue, Green, and Alpha.
Alpha represents the layer’s transparency. If a layer’s Alpha is set to 0, it becomes completely transparent.

When a Solid Layer’s Alpha is set to 0, some attributes such as outline can still be added to the layer. This gives you
more options for creating frames with a transparent center; something you could not do if you changed the Layers
opacity to 0.

Resolution
The resolution of the Solid Layer is its Width x Height in pixels. The default resolution is 1920 by 1080, the
High-Definition standard.

Altering these numbers will create other shapes, such as a square by entering the name number into the height and
width number boxes. Using a very small number in either box would create a thin line. To reset your resolution back
to the default click on the circle arrow Reset button to the right of the number boxes.

Recent Colors
A list of the most recent colors you have chosen is shown at the bottom of the screen. Select any swatch to create a
new Solid of that color.
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Gradient Layers
Gradient Layers include two or more colors that blend together. Photopia comes with a variety of
preset Gradient options, or you can create your own Gradients using the tools inside the Gradients
window.

Presets

The preset list of Gradients includes several different types of Gradients

with multiple color options within each type. Start by choosing a
category from the dropdown menu, then select one of the gradient
colors within that category.

New presets can be added to any category. After creating a new

gradient, or customizing an existing gradient, click the add button at the
bottom. Presets can be removed by selecting it and clicking the remove
button.
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Customizing Gradients
Whether you are starting with a preset or creating your own, gradients can be customized using the following
settings. Gradient Type and Resolution are individual options, while the Position, Angle and Seed options are
dependent on the Gradient Type choice. Some Gradient Types will have those options ghosted.

Gradient Type

Linear – Creates a straight path through your color choices. The Position and Seed options will be ghosted for Linear
Gradients

The direction of the linear path can be changed by adjusting its Angle. The Angle setting can be customized by either
entering a number in the text box or by clicking inside the preview window and dragging your mouse.
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Radial – Creates a circular path through your color choices. The colors are blended from the center point outward. The
Angle and Seed options will be ghosted for Radial Gradients.

The Position of the center of the Radial can be changed by either entering numbers in the vertical and horizontal
Position boxes or by clicking inside the preview window and dragging your mouse.
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Angular – This creates a combination of the Linear and Radial types. It has a center point like the Radial type, but Angular
does not move through the colors from the center point outward. Instead, it moves through those colors around the
center point, in a linear fashion, creating a hard line where the first and last colors meet. The Seed option is ghosted for
Angular gradients.

The Position for the center of the Angular gradient can be changed by either entering numbers in the vertical and
horizontal Position number boxes or by clicking inside the preview window and dragging your mouse.
The position where the first and last colors meet can be moved by changing its Angle.
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Rectangular – This creates a gradient effectively identical to the Radial gradient except in a rectangular shape instead
of a circle. The Angle and Seed options are ghosted for rectangular gradients.

The Position of the center of the rectangular gradient can be changed by either entering numbers in the vertical and
horizontal Position number boxes or by clicking inside the preview window and dragging your mouse.
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Diamond shaped – This creates a gradient identical to the Rectangular gradient but in a diamond shape. The Angle
and Seed options are ghosted for Diamond gradients.

The Position of the center of the Diamond can be changed by either entering numbers in the Vertical and Horizontal
number boxes or by clicking inside the preview window and dragging your mouse.
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Plasma – This creates a randomized ‘flowing’ look through your color choices. Plasma is the only Gradient Type that
uses the Seed option. Clicking the Randomize button next to Seed will give you different results in the look of the
plasma effect, as will clicking on the gradient preview area. The Position and Angle options are ghosted for Plasma
gradients.

Resolution
This is the size of your gradient layer. It will default to a standard video resolution size. Unlike the Solid Color option, a
larger resolution can be helpful to ensure a Gradient layer appears smooth.
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Changing the resolution of your gradient can make other shapes, such as a square, a thin line, or a tall rectangle
instead of a wide one.

Color Keyframes

Color Keyframes create a Start and End point for gradient layers.

Colorspace – This option changes the way gradient color keyframes blend. Toggling back and forth between HSV and
RGB will create different gradients, despite having the exact same color keyframes.
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RGB (Red, Green, Blue) – This Colorspace blends the colors selected and only the colors selected. With one red
keyframe and one blue keyframe, the blend in the middle will be red and blue blended together.

HSV (Hue, Saturation, Value) – This Colorspace does not blend the selected colors together, but instead goes around
the color wheel from the first keyframe to the last. With one red keyframe and one blue keyframe the resulting ‘blend’
will go around the color wheel from Red through Purple to Blue, including all hues between.
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To get a simple blend from either Black or White to a color keyframe, set the Colorspace option to RGB.

Adjusting Color Keyframes

Color keyframes are the “pallet” for creating your gradient. New keyframes can be added, their positions can be
adjusted within the gradient, and opacity can be set for individual color keyframes.

Choosing the color – Select a color keyframe, then click on the Color
swatch above the Color Keyframes. This opens the same Hue and
Saturation color wheel as found in the Solid Layer window. The
eyedropper tool can be used to pick the color from another
keyframe or anywhere else on the screen.
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Opacity – Changing the opacity of a single color keyframe can give transparent effects, such as setting the center of a
radial gradient to an opacity of 0, while the outer keyframe remains at 100%

Position – The position of the color keyframe changes where each color is placed inside the gradient. If an outer
keyframe is moved toward the center, a new outside keyframe is created, using the same color.

Add, Remove, Reverse – Double-clicking above the gradient keyframe area will add a new Color Keyframe. Clicking
the add color stop button will also add a Color Keyframe. To remove color keyframes, select them then click the
remove button. The reverse button will flip your keyframes from left to right.
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Favorites
This window is for folders that you might access often while creating a show. Your Favorites list might
change for each show you work on. There may be regular folders that you access frequently, or there
may be folders that you need to access quickly for only one show. You can add and remove folders
from your Favorites list easily.

Use the Computer Icon in the Browser to find the folder you
need to add to the Favorites list. Right-click (or CTRL+click for
Mac) on that folder and click the Add to Favorites option.

Right-click (or CTRL+click for Mac) on a folder in the Favorites

list to remove it from the list using the Remove from Favorites
option.

Social Media
The Social Media icons access files you have stored on social media and
Cloud sites. Click the Login button to go through the login process for
the selected social media site.

Photopia must have access to the account through the subsequent prompts.

Once you have granted access permission you will see a root folder with all your subfolders for that service. Content
can be added to your slideshow from this social media site in the same way you would add content from your local
computer, using drag-and-drop or double-click actions.
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The Preview Window

The Preview Window does more than playback your slide show. It is an interactive window with tools for you to
manipulate your layers, either globally or by using keyframes.

There are several tool sets that are displayed around the outside of the Preview Window. Each group of tools has a
unique set of functions.

Player Controls
There are standard player controls located at the bottom left corner of the Preview Window.

A. Go to Start (the first slide in your show)

B. Go to Previous (the beginning of the slide before the one selected)
C. Play / Pause (plays your show from the current position then becomes the Pause button)
D. Stop (stops playback)
E. Go to Next (the beginning of the slide after the one selected)
F. Go to End (the last slide in your show)
G. Current Timecode (displays the time at which the timeline marker is currently located)
H. Total Run Time (displays the total run time of the slide show)
I. Audio (mute toggle)
J. Go to Slide (jump to a specific slide number)
K. Full Screen Playback (full screen toggle)
L. Play Slide (plays only the slide that is selected, including both in and out transitions)
- There is a slider above the player controls. Use this to “scrub” through your entire show. This slider will be in sync
with the slider in the Slides List.
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Layer Adjustment Tools

When a layer is selected in the Layers List a set of animation tools will appear in the lower right corner of the Preview
window (these tools disappear during playback and “scrubbing,” ).

When a tool is enabled, it will be blue. When it is disabled, it will be dark gray.
These tools manipulate layers inside the Preview window. Those changes, such as position and rotation, can be fixed
for the entire slide or change over time:
● Layer and Adjustments Tabs - When an adjustment tool is used in the Layer or Adjustments Tabs, those
changes will remain unchanged for the entire duration of the slide time. If multiple layers are selected at one
time, each of the selected layers will be adjusted by the same amount.
● Animations Tab - When a layer adjustment tool is used in the Animations Tab, those adjustments are applied
to the selected keyframe. Selecting a different keyframe, then making another adjustment, will create an
animation between the two keyframes.

Selection Tool

With this tool enabled, layers can be selected in the preview window by clicking on them. Multiple layers can be
selected at once by holding the CTRL key. If this tool disabled, layers must be selected from the Layers list, not in the
Preview Window. If there are layers that overlap, disabling the Selection Tool helps to avoid accidentally selecting a
different layer, other than the one intended, when clicking inside the Preview window.

Position Tool

With this tool enabled, the position of the selected layer will change by selecting it and dragging within the preview
window.

Rotate Tool

With this tool enabled, the rotation of a layer can be changed within the Preview window by using
the rotate handles . The rotate handles appear as curved arrows in each of the four corners of the
layer. Click on one of these handles and drag to rotate the layer.
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Skew Tool

With this tool enabled, a layer can be skewed either vertically or horizontally within the Preview
window by using the skew handles. The skew handles will appear as straight arrows along the
sides of your layer. Click on one of these handles to skew your layer.

Tilt Tool

With this tool enabled, a layer can be tilted either vertically or horizontally within the Preview
window by using the tilt handles. The tilt handles will appear as curved arrows at the mid-points
along the sides of the layer. Horizontal tilt handles are at the left / right with vertical tilt handles at
the top / bottom.

Motion Path Tool

With this tool enabled, a path will be displayed of the image position keyframes across time. This tool must be
enabled to use the Bézier Handles. Learn more about Motion Path and Bézier Handles.
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Preview Tools
The tools in the upper-right corner are visual guides to help you work in the Preview window. These tools are also
found in the right-click menu in the Preview window.

Safe Zone

Enabling the Safe Zone tool displays a visual guide of the outer areas of the preview screen, which can get cut off on
older TVs. This is not relevant on modern TVs or when sharing videos on the internet.
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Toggle Grid

Enabling the Toggle Grid tool displays a visual grid in the Preview window. It can be used as a visual reference for
image placement using concepts such as the “Rule of Threes” (shown below). Use the Define Grid tool to change the
number of grid lines.

Define Grid

The Define Grid tool changes the grid Size and Color. Changing the Grid Size to 2 x 2 provides a basic crosshair, which
can be useful to mark the center of the slideshow frame.
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Show Inactive Layers

Enabling the Show Inactive Layers tool displays all layers at full opacity in the preview window. The layer selected in
the Layers list will be seen with a dotted line around its edges.

Darken Inactive Layers

Enabling the Darken Inactive Layers tool displays the selected layer at full opacity. All other layers will be darkened.
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Hide Inactive Layers

Enabling the Hide Inactive Layers tool displays the selected layer only. All other layers will be hidden.

Show Keyframe Markers

Enabling Show Keyframe Markers displays visible keyframes in the Preview window. Keyframes are a great visual
reference in this space, letting you know which keyframe you have selected while also indicating where the layer will
be at other keyframes.
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Show Motion Path

Enabling Show Motion Path displays a line between keyframes. This tool also provides access to the Bézier handles
between keyframes, allowing you to create curved paths.

Center Point Tool

Enabling the Center Point Tool toggles the visibility of the layer Center Point marker.
The

position of the Center Point is controlled by the Rotation Center option (shown above). This is the point your layer will
Rotate and Tilt around, like an anchor.
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Canvas Position / Zoom Tool

This tool allows you to move the entire canvas by clicking and dragging in the Preview area, making it easier to find
layers outside the slide show frame. With this tool enabled, selection tools are disabled to prevent unintended layer
changes.

Reset Canvas

This tool resets the canvas Pan and Zoom to their default values.
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Zoom Slider

The Zoom Slider controls the scale of the canvas that the preview area is in. If a layer is positioned off screen you
might need to zoom the canvas out to view the layer outside of the visible area.

Under the Right Click - Preview Window

Many of the Preview tools in the top toolbar are also available under the right click. Two additional options under the
right click include:
● Capture a Frame – Use this feature to capture a still image based on the frame displayed in the Preview
Window. Scrub the timeline to find the exact frame you would like to capture before using this tool. The
default resolution is 1920 x 1080, but this can be customized for each capture.

● Set Frame as Show Thumbnail – Use this feature to set the show thumbnail based on the frame displayed in
the Preview Window. The default thumbnail for your Show and Project will be the center frame of the first
slide. Use this tool to change the default thumbnail. This thumbnail is used for the Project / Show on the
Home Page.
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Preview Modes

When working with keyframes in the Animations Tab, there are three different
preview mode choices, related to keyframes. There is also an optional keyframe
thumbnail view to the right of the preview mode icons.

The timeline beneath the Preview, in all modes, shows time for the Transition In, the Slide Time, and Transition Out,
in a single timeline.

Single View
This view has a single preview window. It will always show the current location of the playback slider.

Scrubbing the playback slider will display your slide motion or selecting a keyframe will display the slide at that exact
time.
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Double View
This view has two adjacent preview windows.

This view is related to the “Start” and “End” concept. The left window is the starting keyframe and the right preview is
the ending keyframe. This view can be used with more than two keyframes, but the two preview windows will always
show adjacent keyframes, not the start and end of the entire timeline.

Triple View
This view has three preview windows, representing the previous, current, and next keyframes.

When there are no adjacent keyframes, that area will be blank. The relative size of these previews can be adjusted
using the zoom slider next to the View icons.
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Keyframe Thumbnails
When the keyframe thumbnails option is enabled, you will see small thumbnails directly above each keyframe marker.

These thumbnails display what the slide looks like at that keyframe. If the keyframe is moved, the thumbnail will
change to match the new keyframe position.

The Slide List

The Slide List is displayed differently, depending on the UI Layout.

In the Light UI Layout, slides are shown to the left of the Browser / Preview tabs.
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Basic Mode

In the Basic and Advanced UI Layouts, slides are shown in a left to right panel at the bottom.

Advanced Mode
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Slide Information
All slides will display the following information, regardless of the User Interface mode.
Slide Number – This is the numerical order of your slides. When a slide changes position in the list its Slide Number
changes.
Slide Name – This will default as empty until a Slide Name is entered, or a Slide Style is applied.
Slide Time – This is the length, in seconds, of the slide. This does not include transition times.
Slide Timing Mode – Timing Modes include Manual (a time you set), Automatic (a time the program sets; music
syncing), or Locked (time is ‘Locked to’ a video layer
duration or a custom time).
Transition Used – The transition thumbnail indicates which
transition is being used after the slide.
Transition Time – The time for the transition, not including the
slide time.
Transition Timing Mode – This can be set to Manual (a time you
set) or Automatic (a time the program sets; music syncing).

Slide thumbnails are different, depending on the UI Layout.

In the Advanced UI Layout (shown above) a preview of the
entire slide is shown.
In the Light and Basic Layouts the slides display the slide
content in a stack (shown left).
When the slide is selected the images will expand (shown
below)

Adding Single Images to Slides

There are six different ways to add a single image or video to a slide:
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Drag and Drop from Browser – Images can be added by dragging an image from the Browser into the Slide List. This
can be done to add images into existing slides or to create new slides.

A blue line surrounding a slide indicates that the image will be added to that slide.

A single blue line indicates the image will be added to a new slide in between two existing slides.
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Right Click – Right-click on an image in the Browser and choose “Add to Show.” The selected image will be added to
your slide show as a new slide. Choosing “Add to Selected Slide(s)” will add that image to any slides selected in the
Slides List / Lightbox.

Insert Blank slide – Click this icon to add a blank slide directly after the currently selected slide. Blank Slides can be
used to create title slides, apply Slide Styles to, and to create visual space between sections of a multi-part slide show.

Add Photo / Video (Green button) – Selecting this button will open the Browser window. Images added through that
window will be inserted after the currently selected slide.
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Add Photo or Video (Advanced / Compact Layouts) – This option is available in the Layers List. It will add a new
image to the top of the list in the currently selected slide.

Drag-and-Drop (from OS) – Image and Video files can be added to slides directly from the Operating System (OS).
Drag the files directly from “File Explorer” on Windows and “Finder” on Mac into the Slide List. This works in the same
manner as dropping image / video files into the Layers / Slides lists from the Browser in Photopia.
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Adding Multiple Images

Multiple images can be added to the same slide or placed into different slides.

Multiple Select Using CTRL / SHIFT Select multiple images from the Browser using either the CTRL or SHIFT key. Use
the SHIFT key to select images in a continuous selection. Use the CTRL key instead for a non-continuous selection.

To add the images as individual slides, release the SHIFT / CTRL Key as you drag-and-drop the selected slides onto the
Slides List. A blue line will be shown for the insertion point, and the selected image / video files will be added as
individual slides. To add the images into an existing slide, drag onto a slide until a blue outline appears around that
slide. The selected image / video files will be added to that slide as new layers.
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To add the images into a single slide, press + Hold the CTRL Key through the drop action. The dropped image / video
files will be added as a single new slide (or added into an existing slide, if one is highlighted).

Right-Click – After selecting image / video files in the Browser, right-click, then choose either “Add to Show” (adding
each image / video as a new slide), “Add as One Slide” (adding all selected images / videos to a single new slide after
the currently selected slide), or “Add to Selected Slide” (adding all selected images / videos to each currently selected
slide).

Add Photo / Video (green button) – Adding multiple images using the Add Photo / Video button (above the Slides
List) will add the images / videos as new individual slides.
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Add Photo or Video (Advanced / Compact Layouts) – This option is available in the Layers List. Adding multiple
images using the Add Photo or Video option in the Layers list will add those images / videos to the top of the list.

Moving Layers Between Slides

Image layers can be moved or duplicated from one slide to another. For all methods, a blue line surrounding a slide
indicates the ‘drop action’ is adding a layer to that slide. A thin blue line in between slides indicates the ‘drop action’
will create a new slide).

In the Basic and Light layouts, image layers can be

duplicated from one slide to another by clicking on that
image’s thumbnail in the Slides List and dragging it to an
existing slide or into a new slide

Image layers can be moved from one slide to another in

the Basic and Light layouts by holding down the CTRL
key as you click and drag the image from one slide to
another or into a new slide. This will create an empty
place marker in the slide that the image was moved
from.
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In the Advanced / Compact Layouts image layers can be duplicated from one slide to another by dragging and
dropping the image or video from the Content tab or Layers list directly onto an existing slide or into a new slide (a
thin blue line indicates that the ‘drop action’ will create a new slide). Moving an image between slides can be done by
holding down the CTRL key during the drop action in these layouts.

Show Background
A single image / video can be used as the background for an entire slideshow (Advanced / Compact layouts only). The
Show Background is seen on every slide and defaults to a solid black layer.

In the example shown above a portrait image with “Fit to Frame” scaling in a widescreen slide show doesn’t fill the
screen. As a result, the black background is seen on either side of the image. The background can also be a Solid Color,
Gradient, or video file. Show Backgrounds are global, meaning they appear on every slide.
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All slides include two partition words: Transition and Background. Layers that are above the word Transition will not
be included in any Transitions. Layers that are above the word Background are not considered a Background Layer.
The default Show Background is a solid black layer with a G2 and eye icon on the right side. The G2 indicates that this
is a Global Layer (appears on every slide) and is the 2nd Global Layer in the list (the Watermark is the first Global Layer,
G1). The eye icon is a visibility toggle, allowing you to hide / show the background for each individual slide.

Changing your Show Background

Select the Background layer from a slide and Background Options will appear on the right side of the screen in the
Options Panel.

This window displays a thumbnail of the current Show Background and a checkbox to hide the background from the
current slide. Click the Edit Background link at the top to change the Show Background.
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The Custom Background window allows you to select a different Show Background. Click the folder icon beneath the
Show Background thumbnail to open the Browser.

From the Browser window you can choose a Solid Color, Gradient, or an image from your computer, including video
files.

After an image, solid or gradient has been selected for your Show Background, you will see it appear in any slide
where the background is visible.

Note: You will not see the show background in slides where your image fills the slide show frame or when a typical
Slide Style has been applied.
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Image Adjustments - Show Background

The Adjustments Tab for the Show Background allows you to make global adjustments to the selected image, solid, or
gradient.

The adjustment options for the Show Background are the same as any layer in your show, including Position, Zoom,
Rotation, and many image adjustments such as Hue, Blur, and Saturation. Any adjustments made here are global and
will be applied to the background for the entire show.

Video File - Show Background

Video files can also be used as the Show Background. Looped video backgrounds are recommended for this purpose.
Looped videos are designed to have their last frame and their first frame match, so when the video file loops back to
the beginning, the viewer will never notice.

After a video file is chosen as the Show Background, the following Video Clip Settings options will appear:
● Trim - the beginning or ending of your video (not recommended if it loops)
● Speed - change the speed of the video
● Loop the video - Enable this for looped video backgrounds
● Hold Options - Holds the last frame after the video plays
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Using a Custom Background in Individual Slides

To use a background that is different from the Show Background in an individual slide, add the background image as a
new layer to the Layers list, then drag that new layer below the word Background, but above the Show Background
(G2) layer.

Slide Styles
Slide Styles are animations that are applied to slides. Motion effects, text effects, and additional graphics will be
added to the slide when a Style is applied. Photopia includes many built-in Slide Styles ready to use. Slide Styles
created by others may also be imported. Director users can create their own Slide Styles.

Slant Left Title – Bundled with Photopia

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The Slide Style List

Slide Styles can be accessed from the Slide Style list.
In the Basic and Light layouts, click the Slide Style tab in the Options Panel.

Basic and Light Modes

In the Advanced layout, click the Slide Styles tab in the Navigation Panel.

Advanced Mode
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Applying Slide Styles

Slide Styles can be applied to slides that already have images / videos or to blank slides. When a Slide Style is applied
to a blank slide, and uses image layers, placeholders will appear for you to drop your images into.
When applying Slide Styles to slides that already have images in them, it is recommended to preview the style first.
In the example below, two images of different orientations are added to a blank slide, then the Preview button is
selected.

In this preview, the Landscape and Portrait images appear to be in the wrong placeholders.

Changing the order of the images in the Content Tab changes the placeholders they are applied to. Select Preview to
see the Slide Style again. If the preview looks good, click the Apply button.
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Slide Styles can also be applied to Blank Slides. This is most useful for applying Title Slides that have no images, but
Slide Styles with image layers can also be applied to blank slides.

The layers from the applied Slide Style will appear as placeholders in the Content Tab. Drag and drop images from the
Browser onto those placeholders.
A blue outline around the placeholder (shown above) indicates the dropped image will replace the placeholder. A
single blue line indicates that the image will be added as a new layer.

Simple image customizations can be applied from the Content List after the Slide Style is applied.
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Applying Styles to Multiple Slides

Slide Styles can be applied to several slides at one time.

To apply a single Slide Style to multiple slides at once, select the desired slides using either the SHIFT key to select
adjacent slides, or the CTL (CMD) key to select non-adjacent slides. When multiple slides are selected, the information
in the Slide Tab will display Multiple slides selected.

Right click on any of the select slides and choose Select Style.
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The Slide Styles window will display a list of Categories of Styles on the left, individual Slide Styles in the middle, and a
preview window at the top. Select a Style from the list and click the Play button to see a preview. If you would like to
apply the Style’s recommended time to all selected slides, click the Apply Timing button. When you are ready to
apply the Style to all selected slides, click on Apply.

The Slide Style that was chosen will be applied to any selected slides and the name of the Style will be displayed at the
bottom of those slides.
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Transitions
Transitions are effects that transform one slide into the next. The default transition is a simple blend, or fade.

Choosing a Transition

Transition choices are accessed by clicking the transition icon between slides
(shown left).

This will open the Transitions window (shown below) where transitions are listed
in categories, any selected transition can be previewed, and other options that
will affect how the transition is applied are accessed.

The layout of this window is similar to the Slide Style window. Categories are on the left, Transitions are on the right,
and a search bar is above the list of Transitions. The list of recently used Transitions is in the bottom-left of this
window, providing quick access to Transitions you may use frequently.
Note: Transition and Side Style categories are not shared, although category names may be similar.
Click the play button beneath the preview window to preview the selected Transition. Click the star icon on the far
right of the Transition to add it to your Favorites category.
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Above the list of transitions is a thumbnail of the selected transition, a

recommended time for that transition, and the transition categories.

At the bottom are two checkboxes for options that can be enabled or
disabled. Learn about Include background in transition in the next
chapter.
Use duration specified by the effect will change the transition time to
the recommended time shown beneath the transition thumbnail.

Excluding Backgrounds from Transitions

The Include background in transition option can create a seamless effect between two slides that have the same
background image. In the example below, the Push Left transition is selected and a ‘wood grain’ image is used as the
Show Background.

If the Include background in transition option remains checked (including the background in the transition) the entire
background will move along with the transition. In our example above, you can see the right-edge of the background
on the first slide as it pushes out to the left, as well as the left-edge of the background on the second slide as it comes
in from the right. Both background images in both slides move with the transition.
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If the Include background in transition option is unchecked, it will not be included in the Transition and will remain
stationary throughout the transition time. This creates an effect that looks like your images are floating above the
Show Background. For this to be effective, both outgoing and incoming slides must use the same background
image.

Changing the Transition Time

Changing the time of the transitions is done by clicking in the number box
beneath the transition thumbnail and entering a new time.
Transition times can also be changed in a more visual manner in the Timeline
View.

Timing Mode
Timing Mode of transitions is set by toggling the watch/timer icon beneath the
number box. When the Timing Mode is set to Manual, the transition time can
be changed by entering a new number in the number box.

When the Timing Mode is set to Automatic, the number box will be locked and
the transition time will be calculated to fit your Soundtrack.

The Layer List

Any content added to a slide becomes a layer, not just image and video files.
Types of layers include:
● Images
● Videos
● Captions
● Solid Color Layers
● Gradient Layers
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● Masking Layers
● Adjustment Layers
● Groups

The Layers List Structure

The structure of the Layers list provides specific guidance for how your content will interact.

Each slide will have two Global layers by default: a Watermark layer (G1) and a Show Background layer (G2). Global
means that the layer is in every slide in the show. Local means the layer is only in the selected slide.

All slides will also have the words "Transition" and "Background" within the list. These are dividers. Any image or
caption layers above the word "Transition" will not be included in the transition. Any image or caption layers beneath
the word "Background" will be considered part of the background. If you intend to exclude the background from a
transition, it is crucial to keep this in mind.

From top to bottom, your Layers list will include:

1. Global Watermark (empty by default)
2. A Transition divider
3. Your slide content layers
4. A Background divider
5. Global Show Background (black Solid Color layer by default)
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Layers directly affecting other layers beneath them will be shown with a collapsible arrow on the left. Groups, for
example, are layers that contain different layers inside. All layers inside the Group can be animated as a single unit
using the Group Layer.

When a Layer includes other layers underneath it, such as Groups, Masking Layers, or Adjustment Layers, the layer
numbers on the far-right side may appear to skip those inside it when collapsed. Those layers are still active but not
visible as they are inside the collapsed container layer. The container layer will display how many sub-items are inside.

When a container layer is open, the layers inside will be

visible, with an inclusion arrow on the left side. Layers can be
added or removed from inside the container layer by
dragging the double arrow line up or down. Dragging it up will
bring the last layer out of the container group. Pulling it
down will add the next layer to the container group.
To remove a layer that isn’t at the bottom of the
container layer list, drag it down until it is outside the
container layer.

If a layer has the

Slice Effect applied to it, there will be an Open Slices icon on the right.
This will open a list of individual slices on that layer that can be animated
individually.
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Layer Information
Each layer in the Layers list will have a thumbnail, layer name,
layer type, layer number, and visibility icon (the eye icon).
The Layer Name is the top text line, and the Layer Type is the
bottom text line. Image files will automatically have the
filename as the layer name and “Image” as the layer type. If a
Shape is used, the type of Shape will be shown on the layer
type line.

In the example to the left, Layer 3 has the image file name
“BrownPaperTexture” as the Layer Name, the word “Image” as
the Layer Type, and the words “Banner 2” next to the “Image”
label, showing that this image has the “Banner 2” Shape
applied.

Layers that are generated inside Photopia, such as Groups, Solid

Colors, and Gradient Layers will show the same text for both Layer
Name and Layer Type. You can easily change the layer name, for any
layer, by right-clicking on the layer and choosing Rename Layer (shown
right). Enter your new layer name and you will see it appear above
the layer type.
In the image to the right, the Group Layer has “Group” as the Layer
Name and “Group Layer (2 sub items)” as the Layer Type.

In the image to the

left, we have
changed the Layer
Name to Text Banner Group.
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Linked Layers
Layers will be linked when an image source is duplicated in a slide. The link is not for attributes such as size or position
but for their image source. This is helpful if you want to simultaneously change your image for all duplicate layers.
When a linked layer is selected, all duplicates appear in darker blue and have a link icon on the left side. (Shown left)

To unlink the layers (change the image source for one layer
but not the others), click on the link icon to unlink them. If
you want to relink them, click the link icon again. (Shown
right)
It is not possible to link image layers with different sources. You
can also drag and drop a new image onto a linked layer to get
a pop-up window asking if you want to unlink it.

The Content Tab will show only one layer for each image
source, no matter how many linked duplicates appear in the
Layers Tab. Each image source will display the layers that appear on the right side. Changing the image in the Content
Tab will replace all linked layers in the Layers Tab.

Working with Layers

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All Layers stack on top of one another, like a deck of cards. The layers at the very top of the Layer List will be in front of
the layers beneath it in the slide show preview window. Top = Front; Bottom = Back. (Note: this is not true in the
Content Tab)

You can change the order of your layers by clicking on them and dragging them up or down in the Layer List.

The Layers are also interchangeable, meaning you can also swap out
any layer, with any other type of layer.

You can drag-and-drop a new image right on top of an existing layer,

getting a blue line all the way around the layer, and the image in
that layer will be replaced by the image you just dropped in its place.
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If you see a single blue line, you will be adding a new layer.

You can also swap a layer for a different type of layer, turning an image (photograph) into a Gradient for instance.
Right-click on the layer you want to convert then choose Select Source. This will open the Browser, giving you access
to images from your computer as well as Solid Colors / Gradients. Choose the new content you want to use then click
the Ok button and the layer will begin using the new content.
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Layers List Tools

The icons at the top of the Layers list provide ways to add and modify slide content.

The first four icons add new layers to the list. Any new layer added using these icons will be added directly above the
currently selected layer. The remaining icons will apply effects to selected layers.
Add: This is a drop-down menu broken into three sections. The top section includes different types of
layers that can be added. The second section includes Masking and Adjustment layers options and layer
duplication. The third section is a list of effects that can be added to the selected layer

Add Photo/Video: The second icon opens the Browser, allowing you to add a photo / video or even a Solid
Color / Gradient layer.

Text Layer: This icon adds a Caption Layer. In the window that pops up you will be able to add your text,
choose a font, apply Bold / Italic effects, view a font browser, and apply macros.

Group Layer: This option puts the selected layers in a Group, which can be expanded / collapsed in the Layers
list. Grouped layers can also be manipulated as though they were a single layer.

Add Effect: This is one way that you can add Fly Ins, Fly Outs, Behaviors and Filters to layers.

Add Slices: This will apply the Slice Effect to your selected layer. Text Layers already have Word and Text Slices,
so there is no need to apply a separate Slice Effect to text Layers.

Add Masking Layer: This icon adds a Masking layer to the selected layers. You will get to choose if you want
this to be a Solid Color, Gradient, or Image Mask.

Add Adjustment Layer: This icon adds an Adjustment layer to the selected layers. You will get to choose if you
want a Solid Color, Gradient, or Image Adjustment Layer.

Split color Channels: This effect will split your selected layer into four color channels: Red, Green, Blue, and
Alpha. Once the color channels are separate, you can animate them individually.

Channel Mixer: This effect allows you to shift the individual color channels, red, green, and blue, within an
image.

Add Follow Filter: This will add a Follow Filter to your selected layer. Click here to learn more about the Follow
Filter.

Delete: The trash icon deletes the selected layer or effect.

Three Lines (Hamburger): This provides a drop-down menu that has many of the same options as a right click.
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Under the Right Click

If you right click on a layer, you will get a new fly out menu. The options in that menu depend on the Layer Type that is
selected.
All Layer types will have the following options in the right-click menu:
● Duplicate Layer
● Add Effect (with flyout sub-menu)
● Use as Masking Layer
● Use as Adjustment Layer
● Rename Layer
● Copy (with flyout sub-menu)
● Remove Layer
● Reset Layer
Image Layers include:
● Select Source (changes the source of the content)
● Open in External Editor (assigned in the Preferences window)
● Reload (if an image is not showing up with the expected source file)
Solid Color and Gradient Layers include:
● Edit / Change Source
Group Layers cannot be used as Masking or Adjustment Layers, so while you may see those options in a Group Layer
fly out, they will be ghosted.

Copy Settings between Layers

Under the right-click for any layer in the Layer list is an option in the Copy fly-out menu for Copy Settings Between
Layers. This brings up a new window that allows you to copy one or more settings from a layer in one slide, to one or
more layers in any other slide.
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This window has three columns:

1. From Layer – This is the source layer for the copy action. (Only one can be selected)
2. What to Copy – These are the settings that will be copied. (Multiple can be selected)
3. To Layer(s) – These are the destination layers for the copy action. (Multiple can be selected)
In the example shown above, a layer on Slide 6 is chosen as the source to copy From. The What to Copy setting is the
Outline and it will be pasted onto a layer on Slide 9, which is the layer it will be copied To. Although only one source
can be selected at a time, it is possible to copy multiple settings to several destination layers.
At the bottom of the From and To lists are options to expand or collapse all slides. Similarly, at the bottom of the To
list, there are options to select all layers or select none of them.
Select your settings, then click Copy & Close or Copy at the bottom. Copy copies settings to destination layers and
leaves the window open. Copy & Close does the same but closes the window. A third option, Close, will close the
window without applying copy settings.

Content List

The Content tab includes a list of all the images, videos, and captions in the selected slide. The content order is not
stacked in the same way as the Layers list. If you have a Slide Style applied, the Content list may show fewer layers
than the Layers list since things like layers added by the Slide Style, Solid Color / Gradient layers, and duplicate layers
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are not included in the Content list. Changes to Content objects can be made from the Content Settings tab in the
Options Panel.

In the Basic and Light Layouts, the Content list is shown at the top the Options Panel with settings shown directly
below. (Shown above)

In the Advanced and Compact Layouts, the Content list is on the left, next to the Layers List in the Navigation Panel,
with the Content Settings tab shown in the Options Panel on the right.

There are several icons available at the top of the Content List:
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1. Add Photo – This icon opens the Browser window, from which photo / video files can be added to the slide. If a Solid /
Gradient is added it will appear in the Layers list but not the Content list.
2. Add Caption – This icon adds a new caption layer.
3. Folder – This icon opens the Browser window so you can change the source file for the selected content.
4. Trash Can – This icon deletes the selected content.
5. Folder with Plus – This icon eliminates duplicate content by combining entries that use the same source file.
6. Folder with Trash Can – This icon eliminates content that is not used in the slide, which can happen after applying a
Slide Style.
7. Up / Down Arrows – These icons change the Content order, which changes the Layers where the Content is included
in the slide.

Content Settings
The Content Settings tab provides basic adjustments that you can apply to a Layer. Since the Content List only shows a
single image, even if it has duplicates in the Layers Tab, you may see tabs for each instance allowing you to give each
duplicate its own crop settings.

Crop
The image preview in this tab doubles as a Crop tool. Click and drag the yellow knobs at the edge of the crop region to
change the size of the crop area. Click and drag anywhere else in the preview to change the position of the crop area
within the image. Use the mouse wheel while hovering over the preview to change the size of the crop region while
maintaining its shape.

Changing the size / position of the Crop region, while keeping the same shape, will not change the size / position of
the associated Layers in the slide. However, changing the shape of the Crop region can change the shape of those
Layers.

Uncropped
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Cropped
(same shape with different size / position)

Cropped
(different shape)

Below the image preview area is an Aspect Ratio combo box that includes several cop presets, along with a Reset
button to the right.
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If your image exists in Layers with different Shapes / Scaling, you will see a tab for each variation just above the Crop
preview area. These tabs only apply to the Crop setting.

This allows you to position your crop separately for each duplicate.

Directly beneath the Aspect Ratio combo box are the Filename label,
Select Source icon, Information icon, and Description text box
options.
Below the Description text box are the Image Adjustment options.
Keep in mind that changes made here are applied to each instance of
the image in the slide.
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Clicking the Autocorrect button at the bottom will change Image Adjustment options to correct basic image flaws.

Colorize Settings are collapsible. If you do not see them, click the arrow next to Colorize. Checking this box will turn
your image to Black and White by default. Select the Mid Color box and choose a new color to give your image an
overall color change. You can also colorize the highlights / lowlights using the High Color / Low Color options. The
Strength and Mid-Point of your color choice are also adjustable.
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Directly beneath the Colorize options are Rotation and Flip options.

Caption Layers
When a caption Layer is selected in the Content List
you will see Bold / Italic, Font, Caption Size, and Color /
Texture options along with the edit text box.

Video Layers
When a video layer is selected in the Content List you
will see Duration, Trim, Speed, Loop, and Hold
options.

Adjustments and Animations Tabs

Static versus Animated Attributes
The Adjustments and Animations tabs look similar and perform similar functions, so it is important to understand
how they are different.
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Adjustments Tab Animations Tab

Options in the Adjustments Tab, such as Position / Zoom / Rotation, are applied to the layer but NOT animated over
time. Changing the Zoom option from 100 to 50 in the Adjustments Tab, for instance, will change the size of the image
(or layer) for the entire layer duration. Changing the Zoom option from 100 to 50 in the Animations Tab will change
the size of the image (or layer) at ONLY the selected keyframe. Given that the Zoom option is at a different value than
other keyframes, this will result in the image (or layer) changing size over time. You can learn more about Keyframes in
the Animations Tab chapter.
Some settings can be seen in both the Adjustments and Animations tabs (ex. Position, Zoom, Rotation, etc.). These
options are connected. When an option has been modified in the Animations tab that option is now ‘animated’ and
thus can no longer be changed from the Adjustments tab. The two are mutually exclusive. The animation for each
option can be removed from the Adjustments tab using the trash can icon located next to the option label.

The Adjustments Tab

The basic function of the Adjustments tab is to change any of the listed attributes for the selected layer. This is where
you will find the most common layer options like Position, Zoom, Rotation, Outline, and Drop Shadow along with
other less common options like Skew and Chroma Key.

The selected layer combo box is at the top of this tab, providing
another way to select layers, in addition to the Layers list and the
Preview area.
The options listed below either have a value that can be changed
using number boxes and slider bars (ex. Position, Zoom) or an on /
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off checkbox (ex. Outline, Drop Shadow). Options with checkboxes reveal additional settings when enabled.

The drop-down menu on the right will show slices if you have
the Slide Effect applied. You will see No Slices when a layer does
not have the Slice Effect applied to it. Individual slices can have
adjustments and animations applied to them. Learn more about
Slices here.

Adjusting the Values

There are several ways to adjust the value of options with slider bars.

Click the ‘handle’ in the middle of the slider bar and drag it left / right, good for quick adjustments.

Click the Minus / Plus buttons on either end of the slider bar, good for small incremental adjustments.
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Click between the ‘handle’ and the Minus / Plus buttons, good for large incremental adjustments.

Click in the associated number box to type in an exact value.

If you are changing an attribute that is also in the Animations Toolbar (such as Position), you can click and drag your
image inside the preview area and your attribute will change with better precision.

Position
The layer Position numbers refer to the placement of the layer center point. A value of 0 for both the Horizontal and
Vertical Positions will put the center of the layer at the center of the slideshow frame. A value of 50 (or -50) will place
the center of the layer at the edge of the screen.
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As shown above, negative Vertical Position numbers move a layer up in the slideshow frame while positive numbers
move the layer down in the frame. Horizontal numbers are negative to the left of center and positive to the right of
center.
If you are clicking-and-dragging in the preview area to change the layer position, hold the SHIFT key to constrain the
movement in either a horizontal or vertical direction. This will constrain the Position change horizontally or vertically,
depending on which direction the layer is dragged.

Zoom
Zoom (or ‘scale’) is the only attribute that can be changed inside the Preview area that does not have its own icon in
the Layer Adjustments Toolbar. Use the mouse wheel to change the layer Zoom value.

Lock Aspect Ratio determines whether the Vertical and Horizontal Zoom values will remain locked, meaning they will
have the same value (shown above).
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With this option unchecked, you will be able to change the Horizontal and Vertical Zoom values independently (shown
above), which will inherently stretch / compress the image in the layer.

Rotation
The slider bar for Rotation goes from -360 to 360, but you can enter lower / higher numbers (-7200 to 7200) in the
number box. This has no effect in the Adjustments tab, since the Rotation there is static, but it can be necessary when
setting up an animation where you want more than two full layer rotations.

Rotation Center
The Rotation Center is represented by a crosshair icon. If you do not see this icon, make sure the Center Point is active
in the top toolbar. If you are having trouble seeing it with your keyframe icons visible, you can turn off the keyframe
icons to see the Rotation Center icon easier.
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The Rotation Center position does not affect layer position. Instead, it sets the position around which the layer rotates
/ tilts. If you wanted an image to rotate at its lower left corner, for example, you would need to enter -50 for the
Rotation Center X (Horizontal) and 50 for the Rotation Center Y (Vertical) value boxes. The layer would then rotate
around its bottom-left corner.
Rotation Center coordinates are like layer Position coordinates, except the Rotation Center coordinates are mapped to
the layer area instead of the slideshow frame area. The top of the layer is -50 while the bottom is 50 and the left side
of the layer is -50 while the right side is 50. This remains true even for layers of different aspect ratios / orientations.
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This option also affects Tilt. If you wanted a layer to tilt on its left edge, like a page turning in a book, the Rotation
Center X needs to be -50, while the Rotation Center Y should be zero (but can be any value).

Tilt
This setting is separated into Horizontal and Vertical Tilt, much like Position / Zoom. It uses the Rotation Center option
as a reference point for both axes.
There are special settings for Tilt that are only necessary for imported ProShow slideshows / effects. The Disable
Perspective Correction, Horizontal Pan, and Vertical Pan options are used to ensure the integrity of Tilt effects from
imported ProShow slideshows and Slide Styles, where the Tilt option behaved differently.

Skew and Flip

Skew will slant layers horizontally / vertically. This option has handles that can be enabled / disabled in the Layer
Adjustments Toolbar.
Flip reverses a layer, horizontally or vertically, which is necessary to create mirror effects. Note that this option is
available in the Adjustments tab but not in the Animations tab.

Color Adjustments
This section of the Adjustments / Animations tabs is a bit of a ‘catch all’, including options from Brightness to Opacity
and Blur. Some of the most used adjustments are included under this heading.
Brightness affects the tonal values and image highlights. Moving the slider to right increases tonal values and expands
image highlights while moving it to the left decreases values and expands shadows.

Brightness at -50 Original Image Brightness at +50

Contrast changes expand or shrink the overall range of tonal values in an image.
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Contrast at -50 Original Image Contrast at +50

Gamma adjusts mid tones more heavily and leaves low and high tones unaffected. In most situations, gamma will give
better results when adjusting images that are too dark or bright.

Gamma at -50 Original Image Gamma at +50

White Point increases / decreases the white (or light) values in an image.
Black Point increases / decreases the black (or dark) values in an image.

Hue
refers to the colors in an image. Moving the Hue slider will shift all the colors in an image
counterclockwise around the ‘hue circle’.

The image on the right has the Hue value set at 35 (less than halfway around the color wheel). This has shifted the red
in the tomatoes to blue and the green in the pepper to red. The white of the Garlic remains unaffected.
Saturation is the intensity of the hues / colors in an image. Bringing the Saturation all the way up makes all the hues /
colors in an image much more intense. Bringing the Saturation all the way down results in a black and white image.
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Saturation at -80 Original Image Saturation at +80

Opacity represents the transparency of a layer. Reducing the Opacity increases transparency.

Opacity at +100 Opacity at +70

Blur reduced image clarity, which can be helpful in certain effects.

Blur at 0 Blur at +40

Sharpen effectively intensifies the contrasting lines in an image, creating a ‘sharper’ look.
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Colorize
This is an option that needs to be enabled to adjust its settings.

You can colorize the Dark, Mid, and Light colors of an image separately. Use the Mid Color to change the overall color
of an image. The default here is grey, which will turn your image black and white.
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Click the color swatch next to each Color option to change it to a different color.

Once you have a color selected, you can then adjust its Strength (how much of the original colors will come through)
and its MidPoint (which colors are Low, Mid, and High Ranges)

Compositing
This setting determines how a layer is composed on top of
another layer. Depending on the two images that you want
to composite together, you may not see a difference
between compositing modes. In our examples we have
used a solid orange layer above an image of a red
ornament to show how each compositing mode might affect
your images.

Default and Normal

The Default and Normal settings work together when an extra effect is applied to a layer, but there will be no
difference between the two when a layer has no effect applied.
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If a Layer has a Multiply compositing mode set (above left), then the Slice Effect is added, each individual slice can
then be set to either Default (also above left) which will continue to use the Multiply Compositing mode on that slice,
or Normal which will revert the chosen compositing mode for just that slice (above right).

Lighten (Maximum)
Lighten takes the color information in each channel and selects the base or blend
color—whichever is lighter—as the result color. Pixels darker than the blend color are
replaced, and pixels lighter than the blend color do not change.
In our example, all the red in the ornament, which is darker than the orange layer, is being
replaced by the orange layer, but the lighter areas, the swirls in the ornament are not
being changed.

Darken (Minimum)
Darken takes the color information in each channel and selects the base or blend
color—whichever is darker—as the result color. Pixels lighter than the blend color are
replaced, and pixels darker than the blend color do not change. In our example, all the red
in the ornament, which is darker than the orange layer, is unchanged, but the lighter areas,
the swirls in the ornament, are changed to our orange color.

Multiply
Multiply takes the color information in each channel and multiplies the base color by the
blend color. The resulting color is always a darker color. Multiplying any color with black
produces black. Multiplying any color with white leaves the color unchanged. The effect is
similar to drawing on the image with multiple marking pens.

Screen
Screen is, essentially, the opposite of Multiply. It takes the color information and multiplies
the inverse of the blend and base colors. The resulting color is always a lighter color.
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Screening with black leaves the color unchanged. Screening with white produces white. The effect is similar to
projecting multiple photographic slides on top of each other.

Linear Dodge (Add)

Linear Dodge brightens the base color to reflect the blend color by increasing the
brightness. Blending with black produces no change.

Subtract
Subtract removes the blend color from the base color.

Difference
Difference subtracts either the blend color from the base color or the base color from the
blend color, depending on which has the greater brightness value. Blending with white
inverts the base color values; blending with black produces no change.

Overlay Luminance
Overlay Luminance creates a resulting color with the hue and saturation of the base color
and the luminance of the blend color.
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Overlay Per Channel

Overlay Per Channel multiplies or screens the colors, depending on the base color.
Patterns or colors overlay the existing pixels while preserving the highlights and shadows
of the base color. The base color is not replaced but mixed with the blend color to reflect
the lightness or darkness of the original color.

Soft Light
Soft Light darkens or lightens the colors, depending on the blend color. The effect is like
shining a diffused spotlight on the image. If the blend color (light source) is lighter than
50% gray, the image is lightened as if it were dodged. If the blend color is darker than 50%
gray, the image is darkened as if it were burned in. Painting with pure black or white
produces a distinctly darker or lighter area but does not result in pure black or white.

Color Dodge
Color Dodge looks at the color information in each channel and brightens the base color
to reflect the blend color by decreasing contrast between the two. Blending with black
produces no change.

Divide
Divide looks at the color information in each channel and divides the blend color from the
base color.

Color Burn
Color Burn looks at the color information in each channel and darkens the base color to
reflect the blend color by increasing the contrast between the two. Blending with white
produces no change.
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Linear Burn
Linear Burn looks at the color information in each channel and darkens the base color to
reflect the blend color by decreasing the brightness. Blending with white produces no
change.

Extract Color Channel

This setting will bring forward one of a set of color channels or other attributes, such as an alpha channel, shadows,
mid-tones, and highlights.

Extract Green Extract Alpha

(Similar to a Transparency Inverted Mask)

Multiply
This will multiply a color of your choosing over your image. The result is like Colorize

Original Image Multiplied with a light blue

Outline

This setting adds a color or textured

outline to the outer edge of a layer, or to
the edges of a caption.
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Outlines cannot be applied to Group Layers, but they can be applied to layers inside the Group.

The default settings for Outline will create a solid

white line around a layer with rounded corners. Each
of these settings can be changed.

In this example, we changed the outline

color to green, the size to 20, the opacity
to 50 and unchecked Rounded Corners.
The opacity setting is what gives the
outline the double color look. The outline
is centered at the edge of your layer, so
when the opacity is brought down the
inside of the outline reveals the image,
and the outside reveals the layer beneath
(in our example, our image is above a solid
white layer).

You can also use a Gradient or Texture as the

outline around a layer. Clicking on the black
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box that says “None,” or the folder icon next to it, will bring up the Browser. You can then choose to add a Gradient
layer, as we did in this example.

You can also add a texture, which is simply

an image file.
When using a Gradient or image as an
Outline texture, the Mapping Mode drop
down determines if that Gradient / image
fills the screen, fills the layer, or stretches to
fit the layer / screen.

If you would like to remove the Gradient / image and go

back to a solid color, click the reset icon on the right.

Outlines on Caption Layers work the exact same way as image

layers, but the outline will be around each individual letter,
instead of the outer boundary box.

Shadow
Shadows can be applied to any image or caption layer but cannot be applied to Groups. You can apply shadows to
layers inside of Groups.
Shadows, in real life, are the result of an object blocking a light source. The position of the light source determines the
direction and strength of the shadow. In Photopia there is no light source, but if you can imagine one, using and
animating shadows becomes easier.
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The default shadow settings imply there is a

light source above and to the left of the layer,
creating a shadow that appears down and to
the right. The X Offset adjusts the horizontal
position of the shadow while the Y Offset
adjusts its vertical position.

Using a
negative number for the X Offset results in a
shadow that appears on the left side of the layer,
giving the illusion that the light source is above
and to the right.

The e
Blur
and
Opacity settings give the illusion that an image
is farther away from the object that the shadow
is being cast on. In this example, we increased
both the X and Y Offset values, giving the
shadow distance, but we also made the shadow
more transparent and more blurred to give the
illusion of distance. The closer a shadow is to
the object it is cast on, the sharper and darker it
should be. The farther away, the blurrier and
lighter it should be.
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Shadows can also be used as a highlight / glow

effect by modifying their Color attribute.
In this example, we used a 0 value for both the X
and Y Offsets and increased the Blur and Opacity
values. When using a white color instead of black
with these settings, it gives the image a glow.
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Vignette
Vignettes create a distinctive border around your layer. They can only be applied to image layers (Photos, Videos,
Solids, and Gradients). They cannot be applied to Groups or Caption Layers.

Enabling the Vignette feature creates a faded ellipse border around the layer. You can create several distinct types of
Vignettes by clicking on Edit and going into the Vignette Settings window.

Shape
The Shape dropdown menu gives you a choice of an Ellipse or Rounded Rectangle.

Type
There are three Type choices; Transparent (this gives your image the faded edge look), Solid Color, and Gradient.
While both the Solid Color and Gradient give an image a border, Gradient gives more depth.

Choosing a solid color without the Solid Borders option checked

will result in a gradual fade, from the outside in, around the
edge of the layer.
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Choosing a Gradient can give the border some depth. In

this example, the Solid Borders option is enabled so you
can see the fade of the gradient from dark blue to light
blue.

Choosing a Metallic Gradient gives the border a 3D

effect.
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Size
Use the Size option to set how much of the effect you want to see applied to the layer.

In this example, the Transparent

Vignette size is set to only 5,
resulting in a very small, feathered
edge.

The corner size is also set to 65, just

to see the effect easier.

In this example, the Transparent

Vignette size is set to 65, resulting
in a much larger feathered edge.

The corner size is still set at 65,

but with a much larger Vignette
size, the corners are less defined.

Corner Size
Corner Size determines the curve between adjacent edges, resulting in a rectangle at its lowest setting and an oval at
its highest setting.
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The above image shows a Corner Size of 15.

The above image shows a Corner Size of 65.

Border Size
Border Size behaves like Crop. It determines where the outer edge of the vignette is applied.
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Solid Borders
Solid Borders does not work with a Transparent vignette. When using a Solid Color / Gradient vignette the effect fades
out as it moves towards the center of the layer (left image). Enabling the Solid Borders option changes the effect to be
more like an outline with a width based on the vignette Size option (right image, Solid Borders is checked, with Size set
to 30)

Fill Corners
Fill Corners cannot be used with a Transparent vignette. Checking this option gives the vignette sharp corners instead
of rounded corners at the outer edge.
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Presets
The left side of the Vignette Settings window includes many predesigned vignettes. You can select one of these
options by clicking on it then either use it as-is or make further modifications from the normal Vignette Settings
options.

You can also add your own custom vignettes to this list. After creating a vignette, click the Add button beneath the list
of presets to and your current vignette settings to the bottom of the list as a new entry.

Chroma Key
The Chroma Key option allows you to select a color from your image to become transparent. It cannot be used with
Groups or Caption Layers.
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Click the Edit button next to the Chroma Key option to bring up
the Chroma Key Settings window. The first step is to choose
which color you would like to ‘key out’. Click the black color
swatch next to the Key Color label to bring up the color picker.

The best way to ensure that you are matching the color
from your image exactly is to use the eyedropper tool.
Select the eyedropper in the upper left corner of the color
picker, then click on your image to choose the color to be
keyed out.

Next, use the sliders at the bottom to adjust the key threshold,
or amount. Start with the Hue Threshold, then adjust the Light
and Dark thresholds until your color is keyed out appropriately.
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With the chosen color keyed out, you should now see through the areas of the image that contain that color.

Crop
There are two places for you to crop an image and each has slightly different settings. Using the Crop window from
the Content List will crop all instances of an image in the slide. Using the Crop settings in the Adjustments Tab will
crop only the selected layer, even if there are multiple instances of it in the Layers list. There are also a few extra
settings in this window.

Clicking on edit next to Crop will open the Crop Settings window with the
image from that layer loaded. The image will have an overlay that includes
yellow nodes on the corners / sides that can be clicked and dragged to
change the crop area, along with guides dividing the crop area into thirds.
Beneath the image is a
dropdown menu of preset
aspect ratios (shown right).

The crop area can be

zoomed in / out using the
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mouse wheel and the position can be changed by clicking / dragging anywhere in the crop preview area (shown left).
The crop area can effectively be rotated using either the Rotation slider or by typing a number into the Rotation
number box. This will rotate the image within the crop window, rather than the crop area (shown below).

The numbers at the bottom define the crop area relative to the
image. The left edge is 0 while the right edge is 100. The top
edge is 0 and the bottom edge is 100.

Changing the Top number from 0 to 50 brings the top edge of

the crop down to half the height of the image. Changing the
Right number to 50 brings the right edge of the crop to half the
width (shown left). The result is a crop that is perfectly in the
lower left quarter of the image.

Animations Tab
The attributes in the Animations tab generally work the same
way they do in the Adjustments tab, but here they are
associated with Keyframes to create animation over time.

Understanding Keyframes
Keyframes are what makes animation / motion happen.
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Video files use the term “frame rate”, where 30fps, for example, means “30 frames per second”. A frame is a single
image. In a 30fps video there are 30 images, or frames, shown every second. When an image is on the left side of the
screen on the first frame, then on the right side of the screen on the 30th frame, there will be 28 still frames at
different positions between the 1st and 30th frames, but the start and ending positions are its key frames.
There are three keyframe timelines in the Advanced User Interface; one at the top of the Animations tab, one at the
bottom of the Preview window (when in the Animations tab only), and one as an alternative to the Slide List at the
bottom. The first two are identical, but the Keyframes tab is slightly different. Learn more about the Keyframes View
here.

The Keyframe Timeline

Time Ruler
The time ruler shows the entire time your slide is visible. This includes both the Transition In and Transition Out times.
Transitions overlap two slides, which means transitions will be shown in two slide time rulers. A transition is shown
as the Transition Out for one slide and the Transition In for the next slide.
The keyframe timeline above shows a 12 second slide. It has a 3 second Transition In, 6 second Slide Segment, and 3
second Transition Out.
You may also see green or blue numbers in the keyframe timeline. Blue numbers are used for the selected keyframe.
Green numbers indicate the current preview position, as seen when playing / scrubbing a slide.

Keyframe Markers
Above the Time Ruler in the Keyframe Timeline there will be at least two Keyframe Markers (or Keyframes); a starting
keyframe with the number 1 and ending keyframe with the number 2. New keyframes can be added by double-left
clicking in the Keyframe Timeline just above the Time Ruler, or by right clicking in that area and choosing Add
Keyframe. Each option in the Animations tab can be set at each keyframe to create animation for that option. If the
Zoom option is set to 80 at the first keyframe and 100 at the last keyframe, for instance, the layer will grow from 80 to
100 percent Zoom over the course of the slide.

First and Last Keyframe Effects (Fly in and Fly out)

The first and last keyframes are the only keyframes where Fly In and Fly Out effects can be set. These are like slide
transitions but are applied to individual layers, rather than a whole slide. An icon representing the Fly In effect is
shown under the first keyframe while the Fly Out effect is shown under the last keyframe. There is also an interactive
length indicator for each effect. Click and drag the line at the end of the effect to make it longer / shorter. Click the
effect icon to change the effect from the Keyframe Timeline.
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In the example above there is an effect length indicator on the Crossfade effect at the last keyframe but no length
indicator for the Cut effect at the first keyframe since the Cut effect has no duration. Use the Cut effect when you
want to remove a Fly In / Fly Out effect.

Under the Right Click

There are two Right Click Menus for the Keyframe Timeline; one If you right click on a keyframe and another if you
right click an empty space above the Time Ruler.

Right-Click on Keyframe:
● Add Keyframe – Add a single keyframe halfway between the clicked keyframe and the next keyframe.
● Set Time for Keyframe – Set a specific time for the current keyframe.
● Add or Remove Time – This will add or remove a specific amount of time after the clicked keyframe, leaving all
keyframes before it unaffected. If the selected keyframe is in the slide time, the slide time will change. If the selected
keyframe is in the Transition In / Out time, that Transition time will change.
● Cut – Copy the clicked keyframe to the clipboard then remove the clicked keyframe.
● Copy – Copy the clicked keyframe to the clipboard (without removing the clicked keyframe).
● Paste – Replace the settings of the clicked keyframe with those of the keyframe in the clipboard.
● Delete – Remove the clicked keyframe.
● Copy to Next Keyframe – Copy the settings of the clicked keyframe to the next keyframe.
● Copy to Previous Keyframe – Copy the settings of the clicked keyframe to the previous keyframe.
● Reset Keyframe – Reset all options on the clicked keyframe to their default values.
● Delete All Keyframes – Reset the first / last keyframes to their default values and remove other keyframes.
● Time Format
o Minutes and Seconds – Show times in minutes and seconds.
o Seconds – Show times in seconds only.
o Show Keyframes as Slide Time – Show times relative to the start / end of the slide.
o Show Keyframes as Show Time – Show times relative to the start / end of the slideshow.

Right-Click in Empty Space:

● Add Keyframe – Add a single keyframe at the clicked position.
● Add Multiple Keyframes – Add multiple keyframes between the currently selected keyframe and the next keyframe. A
pop-up window appears to specify the number of keyframes to be added.
● Paste Keyframe – Paste the keyframe from the clipboard at the clicked position.
● Delete All Keyframes - Reset the first / last keyframes to their default values and remove other keyframes.
● Reset All Keyframes – Reset all options in all keyframes to their default values, effectively removing all animation from
the layer without removing the number / positions of the current keyframes.
● Time Format
o Minutes and Seconds – Show times in minutes and seconds.
o Seconds – Show times in seconds only.
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o Show Keyframes as Slide Time – Show times relative to the start / end of the slide.
o Show Keyframes as Show Time – Show times relative to the start / end of the slideshow.

Creating Animation
Basic Animation
The most basic animations use only two keyframes but can incorporate more than one attribute. A layer can Zoom
forward and rotate, for example, using only two keyframes.

1. In the Layers List, click on the layer you want to animate to select it.
2. Click on the Animations tab in the Options Panel.
3. Select the first Keyframe.
4. Hover over the Preview area and use the mouse wheel to change the layer Zoom value.
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5. Click and drag one of the curved Rotation handles on the corners of the layer in the Preview area to rotate the layer.
Note that you must have the Rotate Tool enabled (5) in the toolbar below the Preview area.

6. Select the second Keyframe.

7. Hover over the Preview area and use the mouse wheel to change the layer Zoom value.
8. Click and drag one of the curved Rotation handles to rotate the layer in the opposite direction than you did in step 5. If
you cannot see the corners of the layer, use the Zoom Slider at the top of the Preview area to reveal more of the
canvas.
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When you play this slide back, you may find that the Zoom / Rotation is faster / slower than you want. This can be
adjusted in one of two ways:
● Change the Slide time.
o The speed of any animation is directly affected by the duration of the Slide. A longer layer duration will slow the
animation down because the same animation will happen over a longer amount of time. A shorter layer duration
will make the animation faster.
● Change the Zoom / Rotation values.
o Changing the values of the animated layer options while keeping the same slide / keyframe times will inherently
change the speed of the animation. If the Zoom option goes from 50 at the first keyframe to 100 at the second
keyframe, for instance, then reducing the Zoom value at the second keyframe to 75 will reduce the speed of that
Zoom animation by half.

Intermediate Animation
Complex animations include multiple layers and use more than two Keyframes. The time between Keyframes
inherently changes when slide / transition times change, so it is best to get the slide / transition times as close to final
as possible before diving into a multi-keyframe animation.
In this example, we are going to Zoom an image back then have it sit still as a Caption layer appears next to it. We will
then add a background image that will only be seen on this slide. We will use a 6 second slide time with 2 second
transitions, in and out.

1. Select the 1st Keyframe and Zoom your image forward. Adjust the Position and Rotation, if desired.
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2. Select the 2nd keyframe, Zoom the layer back and move your image over to the right side of the Preview window. To
ensure the image is centered vertically, click the reset icon next to the Vertical Position, or enter 0 into that number
box.

3. Move the 2nd Keyframe to approximately the middle of the timeline.

4. Double click above the timeline after the second keyframe, creating a new 3rd (and now last) keyframe. Drag the 3rd
Keyframe to the end of the timeline.
a. This new keyframe will automatically have the same attributes as the 2nd keyframe. When 2 adjacent keyframes
have identical attributes, no change will occur between the keyframes. This is how you can make a layer remain
still after it has been animated.
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5. When playing this back, you may notice that your image “slams” into place. You can make this motion softer by
changing the Easing Mode for the option that changed (ex. Zoom / Position).

To change the easing mode for an attribute, click on the triangle

next to the name of the attribute. If the attribute that
changed between keyframes was Position, click on Select
next to Easing Mode.
Easing Modes only need to be set on the first Keyframe that
starts the value change, not the keyframe where it ends.

Choose Smooth to ease in and out of the value

change.
Learn more about Easing Mode here.

6. Create a new Caption Layer, using any Font and size you’d like.
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7. Adjust the position of the timeline marker above the slides to view your image on the right side of the screen. Click
the Adjustments tab and place your Caption layer on the left side of the image.

DO NOT make this change in the Animations tab, as it will animate the Caption layer.

8. In the Animations tab, move the 1st Keyframe of this Caption Layer to approximately the same time the image layer
stopped moving. This does not have to be exact.
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9. To add a Fly-In effect to the Caption Layer, click the “Cut” icon below the 1st keyframe of the Caption layer. Choose
“Elastic Left” from the Fly-In options, then click Apply.

10. To adjust the timing of the Elastic Left effect, click and drag the end of the effect line. This can be done in either
timeline. To adjust when the Caption layer appears, move its first Keyframe left or right on the Keyframe Timeline.
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11. If you would like to add a background to just this slide and not the whole show, add a new layer above the Background
layer. This is done by dragging and dropping an image from the Browser (make sure you see a solid blue line directly
above the Background Layer when dropping it into the Layers list) OR by selecting the Background layer and choosing
Add > Photo or Video (or Gradient, or Solid Layer) from the top of the Layers list.

12. Once your background is added, you may want to add a (drop) Shadow to your image and caption layers, to make
them stand out more on the background. This is done in the Adjustments tab. Adjust the Shadow settings, as needed.

Advanced Animation
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In this animation we are going to create an image with a reflection using a gradient layer as a mask. We will move and
tilt the image, along with its reflection, using Groups and Keyframes then add a Caption Layer that comes out from
behind the image.

● Add an image to a slide, any orientation. Set the scaling in the Layer tab to Fit to Frame.
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● MSet the slide time to 6 seconds with 1 second Blend transitions in and out. If this is your first slide, you will not have
a transition in. You will need to add a blank slide before this slide to create a transition in. Right click on the slide with
your image and choose Insert > Blank Slide, then click and drag that new blank slide so that it comes before the slide
with your image in it.

● Right click on the image in the Layers List and choose Duplicate Layer.
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● The two duplicate layers will appear with link icons on the left side. This indicates that they share the same
source image and are, therefore, linked in their content.Right click on the top image layer and choose
Rename Layer. Name this Layer Main Image. Right click on the bottom image layer, choose Rename Layer,
and name this layer Reflection.

● Select the duplicate layer in the Layers list (Layer 2, Refection),

and go into the Adjustments tab. Open the Flip attribute and
select Flip Vertical.. You will not see this change initially
because the Main Image layer is on top, hiding the Reflection
layer.
●
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● Stay in the Adjustments tab and change the Vertical Position to 100 (this will drop your image to the bottom of the
screen. You can Zoom the Preview canvas out to see the area outside of the viewable area.

● Open the Color Adjustments section and change Opacity to 70 and Blur to 20.

● Enable Outline for both image layers. Change the size to 6, and uncheck rounded corners.
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● Change the Vertical Position of the Reflection Layer to 101. (Adding the Outline increased the perimeter of our
images.)

● Select the Reflection layer, click the Mask icon from the icon list above. Select the Gradient option in the Browser.
The default Gradient Type is linear, with black and white color keyframes. Keep these settings, but change the Angle to
90. Finally, click the reverse button beneath the color keyframes to place white on top. Learn more about Masking
Layers here.
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● Move the white keyframe to the right. This creates a line in the lower third of the gradient. Use 70 for the Position;
this doesn’t have to be exact. Move the black keyframe to the left to minimize the gray blended area, around 90 for
the Position. Click the Ok button.

● Move this masking layer down so that the top of the white line is at the bottom edge of the Main Image layer. This
should be around 27-28 for the vertical position of the Masking Layer.
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● Select the top image layer and the Mask Layer (hold down the Ctrl key to select both), then select the Group icon
(shown above left). All selected layers, including the image inside the Masking layer will automatically be added to the
group (shown above right).

● Select the Group in the Layers list and make sure either the Layer or the Adjustments tab is selected in the Options
Panel. Use your mouse wheel in the Preview window to reduce the size of the Group layer to around 60. Click and
drag the Group up, just a little (you can hold down the SHIFT key to constrain the movement to Vertical only).
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● The background can remain black or you can add a new color Gradient layer beneath the Group layer. Use a Linear
gradient with any colors you choose but be sure to move the keyframes so the line between the colors also aligns with
the bottom of your image. This creates a better “floor” illusion.

● This new Gradient layer can be above or below the word background, but it must be below the Group for it to be
behind the Group.
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● If your canvas is zoomed out, click the Reset Canvas icon (on the far right side of the icon list above the preview) to
make the Canvas fill the preview area. In the Animations tab, select the 1st Keyframe of the Group layer, move the
Group to the left (hold down the SHIFT key as you click and drag to constrain the vertical position).

● Enable the Tilt tool in the Layer Adjustments Toolbar and tilt the Group horizontally so it is facing the right side of the
screen. Aim for a value between -20 and -30 for the Horizontal Tilt.
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● Select the 2nd Keyframe, move the Group to the other side of the screen (holding the SHIFT key) and Tilt it in the
opposite direction. Play your slide back to see your animation. Make any adjustments, as needed.

● Move the second keyframe earlier on the timeline and double click after it to add a 3rd keyframe. Drag this new 3rd
Keyframe to the end of the timeline. This can be done on either Keyframe Timeline. The intention is to keep the
image still at the end of the slide.
● If you find the motion to be a bit harsh, change the Easing Mode to Smooth for both the Position and Tilt. For all
other attributes, including Tilt, click on the triangle next to the slider bar to open the Easing Window.
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● Finally, we’re going to add a Caption Layer that moves out from behind our image. Create a new Caption Layer and
type in anything you’d like. If this Caption Layer is at the top of your Layers list, click and drag it down so it is beneath
the image Group. If the Caption is above the Group in the Layers list, it will be in front of the Group in the preview
(shown above). If the Caption is below the Group in the Layers list, it will be in behind the Group in the preview
(shown below)
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● With your Caption Layer selected in the Layers List, click on the Effects tab in the Options Panel. Under the Fly In
Effect, click on Select. Start to type in Fade Fold in the search bar then click the Apply button.

● In the Effects Tab, on the right side of the screen, change the Duration to around 3 seconds (this can be adjusted
later), the Overlap to 20, and the Order dropdown menu to Left-Top to Right Bottom Horizontal.
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● Select the Caption Layer in the Layers List (the main Caption Layer, not the Fade Fold Effect) then click the Animations
tab. We are going to work through the Keyframes from the end to the beginning, because our Caption Layer is hidden
at the beginning. Select the 2nd keyframe and move the Caption Layer to the left side of the screen.

● Move the 2nd keyframe back on the timeline and double click after it to create a new 3rd keyframe. Move the 3rd
keyframe to the end of the timeline.
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● Move the 1st Keyframe forward on the timeline so the Fly-in Effect doesn’t start immediately. Move the Caption
Layer to the right, just behind the left edge of the photo. This will cause the caption layer to move to the left and
perform the Fly In at the same time.
● Play your slide back and adjust the position of the keyframes and the timing of the Fly In until your animation looks
just right.

Easing Mode and Motion Path

Easing Mode determines how a layer’s attribute changes between two keyframes, whereas Motion Path determines
the curve, or actual path, between two keyframes. Easing Mode is applied to all attributes that are animated (ex.
Position, Zoom, Rotation, and even Shadow) whereas Motion Path is only applied to Position.
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Easing Mode
Easing Mode determines the pace at which a layer attribute changes between two keyframes. This is set on the
keyframe where that animation begins.

Easing Mode for Position is shown with a graph thumbnail and a Select button, both of which will open the Easing
window. The Easing window for all other attributes can be opened by clicking the triangle next to the attribute name.

The Easing Window

The four most commonly used choices are visible by default in both the large and small versions of the Easing window.
Click the More Options and Fewer Options buttons to change how many easing options are shown..
Linear – The attribute change is constant, neither speeding up or slowing down.
Accelerate – The attribute change starts slow then increases in speed until the next keyframe is reached.
Decelerate – The attribute change starts quickly then decreases in speed until the next keyframe is reached.
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Smooth – The attribute change starts slow, increases in speed to the midpoint, then decreases in speed until the next
keyframe is reached.
Linear and Smooth are two commonly used Easing values. If a Layer moves from left to right across the screen using
two keyframes, the Easing Mode for Position is set on the 1st Keyframe. When the Position attribute has Linear
Easing at the 1st Keyframe, the layer will move across the screen at a constant speed. If the Easing Mode is set to
Smooth, the speed of the layer will be slow coming out of the first keyframe, speed up in the middle, then slow down
going into the second keyframe.
This concept is true for all attributes, not just Position. If a Smooth Easing Mode is applied to a change in Blur value,
that value will change slowly out of the 1st keyframe, become a faster change in the middle, and the change will slow
down going into the 2nd keyframe.

Clicking on More Options will reveal all 40+ Easing Options.

The graphs demonstrate the speed of the attribute change. The bottom-left corner represents the attribute value at
the starting Keyframe while the top-right corner represents the attribute value at the next Keyframe where that
attribute has a manually applied value. The horizontal space between the left and right edges represents the time
between those Keyframes. The line shows how the attribute value changes over time.
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The Graph Window

Clicking the Graph button in the Easing window brings up a window with a multi-keyframed view of the easing graph
for the relevant attribute(s). This graph can be used to see how different Easing settings will work together across
multiple keyframes. Easing settings can also be changed from this window.

Some Easing options can create some fun visual effects! In our example, we have a PNG image of a Baseball.

The first keyframe positions the baseball off screen at the top. The second keyframe positions the baseball near the
bottom of the preview window. The third keyframe is identical to the second, keeping the layer still.
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When the Bounce Out Easing option is applied to Position at the 1st Keyframe the baseball will appear to “bounce” as
it ends the Position change, giving the illusion that it is bouncing when dropped.

Motion Path - Bézier Handles

Motion Path determines the Position curve between two keyframes. The drop down menu includes a Linear and
Bézier option.
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The Linear option simply means that the position path will go directly from one keyframe to the next in a straight line.
The Bézier option applies Bézier Handles that can be manipulated to create curves in the Motion Path.

When an outer keyframe has a Bézier Motion Path applied to it, two Bézier Handles will appear on the keyframes
that define the path. The Motion Path connects two adjacent keyframes. In the example above, the 2nd Keyframe has
a Bézier Handle on the left, but not the right. That indicates that the 1st Keyframe has Bezier Motion Path (defining
the path going out of the 1st Keyframe AND into the 2nd Keyframe), but the 2nd Keyframe has a Linear Motion Path
(defining the path going out of the 2nd Keyframe AND into the 3rd Keyframe).
The Motion Path option is missing from any final keyframe, as it doesn’t have a Motion Path after it.
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When a keyframe has a Bézier Motion Path applied to it AND the Previous Keyframe (in the example above, both KF1
and the KF2 have a Bézier Motion Path applied), there will be Bézier handles in both directions. These double handles
can be manipulated in three different ways:
Clicking and Dragging either handle will adjust the curve in both directions (shown above). This will affect the Motion
Path Curve simultaneously in both directions.
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Holding the CTRL / CMD key while clicking on a handle will isolate the position of that handle from the other handle.
This will affect the Motion Path curve in the direction of the selected handle.

Holding the Shift key while clicking on a handle will isolate the length of the handle from the other handle. This will
affect the strength of the Motion Path Curve in the direction of the selected handle.

Layer Effects

Predesigned effects can be applied to individual layers. These effects

include animations for how a layer is first displayed on screen (Fly In),
how it ends (Fly Out), how it behaves in between (Behavior), general
modifications (Filter), and how it behaves relative to changes in other
layers (Follow Filter).
These effects can be accessed by selecting a layer in the Layers List then
clicking on the wand icon OR the Effects tab in the Options Panel. Fly In
and Fly Out effects can also be accessed by clicking on the
corresponding effect icon under the first / last keyframe in the Keyframe
Timeline.
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Fly-In and Fly-Out Effects

Fly-In and Fly-Out effects provide the same basic set of animation choices. Fly-In effects are applied to the first
keyframe of a layer and Fly-Out effects are applied to the last keyframe of a layer. Once applied, you can adjust the
speed of the Fly-In / Fly-Out using either the slider bar in the Effects tab OR by clicking and dragging the bar at the
interior edge of the effect icon in the Keyframe Timeline.
.

Behavior Effect
This type of effect adds an animation to a layer independent of any keyframes. You can choose start and end times for
a behavior in the Effects tab.

An example of a Behavior Effect is the Full Pan Up effect, applied to a Caption Layer (shown above), which creates a
‘scrolling credits’ effect (Caption Layers have a separate set of Effects, but are applied the same way). If you did not
want the credits to start right away, you could change the Start Time.

Filter Effects
These are image filters, like what you might
find in Photoshop or Instagram. You can
adjust the strength of the filter in either the
Filter Effects window OR after from the
Effects tab.

Follow Filter
This effect lets you assign a layer to follow one or more attributes of another layer.
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To assign a Follow Filter you must first set a Target

Layer. This is the layer that your layer will be
following.
Next, select one or more attributes for your layer to
follow. If you want two layers to move in unison, for
example, select the Follow Position attribute.
Once you have chosen an attribute, you may want to
change the Offset, or the difference, between the two
layers. If you are following a position, for example,
and you do not set a Position Offset, your layers will
be in the exact same position, and one of them will be
covering the other.
Once you set a position offset, your layers will be
separate on screen, but they will move in unison.
After setting your Follow Filter, you will only need to
animate your Target Layer for the attribute chosen.
You will still be able to animate other attributes that
are not using the Follow Filter separately.

Timeline View
The Timeline View gives you a more visual representation of your slides, transitions, soundtrack, and slide sounds.
More importantly, the Timeline view shows you how they all work together.
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The basic components of a slideshow are displayed in separate horizontal sections within the Timeline view.
● Slides and Transitions
● Slide Sounds
● Video (only shown when at least one video layer exists in the slideshow)
● Soundtrack

Working in Timeline View

The most important advantage of the Timeline view is being able to see how the Soundtrack audio relates to the slides
/ transitions. It can also be easier to adjust slide / transition times to align with audio changes.

Use the mouse wheel to zoom in / out when working in the Timeline view to see things better. Scale is very important
in this view.
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The height of the Timeline view can be adjusted by grabbing the top edge of that panel and dragging it up / down.
Hover the mouse over the divide between the Browser/Preview panel and the Timeline panel until you see a
double-sided arrow. Click and drag that line up / down to increase / decrease the panel size. Select the View > Reset
Window Layout option to reset all the panels.

Timecode – At the top of the Timeline view is a timecode for your show. You will see two different time stamps
floating above the timecode, one blue and one green. The Green time stamp shows the time code for what is being
shown in the Preview area. You will see this time stamp when playing the slideshow. The Blue timestamp shows
where the mouse is hovering.

Adjusting Slide and Transition Times

Slides and Transitions have the same thumbnail in the Slides view as they do in the Timeline view. You will only see the
Slide Number in the Slides view while the Timeline view is necessary to see slides / transitions based on their relative
durations.
You can hover over a slide or transition to see its exact time. You can change a transition here the same way you can in
the Slides view; click on the transition icon to open the Transitions window.

Hover the mouse over the right side of a slide / transition until you see a double arrow. Click and drag that line to
change the duration of that slide / transition. (before edit shown above, after edit shown below)
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All the slides / transitions that come after the adjusted slide / transition will be shifted forward / backward in time,
depending on how the adjusted slide / transition duration was modified. Earlier slides / transitions will retain the
same relative position in the show. This is important when considering how a slide / transition duration change will
affect slide / soundtrack alignment.

You can also perform a rolling edit, where the slide / transition times are adjusted relative ONLY to each other, leaving
other areas of the show unchanged. Hold the CTRL (or CMD) key as you click and drag on the line between the slide
and transition you want to edit. Notice in the above images that the start of the slide and the end of the transition did
not change. This can be helpful when you only want a shorter transition. (before edit shown above, after edit shown
below)

When performing a sliding edit, the two slides or two transitions on either side of your mouse will adjust, but the
slide or transition in the middle will not. Hold down the SHIFT key then click and drag for a sliding edit. The slide or
transition that will not change its time will always be directly to the left of where you click the mouse. (before edit
shown above, after edit shown below)
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Moving the timeline

If you are zoomed into your timeline, you may need to move the entire timeline to see more slides.

You can do this either by clicking the mouse on the Timeline and dragging to the left / right OR by using the scrollbar
at the bottom.

Audio Tools
The bottom three tracks are all for audio files (you will only see a video track if you have a video file in your
timeline). You will be able to edit your sound files using the Audio Tools on the right side of the
Timeline view. Each tool can be enabled (blue) or disabled (gray) to avoid using a tool accidentally.

Volume
Adjust the volume of any
audio track by clicking
the green line and dragging it up /
down.
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Fade
Adjust the fade in / out by
clicking the vertical green
line and dragging it left / right.

Move
Adjust the track
position by holding CTRL
(or CMD) while you click and drag
the track left / right.

Trim
Trimming here works
like it does in the Audio
Trimmer. Since the Trim feature
works in the same manner as the
Fade Tool, it is recommended that
one is disabled while the other
is enabled.

Volume Control
Points
Volume Control Points are a tool that allows you to create individual volume reference points for an audio
track. This can be useful if you want to create a fade in the middle of your sound file, which cannot be done with the
normal Fade In / Out tools. You may notice that some Volume Control Points already exist if you have a Slide Sound or
Video layer with sound and the Soundtrack During Other Sounds option is set to a lower volume (under 100%).
Volume Control Points can be added by double-left clicking on the audio waveform in the Timeline and removed by
right-clicking on an existing Volume Control Point.
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There are black Volume Control Points, created from the Soundtrack During Other Sounds feature, that cannot be
moved in the Timeline. There are also blue Volume Control Points, created from the Custom Soundtrack During This
Sound / Video, options for slide sounds / video layers. These blue nodes, which always exist as a pair, can be moved,
and always move as a pair.
The main Volume Control Points are yellow. These are the control points that can be added / removed from the
Timeline. Click and drag these yellow control points up / down or left / right to change the Soundtrack volume at that
point. Note that at least four of these control points are needed to fade the Soundtrack down then back up to normal
volume. It’s also helpful to think of these Volume Control Points as being applied to the Soundtrack, as they are not
tied to specific audio tracks in the Soundtrack.

Keyframes View
The Keyframes view is a combination of the Layers List and the Animations Tab. This allows you to see multiple layers
and their keyframes all at the same time.
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If you have more than 4 or 5 layers (including those inside other layers, such as Groups or Masks), you will want to
extend this panel. Hover the mouse at the top of the Keyframes panel until you see a double arrow, then click and
drag up.

Keyframes View Layout

The Layers list on the left side works in the same way as
the Layers list in the Navigation Panel. Some of your layers
may initially be hidden if they are inside a Group or under
a Mask. Click the arrow on the left side of those layers to
reveal the layers within, or any effects that are applied.
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Adjusting Keyframes on Multiple Layers

In this example we have three images that all have a Push Right Fly-In applied to them. We want to stagger them on
screen so the far-right image appears first, then the center image, then the left image. This is done easily in the
Keyframes View as we can see the first keyframe for all three layers at the same time. Keyframes and Fly-In / Fly-Out
effects can be moved / adjusted in this Keyframe Timeline just like in any other Keyframe Timeline.

Selecting Multiple Keyframes

Click in an empty space within the Keyframe Timeline area then drag the selection box around the keyframes you
want to select. If there is a keyframe that you would like to include that is not adjacent, hold the CTL key as you click
on that additional keyframe. Once the selection is complete, click on any of the selected keyframes then drag the
selected set of keyframes left / right. They will move as a single unit.
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Aligning Multiple Keyframes to a Specific Time

Multiple keyframes can also be aligned to a single position. Select the keyframes you want to align, one keyframe per
layer, then right-click at the point where you want those keyframes aligned and choose the Align Here option (results
shown below).
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Shapes
The Shape feature allows you to cut layers into a variety of shapes, like a stencil / mask.

Applying a Shape
The settings for applying a Shape to a layer are in the Layers tab. The Default option is the original shape of the layer.
There are two ways that you can select a shape. Clicking on Select next to the Shape option displays a fly out menu
with descriptions of shapes from which you can choose.
If you prefer to see a visual example of the
shapes, click on Select, then Browse.
The Shapes window will default to showing all
shapes, but there is a Category drop down menu
for you to view only the shapes in a chosen
category.
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Once you have selected a shape, you will see that information in two places. The layer information in both the Layers
list and the Layer drop down menu will display the name of the shape that has been applied and the shape icon in the
Layer tab will now display the applied shape.

Unlike a masking layer, you cannot animate a layer independently from the shape. For example, you cannot zoom an
image behind the shape of a heart and have the heart stay still while the image zooms inside it. You can create that
effect by applying the heart shape to a solid layer then use the solid layer as a mask over your image. Learn more
about Masking Layers here.

Adjusting Shape Position

You may want to adjust where your image is within the applied Shape. This is done with the Crop Tool in the contents
tab, not the Edit button next to the Shape selection.
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Select your Layer, then go into the Content tab. You will see the applied shape over the image. Use the mouse wheel
to resize the shape then click and drag to position it on the image. You can always click the Reset Crop button to have
the shape fill the image.

Editing the Shape

The Edit button next to the Shape Selection is to edit the shape itself, it
does not determine where the shape is positioned on your image.

In this example, we have

applied an oval shape to this
image of a skyline. The oval
shape is vertical, but we want it
to be horizontal.
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If you use the rotate setting in the Adjustments tab, your entire image will rotate, not the shape itself. This is not the
result we want.

Use the Edit button for the Shape option to rotate the shape. If it does not fill your image, increase the zoom settings
here. This is not used for placement on your image, just for editing the shape.
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Once you have edited the shape, you can adjust the scale and position of it on top of your image in the Content tab.
Shapes can be used for more than just images, as you will see below.

In this example we have added a solid white layer, applied a Speech Bubble Shape, flipped it horizontally, added a
black Outline and a Shadow. You can add a text layer above this and even put both the text layer and speech bubble
layer into a group to animate together.

In this example we have used three duplicates of a blue radial gradient then applied a snowflake shape to all three.
You can then animate each snowflake to fall from the top to the bottom at different speeds and rotations to give a
stylized ‘falling snowflake’ effect.
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Groups
Groups allow you to put multiple layers together (in a container) which can then be animated as a single unit.

Creating a Group
You can add Layers to a Group in a couple of ways.
First, select one or more layers in the Layers list (hold down the CTRL
or Alt key to select more than one layer), then click the Group Icon
(shown left).

The new Group information will include how many

layers, or sub items, are inside (shown right).
With the Group closed, the layer numbers will skip
over the layers within the Group. You will not see
these layers in your Layers list until you open the
Group by clicking on the arrow to the left of the
Group.

You can add Layers to a Group by dragging them into the Group (shown left), or by clicking the arrow at the bottom of
the expanded Group indicator and dragging it down to incorporate lower layers in the Layers list (shown right).
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You can remove Layers from a Group using the same methods. Dragging the double arrow up will remove the
bottom-most layer(s) from the Group. If you drag a layer down to remove it from the Group, pay close attention to the
blue line; if it does not go all the way to the left past the Group Container Line, you are simply moving that Layer to the
bottom of the Group (left image above). If it goes all the way to the left edge, you will be removing it from the Group
(right Image above)
You can rename a Group the same way you would rename a layer; right click and choose Rename Layer.

Animating a Group
You can animate a Group in almost every way that an ungrouped layer can be animated. The layers within the group
will be animated as a single unit.

For example, this Group is animated to move and tilt from the left side of the screen to the right side. All layers inside
move together.
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You can also animate individual Layers inside a Group and animate the Group itself. Using the previous example of
our Group moving from the left to the right, you can also make each individual layer do something else, such as move
up / down or rotate, all while the Group is moving from left to right.
There are a couple of things that you cannot do with Groups. You cannot add Shadows or Outlines to a Group and
you cannot use a Group as a Mask or an Adjustment Layer. You can, however, do all those things to the Layers inside
a Group.
You can remove a Group using the Trash Can icon at the top of the Layers list OR by right clicking on the Group layer
and selecting Remove Layer.
A window will pop up giving you two Delete options.
Delete All will delete the Group AND all the layers
within. Delete This Layer Only will remove the Group
from the Layers list but leave all the layers within.

Masking Layers

What is a Masking Layer?

Before you can use a Mask, you should understand what they are and how they are used. Masks are like using a
Stencil. Stencils can be any shape or size, and so can a mask. The goal of a Mask is to allow parts of an image to be
visible, while simultaneously hiding other parts.
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In a Stencil, visible areas are defined by the open areas. If you paint over a
stencil, you will see what was left behind through the holes but any area
that was blocked by the solid parts will remain blank or empty.
Masks work in a similar manner but have the added ability of allowing you
to choose a range of how much is seen though the mask…as if giving you
the choice to use a lot of paint or just a little bit. Those choices are made
using the Channel dropdown menu, which includes Grayscale /
Transparency options and their Inverted equivalents.

Adding
a Masking Layer
You can add a Masking Layer by selecting
the image layer you want to mask from the Layers
list then clicking the Mask icon.
The Browser window will open so you can choose
the Masking Layer source. Masks can be
anything; other images, images with
transparencies (such as PNGs), Gradient Layers, or Solid
Layers. The type of source you choose for the Mask
will determine whether you want the Mask to be
Grayscale, Transparency, or an Inverted variant.

Grayscale Masks
Grayscale Masks reveal and block parts of your image
based on the amount of white and black in the mask.
White reveals, black conceals, and tones of gray result
in different levels of your image being revealed.
If we choose a Linear Gradient that goes from solid
white to solid black as our masking layer (shown left)
the result may not be what you expect.
With
only
two
color
keyframes, the gradient layer is only fully
showing the image for just a small area all the way to
the left, and only completely hiding it for a small
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area all the way to the right. Everything in between is just shades of gray.

You would need to have more solid white and more

solid black in the gradient layer to get more of the
image seen and more of the image blocked. (shown
left)

The result (shown below) is that you can see more of

the image on the left and less of it on the right, with a
blend in the middle where all the gray tones are.

The
default
for Masking layers is Grayscale. You can change the type
of mask, or channel, by selecting the masking effect in
the Layers list (not the Masking Image layer, but the
Masking Effect Layer), then use the drop-down menu in
the Options Panel to change the channel. If you choose
Grayscale Inverted, it simply changes the visible sections
to black and the hidden sections to white.

You can use full color images as masking layers using the Greyscale Channel, as well. This method will result in more
of a texture overlay, than fully masking off parts of your image. It is best to find images that have extreme contrast and
keep in mind that any color will be discarded for shades of gray. If you would like to use an image that is already in
your Layers list as a Masking Layer, right click on that Layer and choose Use as Masking Layer.
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Below are three examples of using sharp contrast images as Grayscale Masks:

Transparency Masks
Transparency Masks use the levels of Opacity in a Masking Layer, instead of levels of gray. Using a Solid Color Layer
with a Shape added to it as a Transparency Mask (shown below) shows the parts that are opaque (the Oval Shape in
this example) and block the parts that are transparent (everything outside of the oval shape).
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You can achieve the same effect using images that have Alpha Channels (or transparency) in them, such as the heart
PNG image used below.

Using that same Heart PNG as a Grayscale Mask gives you a more textured look.

Using Adjustments with Masks

Masking Layers have the same Adjustment and Animation options as an image layer. Keep in mind that you will be
applying the Adjustment to the Masking Layer, not the image layer underneath.
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One adjustment of note is Shadows. Applying a shadow to the image underneath a mask will only work if your image
is smaller than the mask itself. If you are using a Mask as a stencil (shown above), the shadow on the image layer will
extend beyond the image and will be hidden by the mask. If you apply a shadow to the Masking Layer itself, however,
you will see a shadow in the shape of the mask.

Masks vs Shapes

You may notice that using a mask that has a shape applied to it gives you the same result as applying that same shape
directly to the image. Which method you choose will depend on what you plan to do with your image.
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If you want to animate the image including the shape that it is in, it is best to apply the shape directly to the image
(above right). If you plan to animate your image but not the shape, such as zooming your image while the shape
remains the same, you will want to use the masking method (above left).
Masks also allow you to have multiple images under a single mask. This allows you to animate multiple images, or
dissolve from one image to another, all while under the same Masking Layer.

Video Files as Masks

Video files can also be used as masking layers, but they must have been designed for that purpose.

If you have a video file and a separate Alpha video file that came with it, use the Alpha video file as a mask over the
color video file.
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You can also use black and white video files as masking layers over solid or gradient layers. In this example, a video file
of animated text is used as a masking layer over a green Solid Color layer.

Adjustment Layers
What is an Adjustment Layer?
Adjustment layers are like Masking layers, but instead of hiding or revealing parts of your layers, Adjustment Layers
add Image Adjustments to all layers that are inside of it in the Layers list. They work the same way as masks, applying
the adjustments depending on the channel chosen (grayscale or transparency).

Applying Adjustment Layers

Adjustment Layers are applied the same
way as masks. Select a layer in the Layers
list then click on the Adjustment icon. The
Browser will open for you to choose any type of
Adjustment Layer.
In our example, we are going to create a Radial
Gradient with black on the inside and white on the
outside. Knowing that ‘white reveals and black
conceals’, this means that any adjustments we change
will only be applied to the outer circle of our images.
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Using Adjustment Layers

Adding an Adjustment Layer will not bring about any visual changes because the values for the adjustment layer have
yet to be modified. Select the Adjustment Layer Effect (shown above in the Layers List); two tabs appear in the
Options Panel: Effect and Animations (shown below).

In the Effect Tab, the first option is the Channel. Since we created a black-and-white gradient as our Adjustment Layer,
we will choose Grayscale.
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If you open the Adjustments menu, you will see image adjustments that you can change. If we bring the Saturation
down and the Blur up, you can see that the outer edge of our image has been changed to reflect those effects, but
the inside has not. That is because we used a black and white Radial Gradient as a Grayscale Adjustment Layer.

Animating Layers under the Adjustment Layer

You can have as many layers under an Adjustment Layer
as you would like and animate them in / out of the
Adjustment Layer.
If you want to have multiple images pan across your screen,
turning from black and white to color, you will create a linear
gradient Adjustment Layer (shown right), with solid black
on one side, solid white on the other, and shades of gray in
the middle.
In the Effects tab for the Adjustment Layer, bring the
Saturation all the way to zero, then pan your images from
the dark side of your Adjustment Layer (no effect) to the
light side of your Adjustment Layer (Saturation effect
applied).
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Animating the Effects of Adjustment Layers

You can animate the Effects of Adjustment Layer over time, as well.
Next to the Effect Tab, you will see an Animations Tab. This is not for motion, but to animate the effects of your
Adjustment Layer.

If we create a solid white adjustment layer, crop the layer into a square, then add a large ellipse vignette, we will get a
very fuzzy circular Adjustment Layer (shown above). If we place this over one of the flowers in this image, then use the
Animations tab for the Adjustment effects to go from 0 Hue on the first keyframe to 100 Hue on the second
keyframe, our single sunflower will change colors throughout the slide time.
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Animating the Adjustment Layer Itself

You can also animate the Adjustment Layer itself, not just the effects that it creates. In this example, we will use an
animated adjustment layer over a Caption.

We have a solid white line for our adjustment layer that is over a Caption
Layer that has a black color (shown left).

In the Effects tab for the

Adjustment Effect Layer, we make
the Black Point 100 (turning black
into white).

Using the Animations tab for the Solid Color layer of the Adjustments Layer to pan from left to right over our Caption,
you will see each letter shift from Black to White as the line moves across the Caption Layer.
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Slices
Adding the Slice Effect

To add slices to a layer, select the layer in the Layers List, then
click on the Add Slices Icon.

With the Slice effect applied, the Image and the Slicing
Effect will have different layers in the Layers list. To view
the Slicing Effect options, you must have the Slicing
Effect Layer selected in the Layers Tab, not the image
layer.

Slices Options
With the Slicing Effect layer selected
in the Layers list, you will see a
Slices tab in the Options Panel. The
first option you can customize is the
number of Horizontal and Vertical
Blocks, as well as the Shape of the
Slices, including Rectangles,
Triangles, Hexagons, and Puzzle
Pieces.
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The number of blocks, both horizontally and vertically, can be set as low as 1, which will give you bars when a
Rectangle shape is selected.

For the other shapes, it’s best to choose a Horizontal and Vertical ratio that keep the shapes intact.
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Slice Animation and Timing

The settings found under the Animation Timing are directly related to keyframes applied to all slices as a single unit in
the Animations Tab. (These settings don’t apply to animating individual slices).
● Order – Determines the order in which the slices will perform the animation.
● Overlap – Determines when each slice will begin its individual animation.
● Start Offset – Determines when, in the total Slide time the animation will start.
● End Offset - Determines when, in the total Slide time the animation will end.
Example 1 – Animate puzzle pieces coming together
1. Add an image to a slide, set the scaling to Fill Frame, then apply the Slicing Effect
2. Select the Slicing Effect Layer in the Layers list
3. In the Slices tab in the Options panel, choose Puzzle Pieces for the Shape.
4. Set the Horizontal blocks value to 5 and the Vertical blocks value to 3
5. In the Animations tab (still on the Slicing Effect layer), move the layer off screen to the right on the first Keyframe
(Horizontal Position value should be around 100); leave the 2nd Keyframes position centered.
6. Go back to the Slices tab and open the Animation Timing options. Under the Order drop-down options choose
Left-Top to Right Bottom Horizontal.
7. Set the Overlap to 20
8. Change the End Offset to reflect 1 second less than your Slide time plus the Transition in time. For example, in a Slide
that has a Slide time of 8 seconds, with a 2 second Transition in, that would be a total of 10 seconds, so the End Offset
should be set at 9 seconds. This will allow your image to be seen in full for 1 second before the slide transitions out.

Play your slide back and you should see individual puzzle pieces coming on screen from the right, from the top left of
the image down to the bottom right of the image, coming together and remaining on screen for the last second of the
slide time.
Example 2 – Randomly fading blocks
1. Add an image to a slide, set the scaling to Fill Frame, then apply the Slicing Effect
2. Select the Slicing Effect in the Layers List
3. In the Slices tab in the Options panel, choose Rectangles for the Shape.
4. Set the Horizontal blocks value to 5 and the Vertical blocks value to 4.
5. In the Animations tab (still on the Slicing Effect layer), select the 1st Keyframe and open the Color Adjustments
options
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6. Set the Opacity to 0 on this 1st Keyframe, keeping the Opacity at 100 for the 2nd Keyframe.
7. Go back to the Slices tab and open the Animation Timing options. Set the Overlap to 20
8. Change the End Offset to reflect 1 second less than your Slide time plus the Transition in time.

The result will be block slices of your image randomly fading on screen, then holding for the last second before it
transitions into the next slide.

Animating Individual Slices

Individual slices can also be animated. To select

a slice, click on the Open Slices icon to the right
of the Slice Effect, then select your slice from
the list. You can also select an individual slice by
using the drop-down menu at the top of either
the Adjustments or Animations tabs.

The default slice names are Shape (Column Number, Row

Number). Rectangle (3,1) would be the rectangle slice in the 3rd
Column, top row.
You can rename the slices by right clicking on a slice layer and
choose Rename.
Once you have selected a slice, you can make Adjustments and
create Animations in the same way that you would an image
layer.
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Slices in the Keyframe Timeline

The Keyframe Timeline can be an important tool when

animating individual slices. This view allows you to see all
keyframes for all slices at one time. You can Rename slice layers
here and change their layer order.

Clicking and dragging up or down on a slice will

change its layer order. This can be useful if you
plan to have individual layers animate on top of
other slices, but in a different order than the
default. In the image to the left, the “Last Puzzle
Piece” slice is underneath other slices as it flies in,
so it isn’t visible. After rearranging the slices so
that the “Last Puzzle Piece” is the top layer, it
becomes visible (shown below)
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Caption Slices

Caption Slices work in a similar way to image slices.

Instead of shape choices, you have the option to slice
Words in your text layer or individual Characters.
You do not need to apply Slices to your Caption Layer, this
is done automatically each time you add a Caption. Click
the arrow on the left side of your Caption Layer to see the
Words and Characters slice options. The same Open Slices
icon is shown on the right, allowing you to select individual
slices to adjust or animate (shown below).

When viewing the Words and Character Slices

in the Keyframes View, notice that there is a
“slice” added for the space in our Character
Slices.
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Creating Your Own Effects

Creating Slide Styles
Photopia Director provides the ability to create your own Slide Styles. Slide Styles that you create will have their own
project files.
You can create a Slide Style from a blank project, or
from an existing slide inside a Show.
The first option is to start with a blank Project. Select
New Project from the Home Page, then select the
Effect option and Slide Style from the list below.
This window also gives you options to add Tags and
Keywords to your Slide Styles.

The second option is to create a Slide Style from an

existing slide in a Show. After creating the slide, right
click on the Slide, then choose Create Style.

Both methods for starting a Slide Style Project will launch the
New Slide Style Window. This is where you can Name your
Style, give it a Description (optional), and if desired the Author,
Website, and Copyright information.
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The Style Project Window

The Slide Style Project window is similar to the main User Interface window. The first noticeable difference is that
there is only one slide and no transitions. If start with an existing slide, all of your modifications including layers,
keyframes, and animations will remain. The only additional steps in creating your Slide Style are to double check
Replaceable Layers, add any Variants, and set the Style Settings including Categories.
If you are creating a new Slide Style Effect, the first slide will be empty. You can use this window in the same way you
would use a regular slide to create your Slide Animation.
You can add layers, adjust them, animate them, group them, and use masks and adjustment layers. Every tool that you
can use in a slide is available in the Slide Style Project window.

Place Markers and Style Content

A Slide Style has two main components: Place Markers and Style Content. Place markers are empty, pre-animated
layers to which you add your images when the style is applied. Style Content is any layer that stays with the style and
does not turn into a Place Marker. The difference between these two layers in a Slide Style can be seen when viewing
the Layers Tab vs. the Content Tab.
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When viewing this Style in the Layers tab, you can see two place markers (empty layers) and one Style Content image
(the balloons).

From the Content tab, you'll only see a single place marker, not the balloon image layer. This is because the Content
tab is not designed to display Style Content, which includes images that are part of the style. In our example, the
balloons are intended to be part of the style or Style Content, and therefore, won't be visible in the Content Tab,
following a logical design decision.

When a single image is used multiple times in a Slide Style, the Content Tab will only display one place marker for all
the instances of that file. This makes it easier for users to apply Slide Styles, as the Content Tab will only show the
content that needs to be replaced.
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The example above shows a single place marker in the Content tab connected to multiple layers in the Layers tab.
Adding an image to the place marker in the Content Tab (shown above) will automatically fill all place markers that
use that file in the Layers tab (shown below).
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Replaceable Layers
When creating a Slide Style or Show Template, you will determine whether the Layers in it will be Style Content or
become Place Markers for images to be added. This is determined by whether or not the content can be replaced.

The Replaceable Layer checkbox is in the Layer tab for each

individual layer.
If this is checked, your layer will be replaceable, and become
a place marker. If this is unchecked, your layer will remain as
Style Content, and stay with the Slide Style.
Some layer types will automatically be Style Content and will
not have this option, such as Caption Layers and Groups.

Layer Names and Descriptions

Naming Layers becomes an important task when creating a Slide Style or Show Template, particularly if you are
creating a slide that uses more than one image. There are two places to name each layer: the Content Description in
the Content tab, and the Layer Name in the Layers tab.
It's essential to name layers in the Content Tab to help users distinguish between different place markers.

For instance, if you create a Style that features two images, one on the left
and one on the right, the place markers will only show "Placeholder" by
default. It is recommended to label them differently to make it easier for
users to identify which Place Marker to add their images to.

In this example, "Right Image" is entered into the

Content Description in the Content Tab, resulting in a
Layer Name displayed in the Content List.
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Naming layers in the Layers List can be helpful when duplicates of the same layer don’t appear in the Content tab. For
example, one layer of an image may be a foreground image, another layer of that same image may be a reflection.
Naming layers is an organizational tool as you build your Slide Styles, but it becomes an informational tool as you use
those Styles.

Variants

Slide Styles can be applied differently based on

the image orientation they are built with.
Variants come into play when a Slide Style
needs to be adjusted to accommodate a
different image orientation than it was initially
built with.
If a style doesn't need to be changed to fit
different orientations, it will only have 1 Variant
that can be used with any image orientation.

However, if you need to add one or more variants, all place markers must use the same image orientation for them to
work, as shown above.
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Creating a Variant

Select the Add Variant button above the slide

list to create a Variant.
You can start a new Variant by copying the
current slide or using an empty slide. Make any
adjustments needed in this new slide varant to
accommodate the image orientation.

Variant Settings

The Variants tab will display a list of Supported Show Aspect

Ratios and Supported Image Orientations. When creating
variants for different image orientations, check only the image
orientation that applies to the selected variant. In the example
to the right, the selected variant slide uses portrait-oriented
images, so the Image Orientation that is enabled is Portrait and
Landscape and Square are disabled.
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Under the Supported Layers section, you can review the number of images the Variant supports. Double-check this
number to ensure that all your replaceable Layer settings are correct.
In our example, we created a Slide Style with one photo as a Place Marker, but the "Supported Layers" feature displays
two user photos. The mismatch indicates that one of the other layers is still marked as replaceable and needs to be
corrected.

A closer look shows that the paper background layer was still checked as a replaceable layer. When this is unchecked,
the Supported Layers now shows that it supports 1 user photo.
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Style Settings
In the Style Settings tab, you can modify your slide style's name,
information, thumbnail, and timing.
Additionally, you can categorize your Slide Style by creating new
categories or selecting existing ones.

Exporting the Slide Style

If you want to use your Slide Style on the same computer that you created it on, you do not need to export it.
However, if you want to use the Style on a different computer or share it with another Photopia user, you can export
the Slide Style as a .pxs file. This file can then be transferred to another computer.

Creating Transitions
Photopia Director allows you to create custom Transitions. Each Transition you make will have a unique project file.

The primary idea of a transition is to have a starting slide (Source

Slide) that will transform into an ending slide (Destination Slide).
Photopia provides default images for both the Source and
Destination slides when starting a new Transition Project.
When building the Transition, these images represent the
incoming and outgoing slides. Each image represents all layers
inside a slide.
Transitions can also include additional content designated as
Style Content.
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Transitions can be created in two ways: from a blank project or an existing slide within a Show.

To start creating a transition from a blank project,

go to the Home Page and select New Project.

From there, choose the Effect Category and select

Transition from the list.

This window also allows you to add Tags and

Keywords to your Slide Styles.

To create a Transition from an existing slide in a Show,

right-click on the Slide, then choose Create Transition Effect.
This will create a new Transition Project for you to finish
building your Transition.

It's important to note that you cannot create a transition

project from an existing transition.

When you start a Transition Project from either method, the

New Transition Effect window appears. Here you can name your
transition, provide a description(optional), and add Author,
Website, and Copyright information if desired.
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Starting from a blank project will automatically begin with Source and Destination Layers (A and B images). These will
already have a Layer Type assigned in the Options Panel. Any images you add to your transition will automatically be
assigned as Style Content.
The basic concept of building a transition is that the Source Layer must start filling the screen (100% zoom, 0/0 for the
position). Then, something happens (you create an animation), and the transition ends with the Destination Layer
filling the screen (100% zoom, 0/0 for the position).
If your Source or Destination layers don’t start or end filling the screen, the transition will jump when applied. These
are not layers; they are representations of slides that must begin and end at 100% zoom and 0/0 position.

Creating a Basic Transition

In this section, we will guide you, step by step, in creating the most basic transition, where the destination slide comes
from off-screen to replace the source slide.
● The Source Layer will start filling the screen (100% zoom, 0/0 for the position).
● The Destination Layer will slide in from offscreen, covering the Source Layer
● The Destination Layer will end filling the screen (100% zoom, 0/0 for the position).

When you select a new Transition Effect from the Home Page,
you will be provided with both the Source (A) and Destination (B)
layers, and they will be set as the correct Layer Type (as indicated
on the right). Your only task is to animate the transition to your
liking.

The default transition time can be adjusted to fit your needs, but for this example
we will keep it at the default of 3 seconds.
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In order to make the Destination Layer appear

on top of the Source Layer, we need to change
the order of the Layers in the Layer List. The
Layer List functions similarly to a show's Layers
List. To reverse the order of the Layers, you can
simply drag them to a different position in the
list (shown left).

With neither layer animated, you will see the

Destination Layer fill the screen (shown left).
The next step is to animate it coming on screen.

The Animations tab operates

in the same way as when
creating a slide. To begin with
the layer off-screen, choose
the 1st Keyframe and move
the Destination layer in any
direction off the screen.

To have this motion ease into position, change the Easing Mode on this 1st Keyframe to either Smooth or Decelerate.
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When played back, the end of this transition may seem a bit abrupt. Remember, this is a transition, not a slide. You
have a good transition if your second keyframe ends with the Destination layer full screen.

The last step is to select the Transition Settings in the Navigation

Panel. The Options Panel will show the Effect Information. You can
rename the transition here, give it more detailed information, and
create a new thumbnail. You can also choose which categories you
would like this transition to be shown in by clicking on the pencil
icon, then selecting an existing category or adding a new category.

After you have completed the Transition, click the Save button. There are no other steps if you intend to use the file
on the same computer. However, you can use the Export option if you wish to share the file with others or transfer it
to a different computer.

After creating a transition effect, it's recommended to test it before

using it in your main project.
To do this, open a new show or an existing one that you can use for
testing purposes. Add two images to two slides, and apply your new
transition effect in between them (you can find new effects in the
Recently Added category).
Play the slides to see how it looks. If you need to make any changes,
you can access your transition project from the Transition heading
on your home page.
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Creating a Cover Transition

When transitioning from one slide to another, it is common to use a cover transition. This involves using a third layer,
or Slide Content, to fill the screen for at least one frame while you switch your Source to your Destination.
In our example, we will be using an internal shape as our cover layer.

To begin creating a cover transition, start a new transition project so that you have Source (A) and Destination (B)
layers.

To create a layer that will cover the transition,

add a gradient layer.

In the Add Gradient Layer window utilize the

dropdown menu on the left to select the
Simple preset.

Choose the light-to-dark red preset. Change

the Gradient Type to Radial.

For a more distinct light area, consider moving

the dark color keyframe in.

Then, click and drag that light area to the upper left corner. Confirm your selection by clicking OK.

In the Layer tab for this Gradient Layer, click on

Select to choose a shape. Hover your mouse
over the Wedding category, then select the
Heart shape from the fly out menu.
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In the Animations Tab for this new Heart Shape

Layer, select the 1st Keyframe and change the
Zoom to 0.

Select the 2nd Keyframe and change the Zoom to 300. Next, reposition the heart so that the preview window is fully
covered by the heart. The heart should be much bigger than the window, that extra space is used in the next step.
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In the Effects tab, choose a Blend Fly Out for the heart layer’s 2nd Keyframe. Change the duration of the Fly Out to
0.5 seconds.

Return to the Animations Tab and move the 2nd Keyframe of the Heart shape layer back to around 2.90 seconds (this
doesn’t have to be exact)
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To hide the Source Slide (A) at the moment that the heart fills the screen, click and drag the 2nd Keyframe of the
Source Slide (A) back to where the heart starts to fill the screen (around the 2.45 second mark).
Play your transition back.

Note: the Heart Shape layer is automatically set

as a Style Content Layer Type. This means that
it will remain with the Transition while the
other two layers will be replaced by the
incoming and outgoing slides.
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Creating a Complex Transition

Complex transitions have more layers than just the Source and Destination layers. They can include masks, slices,
video layers or anything else that a regular slide can include.
For our complex transition, we’re going to add a solid white line that will travel from the top of the screen to the
bottom, then back up again. During its first pass, the Source Slide (A) will turn to black and white, during its second
pass the Destination Slide (B) will be revealed.

First add a Solid White Layer and make the Vertical

Resolution 6 pixels. If your solid layer is set to Fill Frame,
you will see an all-white layer instead of a thin line. Be
sure the Scaling is set to Fit to Frame.

We need two instances of the Source Slide (A), so right click on that layer, and choose Duplicate Layer. Select the
bottom duplicate (Layer 3) and go into the Adjustments Tab and check Colorize. This will turn the layer black and
white. (You won’t see this result as the layer above it is still in full color).
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Our white line will have three keyframes over 3 seconds. Select the white line (Solid Color) layer and go into the
Animations Tab. Select the 1st Keyframe and enter -51 into the Vertical Position number box. This will bring the solid
white layer to the top of the preview window, just off screen.

Move the 2nd Keyframe into the 1.50 second mark (the halfway point, if you have a 3 second transition) and enter +51
into the Vertical Position number box, bringing the white line all the way to the bottom, just off screen.
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Double click the timeline after the 2nd Keyframe to add a 3rd Keyframe and drag it all the way to the end. Enter -51 into
the Vertical Position number box.

Play this back and you should see your line start at the top, move to the bottom, then go back to the top again. To
make this motion a little smoother, change the Easing Mode to Smooth for both the 1st and 2nd Keyframes (shown
above)
We are now going to add a Masking Layer to the top instance of the Source Slide (A) and animate it to match the first
two keyframes of the white line. Select the top instance of your Source Slide (A), click on the Add Mask icon at the
top, and make it a solid white layer.
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In the Animations Tab for this Masking Layer, select the first Keyframe and check the Vertical Position box right
where it is at 0.

Move the 2nd Keyframe into the 1.50 second mark and change the Vertical Position to +101, bringing it all the way to
the bottom, just off screen. If you made your Easing Mode for the white line Smooth, do the same for the masking
layer on Keyframe 1.
Note: the reason the white line is off screen at 51 (or -51) and the full white layer is off the screen at 101 (or -101) is
because the numbers correlate with the center of the layer. The white line only needed to move 51% off screen, as it
doesn’t exist much beyond its center point. The full white layer needed to move a full 101% off screen as it filled the
screen.
Now, we’ll repeat those steps for the second instance of the Source Slide (A). Select that layer and click on the Add
Mask icon at the top and make it a solid white layer. This Masking Layer should be Layer 4.
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Select the 1st Keyframe and ensure the Vertical Position box is at 0.

Move the 2nd Keyframe into the 1.5 second mark and make sure that its Vertical Position box is also checked at 0.
While you have this keyframe selected, change the Motion Eason to Smooth.
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Double click after this Keyframe to add a 3rd and drag it to the end. Change the Vertical Position to -101 and play
your transition back.

If your masking layers don’t move in sync with your white line, double check these two things:
1. Ensure that the middle keyframes are in the exact same position, right down to the 1/100th of a second. You
can right click on any keyframe and choose Set Time for Keyframe to get exact numbers.
2. Ensure that the Easing Mode is the same for all keyframes on all layers.

Creating Layer Effects

Fly In and Fly Outs
Creating Fly Ins and Fly Outs are very similar to creating a Transition, but there will only be one layer that represents
your image instead of two layers that represent slides. For a Fly In, the Layer will be animated coming on screen and
for a Fly Out the layer will be animated going off screen.
In our examples, we’re going to use the Hexagon Slices to create both a Fly In and a Fly Out.
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All Layer Effect Creation Windows start with a single layer for you to animate (A). This layer is a place marker that
represents your image.

For our Fly In Effect, we’ll add the Slice Effect to the placeholder layer (A)

With the Slice Effect selected go into the Options Panel, in the Slices Tab, change the Slice Shape to Hexagon. The
Hexagons may look “squished”. This can be fixed by changing the number of blocks.
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By reducing the number of Vertical Blocks to 2, the Hexagon shapes appear more “normal”.

To animate the Hexagons on screen, change the Zoom on the 1st Keyframe in the Animations Tab to 0.
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Fly Ins must end with the placeholder layer perfectly filling the screen, so make sure that the Zoom on the 2nd
keyframe is set to 100.

Back in the Slices tab, change the Animation Timing Order drop down to Random.
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Play back your Fly In to make sure it looks the way you want it to.

In the Effect Settings tab, you can change the Name, the Thumbnail,
Edit its Information, and put it into a Category.
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Double check your fly in by applying it to a layer in a slide in a show. You can change the length of the fly in and there
should be a thumbnail showing your design.
Fly Outs are created in the exact same way, but in reverse. They must start with the placeholder layer full screen and
end with it completely off screen.

Behaviors
A behavior effect is applied to a layer for the entire slide time. In our example, we will have our layer increase its blur
over time.

This is a simple two keyframed effect. On the first keyframe, check the Blur setting to keep it at 0.
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On the second keyframe, change the blur to 50. That’s it! In the Effect Settings tab, you can change the Name, the
Thumbnail, Edit its Information, and put it into a Category.
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Creating Layer Filters

Filters are Image Adjustments that are applied to your layer for the entire slide time. The Filter effect creation window
looks like the other Effect Creation windows, but the Animations tab is missing. Filter effects do not change over time
but are applied for the entire duration of the slide. Existing Filters include turning your layer to Black and White or
giving it a color overlay.

Saving a Show Template

Photopia Director allows users to easily create reusable Show Templates from their show creations.

To turn an existing Show into a Template you must first make sure that all the layers you want to be place markers are
enabled as Replaceable Layers.

To assign your Show Template a thumbnail image, move the playhead to a any point in your show, then right click in
the preview area and choose Set Frame as Thumbnail.

To save your show as a template, you can find two options under the File menu: Save Project As Template and Export
As Template. Both options will create a Show Template that you can use repeatedly. The Save option will only save the
Show Template on your local computer, while the Export option will export a Template File to a different computer.

To create linked images in a template, you need to use the same image source on multiple slides. This means that if
you save your show as a template, any place marker within any slide that uses that particular image will automatically
be replaced with the user's image.be populated with the user's image.

Creating Wizard Themes from Styles and Transitions

Wizard Themes easily create personalized slideshows

from a curated collection of Slide Styles and Transitions.
You can create your own Wizard Themes in just a few
steps.

To create a Wizard Theme start a New Project, click on

Effect, then click on Wizard Theme.
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Wizard Themes can also be created by starting

in the Manage Effects Window. Click the
Wizard Themes tab then click on Create at the
bottom of the window.

You will then be prompted to name your Wizard Theme, give it a

Description, and Author Information, if desired. All of these can be
edited later.
There are three panels in the New Wizard Theme window.
Navigation Panel on the left, where you will select the different
steps of the Theme creation process.
Options Panel on the right, where the options for each section are
displayed.
Section List at the bottom, where you can set up different sections
for the resulting Slide Show.
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New Wizard Theme – Section List

The Section List at the bottom of the New Wizard Theme window is broken down into sections rather than slides. You
start with an Intro slide, then a single Dynamic Section, then an outro slide. You can add more Dynamic Sections and
more Static Slides (sample below).

Example: Creating a Wedding Theme might call for a Bride Section, a Groom Section, and a Ceremony Section. You can
rename each section in the Effects & Options > Settings tab. Each of your Sections can have its own Slide Styles /
Transitions assigned.

You can also add more Static Slides, like the Intro and Outro. These are useful if you want your Theme to always start
or end with a Title or Credits slide.

Select the section you want to begin assigning effects to then click the Effects & Options tab from the Navigation
Panel in the upper-left corner of the window.
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Effects & Options

This is where you will choose which effects will be applied for the selected section.

Static (Title) Slides

You can start the process of adding a Slide Style to a
Static Slide by selecting the Static Slide then clicking the
Effects & Options tab. There you will see options to
rename the Slide, choose whether audio will be played
with this slide, and whether you want this section to be
optional. Click the Select button below the Slide Style
thumbnail (which is blank by default) to choose a Slide
Style for that Static Slide.

Once you have selected a Slide Style for your Static

Slide, its thumbnail will appear along with more
options. Photo Content Prompts is where you’ll choose
to have the program automatically choose images that
appear before this slide (which will be ghosted if there
is no Dynamic Section before this), use images that
appear after this slide, or you can request a specific
prompt for the user to choose photos.
Caption Content Prompts is how the Theme will prompt
the user to enter the text for their captions. You can
change the text in the Caption Fields or leave them with
the default text from the Slide Style.
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Dynamic Section Effects

Styles and Transitions are added using their own tabs in the Effects & Options section for each Dynamic Section. Click
on Add to see a list of all your installed effects.

Select any Slide Styles / Transitions you want to be available for the selected Dynamic Section.

Once your effects are chosen, they will be listed under the appropriate tab. If you would like to remove an effect,
select it then click the Remove button.

The Settings Tab for Dynamic Sections allows

you to change the name of that Section, choose
if the section is optional, and recommend a
specific number of images for the section.
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Theme Settings
There are two options in Theme Settings for a
Dynamic Section: selecting a Show Background
and the recommended music style.

Theme Information
In this section, you can change the name of the
entire Theme (not the selected Dynamic
Section), add a description, and create a
Thumbnail. When choosing a theme to create a
new show, the thumbnail and description will
be visible from the Wizard Window. You may
also add author information if desired.

Once you have finished creating your Theme,

you can save it to keep it in your Wizard Theme
choices within your current program or export
it to share with other devices.

The next time you start a new Slide Show using

a Wizard Theme, you will see the Theme you
just created in the list, in alphabetical order.
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Creating an Effects Package

Packages are collections of effects, bundled together into a single file. To create a new Package from your Effects
Projects, start in the New Project Window.

Under the Effect category, select Package at the bottom of the list. Packages can also have Tags and Keywords
assigned to them. Click Create to start building the Package. In the next window, give your Package a Name,
Description and any Author information, then click OK.
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Package Settings

To create your package start in the Package Settings tab. This is where all of the informational details of the package
can be added, including:
● Package Thumbnail
● Author Logo
● Package Name
● Package Description
● Version Number
● Author Information
● Video Tutorial Link
● Attached Help File (.pdf)
The last item in this tab is to add your package to Categories.
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Adding and Removing Effects from a Package

The subsequent tabs on the left are lists of effects that you have created. Only effects that are part of your Projects
can be added to Packages. Installed effects from 3rd parties cannot be added.

Each effect window will have three columns. The column on the left shows your Project Groups. Once a Project
Group is selected, the center column will show any effects inside that project Group. To add effects to the project,
select the effects in the center column, then click on Add to Package.

The selected effects will now appear in the right column, which displays any effects that are included in the package.
To remove any effects from the Package, select them in the right column, then click on Remove from Package.
When you are ready to export your Package, click on Export at the top of the screen.
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Publishing Your Project

DVDs used to be the most popular output option for slide shows. Most slide shows are now shared through social
media, smart devices, and even Blu-ray. There are well over a dozen options for outputting slide shows from Photopia
and many more resolution / quality variations therein.

When there are multiple shows in a

project, you will be able to choose
which shows to include in your video
output. Use the Exclude / Include /
Include All buttons on the right to
select the shows you would like to
publish.
Multiple shows will be rendered,
back-to-back, into a single video file.

Video
This is by far the most popular output option. Each of the choices listed here results in a single stand-alone video file
being created for a single slide show. We strongly recommend saving this output to a local (internal) hard drive before
copying it to any other device (ex. USB flash drive).
Video File – A list of presets for almost any type of video output.
Video for the Web – A list of presets designed to create video files optimized for web-based playback.
Custom Video File – Options to output video files using your own custom parameters, from format to bitrate.

Share Online
Selecting one of the options under this heading will automatically launch your web browser so you can log into the
selected Social Media account. There may be extra options to add a Title, Description, or Tags.

Television
The three disc-based output formats, and USB Flash Drive, are contained in this section. The Blu-ray and DVD options
are the only ones that support a Menu. You must have the correct disc burner to output directly to a Blu-ray / DVD
disc, however ISO image file output (which can be burned to a disc later) is also supported.

Devices
This option will output a video format with settings designed for the selected device.
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Other
Standalone Show – This output also supports a Menu, like Blu-ray / DVD output. It creates a file that can be played
through the Photopia Player application on Windows and Mac computers. The Photopia Player application is
available from the Downloads section of the Photopia website at no charge.
Still Frames – This option creates one or more still images based on the selected settings: Capture current frame,
Capture one frame per slide, Capture one frame per specified time. These still images can be saved as JPEG or PNG
files at a custom resolution.

Favorites
Photopia provides the ability to set
certain publish settings as Favorites,
for easier access. Select the Publish
Option you want to use as a Favorite
then click the Favorites button at the
bottom of the window to add it to the
list.

Creating a Menu
Three output options provide the ability to create a Menu: DVD, Blu-ray, and Standalone Show. These are also the only
options that support publishing multiple slide shows from the same Project in a single output.

There are three tabs at the top of each of these output windows. The Menu tab is where you will determine what
your menu looks like. The Shows tab allows you to set thumbnails and titles for the shows in your menu. The Options
tab is where you can choose settings specific to that output format.

Themes & Layouts

Beneath the preview window on the Menu

page, you will see a horizontal list of
Themes. Below that is a horizontal list of
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Layouts. The chosen Layout should match the number of slide shows in the project. You can choose to have your
shows represented by thumbnails or text only. Once you have chosen the desired layout, you can choose a theme.

Settings
Settings is where you can change the Menu Title, which
defaults to a Show Title. You can also change the Aspect
Ratio, Background Image and the Highlight and Selection
colors. The highlight color will appear around a thumbnail
when the user has highlighted that show. The selection
color will appear around a thumbnail when the user has
selected to play that show.

Music

You can add music to play while your menu is on screen before
playing a show. This is separate from the Soundtrack in the
slide show(s), although you can choose one of the same songs.
You can also trim the song that will play on the menu.
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Customizing Your Menu

Click the customize icon beneath the Music Settings to make further customizations to the menu. This will launch a
new window that should look familiar.

You can customize everything in your menu in the same way that you would customize a slide, keeping in mind that
your menu is not animated. There is a Layers List on the left for you to select different elements in your menu and
customize them, add, and remove layers. The two additions to the Menu Editor Page are the ability to add pages to
your menu (like adding slides, but they are static and not animated) and Navigation.

Navigation

Navigation is how your audience will use their remote control to move around your menu. As you select each layer in
the Layers list, you will see options for what should happen when each button on the remote is pushed. You can keep
the default choices or change what happens for any of those buttons.

Output Queue
The Output Queue allows you to set multiple shows to publish and put them in a Queue to render later.
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Click the Publish option from the list on the left to put a show into the publishing queue. Ensure all the settings are as
you want them to be then click the Queue button at the bottom. The Queue list is collapsible and located on the right
side of the Publish window. You will choose a save location and file name, depending on the Publish option chosen.
Once a show or project is in your Queue, you can close this window, open another Project, and add another show to
the Queue. You can also add the same show to the Queue more than once to render it in different formats.

You will see your shows appear in the queue list on the right side of the Publish window. You can change the order in
which your shows are published, start publishing all shows in the queue, clear the list, and see the Publish History.
 336

If you have shows in the Queue, you will also see this list appear on the right side of your Home Page. Once you have
started to render shows in the Queue you can then go back and continue to work on other slide shows while the
Queue processes that output in the background.

Appendix A: Image File Extensions

bmp
ico
jpg
jpeg
j2k
jpeg2k
jpg2k
pbm
pgm
png
tiff
tif
targa
tga
psd
jfif
heic
heif
jpe
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nef
cr2
crw
arw
fff
dng
erf
raw
kdc
mrw
orf
rw2
pef
srw
3fr

Appendix B: Video File Extensions

mp4
mpeg4
mpg
mpeg
mpeg2
mov
webm
wmv
hevc
3gp
3g2
asf
avi
dirac
dv
flic
flv
gif
h264
m4v
mkv
mjpg
mjpeg
mts
mpegts
ts
 338

m2ts
nut
ogg
ogv
rm
rv
vcd
vob

Appendix C: Audio File Extensions

wav
mp2
mp3
aac
m4a
ac3
aiff
aif
asf
au
dts
flac
gsm
oga
spx
wma
m4p
ogg

Appendix D: Keyboard Shortcuts

Toggle Zoom Window : Shift+Ctrl+Alt+Z
Close Window : Escape
Undo: Ctrl+Z
Redo: Shift+Ctrl+Z
Copy : Ctrl+C
Cut : Ctrl+X
Paste : Ctrl+V
Delete : Delete
Select All : Ctrl+A
Select None : Ctrl+Alt+A
Select Inverse : Ctrl+I
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Preferences : Ctrl+F1
Cycle Time View : F2
Play Show : Space
Play Slide : Shift+Space
Slide Number : Ctrl+G
Next Flagged Slide : Ctrl+Alt+G
Previous Flagged Slide : Shift+Ctrl+G
Help : F1
Toggle Flag on Selected Slides : Ctrl+F
Clear all Flags : Shift+Ctrl+F
Insert Blank Slide : Alt+B
Insert Title Slide : Ctrl+Alt+B
Shift Slide(s) to Left : Shift+CommaLessThan
Shift Slide(s) to Left : CommaLessThan
Shift Slide(s) to Right : Shift+PeriodGreaterThan
Shift Slide(s) to Right : PeriodGreaterThan
Reset Slide : Shift+Ctrl+R
Show Settings : Ctrl+H
Edit Background : Shift+Ctrl+B
Edit Watermark : Shift+Ctrl+W
Soundtrack : Ctrl+M
Open Project : Ctrl+O
Save Project : Ctrl+S
Save Project As : Ctrl+Alt+S
Close Project : Ctrl+Alt+C