FotoFusion Basics

What is FotoFusion and What Does It Do?
FotoFusion is a powerful, easy-to-use tool for creating high-quality photo compositions from digital images.

Scrapbookers and digital photo enthusiasts use FotoFusion to:

•	create beautiful photo pages to preserve their memories;

•	create gifts and craft projects;

•	organize their digital photos;

•	share images by email and website.

Professional photographers use FotoFusion to

•	produce multi-page albums in minutes, not hours;

•	use templates for a wide variety of pro-projects;

•	create large format and grand format output;

•	make class-composites and yearbooks with fantastic ease;

•	catalogue their images by project or theme.

After creating your project, you can output in a variety of ways: local printing, email, your web gallery or several file format types, so that any friend, family member, client or printing facility will be to receive your creation.

Any time you need to use multiple images into a single layout, FotoFusion is your tool of choice.

How Does FotoFusion Work?

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Unlike image editing software, FotoFusion does not load up the entire full-resolution image on your screen.
FotoFusion works with 'reference' images (somewhat like enhanced thumbnail versions), which allows you to add dozens and dozens of images to your project without overtaxing your computer's memory resources.
When you print or process your collage, FotoFusion returns to the original images to collect additional information, creating the highest quality for your output.

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FotoFusion can only output your project by maintaining a link from the reference image on your collage to the original images.
If you move or rename the original files on your computer, you will break the link between the reference image and the original image, and FotoFusion will not be able to gather the full image information to create high quality output. Click here to learn more.

A session with FotoFusion usually follows these steps:

1) Start with images from your local disk, downloaded from your digital camera or images you have scanned.

•	No steps required - you don't need to import your images into the software, or pre-process them into a new format. They can be retrieved, as is, from your drive.

2) Automatically create a starting point for a collage.

From the Start Zone, either choose

•	AUTOCOLLAGE, to automatically arrange images on your page. 1) Choose your images. 2) Select your Creative Options. 3) Set your canvas size;

•	Start from a Blank Canvas and bring images in from your computer;

•	Use a template from your collection or from the Marketplace, and drop your images into a pre-arrange layout.

3) Finalize your image selection

Add and remove images and text to get the final collection of elements you want to display in the page

•	Click on the auto-collage button (located over the canvas area) as often as you like to instantly rearrange your images.

•	Add more images, using the organizer, or the Images button, or by drag images in from local storage or web galleries.

4) Arrange the images to get the composition right.

•	Use AutoCollage, AutoJumble and AutoDistribute to create an interesting composition.

•	Swap images between frames.

•	Crop the pictures to focus on regions of interest.

•	Rotate and resize frames as desired.

5) Adjust image quality

•	Color correct problems with brightness & contrast.

•	Apply sepia-tone, black and white, or blur effects.

•	Correct tilted images.

6) Adjust Borders and Frames

•	Adjust the border width, color and transparency.

•	Use mattes to produce interesting edges and effect around your images.

7) Set the canvas properties

•	Add a texture.

•	Set a color.

•	Set an image as the background.

8) Add Text

•	Add text to the canvas.

•	Add text to individual frames (ENHANCED and EXTREME only).

•	Size and position the text.

•	Add EXIF information (ENHANCED and EXTREME only).

•	Adjust font colors, sizes, transparency, blur, shadow, etc.

DONE! Now that you have created your collage, what do you want to do with it?

OUTPUT OPTION 1: EMAIL TO A FRIEND OR CLIENT

•	Choose whether or not to include thumbnails of the original images.

•	Watermark and add banners to protect your work (ENHANCED and EXTREME only).

•	Add email addresses and send your collage

OUTPUT OPTION 2: UPLOAD TO YOUR WEB GALLERY

•	Choose whether or not to include original images.

•	Watermark and add banners to protect your work (ENHANCED and EXTREME only).

•	Publish to the web or a local file for additional editing.

OUTPUT OPTION 3: PRODUCE A FILE TO SEND TO A PHOTO LAB OR PRINTING COMPANY

•	Choose a resolution and compression quality.

•	Render the collage to produce a file.

•	Transfer the file to the lab via a cd, memory device or by direct upload.

OUTPUT OPTION 4: PRINT ON YOUR LOCAL PRINTER

•	Check your Printer Settings to ensure you have the correct paper options.

•	Layout print pages if necessary (printing a large size on a home printer).

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Print.