Rendering to a file (eg. jpg)

Upon completion of your project, all users can export to a 'flat file' type of output - .jpg, .tiff, .png, .pdf, .bmp, .gif formats.
The process of flattening your file is also referred to as 'processing' or 'rendering'.

This is a 'flat file' because all the layers (frames/text/backgrounds, etc.) are all flattened into one image.
The resulting file is no longer editable in FotoFusion, but can be transferred to other computers (who do not have FotoFusion) and to photo labs or printing service providers.

Extreme license holders can also create a multi-page pdf document or export to a layered psd file (useful for color correction or image editing in Photoshop).

Once you export your file, the individual components of your project will no longer be editable.
(Technically, you can move the layers in the psd output, but this is not recommended since the image's shadow and other elements are related to each other and are on separate layers.)

If you still need to edit your collage, you should save it as .scrap file, not render it into a flat file.

Typical reasons for rendering your work include:

•	to give the work to a lab for printing;

•	to send good quality files to clients, family or friends who do not own FotoFusion;

•	to use the files in another application, such as a slide-show maker;

•	to burn the files to a dvd;

•	to use the files in an album-making application, which will then upload your album for printing & binding;

•	to print it on a machine that does not have FotoFusion installed;

•	to use it as a Windows desktop image;

•	upload it to a public web gallery outside of FotoScraps.

To export your file, click on the tab, and select TO A FILE from the list of options.
This will switch FotoFusion to the Export view.

Render

The Export options are as follows:

•	File name: type in any name you would like to give the file.

•	File type: see below for options.

•	Folder: click on the arrow button to change the folder where your files will be saved on your system.

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Crop options drop-box: Select from "Render Canvas Only" (crops to exact border edge of your canvas area); :Render Canvas + Bleed" (crops to bleed edge -- Extreme version only); or :"Render Canvas + Bleed + Overhang" (includes items outside your canvas, including "orphaned frames" floating completely off your workspace).

•	Show Crop Marks: Checked on, the rendered files will include crop marks on your project (best used if a bleed zone has been included on your project).

•	Sharpen reduced images: It is recommended to leave this option on to ensure the best quality for your images.

•	Watermark Collage: Click here to learn more about creating your own custom watermark, to protect your images from unauthorized reproduction.

•	Add Banner: Click here to learn more about creating your own custom banner, to better advertise your work.

•	Overlay Image Info: If you are sending a proof to a customer, turn on this option. Learn more about how to set the Exif tag options for this feature.

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Resolution and Quality: You can set the resolution or DPI (dots per inch) of your exported collage to fit your requirements. Setting the DPI will adjust the image resolution, and setting the image resolution will adjust the DPI (since both values are related to the canvas size). Scrapbook Essentials and Enhanced users: please note the resolution and dpi limits for your respective licenses.
If you are saving in the JPEG file format, the 'quality' slider will allow you to adjust the amount of compression used to save the image. More compression produces smaller files at a lower quality; less compression produces larger but higher-quality images.

Once you have set these values, you can PREVIEW your page. This will allow you to examine your work at 100% detail. (Note: you cannot zoom out, but you can scroll the page to see it in detail.)

Toggle between ACTUAL SIZE views (100%, which can be panned) or Zoom to Fit (to display the entire page).

If you are satisfied, you can RENDER the project to a file.

You have several rendering choices:

1) Local Viewer versus External Viewer or External Editor
When you have finished processing a composition to a flat file, it is often useful to open that file in another application.
For example, you may want to edit the file in Photoshop.

FotoFusion can be told to display processed output in any of the following:

•	Local Viewer: FotoFusion will display the processed image directly in Export window.

•	External Viewer or External Editor: FotoFusion will open the tool you have selected to load the rendered output and display the results there.

Why the split between viewing and editing?
Most graphics users have multiple applications installed that can be grouped into two basic categories - lightweight viewers, such as IrfanView, which boot quickly and are designed to display images - and editors, such as Paint Shop Pro, which boot more slowly and are designed to manipulate images with paint and other tools.

FotoFusion allows you to configure a set of programs in either category, and pick from among those alternatives when you click 'Render'. Simply left-click the button to be asked which editor you would like to send the output to; if you have not configured an editor for use by FotoFusion, choose 'manage' from that pop-up menu. You will be asked to select an editor to use:

ChooseEditor

To add a new program, such as Photoshop,

1.	Click 'Add.'

2.	Navigate through the folders of your hard drive until you find the program you want to run (such as C:\Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop 7.0\Photoshop.exe).

3.	Click 'OK'

Now, when you click the 'Render' button, you will be given the choice of routing your image through Photoshop for further editing:

ExportPhotoshop

2) Entire Canvas versus Double Page Separate versus Respect Page Segments
FotoFusion EXTREME supports double page spreads and page segments.
When creating a professional album layout, you may wish to compose a "double page spread," meaning the canvas size represents two pages joined together during the binding process. This is useful if, for instance, you wish to place a large panoramic image across two pages or a decorative background.

FotoFusion allows you to specify this type of layout in the Canvas Size editor, and will draw a center guideline if the page dimensions reach a particular aspect ratio (4:3).

When it is time to render your double-page spread, you will have the option to render double pages separate. If this option is selected, two separate files will be created for each half of the spread. If this option is not selected, then one large file will be created. Safe and bleed zones will be applied to both segments of the page.

To process the entire collage out into separate flattened images, choose "Entire Canvas" in the combo box in the options area.

If you have specified Printer Page Segments in the project, you can render your files to follow the predefined segments.

All of the pages in your composition will be exported with the page number appended to the project name.

3) All Pages versus Selected Page
FotoFusion EXTREME supports multi-page rendering. Select All Pages to render your entire album at the same time, into the same directory.
Multi-page projects will be named with the same file name sequentially (eg. Sanchez Wedding 001.jpg, Sanchez Wedding 002.jpg).

To render one page from a multi-page project, choose Selected Page.
If you have also chosen to render Double Page Separate or Respect Page Segments, you will notice that the Preview and Render Buttons will prompt you to choose which part of the project you would like to render. Click on the thumbnail of the section you would like to export.

If you have chosen Respect Page Segments, you must use the Selected Page option.

File Type
The following file types are supported by FotoFusion: BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, and TIF; Extreme users have the option of PSD and PDF formats.

JPG is a compressed format, which means that image quality can be traded off against disk space - lower compression will produce sharper images and a big file, higher compression will produce noisier images and smaller files. Increasing the quality on a JPG export usually results in good-looking images without producing a too-large file.

Only the PNG format can write out transparency; if you want to have a canvas with a transparent background, do this:

•	1. Set up the canvas with a transparent background by dialing its opacity to zero;

•	2. Choose 'PNG' as a file format;

•	3. Export the image as described here.

BMP files tend to be very large - they are 'lossless' (you won't lose any quality working with this format). Images in this format are typically used for work in Windows environments.

TIF images are more portable than BMP images but remain large compared to JPG files.

PDF format will create a document that is viewable in Adobe Acrobat Reader. (This feature available in Extreme version only)

PSD format (Extreme version only) will allow you to open your work in Photoshop and edit each element on the page on separate layers. This is useful for precise color correction after you have completed your composition. Please note that you cannot export any file to psd which contains dotScrap elements and trial users cannot choose to export to psd.

Each image object in FotoFusion appears as three layers in Photoshop: the frame, the contained image, and the shadow. For example if you have three images in FotoFusion, you'll get 3*3 + 1 (canvas) = 10 layers in Photoshop. Each layer is "just pixels" - e.g. a shadow layer is an RGBA image, not a Photoshop layer style. There are no layer masks applied. If you put an image into a 1x1" frame at the top left of a 10x10 canvas and export at 300 DPI, the layer holding that image will contain a 300x300 image.