Further to Anna's emotional cry to 'save people in photographs from random and thoughtless amputations'… I was trying to think of a way to 'stop the suffering'. It occurred to me that we could specifically shoot for the panoramic opportunity. Shoot what you might call 'the subject image' and then move slightly to get the 'rest of the scene' photograph. Use the spine as the aligned join for these images to create a panoramic effect. This has two advantages. The enlargement required is less, keeping the quality up. You plan more for the placement of your subject so that nobody has to lose an arm. To View More >>

Three quick tips to simplify album design. 1. Avoid unnecessary repetition (eg this is the bride looking slightly left, straight ahead, and slightly right) unless you make your profits from the number of images you sell. 2. Embrace open space (especially in sample albums - lead by example). 3. Offer a two album option that allows people to have lots of images without overcrowding. While I'm mentioning 'leading by example': If you don't make a sample album from each order, at least make each design into a slideshow you can show prospective clients. This library of slideshows allows you to show To View More >>

The latest PJ Remix beta was released last week. Here are links to three great new features: the ability to add text to layouts, the ability to import PSDs as images (instead of JPEGs) and templates, and a function to create proof sheets. Plus all the usual tweaks and fixes! Here's another one Queensberry users will like - you no longer need LabFTP to upload your orders. It all happens within Photojunction itself. The software even talks to our server and assigns a Queensberry reference to your order. If you'd like to try the new version but aren't set up to get beta updates, here's what to do. To View More >>

Wading through our "how-to" posts was quite a job. Trying to single out the best was just as difficult, but worth the effort. Here are my favourites. Hopefully you'll find them handy when dealing with Queensberry and Photojunction, and evaluating your own workflow... There's so much good stuff in the  Smooth Sailing series I reckon you should check them all, but here are a few: Photo Front covers (easy peasy) - If designing Photo Front covers sounds hard. It's not. Here's how to easily do it. What can delay your orders? -  Here are a few simple things that frequently delay people's orders (long To View More >>

We know the feeling – you know there must be a way to do something, but you just can't figure it out.    Here's an example: there's no standard "title" aperture in PJ Remix, so how do you add a title? There are actually two ways to do it. The easier way (but maybe also easier to get wrong) is simply this: Add a blank aperture to the layout using the Add button (left image, above) Change the aperture to Customise (right image, above) Uncheck the Constrain Proportions box and enter the values directly. Easy as long as you remember the values: 112 wide by 200 high , as above. Whether you use To View More >>