Portrait Grid Formatting Options

Created by Lynne Darroch, Modified on Mon, 31 Aug at 7:52 PM by Lynne Darroch

Portrait pages may be customized after flowing portraits into your book on the book manager, Preset makes this task easier, but you can further customize your book with Advanced Settings.

Accessing the Portrait Lab in the Editor	Copying settings between sections
Grid Presets	Advanced settings for duo photo and memories/quotes	Portrait Presets
Changing the number of rows and columns	Row and column spacing	Custom margins
Turning page breaks on and off between groups	Last row alignment options
Rotation style & degree of chaos	Mirror Mode
Feature Frames	Making spaces in the grid (knockout mode)

Accessing the Portrait Lab in the Editor

To customize a portrait page, hover over it in the ladder.

Click Edit to launch the page in the Editor.

Access the Portrait Lab in the Editor.

The section title appears at the top of the Portrait Lab.
To move to a different portrait section, click on the V button to choose the new group.

Three configuration tabs are offered at the top of the Portrait lab: Grids, Portraits and Advanced.

Grids offer layout presets
Portraits offer portrait template presets
Advanced gives access to detailed customization options.

Copying settings between sections After configuring one portrait section, you can quickly copy its settings to another section. Access the unconfigured portrait section so it is active in the editor. Click on the Portrait Lab's Advanced tab. Locate Copy Settings from Another Section.
Click on the V button then select the the section to copy, Click Apply Settings.

Grid Presets

Grids offer quick layout preset options, organized by the grid style. Portrait layouts are organized by number of photos, label position and other options.

Click on the V button to switch categories.

Note that some grid options require special configuration in the portrait manager.

Featured image options require one or more people have been assigned a role. For example, a classroom page may feature portraits with the role of teacher. (Portraits may be made feature on their page as well)
2 photo options require another portrait image be added to the portrait record (baby, grad photos).
Memory/quote options require additional text added to the portrait record.

For standard portrait grids, choose one of the following options:

1 photo classic: standard grids with name labels under the photo, including feature staff frame options
1 photo artistic: offset or waved rows & columns
1 photo + side label: name labels are placed next to rows rather than under the photo

For senior class special pages, explore the following options.

1 photo + memory/quote: a single portrait image accompanied by a name label and extra text options
2 photos: for a "before and after" style layout
2 photos + memory/quote: combine extra text options with two photos

Advanced settings for duo photo and memories/quotes

Senior portrait templates offering two photos and/or memories & quotesrequire advanced configuration to specify which photos and text to use from the portrait database.

Click on the Portrait Lab
Click on the Advanced tab.
Access the portrait and text content source options.

Choose the portrait source for the primary and/or secondary photo in the template.

Choose the text content source.

Portrait Presets

Portraits offer quick access to portrait templates organized by the type of portrait style. Templates are organized under a drawer by number of photos, label position and other options.

Click on the V button to switch categories.

Note that some template options require special configuration in the portrait manager.

2 photo options require another portrait image be added to the portrait record (baby, grad photos).
Memory/quote options require additional text added to the portrait record.

Portrait templates may be customized: adjust image frame border and shape options, label text font and size options, recoloring decorative elements, etc. Consult the portrait preset look-book for full details and customization advice.

For standard portrait grids, choose one of the following options:

1 photo classic: standard grids with name labels under the photo
1 photo artistic: includes decorative embellishments that may be customized
1 photo + side label: name labels are placed next to rows rather than under the photo

For senior class special pages, explore the following options.

1 photo + memory/quote: a single portrait image accompanied by a name label and extra text options
2 photos: for a "before and after" style layout
2 photos + memory/quote: combine extra text options with two photos

To accommodate wider or taller portrait templates, access the Advanced tab to adjust portrait grid settings (rows & columns). For duo image portraits, access the Advanced tab to adjust layout styling, specifying with portrait to use in both primary & secondary frames (see above for complete info).

Advanced Settings

Advanced settings may be combined with Grid and Portrait presets to customize your portrait grid.

Advanced options include:

Portrait Grid Settings: turn on "knockout mode," set custom columns/rows, turn on/off feature frames, page breaks, and/or copy settings from another section.
Layout Styling: Choose a portrait template style, which portrait option to use (for multi-portrait records),last row alignment, and custom margins.
Name Label Options: specify what text to use in a name label and formatting. Label customization is covered in depth in a separate article.
Title Options: choose the default formatting for portrait group titles and formatting options. Page title customization is covered in depth in a separate article
Giggle Zone: play with image frame rotation and skew, or use mirror mode to create alignment symmetry options

Changing the number of rows and columns

Increase or decrease the number of rows and/or columns in your grid.

The portrait grid resizes each portrait template to fit to the grid at the current row and column settings.

If you want the portrait templates to be larger, reduce the number of rows and/or columns in the grid.
If you want to condense more portraits onto a page, increase the numbers of rows and columns.

Row and column spacing

Increase or decrease the spacing between rows and columns in the grid.

Changing the spacing to 0 removes all padding between portraits.
Changing the spacing to a higher value pushes the portraits apart.

Custom margins

Adding a custom margin to the portrait grid will inset the grid away from the safe margins from the page edge, to clear space on the page for candid photos or decorations.

Apply a custom margin on the page gutter, edge, top and bottom, as desired.

Turning page breaks on and off between groups

To condense smaller portrait groups to a page or to simply continuously flow between groups, turn off the page breaks between portrait groups.

Note: Increase the number of rows and columns to allow more frames per pages. Change the page title height as well.

Last row alignment options

Incomplete portrait rows may be aligned to portrait grid.

Choose to align the last row to the center, edge, gutter, left or right side of the page.

Rotation style & degree of chaos

Rotation Style sets the type of portrait rotation: random, rotated left or right, alternating rows, arc or alternating portraits.

Degree of chaos sets the angle of rotation. A recommended 10-20 degree angle is recommended for best effect.

Access the Portrait lab.
Click on the Advanced tab.
Open the Giggle Zone drawer.
Change the Rotation Style.
Set the rotation angle (Degree of Chaos)
Click Update Layout.

The examples below are formatted using a standard portrait grid option, but you can combine rotation with other layout styles (available under the Advanced > Layout Styling of the Grid presets).

Note that feature images placed on a separate row are excluded from rotation

Random	Rotate left	Rotate right
Alternate rows	Arc	Alternate portraits

Mirror Mode

Use Mirror Mode on portrait templates that have a left-right orientation. The template may be flipped every column or on the column & row.

Access the Portrait lab.
Click on the Advanced tab.
Open the Giggle Zone drawer.
Choose a Mirror Mode style.
Click Update Layout.

Column mirror

Column & Row mirror

Feature Frames

Feature frames highlight designated portraits in the grid.

For example, senior administrators may be featured on the staff page, and homeroom teachers may appear at the top of their classroom page.

Important: Featured portraits only works if a role has been assigned to the person who needs to be featured.

Commonly featured roles include Teachers, Assistant Teachers, Principal and Vice-Principal.
The portrait manager allows you to quickly designate roles for individuals. Learn more about role assignment in the portrait manager.

You can also quickly set a featured portrait in the editor

Featured portraits may occupy a 2x2 position at the front of the portrait grid, or may place featured portraits on a separate row. Featured portraits on a separate row may be enlarged or kept at the same size as the rest of the portraits.

Use a Grid Preset to quickly designate a layout that includes a featured portrait. Layouts will include the word "feature" in their name.

Access the Advanced tab to manually turn on the feature frame. Under the Portrait Grid Settings drawer, turn on the Show Feature Frames toggle.

If the Featured frame is positioned at the start of a row, choose the orientation of the featured frame in relation to the page.

Access the Portrait Lab's Advanced tab.
Open the Portrait Grid Settings drawer.
Click on the V button in the Feature Frame position option.
Choose the orientation: Default (always on the left), Force Right, Gutter, or edge

Default	Force Right
Gutter	Edge
The featured frames may be set on a separate row. Access the Portrait Lab's Advanced tab. Open the Portrait Grid Settings drawer. Turn on the Keep featured on separate row toggle. If the featured frames are on a separate row, choose whether they should be enlarged or remain the same size as the other portrait frames.
Featured on separate row, not enlarged	Featured on separate row, enlarged

Featured Portrait Options

Specify what role to feature in the portrait grid.

Access the Portrait Lab's Advanced tab.
Open the Portrait Grid Settings drawer to ensure that Show feature frame(s) is turned on
Open the Featured Portrait Options drawer.
Click into the Roles to Feature area.
Click x to remove a featured role.
Click the V button to add a featured role.

Specify how the featured portrait labels should be formatted.

First, set how the name should be formatted.

Access the Portrait Lab's Advanced tab.
Open the Featured Portrait Options drawer.
Click into the Text to Display on Label option.
Display first then last name, last then last name, only the first name, only the last name, the first name and last initial, or the first initial and last name.
Next, optionally turn on Salutation and/or Job Title. These options will appear on a separate line on the label. Note that salutation and job title information must be added in the portrait manager.
Last, choose if the featured portraits should have first and last name split onto two lines.

Last Name only + Salutation on

Job Title

Making spaces in the grid (knockout mode)

Create spaces within your grid with knockout mode.

Access the Portrait Lab's Advanced tab.
Open the Portrait Grid Settings drawer.
Toggle the Knockout Mode button.

The portrait page grid will show eye-icons on each portrait image. Click on the eye-icon to turn the portrait on or off.

Turning a portrait off will not delete the person from the grid. The portrait grid will flow out to accommodate the space.

The red space does not appear on your layout; this is a representation of the empty slot.

If there is insufficient room to add an extra portrait slot, a new page will be created in the book.

Turn the knockout toggle back to off to continue working on your page.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Accessing the Portrait Lab in the Editor
Copying settings between sections
Grid Presets
Portrait Presets
Advanced Settings
Feature Frames
Making spaces in the grid (knockout mode)

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Portrait Grid Formatting Options

Accessing the Portrait Lab in the Editor

Copying settings between sections

Grid Presets

Advanced settings for duo photo and memories/quotes

Portrait Presets