If you’re not using Album DS for more than wedding albums, you may be missing opportunities to make more money....

You already know Album DS is the BEST tool for making wedding albums but have you realized you can use it for so much more? Remember with Album DS you can open any template at any size so the next time you create a birth or wedding announcement, why not also show a poster of the same design.

After your next event why not produce 5x7 collages from the event highlighting the caterer, florist, dj, dress or tux shop and also put your info on it. Creating collages like this is simple and a quick search on the internet should get you the logo you need for the vendor you make the cards for and imagine their surprise when instead of chasing a photographer down for images you’ve already created a great marketing piece for them and your studio all in one. Don’t forget to put your phone number and web address along with your logo and you’ll be amazed at how receptive people are to marketing their business and yours, especially if you get it to them within days of the event.

Don’t pass up opportunities for greeting cards, holiday cards, collage posters, calendars, brochures, save the date cards, wedding invitations, bridal shower invitations, guest books. You can do it all easily with Album DS.

Version 6.0 Tips - AKA, I Didn’t Know Album DS Could Do That

Place picture resizing - This command is in the pictures tab of Album DS. You can access it by right-clicking over any picture and choosing “Place picture resizing” from the contextual menu. What it does is place the selected picture in the selected shape but instead of pinning the shortest side and cropping as necessary, it will place the picture at approximately the same size as the shape selected but it will change the aspect ratio of the shape automatically to match the aspect ratio of the photo with no cropping.

Layout Mode - Did you know Album DS can create a storyboard page with all of your image thumbnails on it allowing you to organize, order and even import direct to a template or a custom design? Access this feature from the “Album” menu of Album DS and then choose “Create layout” and pick the size you want your thumbnails to appear. You’ll find more information about this in the Album DS manual which is accessible by choosing Help from the Album DS Help menu.

So Many Ways to Learn, Pick Your Favorite

One of the things that we feel sets us apart from others is our dedication to helping you succeed. We believe that the easier we make Album DS to learn and use the bigger the benefit our customers get from the product. Many people buy expensive software only to let it sit because of the challenge of learning it or difficulties getting support. At Album DS we believe our product is an investment in future earnings. Our product saves time, makes design fun and hopefully will help you keep the green coming in and we want to make sure you get as much out of it as you can.

Here’s just some of the ways we help you with Album DS

A complete user guide located in the Album DS application folder and also available from the “Help” menu of Album DS under Help.

Videos are available on our website and also accessible directly from the Album DS “Help” menu by selecting “Tutorial” and your country.

Free Webinars, sign up on our homepage (see more info above)

Technical Support is also available if you get stuck and our support is actually good :)

Album DS really isn’t difficult to learn and only requires a basic knowledge of Photoshop. We find most people are easily building basic albums and products the same day they begin using Album DS. The most important things to remember are ALWAYS save from Album DS and not Photoshop and begin working with Album DS when you are in a mind set to learn something new. If you have an afternoon or evening where you can focus and learn without interruption you should have great success and quickly and you’ll continue to find all kinds of things that you can do with Album DS.

Have Fun!!!

Shout It, Shout It, Shout It Out Loud

Help us help others and help yourself too....

We know we’ve got the best product for photographic design and we’re betting you do too. How about sharing your feelings about us and Album DS on your favorite photography blog and forums. The best way for us to stay ahead of the game is to have lots of happy customers and we know the best way to accomplish this is by our users telling others about Album DS.

If you tell others about us you’re helping your fellow photographer save time and earn more money, your helping us by keeping customers coming, and you’re helping yourself because we’ll give you additional support and updates added to your support contract for free so you keep enjoying all of Album DS’s benefits with no extra cost to you. How’s that for a deal.

To participate just make posts to your favorite photography forum or blog and email us a link or screen capture of the post and we’ll extend your support and updates for six months.

Join us on Facebook and become a Fan

Click here and become a fan of Album DS on Facebook

We’re now on Facebook the coolest thing to hit social media and we want to invite you to become a Fan. We have videos, news and also will be doing some special things that only fans will be privy too. We also have an area dedicated to your samples and how you’re using Album DS. We want to know how you use Album DS and see your work so please join us and have some fun.

Check Out Our New Site

We’ve overhauled our website to make things easier to find, added more style and more info. Simply go to www.albumds.com, select your country and enjoy the new content.

If you’re in the United States or Canada you can get to the North American site by going to www.albumds.com/site_us.

Don’t forget to bookmark it and tell your friends :)

New Template Sets Announced From My Designer Studio

                Album DS updated to version 6.01

Album DS has just been updated to version 6.01. The new update adds and updates many products for ACI Labs, Solves a bug in the Windows version with deleting pictures, Solves a bug in Windows version with splitting sheets with gutter and lastly fixes a problem in the Macintosh version with importing extra large .jpg files.

We aren’t a fan of bugs and squish any we come across to keep all our users happily designing. Should you encounter problems with Album DS please contact support and remember we’re here for you and want you to have as much success as possible.

To update to version 6.01, please quit Album DS if it’s active and launch the Album DS installer from the Installer subfolder where the Album DS application is installed. Once launched click on “Check for updates” and the select "Main - Version_601" and “Predefined - ACI_072009” and click install.

Macintosh users should also install the new installer emailed out to all customers 7/14/2009.

We’ve had a few inquiries lately and just want to make sure you understand the Album DS Support and Updates Policy. Album DS comes with 1 full year of support and product updates included in the cost of the software. This means that any product updates and element updates created by Art Fotografic will be available to covered users throughout the term of their support contract. This does not include elements or artwork created for Album DS by 3rd parties.

During the support period customers may request support and many common answers can be found quickly and easily either in our FAQ or our online video library. Support is guaranteed within 24 hours 7 days a week and often happens within minutes.

Before the end of your first year of support it is advisable that you login and purchase a support/updates renewal which is $99 as long as you are within a current contract and it covers any machines licensed with Album DS. It’s not necessary to purchase for each licensed machine and renewing covers you for an additional 12 months. If your contract has expired you may purchase an outdated support/updates renewal which is $125 and can be purchased for any outdated support contract to reinstate your previously covered system(s).

Maintaining support is NOT mandatory and Album DS will not cease functioning just because your support is outdated, however you will not be eligible for support. This includes but is not limited to software and computer updates that prohibit Album DS to function. Art Fotografic does not maintain outdated versions of our software and all downloads include instructions to create backups of your software. Album DS is a large program due to the nature of its high resolution files and it costs a company like ours quite a bit for our users downloads worldwide so we cannot give away downloads and following our instructions will prevent issues.

While maintaining support is NOT mandatory, it is strongly advised as we always update Album DS to be compatible with the latest operating systems and add new features, templates, backgrounds, clipart etc. worth far more than the cost to keep support active. There are typically at least 4 updates a year. Being current also ensures a solid company developing Album DS and allows us to create more for you our customers.

We also have ways you can get your support and updates for free. Yes, that’s correct you can get 6 months of support/updates at no cost to you just by letting others know how much you enjoy Album DS. There are two ways to do this (1) Post a review or testimonial on your favorite dedicated photography forum* (2) Refer a friend who purchases Album DS and puts your name in the referral source field.

If you tell others about us you’re helping your fellow photographer save time and earn more money, your helping us by keeping customers coming, and you’re helping yourself because we’ll give you additional support and updates added to your support contract for free so you keep enjoying all of Album DS’s benefits with no extra cost to you. How’s that for a deal.

To participate just make posts to your favorite photography forum or blog and email us a link or screen capture of the post and we’ll extend your support and updates for six months.

*To be eligible, posts to forums should mention what you like about Album DS, how you’re using it and how it’s helped your business along with other things that will help others understand the benefits of the program.