AutoCollage

The core design element of FotoFusion is a patent-pending layout mechanism called AutoCollage.

This tool takes a set of images and arranges them to fit gracefully within the canvas, respecting the aspect ratios of the original images and doing the minimum cropping required to have the images fill the space cleanly.

Any set of images on the canvas can be AutoCollaged repeatedly, until you are satisfied with the layout. Click on the AutoCollage button on the Toolbar to obtain a new layout every time.

AutoCollage 1

Click 'AutoCollage'
for a new layout...

AutoCollage 2

There are two ways to work with AutoCollage...

•	as a command from within an existing project, as described above;

•	as a "Wizard" (takes you step by step through the process to start a new project.

The AutoCollage Wizard

From the START ZONE, click on the AUTO icon.

This will open the AutoCollage Wizard.

Start Wheel - Auto

From the CHOOSE IMAGES tab, select images to include in the collage.

To navigate to a different directory, click on the V: next to the folder name.

To select all images in the directory, click on the first picture, then shift-click on the last one

To select images one-by-one and then .

To multi-select images, click on each while holding the Control key, then .

To select all images in the current view, select

Next, click the CREATIVE OPTIONS tab when you are done.

AutoCollageWizardChoose

On the CREATIVE OPTIONS tab, you can make several choices.

Extreme users can select Multi Page options.
Select the number of pages in the project, to add an equal number of images to each page, or
select the number of images per page, or

add one image per page (for a proof book, for instance).

All users can specify Creative Enhancements:

•	add drop shadows and borders to each image;

•	create a jumbled or a sparse collage,

•	or add one image as the canvas backdrop.

If you will choose an album two-page spread (Extreme, Yearbook only) you can opt to have FotoFusion respect the gutter (middle line) and not place images over it.

Add a title, if you choose, which will appear as a text frame at the top of the page.

Sorting Options include sort images by file date or name.
You can choose to keep the image's aspect ratio, meaning that none of the images will be cropped when placed on the canvas.

AutoCollageWizardCreative

When you are done, click on the CANVAS SIZE OPTIONS tab.

On the CANVAS SIZE OPTIONS tab, you can choose the size of your project as you would any other project. Click here to learn more.

Click OK when you are finished setting the Canvas Size.

AutoCollageWizardCanvasSize

An automatic layout is generated from your selection of images and creative options.

For many people, this is all the work they need to do. Others will choose to use this as a starting point.

If you would like to try a different arrangement for the images, click 'AutoCollage' on the Tool bar:

FirstCollage2

To jumble the images, press 'AutoJumble' on the Tool Bar.

FirstCollage3

There are a HUGE number of things that you

can do to your collage at this point, including:

Resizing images	Rotating images	Swapping images	Cropping images
Correcting images	Setting a background image	Adding text	Changing the background
Changing frame borders	Splitting frames	Adding hotlinks to images	Changing the drop shadows
Resizing the canvas	Merging frames	Duplicating frames	Watermarking the canvas

AutoCollage from within an existing project
The AutoCollage button creates a new arrangement for the frames currently in use on the canvas, or in the dropper, or in the buckets.

Click this button to rearrange your collage (as many times as you like!) until you find an arrangement that is close to what you want.

If you "hover" over the AutoCollage button (meaning, let your cursor float above the icon without clicking), you will open the AutoCollage options hover. Select any of the options to change the look of your collage.

AutoCollageOptions

The options on this hover mirror the options available in the wizard, with two exceptions:

•	Preserve frame settings will override resizing and preserve any changes you have made to particular images on the canvas.

•	Include images in "Bucket 1" will add any images added to the first bucket from the Organizer.

•	If turned on, the Respect Center Line option will prevent images from auto-collaging across the gutter in an album two-page spread layout (Extreme, YearbookFusion users only).

NOTE: The options selected in the AutoCollage hover will also apply to any other Auto Tools --AutoPopulate and AutoDistribute.

AutoCollage is also directly available from within the Images hover.

Sparse AutoCollage provides an option to leave 'gaps' in the automatically-produced arrangement of images - a 'Sparse' collage.

Sparse Autocollage 1

AutoTools-SparseAutoCollage

This tool is really most useful in combination with the BACKDROP option as a way of quickly setting up a canvas for editing.

Sparse Autocollage 2

AutoTools-SparseAutoCollageBckd

AutoJumblerandomly rotates the frames in the canvas to produce a 'jumbled' look with no effort:

Jumble collage pre

Click 'AutoJumble'...

Jumble collage post

You could accomplish the same effect manually by selecting and rotating each frame in turn; AutoJumble does the same thing much more quickly.

Hover over the AutoJumble button to access a jitter control, where you can select how angled the images will appear:

autojumblejitter