EXPRESSDIGITAL “photography inspired solutions” QUICK START GUIDE 1.15.2008 v2 Copyright 1994-2008 ExpressDigital Inc. 5001 Plaza on the Lake, Suite 302 Austin, Texas 78746 All Rights Reserved.
Q U I C K S T A R T G U I D E For General Technical Questions or Support: Call 1-888-508-3443 Our normal business hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., U.S. Central Time, excluding major holidays. If all representatives are busy, please leave a message and one of our technical support representatives will call you back as soon as possible, always within four hours (during normal business hours).
Q U I C K S T A R T G U I D E Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 3 GETTING STARTED........................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 OPERATING REQUIREMENTS ..............................
Q U I C K S T A R T G U I D E SETUP ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 36 EXPRESSDIGITAL ENRICHMENT............................................................................................................................................................... 37 APPENDIX................................................................
C H A P T E R 1 : G E T T I N G S T A R T E D Getting Started ExpressDigital Darkroom Professional software is designed specifically for busy professional photographers who need an application as versatile as the photography they shoot. Award-winning Darkroom Professional offers the ultimate in ease of use and performance. No other software product offers such speed and functionality.
C H A P T E R 1 : G E T T I N G S T A R T E D ExpressDigital Darkroom Professional Edition is perfect for the professional specializing in portrait, wedding, sports and event photography. It provides the necessary features and functionality to capture, manage, enhance, proof, sell and print digital images. Darkroom Professional encompasses a complete digital workflow that adjusts to your studio and allows you to maximize efficiency.
C H A P T E R B E F O R E 1 : G E T T I N G S T A R T E D I N S T A L L A T I O N Before installing Darkroom Professional Edition that will be connected via a network, you must be logged into Windows with an account that has administrator privileges. This is just for installation purposes, as you can run Darkroom Professional with an account that just has regular user privileges if you assign the permissions in Windows to the PrintQueue folder, located in the Windows Temp directory.
C H A P T E R 3. 1 : G E T T I N G S T A R T E D Next you must choose where you would like to install the application. To change the default location click on the “Change” button. Indicate where you would like it saved in the file tree. When you are satisfied with the location, click “Next.
C H A P T E R 4. 1 : G E T T I N G S T A R T E D You are now ready to begin installation. Click “Install” to continue allowing the wizard to install the application on your computer.
C H A P T E R C O N N E C T I N G P R I N T E R S A N D 1 : G E T T I N G S T A R T E D C A M E R A S Before running Darkroom Professional for the first time, the user should set up the printers and/or cameras that are going to be used with the software. First, attach all devices to the computer or network using the proper cables. Make sure you activate these devices since Darkroom Professional will not be able to find the device otherwise.
C H A P T E R 1 : G E T T I N G S T A R T E D If you want the software to log into your PhotoReflect.com account automatically upon login, check the “Automatically log in to Online Account” box. To fully activate this option, you must enter your PhotoReflect.com User ID and password in the Setup tab. To set up this login information, click on the Setup tab, and then choose Photographer Information from the setup tree. Finally choose “Your Internet Account” to save this information.
S E T T I N G U P Setting Up The first time you run the application, you should set up important information found on the Setup tab. When you click the Setup tab, a list of options appears on the left side of the screen. You can set up each option by clicking the items in the options tree. APPLICA TION OPTIONS Select “Application Options” from the options tree to set the options for Darkroom Professional. You can set options for a local or shared station.
S E T T I N G U P Enter default and backup archive paths for archiving photos. If using the CD writing capabilities, enter a CD drive for your archive destination. When you use the “Archive catalog to backup” and “Quick Backup” menu items in the Photo Library, the catalogs are archived to the paths you enter in these fields. Enter a path in the Restore Path field where you want to restore photos from a backup.
S E T T I N G U P In the Photo Library, you can choose to have a Desktop folder available so you can browse your hard drive for photos. To make this folder available, click the “Show the ‘Desktop’ in the library to browse folders” checkbox. Check the “Enable auto orientation of captured images if supported” to rotate imported photos according to what your camera deems is the top of the image. Your camera must support this feature.
S E T T I N G W O R K F L O W U P S E T T I N G S You can set the application to start up in normal mode or in a presentation mode. If you want to start a sales workstation in presentation mode, select either the Event or Portrait presentation mode. Event photo catalogs are catalogs in the Sport, School and Event job categories. For these types of events, check the “Add default package to shopping cart” box if you want a default package to always appear in the order shopping cart.
S E T T I N G U P When you are using previews, the preview files are created for photos in a catalog when you view the catalog. After a length of time, you might not be viewing certain catalogs regularly. Therefore, it is not necessary to retain the preview files for those photos. You can have the application automatically clean up preview files based on settings you specify. In the Keep Previews For field, select how long you want to keep preview files.
S E T T I N G U P C:\Program Files\ExpressDigital\Darkroom Pro\Music\Studio The pathway to the ExpressDigital Event music folder is: C:\Program Files\ExpressDigital\Darkroom Pro\Music\Event Drag and drop all mp3 files into the desired folder, either Event or Studio, depending on your needs. For more information, refer to Chapter 3: Setting Up of the Darkroom Professional Application User Guide.
S E T T I N G F T P U P C A M E R A Darkroom Professional supports the use of FTP/Wireless cameras. To enable your FTP/Wireless camera, select “Tethered Capture” in the options tree, and check the box next to “FTP/Wireless Camera.” Selecting an FTP Camera will create an additional option under “Tethered Capture,” complete with FTP information and login information. For more information, refer to Chapter 3: Setting Up of the Darkroom Professional Application User Guide.
S E T T I N G U P If you have a drive with a lot of storage space on which you want to store photos, set your storage path to this drive to save space on your C: drive. For more information, refer to Chapter 3: Setting Up of the Darkroom Professional Application User Guide. PHOTOG RAPHER INFO When you select Photographer Info, click “Your Company Info” to fill out the information about your company. This information appears in the Contact section of your receipts and on your Internet storefront.
S E T T I N G U P photostudios.photoreflect.com as your Web address. This address is where your customers can access photos from your events. You can personalize your Internet storefront with your own custom logo. This greatly enhances your advertising and identity to your customers. The Darkroom products include a built-in logo uploader. Your logo must go by the following guidelines. Your logo should be a file type ending with one of the following extensions: .BMP, .GIF, .JPG, .TIF, .PNG, or .
S E T T I N G U P you can add Labtricity lab items, as well. This allows you to create a package that includes nothing but Labtricity lab items or a mixture of Labtricity lab and local print items. This allows you unlimited product offerings. For example, you may not have a digital printer and want to send everything to a lab as you have before. Or, you may want to offer mouse pads and posters from a lab and print everything else locally.
S E T T I N G U P Note: The options you can select for custom items can be set for other print items by clicking “edit item properties” on the toolbar. P H O T O S E R V I C E S Select “Product & Services” and then “Photo Services” in the options tree to price special photo services, such as removing red eye or eyeglass glare. You can include retouching services provided by either you or a Labtricity lab.
S E T T I N G U P display the photo slightly larger than the Art Leather mat opening to ensure no photo edges appear in the opening. When creating new borders, you want to organize them into categories, or groups, so they are easier to find when you want to apply them to a photo. To create a new border group, select “Borders,” and then click “new group” on the toolbar. To set a border group as the default border group in the Photo Workshop, select the group and click “set default” on the toolbar.
S E T T I N G U P To set up your specific printer, select “Windows Printer.” This will open another window with a complete list of all detected windows printers. Select the name of the printer you would like to enable. This will then take you to the manufacturer’s printer setup window. Make sure you enable the driver for your Windows Printer. This option is available in the Manufacturer’s printer setup window. It is labeled “Enable Driver.
S E T T I N G U P Add buttons to insert wasted or comped items into the cart. To change the count, continue to click the Add button or double-click the package name in the cart to show the copies spinner. Many photographers use the reports for incentives or bonus programs for their employees. Use it to pay bonuses for the top sales person, pay commission based on certain package sales, or give rewards for selling more expensive products.
D A R K R O O M P R O F E S S I O N A L B A S I C S Darkroom Professional Basics The main purpose of using Darkroom Professional is to capture photos, manage the photos, and place and print orders. Following is some basic information you should know that will help you quickly start taking photos and orders using Darkroom Professional. TAKING PHOTOS If you have a camera directly connected to the computer, you can take photos right from the camera into the photo library or photo workshop.
D A R K R O O M P R O F E S S I O N A L B A S I C S To organize photos from events, create new catalogs representing your events, and add photos to the catalogs. After you add photos to a catalog, you can view the photos by selecting the catalog in the tree. You can also view photos stored on your hard drive by selecting the desktop icon in the tree. You can drag and drop photos from your desktop view to catalogs in the treeview.
D A R K R O O M P R O F E S S I O N A L T O U R Darkroom Professional Tour When you log into Darkroom Professional for the first time, you see the photo library where you organize photos. There are three other areas, or workspaces, in Darkroom Professional where you can edit photos, view and print orders, and maintain application settings. Four tabs at the bottom of the screen allow access to the workspaces.
D A R K R O O M P R O F E S S I O N A L T O U R The Catalog Wizard is designed to help the photographer keep track of important customer information. The wizard is also designed to create a seamless flow of information from Darkroom Professional to the photographer’s PhotoReflect.com storefront.
D A R K R O O M S H O P P I N G P R O F E S S I O N A L T O U R C A R T Use the shopping cart to place orders. By default, the shopping cart is open in the Photo Library. To hide it, click “Hide Order” on the menu bar. The packages you created when setting up appear at the top. To place a package in the shopping cart, select a photo in the Current Catalog Viewer and select a package name. The photo and package appears in the shopping cart.
D A R K R O O M PHOTO P R O F E S S I O N A L T O U R W ORKSHO P Sometimes photos do not come out the way you hoped. Often, an adjustment to the color or lighting will make the photo just right. You can make corrections to photos, such as adjustments to contrast/brightness, shadow, or color, using the Photo Workshop. You can make corrections to a single photo or for photos in an entire catalog.
D A R K R O O M P R O F E S S I O N A L T O U R Darkroom Professional offers a photography retouch system that is comparable to the leading solutions available on the market. Within this system you can fix blemishes, manipulate catch lights and enhance contrast in shadows. This is only a small portion of what you can do. For more information on the Retouch Workshop, refer to Chapter 8: Photo Workshop of the Darkroom Professional Application User Guide.
D A R K R O O M P R O F E S S I O N A L T O U R The easiest way to import is by selecting “Import” from the Import menu or by typing Ctrl+I. This allows you to choose one or more files from any source, add them to the current catalog, and load them into the Photo Workshop. Note: The Import option is the same as the Add Photo tool in the Photo Library. The automated process is a powerful feature for working with an untethered camera (one that is not connected to your computer).
D A R K R O O M P R O F E S S I O N A L T O U R Note: If you do not see the Take Picture tool or if a red status bar light is blinking in the bottom left corner of the screen, refer to the Application User Manual or contact Customer Care. To take photos, fire the camera through the shutter release, click the Take Picture button, or press the space bar. The camera will take a picture, load a preview into the Photo Workshop, and add a thumbnail to the current catalog.
D A R K R O O M Order Tools P R O F E S S I O N A L T O U R Order Details When you place an order from the shopping cart, the job is immediately sent to the printer queue if the Auto Print menu item is enabled. If you save an order from the shopping cart or if the order is a Labtricity order, you must select the order in the Orders workspace and click “print order” to begin printing or to begin electronic transmission to the Labtricity lab.
D A R K R O O M P R O F E S S I O N A L T O U R SETUP The Setup workspace allows you to set your application options. You must set up your photographer information and product and service information as discussed in the Setting Up chapter. You can also select settings for networking and application users if your computers are networked. Besides application options, reports are available for viewing that help you keep track of your business.
E X P R E S S D I G I T A L E N R I C H M E N T ExpressDigital Enrichment C U S T O M E R C A R E : H O U R S O F O P E R A T I O N ExpressDigital’s normal business hours are Monday-Friday, 8 A.M. to 8 P.M., U.S. Central Time, excluding major holidays. During these hours, ExpressDigital is fully staffed to meet the average number of calls that come in during a typical day.
A P P E N D I X A – P H O T O L I B R A R Y S H O R T C U T K E Y S Appendix Darkroom Professional is designed to make your work fast and more efficient. We have provided a simple and efficient interface that is easy to use. However, to get the most of the application, you can use some of the many shortcut keys to speed up tasks you perform regularly. The following information lists the shortcut keys for each of the workspaces in the application.
A P P E N D I X KEY A – P H O T O L I B R A R Y S H O R T C U T K E Y S KEY DESCRIPTION S DESCRIPTION first) Slideshow Start ~ CTRL S Slideshow Start V Move back one Photo Vertical / Portrait Orientation 39
A P P E N D I X ORDERS KEY CTRL F P CTRL P ALT P SHIFT+ P Q S DELETE ESCAPE SHORTC UT B – O R D E R S S H O R T C U T K E Y S KEYS DESCRIPTION Find Order Print Order Print To CD Print All Orders KEY F10 F11 F12 F2 DESCRIPTION Photo Workshop Tab Orders Tab Setup Tab Find Order Print Order Form F5 New Orders Tab Print Queue Mark Order Shipped Delete Order Cancel Print F6 F7 F9 RETURN Pending Orders Tab Completed Orders Tab Photo Library Tab Edit and Proof Order 40
A P P E N D I X STUDIO KEY C – S T U D I O PRESEN T ATION P R E S E N T A T I O N MODE M O D E SHO RTCUT 0 SHIFT 0 1 SHIFT 1 View > One Photo Home 2 Add Package 2 to Cart LEFT SHIFT 2 View > Two Photos Ctrl Left 3 Add Package 3 to Cart Shift Left SHIFT 3 View > Three Photos PAGE DOWN 4 Add Package 4 to Cart CTRL Page Down SHIFT 4 View > Four Photos SHIFT Page Down 5 6 Add Package 5 to Cart Add Package 6 to Cart = - SHIFT 6 View > Six Photos 7 Add Package 7 to Cart 8 A
A P P E N D I X C – S T U D I O P R E S E N T A T I O N M O D E KEY DESCRIPTION KEY T Sort Menu SHIFT Page Up V DELETE Vertical / Portrait Orientation Remove Photo Move to next photo, Enhance Presentation Mode: Move photo down Enhance Presentation Mode: Move photo down in Largest Increments Enhance Presentation Mode: Move photo down in Smallest Increments Add Service Notes DOWN CTRL DOWN SHIFT DOWN \ RETURN RIGHT 42 S H O R T C U T K E Y S DESCRIPTION Increments Enhance Presentation Mode:
A P P E N D I X EVENT D – E V E N T P RESENT A TION P R E S E N T A T I O N MODE SHOR TCUT M O D E DESCRIPTION KEY + View Less Photos / Increase thumbnail size LEFT = View Less Photos / Increase thumbnail size Ctrl Left - View More Photos / Decrease thumbnail size Shift Left 0 Order ‘A La Carte’ Item 1 Add Package 1 to Cart 2 Add Package 2 to Cart 3 Add Package 3 to Cart PAGE DOWN CTRL PAGE DOWN SHIFT PAGE DOWN PAGE UP 4 Add Package 4 to Cart CTRL PAGE UP 5 Add Package 5 to
A P P E N D I X FULL E – F U L L SC REEN/SL I DESHOW KEY CTRL C ALT C SHIFT C F SHIFT F H L O SHIFT O P V DELETE DOWN S C R E E N / S L I D E S H O W SHORTC UT DESCRIPTION Crop Orientation: Horizontal Crop Orientation: Horizontal Crop Orientation: Vertical Flip Flip Horizontal / Landscape Orientation Horizontal / Landscape Orientation Clockwise Orientation Counter Clockwise Orientation Vertical Flip Vertical Orientation Delete Photo Move to next photo K E Y S KEYS KEY END ESCAPE F1 F2 F3 F4 DES
A P P E N D I X PHOTO W ORKSHO P F – P H O T O SHORT CUT W O R K S H O P DESCRIPTION Order ‘A La Carte’ Item Add Package 1 to Cart Add Package 2 to Cart KEY F8 F9 Home 3 Add Package 3 to Cart INSERT 4 Add Package 4 to Cart LEFT 5 Add Package 5 to Cart CTRL LEFT 6 Add Package 6 to Cart SHIFT LEFT 7 Add Package 7 to Cart MULTIPLY (*) 8 Add Package 8 to Cart CTRL MULTIPLY (*) 9 Add Package 9 to Cart ALT+ MULTIPLY = View More Photos / Decrease thumbnail size PAGE DOWN CTRL+ PAGE
A P P E N D I X KEY CTRL DOWN SHIFT DOWN END ESCAPE F10 F11 F12 F2 F3 SHIFT F3 F4 F5 CTRL F5 F6 F7 F – P H O T O DESCRIPTION Move Photo Down in largest increments Move Photo Down in smallest increments Undo ALL editing Cancel Image Viewer Photo Workshop Tab Orders Tab Setup Tab Find Photos Find Next Photo Find Previous Photo Full Screen Mode Enhance Tab Refresh Correct Tab Color Balance Tab W O R K S H O P KEY SHIFT UP X CTRL Y Z CTRL Z ALT Z SHIFT Z SHIFT ALT Z [ \ ] ` F8 46 S H O R T C U T K E Y
A P P E N D I X EDIT & KEY PROOF (ORDER G – O R D E R PR OOF P R O O F MOD E) M O D E SHORTCUT DESCRIPTION View More Photos / Decrease thumbnail size View Less Photos / Increase thumbnail size DIVIDE (/) 0 View 12 photos CTRL+ DOWN SHIFT 0 View 12 photos SHIFT+ DOWN + - KEY DOWN Num Pad 1 Brightness View 3 Photos CTRL LEFT 4 View 4 Photos SHIFT LEFT SHIFT 4 View 4 Photos MULTIPLY (*) 6 View 6 Photos CTRL MULTIPLY (*) SHIFT 6 View 6 Photos ALT MULTIPLY (*) 8 View 8 P
A P P E N D I X KEY SHIFT CTRL R S CTRL S ALT S T CTRL U V ALT BACK SPACE DELETE G – O R D E R DESCRIPTION Item Order ‘A La Carte’ Lab Print Item Save Changes Save Selected Save as New Order Opens Border Text Undo Photo Changes Vertical / Portrait Orientation P R O O F M O D E KEY S H O R T C U T K E Y S CTRL Y Z CTRL Z ALT Z SHIFT Z DESCRIPTION Increments Moves Photo Up in Smallest Increments Redo 1 level 1:1 Zoom Actual Zoom Undo 3x Zoom 2x Zoom SHIFT ALT Z 4x Zoom Undo \ Add Service Note
A P P E N D I X EDIT & KEY PROOF H (PHOTO – P H O T O PR OOF MOD E) DESCRIPTION View More Photos / Decrease thumbnail size View Less Photos / Increase thumbnail size + - P R O O F M O D E SHORTCUT KEY DIVIDE (/) MULTIPLY (*) 0 View 12 Photos CTRL MULTIPLY (*) SHIFT 0 View 12 Photos ALT+ MULTIPLY 1 View 1 Photo SHIFT 1 View 1 Photo 2 View 2 Photos SHIFT 3 SHIFT 4 SHIFT 6 SHIFT 8 SHIFT 9 SHIFT 2 3 4 6 8 9 = CTRL A Select All F K N CTRL O P CTRL P ALT P Replace File Set Expres
A P P E N D I X RETOUC H KEY NEXT PRIOR CTRL Y CTRL Z WORKS HOP I – R E T O U C H SHO RTCUT DESCRIPTION Zoom Out Zoom In Redo Undo W O R K S H O P K E Y S K EYS KEY [ ] { } 50 S H O R T C U T DESCRIPTION Decrease Brush Size Increase Brush Size Increase Feather Decrease Feather
A P P E N D I X BORDER WORKSH OP J – B O R D E R SHOR TCUT W O R K S H O P DESCRIPTION CTRL C Copy CTRL X Cut CTRL V TAB Paste Next Item in Border Items KEY CTRL PAGE UP SHIFT PAGE UP CTRL Y RIGHT SPACE Pan CTRL RIGHT ` Previous Item in Border Items SHIFT RIGHT SHIFT TAB Previous Item in Border Items Numpad 2 CTRL B Change Border View CTRL Numpad 2 DELETE Delete Numpad 4 DOWN Move Item Down CTRL Numpad 4 SHIFT DOWN LEFT CTRL LEFT SHIFT LEFT K E Y S KE YS KEY CTRL DOWN
A P P E N D I X EXPRE SS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7,8 8,9 10,11 COLOR CODE K – E X P R E S S C O L O R T A B L E TA BLE Key Positive Values Negative Values Brightness (gamma) Contrast Exposure Compensation Shadows Color Tone Standard Color Balance 0ABCDEFGHIJKLMNPQRSTUVX N/A 0ABCDEFGHIJKLMNPQRSTUVX 0ABCDEFGHIJKLMNPQR N/A 0123456789YXWVUTS 0ABCDEFGHIJKLMNPQR 0ABCDEFGHIJKLMNPQR 0ABCDEFGHIJKLMNPQR 0123456789YXWVUTS 0123456789YXWVUTS 0123456789YXWVUTS Custom Balance (red) Custom Balance (green) Cus
I N D E X A E acquiring photos · 34 address · 19 all supported printers · 23 application options · 12 application users · 17 archiving preferences · 13 autorun · 7 editing photos · 31 enable printer driver · 23 enhance tool set · 31 Event music · 16 F B fulfillment options · 18 batch orders · 30 bookkeeping · 13 borders applying to package item · 21 creating · 22 groups · 23 templates · 22 I image previews · 15 importing · 32 capture options · 17 install Darkroom Professional · 7 privileges · 7 Inte
I N D E X increasing · 15 proofs printing · 30 properties package items · 21 O operating requirements · 6 minimum · 6 recommended · 6 ordering from photo workshop · 32 print vs save · 32 orders · 34 batch · 30 orders workspace · 34 Q Quickbooks · 13 R P reports · 24 retouching services · 22 running application · 10 package groups · 20 creating · 21 packages · 20 applying border to package item · 21 creating · 21 item properties · 21 password protection · 11 photo library tree · 28, 29 photo services ·
I N D E X setting up · 17 detected and enabled · 24 setup · 23 Wizard Catalog · 29 workflow settings · 15 V view tool · 32 volume discounts · 22 Y your Internet account · 19 your lab account · 19 W websites · 25 Windows printer · 23 55
