BookSmart
Problem with side by side imagesI am using the layout for two side by side images on a page with captions underneath. I can’t get both photos to appear as the same size. I have tried resizing in Photoshop and letting blurb resize to the image windows and also tried resizing to the pixels indicated. Neither method works. One photo always appears smaller. Is this a bug and/or what should I do? Thanks, Nancy 
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When you resized in Photoshop did you tick the resample check box? ..........Tony |
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Hi Nancy; I have come across this in BookSmart… It is either a display issue, or the container sizes, which might look identical – but aren’t ! Provided your two images are identical (I.e. you have either done nothing to them in any PP software, or, if you have, the processes have been identical) then I have found that sometimes you need to hit the "align" button on the toolbar two or even three times to have the image sit "right"... You can also make "micro" adjustments using the "zoom slider" tool and using the up/down keys to move your image around within the container… that may also help you… Some of the issue is also down to the fact that the container sizes are usually different – seems strange – but true! This is normally because one of the containers also has to accept that it is on the "bound" side of the book, and therefore, will lose some of the image to trimming and binding… You can see the container sizes by hovvering your mouse over the relevant box… So, if playing with the "micro-adjustment" tools doesn’t work for you, then you need to re-size your images (and maybe re-sample) in PhotoShop (or whatever you use) to the pixel dimensions given in the containers… BUT, be aware that the "inside" container WILL lose some of the inside edge, so make sure you don’t have any fine detail there that’s likely to be chopped! Hope that helps; Cheers; Lee |
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Thanks Lee and Tony. I discovered that the ratio of width to height was not the same on the two images and that was the problem. I appreciate your suggestions. |
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Check that both pix are 300ppi. If they are not ten one will be bigger than the other. D |
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Nancy, did your problem get resolved? I am experiencing the same problem. My photos are the same size, same dpi, and all pages have the same photo layout: the 5th one, with a centered photo on a white page with a header and a footer for type. The problem is that one layout has a 6.2×8 inch tall photo container, and the other has a 6×2 by 8.6 tall photo container. That .6 inch of blank page is in between the header and the container. So both photos are aligned on the bottom edge, but on the top edge the photo in the smaller container has a lower top edge with a gap between it and the header. I have tried all the different alignment controls. This is my 10th book and I have been using Photoshop for 16 years. So something is screwy, and it is holding me up from placing another order. |
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Hello Chris; What book-size are you using, and which template is it exactly? Describing it as #5 is meaningless when there could be 1,2 or 3 columns of templates! I couldn’t find a template that had a measurement of 6.2×8.6 (or 8.0)! Can you put up a screen-shot with the template highlighted, and I’ll certainly try & look for you… Cheers; Lee |
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posting a screen capture is a great idea. Here you go: http://mannphoto.com/x/blurb.jpg If you zoom into the the yellow squares you will see that the Blurb Booksmart software reports that the photo container on the left is 8.0 inches tall and the one on the right is 8.6. Not only is the problem of size, but it also looks ugly because there is just too much white space on top of the page making it look bottom heavy. You can see that the container is too short and there is a space between it and the header (a header which I don’t use. I want them BOTH to be the 8.6 you will also notice, if you look on the left, that the layout I am using has no name or number, but, if you read from left to right, then down, like is standard here in western cultures, it is layout number 5. There are 4 on the top, then the first layout on the second row, first column should be number 5. I didn’t know any other way to identify it. all photos are 1650 wide by 2400 tall. I always choose the “Align Center don’t crop” parameter when placing my photos. I am using version 1.9.5.23254 of Booksmart on Leopard 10.5.2 I have never seen this problem before. any ideas would b e appreciated. |
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oh, Lee, I am using the 8×10 vertical book, both hardcover and soft Chris |
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I have never come across that issue. From your screenshot it looks like your left and right hand pages are using different templates, but it cannot be that simple! As a fix, can you not size both photos to the smaller template size, and fill the smaller template while positioning the other one manually so it matches (i.e. does not fill the larger container completely)? |
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I promise you that both pages are the same template. I click on one page, then the other, and both times the same template has the green check mark in it. If I did resize all 100 photos, I could almost live with having smaller photos than necessary, but can not live with having the photo and caption both as far to the bottom as possible with a bunch of dead white space at the top. Not at $50 a book. |
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Hello Chris; This would appear to be a bug in your BookSmart… I just opened up a test 8×10 book, and selected that template for both left & right pages, and they both display as 6.2×8… Why don’t you try saving your book as a backup (for safety) and re-download & re-install BookSmart. That might solve the error… Failing that I suggest you report it to Blurb’s tech Support… I’m just about to file another bug report… Good luck; Lee |
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the only photos that do this , are the ones I have added. The legacy photos are the ones that are still 8.6 tall. I sure wish we had more control over our layouts. Hopefully that will come. |
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I have solved my problem by changing all pages to tmeplate #17 which is the appropriate size for 1650×2400 pixel images anyway. |
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Hi Chris; Well, I’m glad you found a circumvention… doesn’t address the main issue of why you should have encountered the "bug", but all’s well that ends well… Lee |
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Howdy, Great discussion. I think I can replicate the issue and log a bug based on your comments here—please don’t worry about submitting a separate customer support incident. Just focus on getting back into the creative groove so you can finish your book. Sorry for any inconvenience, and thank you for your detailed thoughts. Cheers, |
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