Note: We have had a lot of people emailing recently with failed hard drives. Even if you purchase our backup disc we still highly recommend using an online backup service such as Just Cloud. This is especially important after you've spent hours creating a wedding album. Or you have a computer full of precious wedding photos from your clients.
Are the templates available on disc? Yes. We now have a backup disc option. This ships by regular mail from our fulfillment centre in the USA usually within 2 business days. Depending on your location this could arrive in as little as 1 week (US) or 6 weeks (International). You will also get full access to the templates and other products via download links. The backup disc is a DVD and your computer will need to be able to play DVDs.
My hard drive failed and I didnt buy a disc. Can I re-download the templates. Yes. That's not a problem. Send us an email with your purchase details and we'll resend the download information.
What Software Is Needed For The Templates? Originally we created them to work on any version of Photoshop (CS and up) and Photoshop Elements but they also work on -
- Gimp Photo Editor (Free) – Download Here.
- GimpShop (Free) – A version of Gimp designed to look like Photoshop – Download Here.
- GimpPhoto (Free) – Another Gimp version that looks like Photoshop – Download Here.
I’d like to get hold of Photoshop. Any suggestions on getting it cheaper? Yes, definately. You can buy Photoshop on Ebay. Check this link for Photoshop CS4 and this for CS5. I’ve seen Photoshop selling for $50 on some occasions. Alternatively you can look at Photoshop Elements which is considerably cheaper and works well with the templates.
What are the advantages of learning a program like Photoshop? Well the big advantage is that once you learn how to design with Photoshop then you have a valuable skill that is very portable and very much in demand. Using the techniques we teach you can do all your image editing, create business cards, posters, 8×10 montages, engagement books etc.
If you use online album design systems then you are stuck with that one company. And quite often you are limited as to the style of your album layouts. You dont have full creative freedom the way you do when you use an image editor such as Photoshop.
Also think about what happens if that album company goes bust, or their albums go up in price or go down in quality? (This happens more than you realise). And what happens if your clients see an album from a different company that they want?
When offering albums to our clients I will usually have 2 or 3 albums from a variety of companies. I offer slip-in albums such as the Mario Acerboni Royal, which a is a beautiful album, but yet cheaper than a full flush. I would also offer a full flush album from Graphistudio. If I were to use one album companies’ proprietary system I couldn’t do that.
Occasionally a couple would also want us to shoot the wedding, but they’d seen another album from another photographer that they preferred. This is never a problem when you design using our templates.
With our templates you can create layouts that can be uploaded to any album company.
Here’s a review from one customer who had tried some of the regular album design systems from album manufacturers -
Your designs are clean, straightforward, modern, fresh, elegant. – They remind me of Whitehouse Glove designs or Martha Stewart. They’re very sophisticated in terms of following basic design. It’s my experience that what seems to look the simplest, is actually the most complex. The goopity gop that comes with all the templates I’ve looked at, including printers, is not good – it’s scrapbook stuff and if you want a higher end market, that’s not the look they’re after. PZ. NY USA
The album size I need isn’t listed. Will you be creating any others? We do occasionally update our album sizes based on customer demand so feel free to email with any requests. However our Album Design Movies now include 3 movies that teach how to change the template sizes. It’s just a quick few steps to create an action and droplet that then changes a full pack of templates to a new size.
Can you recommend any album companies? Yes, we can. This isn’t a large list. As professional photographers we found some great companies quickly and then stuck with them. Companies I can recommend are as follows:
Graphistudio, Italian leather albums. Great quality, great price and they do really nice miniature albums. This is the company I used for my flush digital albums.
Laguna Albums, I really like the albums from Laguna and their 5X7 albums make stunning Purse Albums.
Mario Acerboni, Another Italian album company. I primarily used them for their leather bound slip-in albums. The “Royal” album in particular is gorgeous. I sourced them in Canada from Leather Album Designs
BonMatch – A Canadian based album company with an excellent selection of albums
Extrema Album – This Swedish company is the perfect album company for our European customers. With your template pack you get templates designed to exactly match Extrema Albums specifications. Please note that these companies deal with professionals and will require you to have a professional account.
I am not a professional but want to create a nice album. Where should I go? Most labs these days now have a great selection of albums. The following companies have excellent reputations for top quality products:
Mpix – I use Mpix for prints for my slip-in albums. Top quality prints. Mpix is actually a pro lab (Millers Imaging) and Mpix is their public online store. Professional quality at consumer prices.
Bayphoto – An excellent, well regarded lab based in Santa Cruz, California.
Cornerstone Albums – Not a lab, but an album company set up by professional wedding photographer, turned entrepreneur, Gary Fong. Professional albums, but available to the public.
Also look in your phone book for a local Pro Photographic Wholesalers/Rental Company. These companies deal with wedding photographers and usually have slip-in style albums in stock. They will usually deal with the public. Ask about Mario Acerboni albums.
I noticed you have some ‘preferred’ printers on your website. How does this process work? Do you just send the completed album to one of these web addresses? All printers and album companies vary somewhat in how they work. All will have full details on their website. Many of them will require you to create an account and when you do they will usually send you full details of the file requirements.
Most will need you to upload full left and right spreads (that’s how our templates are created) and some will require you to send individual left and right sides (in our movies we show how to create a splitter to do this automatically).
Most companies will require you to send flattened JPGs that are saved at level 10 at 300DPI. Some will need unflattened Jpegs, PSDs or PDFs. Our templates are already at 300DPI and you just have to remember to save as maximum quality when you save the finished layout.
Many of the album companies will also allow you to send a sample file up so you can calibrate your screen to their system. Once you have decided which album company to use take a good look at their websites and their technical instructions.
So to summarise -
1. Choose a company.
2. In the case of the professional ones (listed first) you must apply for an account.
3. Look for their technical literature (in brochures, PDFs or on their websites)
4. Upload files as per their instructions (or burn a CD and post as needed).
5. Send details of which albums you need.
After Purchase Questions
I purchased but have not received a download email: An email with the download link should arrive in your inbox usually within 30 minutes of purchase. If you dont see it please check your junk mail or bulk email folder. If it doesn’t arrive after 30 minutes please email us at support {at} thealbumstudio(.)com
My download failed but now I don’t have any downloads left. What do I do now? Our system has a security feature built in to only allow 2 downloads. It also only gives you a 48hour window to complete your download. If you need a download link re-activating we can do that. Send us a quick email telling us what problems you’ve been having and we’ll re-activate your download.
I clicked on the download link and it says “Link Not Found” or “Page No Longer Available”. What do I do now? Again, this is our system telling you that you waited more than 48 hours. Email us and we will re-activate it for you.
I just purchased your templates and when I go to click on the link it brings me to a blank google page - This is Google intercepting/logging your online activity. This is likely due to you having installed some kind of Google product such as a Google toolbar. Because our links are secure it confuses the Google spyware. Disable any Google toolbars and try again.
I keep trying to download but the download keeps failing half way through. This is usually a Firewall or Wireless Connection problem. Try temporarily disabling your Firewall and ensure you have an always on connection such as DSL or Cable. You should also download the FREE download manager (for Windows) or check this list of download managers for Macs from Downloads.com. If a download fails this software will allow you to pick up where you left off rather than having to start again.
I downloaded my pack but it wont unzip or appears corrupted. Occasionally a firewall can corrupt a download. Temporarily disable your firewall and try again. Also ensure that you are downloading from a high speed always on connection such as Cable or DSL. We do not recommend Wireless. (Dont forget to re-enable your firewall after successful download).
I am trying to download from work but the download keeps failing. If you work at a company that is big enough to have an IT department then your company likely has a very strong firewall. If you are authorised to download at work you should contact your IT department for help.
What is a Zip File? Our download packs are quite big, so to enable faster downloads we have compressed them into zip files. Most computers should already have unzip software built in. If not you can use Winrar (for Windows computers) or Stuffit Expander (for Macs). These are free programs.
Once you have the download on your computer, you should be able to right click on the zip file and extract to a folder on your computer.
What Guarantee Do You Offer? We offer a 120 day money back guarantee. If you are having problems please send us an email to let us know. We offer a fast 7 day a week email support service. All we ask is that you try our templates and album design system for 90 days. If, after that time, you still want a refund please send us an email with full details. If you have a disc you will need to ship it back to us before a refund is issued. You will be responsible for return shipping costs. Email us for our return address.
Contact/Pre Sales Questions: If you have any other questions please feel free to send us a message. We are always happy to hear from customers. We will get back to you as soon as possible.