CompositeMaker Help File

CompositeMaker Software On-line User Resource

Table Of Contents

In The Beginning...

Menu Overview

Managing Data

Students

Schools

Representatives

Frames

Jobs

Plotting Composites

In the Beginning...

About this Manual

This manual is organized by module to allow you to easily begin using CompositeMaker. Screen shots have been added where appropriate. Not all sections have a complete set of screen shots. This has been done to keep this document short, concise, yet readable. Refer to other sections to see similar screen shots if necessary.

Installation and Setup

Windows

CompositeMaker runs on Windows 95/98/NT/2000/2003/XP. A Pentium model with minimum of 64 Mb of Ram is required. A minimum 50Mb of free hard drive space is recommended. We recommend that you install CompositeMaker on the most powerful computer you have available. CompositeMaker on Windows requires a basic set files to operate correctly. These files all need to be installed in the same directory on your computer. Refer to your installation for a list of files. Apple QuickTime is required for digital image support.

Macintosh

CompositeMaker on Macintosh requires the following files to operate correctly. A PowerMac model with minimum of 64 Mb of Ram is required. A minimum 50Mb of free hard drive space is recommended. We recommend that you install CompositeMaker on the most powerful computer you have available. These files all need to be installed in the same directory on your computer: ComMaker.data, CompMaker and a folder entitled Mac4DX.

Apple QuickTime must be installed on your machine for digital image support.

Cross platform multi-user

CompositeMaker is cross-platform capable for Windows 95/98/NT/2000/2003/XP and Macintosh and can even be run client-server in a mixed environment of Macintosh and Windows 95/98/NT computers. Contact Nufocus Inc. for specific instructions for client-server installation.

Copy Protection

CompositeMaker has a built-in copy protection scheme. Your initial install on your computer will require a Activation Code. Contact Nufocus Inc. to receive this code when prompted by CompositeMaker.

CompositeMaker Basics

CompositeMaker is a specialty software package designed to speed up and organize the creation of photo composites of graduation classes and other assemblies of people.

This tool allows rapid data entry, and very rapid turn-around of composites in a high quality format. What once was a very manual chore of days and sometimes weeks of work can now be performed in minutes using CompositeMaker.

CompositeMaker organizes your composite creation process into Schools, Jobs, Students, Reps and Frames.

Students are maintained in the Student Module. Basic name information plus package, pose and related Job information is maintained here.
In the Schools Module you simply enter the names of the client schools you serve on a regular basis. Information such as address, contact name and telephone numbers etc., can be tracked for the Schools in CompositeMaker.
A Rep is your company's photographer representative. This module simply allows you to enter the representatives that perform photographic services for your company.
The Frames Module allows you to add Custom Frames to CompositeMaker. Along with the standard 3-line frame, these Custom Frames can be used in the creation of composites.
Jobs are defined as photo shoots and the resulting composite creation activity. Job location, Students in Job, Job Scheduling and Teachers in Job are managed in the Jobs Module.

General Overview of Manual

This manual is divided into four main sections. These are:

In The Beginning...

In the Beginning is a simple introduction to CompositeMaker and how to use this manual. If it is your first time using CompositeMaker or reading the manual it is advised that you read this section.

Menu Overview

The Menu Overview describes all the features contained in the menu bars. In order to use many of the advanced functions available via the menus you must thoroughly read this section. A typical user will normally use the only the basic CompositeMaker menus.

Managing Data

Data in CompositeMaker is organized into 5 major areas: Students, Schools, Reps, Frames and Jobs. In this manual you will learn how to Add, Sort, Find, and Edit all these data types and create, schedule and plot jobs in composite format.

Plotting Composites

The plotting section will explore all aspects of preparing a Job for composite plotting. Frame choice and encoding will be described, along with examination of the Plot Area screen.

Menu Overview

File

Preferences

To view the system preferences click on the File menu, and choose the Preferences item. Record Adding, Navigation Palette and Tool Bar options are available for setting. You also may set your company name as it will appear on the CompositeMaker printouts.

Administration

Options to customize screen headers and other attributes can be set in this dialog.

Get Info

The CompositeMaker version number and data file name are displayed in this dialog. It appears for approximately 10 seconds.

Import

A simple data import tool lets you quickly add records to CompositeMaker. Beware, if you are unsure of the use of this function, then create a backup of the CompositeMaker data file (.4dd) before performing any Import operations.

Export

A simple data export tool lets you quickly export records out of CompositeMaker. These files can then be opened with other applications such as spreadsheets and word processors.

Print

Listings and other reports can be printed from various parts of CompositeMaker. The Print item displays a list of available printouts for the various data types in CompositeMaker.

Quit

Use this item to quit CompositeMaker.

Enter

New Record

Choose this menu item when you wish to add a new record to the list of displayed data. This will display a data entry screen that must be filled and then saved using the Save button. The New Record menu item performs the same function as the New button on the list screen.

Apply Formula

This option allows you to make mass data changes to the selected data in the list you are viewing. This is not recommended, and should only be used by an experienced user. Please contact Nufocus if you are contemplating making mass data changes.

Delete Subset

This option allows you to select several rows from the displayed list and delete them at once. This is the same as the Delete button at the bottom of the list screens. Note that deletions can not be recovered unless you restore a backup of a previous data file. (CM.4dd)

Select

Show All

When viewing data in a particular module, you may wish to force the display of all the data in that module. Choose Select... Show All or click on the All button to display all the data.

Show Subset

You may wish to force the display of only a subset of the data in that module. On Windows, to select rows from a list use the Control-click and Shift-click method to select only those rows you desire. On Macintosh use Command-click and Shift-click. Then choose Select... Show Subset to limit the list to only those selected by your mouse selections.

Omit Subset

Similarly, you may wish to force the display of only a subset of the data in that module, but if the data set you wish to display should not include certain records, you can remove those records from the list by using Omit Subset. On Windows, to select rows for omission from a list use the Control-click and Shift-click method to select only those rows you desire. On Macintosh use Command-click and Shift-click. Then choose Select... Omit Subset to limit the list to only those not selected by your mouse selections. Note that this does not delete these records from CompositeMaker. It only temporarily removes them from the displayed listing.

Quick Find

The Quick Find Tool provides you with a simple searching tool to find records in CompositeMaker from various data types. This Tool is described in the individual modules sections.

Query Editor

The Query Editor Tool provides you with a more complex searching tool to find records in CompositeMaker from various data types. It is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the Quick Find Tool described above for most searching purposes. The Query Editor should only be required for complex searches only.

Label Editor

Labels can be created in CompositeMaker from any type of data and from any listing. Label formats can be customized and saved from within the Label Editor Screen.

Query by Layout

Searches of data in CompositeMaker can be performed using the Query By Layout Tool. This tool allows you to enter your search criteria in the data entry screen, and then list all those records that fit the entered search criteria. It is recommended that you use the Quick Find Tool before resorting to the use of the Query By Layout Tool.

Query by Formula

Searches of data in CompositeMaker can be performed using the Query By Formula Tool. This tool allows you to define query criteria that are mathematical functions of other data in CompositeMaker. It is recommended that you use the Quick Find Tool before resorting to the use of the Query By Formula Tool.

Quick Sort

The Quick Sort Tool provides you with a simple sorting tool to sort data in CompositeMaker. This Tool is described in the individual modules sections.

Sort Editor

The Sort Editor provides you with a slightly more complex sorting tool to sort data in CompositeMaker.

Tools

Special Functions

Certain special functions in CompositeMaker will be found in the Tools... Special Functions menu item.

Navigation Palette

The Navigation Palette is the primary tool used to control the display of data from the various modules of CompositeMaker. This Palette can be placed wherever you want it on the screen and will launch lists of data when you click on the buttons for each data type. If a listing or entry screen for a particular data type is already open on the screen, it will be brought to the front of the screen by clicking on the Palette.

Figure - Navigation Palette

If the Navigation Palette disappears, go to the Tools menu and choose Navigation Palette to restore it to the screen.

Windows

The Windows Menu can be used to bring individual windows into view when several windows are open simultaneously on the screen.

Help

The CompositeMaker Help system does not use the standard Windows Help menu. These menu items will not display CompositeMaker Help items. Please refer to the Help items on the CompositeMaker screens or this manual.

Help

Not used by CompositeMaker. Please refer to this document for help.

Search for Help On...

Not used by CompositeMaker. Please refer to this document for help.

How to use Help...

Not used by CompositeMaker. Please refer to this document for help.

About CompositeMaker...

Valuable system and software version and license information is available under this Menu item.

Managing Data

Students

CompositeMaker needs to maintain the names and other information of the Students that are to be photographed. You will discover that the Student list will be the longest list of data in CompositeMaker, and it is likely that from time-to-time you will need to edit student names and other information.

Locate the Navigation Palette. (Tools... File Palette)
Displayed on the File Palette are 5 buttons.
Click on the button called Student. This will display a screen similar to the figure below. This list is sorted by Student last name by default.

Figure - Student Listing Screen

The six buttons at the bottom of the screen, New, Delete, All, Find, Sort, and Print apply to the present selection of data in the list.

Adding a New Student

Now that we have gone through what's on the screen let's examine how it works. First we will add a new Student.

Click on the New button on the Student List screen. This will display the Student Entry screen.

Figure - Student Information Screen

Write the name of your new student in the Student First and Last Name fields. Set other appropriate data in the Student Information block. The Job Information block is read-only and can not be altered on this screen. If the Student has not been linked to a Job or School then these fields will be blank.
Once this is complete click Save to create the new student. If you do not wish to save your changes, click Cancel to return to the Student List screen.
CompositeMaker's preferences can be set to automatically generate a second new blank entry screen when you finish adding one. This is helpful when you are entering many new records consecutively. Normally this mode is not recommended as it can be confusing to new users.

Sorting Student

Sometimes you will need to organize Students in sorted lists. To sort students you must proceed to the Student List screen.

Then click on the button near the bottom of the screen labeled Sort.

Figure - Student Sort Dialog

At this point you have several options. You can sort by the Full Name, School Name, Photo Number, Job Number, Present or Home Room. To do this simply click in the small circle adjacent to the words.

You can have the student listed in either ascending or descending order by changing the Sort Order.
Click OK to perform the sort or Cancel to abort.

Finding Students

If ever you find that you would like to view or edit one specific Student and have too many Students to scroll through it is recommended that you use the Find button.

From the Student List screen, click on the Find button. You will be presented with a window entitled Quick Find. In this window you may carry out a search for a particular Student.
Type in the desired query Value. Use the "@" symbol as a wildcard to aid searching. For example, "Jon@" will find all Students that start with "Jon". "@tion" will find all Students that end with "tion". "@St@" will find all Students whose Full Name contain the word "St". Note the query is not case-sensitive.
To do this simply click in the appropriate checkbox to choose whether to search for a Student's name or number.
Click Query to find the Student or Cancel if you decide not to perform the query. If after clicking Query the search returns nothing, recheck your spelling and try again or perhaps attempt to sort.

To search through only a selected number of Students:

In the Students List screen shift-click on the Students you would like to search through or simply click and drag down. This will highlight some Students.
Click on the Find button which will bring up the Quick Find screen.
Type in the desired query Value. See above for details concerning wildcard searching.
Click in the appropriate box to choose what to query for.
Click the Query in Selection button so that the query will only look through the selected records.

After any search is completed you will be presented with the list of those Students who match the criteria specified.

Editing Students

If at any point a Student requires a change to the basic information you must edit that Student.

To do this start off by going to the Students List screen.
Once there, find the Student you wish to edit by either sorting or using the Find button.
Double-click on the Student from the list.

If you wish to make a correction or enter new information simply click on the field and type the new information.

If you wish to save the changes click on the Save button. If you do not wish to save your changes, click on the Cancel button.

Editing Students Images

If you elect to use CompositeMaker's image capabilities, you will find buttons on the Student Entry page that allow you to Get Image, Auto-crop Image, Reset Image, and Clear Image.

Get Image allows you to pick an image and connect it to your student record. A dialog will appear allowing you to browse for the desired image.
Auto-Crop Image allows you to crop off the top of an image based on the slider position to the left of the image, and then crop to desired width and height. The image width and height settings must be set in the File... Preferences... dialog prior to performing Auto-Crops,
Reset Image will set the image back to what it was when you entered the Student's record.
Clear Image will erase the image and the image path reference data.

Schools

CompositeMaker maintains a listing of Schools that you may provide services to. When a Job is created, it must be linked to a particular school. It is recommended that you enter all your schools in CompositeMaker prior to entering Jobs.

Locate the Navigation Palette. (Tools... File Palette)
Displayed on the File Palette are 5 buttons.
Click on the button labeled School. The School List screen will be displayed. This screen lists certain School information maintained in CompositeMaker.

Adding a New School

To add a new School:

Click on the New button on the School List screen. A blank School Entry screen will be displayed.

Figure - School Information Screen

Write the name of your new School in the School Name field. Set the other data in the School Information block.
Once this is complete click Save to save the new School in CompositeMaker. If you you not wish to retain your edits, click Cancel to return to the School List screen.
CompositeMaker's preferences can be set to automatically generate a second new blank entry screen when you finish adding one. This is helpful when you are entering many new records consecutively. Normally this mode is not recommended as it can be confusing to new users.

Sorting Schools

To sort Schools you must proceed to the School List screen.

Then click on the button near the bottom of the screen labeled Sort.
Once you have done this a small dialog window will be displayed.
You can sort by the School name or Contact name. To do this simply click in the small circle adjacent to the words.
You can have the student listed in either ascending or descending order by clicking on the appropriate button.
Click OK to perform the Sort or Cancel to abort.

Finding Schools

If ever you find that you would like to view or edit one specific School and have too many Schools to scroll through it is recommended to use the Find button.

Click on the Find button. You will be presented with a window called Quick Find. In this window you may carry out a search for a particular School.

Figure - School Quick Find Screen

Type in the desired query Value. Use the "@" symbol as a wildcard to aid searching. For example, "Jon@" will find all Schools that start with "Jon". "@County School" will find all Schools that end with "County School". "@high@" will find all Schools that contain the word "high" in their name. Note the query is not case-sensitive.
To do this simply click in the appropriate checkbox to choose whether to search for a School's Name or on other attributes.
Click Query to find the School or Cancel if you decide not to perform the query. If after clicking Query the search returns nothing recheck your spelling and try again or perhaps attempt to sort.

To search through only a selected number of Schools:

In the School List screen shift-click on the Schools you would like to search through or simply click and drag down. This will highlight some Schools.
Click on the Find button which will bring up the Quick Find screen.
Type in the desired query Value. See above for details concerning wildcard searching.
Click in the appropriate box to choose what to query for.
Click the Query in Selection button so that the query will only look through the selected records.

After any search is completed you will be presented with the list of those Schools who match the criteria specified.

Editing Schools

If at any point a School requires a change in its information you must edit that School.

To do this start off by going to the School List screen.
Once there, find the School you wish to edit by either sorting or using the Find button.
Double-click on the School from the list.

If you wish to make a correction or enter new information simply click on the field and type the new information.

If you wish to save your changes, click on the Save button. If you do not wish to save your changes, click on the Cancel button.

Representatives

Representatives in CompositeMaker are defined as your photographer resources that provide photo services to your clients.

Locate the Navigation Palette. (Tools... File Palette).
Click on the button labeled Rep. This will display a screen similar to the figure below. These columns display certain relevant information about each Rep.

Figure - Representative Listing Screen

The six buttons at the bottom of the screen, New, Delete, All, Find, Sort, and Print apply to the present selection of data in the list.

Adding a New Representative

Click on the New button on the Rep screen. This will display the screen below:

Figure - Representative Information Screen

Write the name of your new Rep in the Rep Name field, assign them a Rep Number and then enter in their telephone number.
Once this is complete click Save to create the new Rep. If you do not wish to save your changes, click Cancel to return to the Rep List screen.
CompositeMaker's preferences can be set to automatically generate a second new blank entry screen when you finish adding one. This is helpful when you are entering many new records consecutively. Normally this mode is not recommended as it can be confusing to new users.

Sorting Reps

To sort Reps you must first return to the Rep List Screen.

Then click on the button near the bottom of the screen labeled Sort.
Once you have done this a small dialog window will be displayed.

Figure - Representative Quick Sort Dialog

At this point you have several options. You can sort by the Full Name or the Rep Number. To do this simply click in the small circle adjacent to the words.

You can have the Reps listed in either ascending or descending order.
Click OK to perform the sort or Cancel to abort.

Finding Reps

If ever you find that you would like to view or edit one specific Rep and have too many Reps to sift through it is a good idea to use the Find button. It is located in the same area as the others.

Click on the Find button. You should be presented with a window called Quick Find. In this window you may carry out a Query for either a Reps name or number.
Type in the desired query Value. Use the "@" symbol as a wildcard to aid searching. For example, "Mc@" will find all Reps that start with "Mc". "@Jones" will find all Reps that end with "Jones". "@on@" will find all Reps that contain the word "on" in their name. Note the query is not case-sensitive.
Click in the appropriate checkbox to choose whether to query for a Rep’s Name or Number.
Click Query to find the Rep or Cancel if you decide not to perform the search. If after clicking Query the search returns nothing, recheck your spelling and try again or perhaps attempt to sort.

To search through only a selected number of Reps:

In the Reps screen shift click on the Reps you would like to search through or simply click and drag down. This will highlight some Reps.
Click on the Find button which will bring up the Quick Find screen.
Type in the desired query Value. See above for details concerning wildcard searching.
Click in the appropriate checkbox to choose whether to query for a Rep’s Name or Number.
Click the Query in Selection Button so that the search will only look through the selected records.

After any query is completed you will be presented with the list of those who match the criteria specified.

Editing Reps

If at any point a Rep happens to change telephone numbers or requires a new Rep Number you must edit that Rep.

To do this start off by going to the Reps List screen.
Once there, find the Rep you wish to edit by either sorting or using the Find button.
Double-click on the Rep from the list.

By clicking on the various field you will notice that only two are enterable. These are Representative Number and Telephone Number. The Rep Name is not editable.

If you wish to make a correction or enter a new Rep Number simply click on the field and type the new number.

If you wish to save the changes, click on the Save button.

If you do not wish to save your changes, click on the Cancel button.

Frames

The CompositeMaker tool has been designed to support both a standard 3-Line rectangular frame with rounded corners and custom frames that you can cut and paste into the Frame Module of CompositeMaker.

The standard 3 Line Frame is especially well suited to composites with many students (i.e. >200). You will find that Custom Frames require substantially more computer RAM and disk space to save and manipulate than the internally drawn 3-line rectangle. Keep this in mind when quoting jobs to clients that have many students to plot on one composite.

To work in the Frames Module;

Locate the Navigation Palette (Tools... File Palette).
Displayed on the File Palette are 5 buttons. Click on the button called Frames.

The Frames List screen is divided into rows and columns. Each row is a different Frame and the columns show Name, Default Frame, Height, Width and Description.

The six buttons at the bottom of the screen, New, Delete, All, Find, Sort, and Print apply to the present selection of data in the list.

Adding Frames

First we will must add a new Frame.

Click on the New button on the Frame List screen. This will display the Frame Entry screen.

Figure - Frame Information Screen

Write the name of your new Frame in the Frame Name field. It is a good idea to give it a self-descriptive name so that you can identify it later when designing composites.
Add a Frame Description if desired.
Prepare the Frame picture in another computer drawing package, and then select the frame being especially careful to select evenly and as close as possible to the edge of the Frame. In your drawing package, copy the picture to the clipboard using the menu item Edit... Copy. Return to CompositeMaker and click in the Frame Picture box on the right of the screen. Choose the menu item Edit... Paste to paste the picture in the selected box. The Frame Height and Width will be automatically calculated. Note that the picture on the right of the screen is in inverted color. The picture on the left is what will be plotted per student on the composite.
You can also set a Frame as the Default Frame by setting the Default Frame check box. See the Default Frame section below for details.
You can clear the Frame Picture by using the button entitled Clear Frame.
CompositeMaker's preferences can be set to automatically generate a second new blank entry screen when you finish adding one. This is helpful when you are entering many new records consecutively. Normally this mode is not recommended as it can be confusing to new users.

Click Save to save your changes. Click Cancel to return to the Frames List screen.

Sorting Frames

When working in the Frames List screen you may wish to sort the Frames in a particular order.

To sort Frame data, click on the button near the bottom of the screen labeled Sort.
Once you have done this a small dialog entitled Quick Sort will be displayed.

At this point you have several options. You can sort by the Full Name, horizontal size or vertical size. To do this simply click in the small box adjacent to the words.

Sort the Frames in either ascending or descending order by clicking on the appropriate button.
Click OK to perform the sort or Cancel to abort.

Finding Frames

If ever you find that you would like to view or edit one specific Frame and have too many Frames to manually search through it is a good idea to use the Find button.

Click on the Find button. You should be presented with a window called Quick Find. In this window you may carry out a Query for either Name, Vertical Size, and Horizontal size.
Type in the desired query Value. Use the "@" symbol as a wildcard to aid searching. For example, "Large@" will find all Frames that start with "Large". "@box" will find all Frames that end with "box". "@lo res@" will find all Frames that contain the word "lo res" in their name. Note the query is not case-sensitive.
Click in the appropriate box to choose what to query for.
Click Query to find the Frame or Cancel if you decide not to perform the search. If the search returns nothing, recheck your spelling and try again or perhaps attempt to sort.

To search through only a selected number of Frames:

In the Frames screen shift-click on the Frames you would like to search through or simply click and drag down. This will highlight a selection of Frames.
Click on the Find button which will bring up the Quick Find screen.
Type in the desired query Value. See above for details concerning wildcard searching.
Click in the appropriate box to choose what to query for.
Click the Query in Selection button so that the search will only look through the selected records.

After any search is completed you will be presented with the list of those who match the criteria specified.

Editing Frames

At some point you may wish to change a Frame's name, a Frame's Description or the Frame Picture itself.

To do this start off by going to the Frame List screen.
Once there, find the Frame you wish to edit by either sorting or using the find button.
Double-click on the Frame from the list.
This will display the Frame Entry window.

If you wish to make a correction or enter new data simply click on the field and type the new data. You may also clear the Frame picture and/or set it for use as the Default Frame.

To place a new Picture in the Frame, refer to the Adding Frames section above.

If you wish to save your changes, click on the Save button.

If you do not wish to save your changes, click on the Cancel button.

3 Line Frame

The 3 Line Frame is the recommended Frame to use in CompositeMaker. This Frame is generated by CompositeMaker when specified, and is the recommended Frame for Jobs with hundreds of Students. This Frame is defined as 1.8125 inches wide by 2.21875 inches high and accommodates the standard cropped color photo size presently in use. Other sizes are available upon request from Nufocus Inc.

Default Frames

The Default Frame is the Custom Frame that is used in all plotting if the Custom Frame option is specified.

To set a Frame as Default;

Open the Frame that you wish by double-clicking on it.
You will notice a small check box with the words Default Frame beside it.
Place a check in this check box and then click Save.

When you return to the Frames List screen you will notice that in the Default Frames column your new Default Frame is checked off.

Other Frames

Non-default Frames can be used in CompositeMaker. Refer to the Frame Style section in the Plotting Composites chapter for further information on how to chose non-default Frames for your Plot Jobs.

Jobs

The Jobs Module allows you to link Students, a School and Reps together to create and manage a Job. Student list importing and editing, Teacher designation, Job Scheduling, Job Schedule printing to lists and labels are all supported in this module.

Locate the Navigation Palette. (Tools... File Palette)
Displayed on the File Palette are 5 buttons.
Click on the button labeled Job. This will display the Jobs List screen.

Each row on this list is a different Job and the five column headings are Job Number, Date of Job, School Name, Representative Name, and S/T/F. (Students/Teachers/Frames)

The six buttons at the bottom of the screen, New, Delete, All, Find, Sort, and Print apply to the present selection of data in the list.

Adding New Jobs

Now that we have gone through what's on the Job List screen let's examine how it works. First we will add a new Job.

Click on the New button on the Job Info screen. A blank Job Entry screen will appear.

Figure - Job Information Screen

First enter the Job Number. This is a free-form alphanumeric field. It is recommended to devise a numbering scheme for your Jobs as this will aid you in retrieving them later from CompositeMaker.
Use the year pop-up to enter the School Year.
Next enter the School Name. A School with this name must already exist in CompositeMaker, otherwise you will be prompted to create it.
Type in your company Representative's Name. A partial entry is acceptable. CompositeMaker will try to match your entry to the available Rep’s in the Rep’s Listing. If a Rep does not exist in the listing and you wish to add the new Rep to CompositeMaker, then click Create It when prompted. (It is recommended that you only choose Create It if you have typed in a complete Rep Name since you can not edit a Rep Name in the Rep Entry Screen.)
Enter the Planned and Actual Photo Shoot dates if known. The date format is MM/DD/YYYY.
The Number of Photos and Number of Frames data is calculated by CompositeMaker and these fields are not editable.
Once this is complete click Save to save the new Job in CompositeMaker. If you do not wish to retain your edits, click Cancel to return to the Job List screen.
CompositeMaker's preferences can be set to automatically generate a second new blank entry screen when you finish adding one. This is helpful when you are entering many new records consecutively. Normally this mode is not recommended as it can be confusing to new users.

Sorting Jobs

In the Jobs List screen you may wish to sort the Jobs List.

Click on the button near the bottom of the screen labeled Sort.

Once you have done this, the Sort dialog window will be displayed. Choose the appropriate Sort field.

You can have the Jobs listed in either ascending or descending order. Make the appropriate choice on the display.
Click OK to perform the Sort or Cancel to abort.

Finding Jobs

If ever you find that you would like to view or edit one specific Job and have too many Jobs to manually search through it is a good idea to use the Find button.

Click on the Find button located along the bottom of the Job List screen. You will be presented with a window called Quick Find.
Simply click in the appropriate checkbox to choose the Query field. Enter the Query Value.
Click Query to find the Job(s) or Cancel if you decide not to perform the Quick Find. If after clicking Query, the search returns nothing recheck your spelling and try again or perhaps attempt to sort.

To search through only a selected number of Jobs:

In the Jobs List screen shift-click on the Jobs you would like to search through or simply click and drag down. This will highlight some Jobs.
Click on the Find button which will bring up the Quick Find screen.
Type in the desired query Value. See above for details concerning wildcard searching.
Click in the appropriate box to choose what to query for.
Click the Query in Selection button so that the query will only look through the selected records.

After any query is completed you will be presented with the list of those who match the criteria specified.

Importing Student Lists

One of the key features of CompositeMaker is that it can import Student listings from spreadsheets directly into a Job. This means that you will be able to ask the schools that you deal with to give you a spreadsheet of the graduation class names. You then can arrange them for immediate import into CompositeMaker. These spreadsheets must be configured in the correct format to import correctly. The Import file must be a Tab-Delimited Text file with First Name in column 1, Last Name in column 2, Photo Number in column 3, Home Room in Column 4 and optionally Student Number in column 5. Leave blank column entries if you are not importing the data in a specific column. First and Last Name are required data.

If you are importing paths to digital images along with the names, insert a full path to the image in column 6. You will need to enable the QuickTime Image support option in the File... Preferences... menu first AND you must have the images available in the specified path so CompositeMaker can perform the import. All spreadsheet programs have an option to save a file in Tab-Delimited Text format. The Import button is found on the Student/Teacher Information Tab of the Job Entry screen.

Editing Students/Teachers in Job

After you have successfully imported a Student Listing .TXT file into CompositeMaker, you may still have to perform edits or additions/deletions for the Student Listing for the Job. You may also need to set the Teacher? attribute where applicable to identify Teachers in the list. In CompositeMaker, a Teacher is defined as a Student that has had the Teacher? field set to checked. This is because Teachers are normally plotted using the Plot Teacher option on the Plotting screen described later. If Teachers are not assigned as Teacher? then they will appear in the calculated composite positions as if they were students. Some of your customers may prefer this option.

Figure - Job Student/Teacher Information Screen

The Student Import is performed using the Import button on this screen. The Import file must be a Tab delimited text file with First Name in column 1, Last Name in column 2, Photo Number in column 3, Home Room in column 4, Student Number in column 6 and, optionally, full Image Path in column 6. On Windows, save the file as .TXT using your word processor or spreadsheet software to ensure correct format before attempting imports. On Macintosh, save the file as a TEXT file from within your spreadsheet or word processor software.
If you wish to change the format of the Student Names as plotted on the composite, click on the Name Formats button, and specify your desired settings.
The Sort button will sort the names in the Listing above in Last Name alphabetical order.
The Delete button will delete the selected student from the list. Only one Student can be deleted at a time.
Click on the Delete All button to remove all the names from the list. Note that deleting is an irreversible action and Students will need to be re-imported or manually re-entered into CompositeMaker if you delete them.
Click on the Add button to add a new Student or Teacher to the list.
Click the Open button to display a Student or Teachers individual information screen. You must select a Student or Teacher from the list prior to clicking the Open button.

Note that if you wish your Teachers to appear amongst the Students in the composite plot the simple solution is to not set the Teacher? checkbox attribute. Note also, that CompositeMaker plots the Students on the composite in alphabetical order. Not Photo Number order. The Photo Number field is used to define the Student order in the Job Scheduler. This allows you to customize the Schedule to certain student's time limitations.

Scheduling Information

A very valuable function of CompositeMaker is it's ability to generate photo shoot schedules based on the number of students booked for the school. To edit a Job Schedule click on the Scheduling Information Tab on the Job Entry screen. A Job can be scheduled over several days and can have several photographer Rep's working on the Job. These Rep's can also be programmed with varying shoot periods and Shoot Rates.

Figure - Job Scheduling Screen

Add Photographer Rep to Job Schedule

To begin a Schedule, you must have at least one Photographer scheduled with times and Shoot Rate. To add a Rep, click on the Add button and then type the Date, Rep Name, Location, Shoot Rate and Start and Finish Times in the appropriate columns. Several Reps can be added to a Job Schedule.

Remove Photographer Rep from Job Schedule

To remove a Rep from a Job Schedule, simply select that Rep's record in the schedule by clicking your mouse in an enterable area and then click on the Remove button. This removes the Rep from the Job Schedule, but does not delete him/her from CompositeMaker.

Duplicate Photographer Rep on Job Schedule

The quickest way to add more Reps to a Job Schedule is to duplicate an existing entry in the list and then edit the appropriate data on the duplicated entry. Click the Duplicate button to quickly add duplicates to the Job Schedule.

Check Schedule

Prior to Printing Schedule Listings or Labels you should click on the Check Schedule button to check for invalid scheduling. An explanatory note announcing a valid schedule or describing an invalid entry in the scheduling data in the screen above will appear below the button. Certain rules apply to photo Rep scheduling:

Two sessions are allowed per Rep per day. The second session must follow the first session chronologically.
Times must start and end on 10 minute intervals. CompositeMaker will automatically round to the nearest ten minute interval.
The Shoot Rate must be between 7 and 12 students per hour.
The scheduling algorithm leaves a 10 minute break at the end of every hour to "catch-up" for any delays and get back on schedule.

Printing Schedule Listing

Once a schedule has been created, Schedule Lists can be printed. These listings contain the Students Name, Home Room and time and location of the photo shoot for all individuals scheduled in the shoot. This listing is normally provided to the school in advance of the session and can be used as an attendance list. The listing also prints blank scheduled times to accommodate unscheduled Students. Using this list to ensure all students are scheduled at a convenient time will lessen delays and confusion in arranging for efficient photo sessions.

Printing Schedule Labels

Once a schedule has been created, Schedule Labels can be printed to place on your marketing materials for individual students. This Label can contain the Student's Name, Home Room and time and location of photo shoot. This will also lessen delays and confusion in arranging for efficient photo sessions. Various format labels are supported in the Label Editor, and label formats can be loaded from and saved to your hard disk. The Label Editor is very simple to master. It supports different label sizes and the addition of static text so you can customize your labels as you require.

Plotting Composites

The Plotting Area

To create a Composite, click on the Jobs button on the Navigation palette, and then select the desired job on the list screen by clicking on it. Once you have selected the Job, thenclick on the Plot button in the bottom left hand corner of the Job list screen. This will display the Composite Plotting Area. (See below)

The CompositeMaker Plotting Area is a full featured drawing tool that can be programmed to draw objects exactly as you configure them. Along the bottom of the plotting screen are configuration areas as described below. To the right of the plotting area are buttons to aid you in manipulating the composite.

Figure - Full-featured Plot Configuration screen

The Plot Area can be sized to full screen if you click on the small "o" icon in the top right hand corner of the Plot Area. Minimize the Plot Area back to the original size by using the "X" in the top right hand corner of the screen.

Figure - Full Drawing is expandable to your screen size

The Plot Area can be zoomed by clicking on the arrows above the number in the bottom left hand corner of the Plot Area which represents the percentage zooming. Click on the number itself to revert to 100%.
Experiment with the Plot Area menu items to discover the text, color and drawing objects available. You will not require any of these objects or menu items for standard CompositeMaker functions, but you have complete freedom to take advantage of them as you wish.
CompositeMaker’s Plot Area will accept other drawing tool objects, so you can create logos and other objects and paste them directly onto a finished composite. This allows you to quickly add professional graphics once the composite creation process is complete. You can also create a special template Job in CompositeMaker that has your standard logo artwork already pasted in it. Then you may easily copy and paste from the Template job to the working job.
Note that the Plot Area screen itself can be resized by clicking and dragging on the bottom right hand corner of the screen, or clicking on the Window Maximize button in the top right of the screen.
If you elect to use the optional Image capabilities of CompositeMaker to place images of your Students in the plot, then they will appear in the plot on the Drawing Configuration Screens.

Student, Teacher and Frame Count

For every job, there are a certain number of Students, a certain number of Teachers and a Frame count for the job as it is configured. The Counts are displayed immediately below the Plot Area. Students and Teachers are assigned to Jobs as described the Job section above. Frame count is the number of frames encoded for this plot job. The number of Frames should normally be set to be equal to the number of Students planned for the composite. This is set in the Frame Encode Setup box.

Margin Setup

Use the Margin Setup box to define the minimum outside margins of the composite when plotting. Typical settings would normally be 1" for right and left margins. You may elect to set a top margin of several inches to leave room for a title. Similarly, if you plan to place data or logos etc. in the footer area of the plot, set a bottom margin of a couple of inches.

Spacing Setup

Use the Spacing Setup box to define the spacing between the frames when placed by CompositeMaker on the composite plot. Experiment with varying vertical and horizontal spacing. Remember that these spacings can accumulate and for a composite containing hundreds of photographs can be an important setting to control total composite dimensions.

Since name labels are printed directly below each frame during the drawing process, you must set a vertical spacing that allows for the plotting of at least one line of text. Persons with long names will be printed with text wrapping, but this can also be manually resized after the composite plotting process is complete. See the Text and Picture Editing section below for further information.

Frame Style

Two major Frame stylings are available in CompositeMaker.

The Simple 3 Line box frame is a drawing of 3 rounded corner boxes within themselves. This frame is sized to fit the standard photo being used by the industry for composites. This is the recommended frame style to use in CompositeMaker. If you wish to use a different standard rectangular box, please contact Nufocus Inc.
Custom Frames can be added to CompositeMaker by the user. This is described in the Frames section. It is recommended that you do not use complex frames for jobs with over 100 students. Memory limitations of your computer may cause plotting problems for large jobs.

On the Plot Screen, when you choose Custom Frame, you will be able to choose from a drop-down menu containing all the Frames presently in your CompositeMaker system. You can examine each Frame in a thumbnail by choosing them successively from the drop-down menu.

Frame Encode Setup

The Frame Encode Setup box is a simple text entry area that you will use to "program" the placement of Frames on the Composite. Placement controls are very simple to use. The following rules apply to Frame Encode Setup encoding:

Place a number in the text box to represent the number of frames to be displayed on each successive row of the composite. Note the 6/7/6 and 19 encoding in the above figure, and compare the last 2 lines of frames. The second last line has 6 frames, 7 blank positions, and 6 more frames. The bottom line has 19 frames centered on the plot.
Blank rows in the text area will lead to blank rows in the Composite.
All frames in a row will be center-justified.
To allocate empty spaces in the middle of a row use a 3 digit code delimited by "/" (slash) characters. For example, as in the above screen shot, to place 6 frames on the extreme left of the plot, followed by 7 frame positions with no frame printed, followed by 6 more frames on the right enter the code: "6/7/6" on the desired line in the text area. Note that there can only be 2 "/" delimiters per line in the Frame Encode Setup box.
The number of frames decoded from the Encode Frame Setup text code box is displayed in the area above the configuration editors with the label: "No of Frames:" Normally, the encoded number of Frames should equal the number of Students in the Student List for this Job.
CompositeMaker will attempt to decode your frame placement instructions encoded in the Frame Encode box and will advise you if they are not interpretable.

Draw Plot Button

The Draw Plot button will place frames into the Plot Area as encoded by the Margin Setup, Spacing Setup, Frame Style and Encode Frame Setup editors. Depending on the number of Students to be plotted, this can take several seconds. Normally, you should clear the plot area first by clicking on the Clear Plot button before performing a Draw Plot function.

Clear Plot Button

Clear Plot will erase all objects on the Plot Area. Beware that any manual additions or edits you have made will be lost when a plot is cleared. If you wish to delete only specific items on the plot then you may select them with your mouse and delete them with the Edit... Delete menu item or the Delete or Backspace keys on your keyboard.

Plot Teacher
Teachers that are added to a Job can be placed individually on a CompositeMaker plot by clicking on the Plot Teacher button. The Teacher will be plotted in the exact middle of the plot, and can be manually positioned by selecting all elements of the Teacher Frame with your mouse (Frame, name and label) and then moving them to the desired location. Note also the ability to move objects with the plot areas Move menus.
Adding School Logos and Names
The ConpositeMaker drawing tool is a full-featured tool and this allows you to manually add any images and text that you wish to add to the plot job. A centrally located School name and class year is often added. A school logo can also be easily placed in the center of the job.
Dimensions Button

A Composite's dimensions are a very important aspect of the composite creation process. Limitations in plotter and/or paper size may restrict the physical size of the print job you can perform. On the other hand, individual photo size and the number of students and teachers required on the final composite will define a composite's minimum dimensions. Click on the Dimensions button to view the Plots' dimensions in inches.

Figure - Analyze Dimensions Dialog

CompositeMaker has built-in recommendations to manage and optimize paper usage while creating composites with a pleasing design. The Dimensions Dialog provides advice for a recommended aspect ratio. You are not required to follow these recommendations.

Browse Button

The Browse Button allows you to quickly find other Jobs in CompositeMaker that have similar numbers of students. The Frame Encoding Setup from these other Jobs can be easily copied from these other Jobs and pasted into your present Job. The other Jobs in CompositeMaker are sorted by number of Students and then the closest fit is highlighted.

Figure - Browse Other Jobs Dialog

You are not obliged to pick the highlighted Job. You can choose any other Job and then copy the Frame Encoding Information to your present Job, then add additional lines and/or Frames in the Encode Frame Setup editor. Click Cancel if you do not find an acceptable alternative setup and manually enter the setup codes on the Plot screen as normal.

Save Info Button

To perform an immediate save without closing the plot session click on the Save Info button.

Cancel Button

To cancel the plot design session click on the Cancel button. This will return you to the Job List screen without saving the edits you made in the Plot screen.

Save Button

To save the plot session click on the Save button. This will return you to the Job List screen after saving the edits you made in the Plot screen.

Computer Memory Issues

CompositeMaker memory requirements vary dramatically depending on the Frame Style you elect to use on a Job. This will be limited by your available computer RAM, the available hard drive space, and the limitations in size of the plot file you will be delivering. The built-in Simple 3 Line Frame style has a very simple graphic description and thus takes very little computer memory. This is the recommended Frame to use for large jobs. Custom Frames with elegant graphical elements will require more RAM to display in CompositeMaker and may lead to memory alerts. Similarly, these will also generate very large plot files if many students are being plotted. Be prepared to purchase more computer RAM or larger hard drives if you wish to plot hundreds of Students with complex Custom Frames.

Text and Picture Editing

CompositeMaker allows you to add additional text and pictures to a composite at any time during the plot edit process. These additions can be created with the CompositeMaker drawing tool or can be copied and pasted from other drawing software packages.

We recommend that you create a Template Job in CompositeMaker where you copy standard text and logos for easy placement into Job composite plots.

Text and Logo position can be controlled using the CompositeMaker drawing tool.

Plotting to Postscript Plotters or Plot Files

The purpose of CompositeMaker is to ease the creation of uniform high quality electronic plot jobs of composites. It is unlikely that your organization will have its’ own large scale plotter. These devices cost many thousands of dollars, have high consumables costs and can be difficult to maintain. It is more likely that you will generate a computer file that you will send to a service bureau that specializes in graphics printing and plotting.

To create the Plot File choose File... Print from the menu associated with the Plot Area. Do not use the File... Print menu item in the menu associated with the main CompositeMaker window. A Print Dialog will appear.
Since most composites are oriented in Landscape mode, do not forget to set this in your print dialogs during the printing process. Most service bureaus will know how to rotate a Portrait mode Postscript file into Landscape mode, but there may be an added charge for this.
In CompositeMaker, you will save the composite print job as a Postscript file. Set the Print to File option if appropriate. Several Postscript file creation drivers are available, you will require one that supports the definition of a large format plot.
MS Publisher Imagesetter is one such driver. This can be used on a Windows computer to create Postscript files for subsequent transmission to the graphics service bureau you wish to deal with.
On Macintosh, Abode PSPrinter is a very good Postscript file driver for large format print jobs. This can be downloaded from the Abode web site at www.adobe.com. (http://www.adobe.com/supportservice/custsupport/LIBRARY/2dd2.htm)

Important Issues

Months or weeks before your busy season, begin the process of finding a graphics service bureau that has the necessary plotting hardware and expertise to plot your jobs. Deliver to them a couple sample plots for testing. If you are happy with the quality and timeliness of the results, then advise them of when you will be coming in with your plot jobs. Since CompositeMaker allows you to prepare many more composites that you otherwise would be able to do, you may be able to negotiate a volume discount for your work if you arrive with all your plot files at the same time. The service bureau will be able to set up the hardware and do the plotting in sequence, thereby lessening their cost. They may be willing to pass some of those savings on to you.

The delivery of large graphics files requires a medium with the capacity to hold these files during the delivery process. For simple composites that use the 3 line standard frame, a 1.44 Mb floppy may be sufficient. For larger files you may be able to use a compression utility such as WinZip (www.winzip.com) on Windows or DiskDoubler or Stuffit (www.aladdinsys.com) on Macintosh to create self-extracting compressed plot files that can then be loaded onto floppies. Most graphics service bureaus will also have ZIP drives which have a 100 Mb capacity. Discuss this issue with your selected graphics service provider. They may have a preferred format for file submissions.

The universality of e-mail has made computer file delivery a much simpler task. If your organization has e-mail that does not have an attachment file size limit, you can likely send your files to the service bureau of your choice. Again, compression is a recommended intermediate step.

Finally...
CompositeMaker is available in both Macintosh and Windows versions and can be implemented in a client-server environment of mixed Macintosh and Windows computers. CompositeMaker requires Mac OS 7.5 or Windows 95/98/NT4 minimum. Due to the graphical nature of large composites, we recommend a minimum of 64 Mb of RAM memory on the computer.

CompositeMaker is customizable to your needs. If you would like to add additional functions and features to CompositeMaker, Nufocus Inc. will gladly quote for these additions.

If you would like to receive a demonstration version of CompositeMaker, please contact: support@nufocusinc.com

For software support: E-mail: support@nufocusinc.com