WeDesignAlbums · User Handbook

Everything the app can do,
beyond the basics.

A friendly reference to the features that make a wedding album sing — automatic layouts, fine photo control, decorative touches, and print-ready export, plus shareable templates and the Instagram Posts studio. Skim the contents, or search for a feature by name.

Version 1.8.0 8 chapters · 42 features Mac & Windows

Start here — four words worth knowing

The rest of the guide leans on these. Everything else you can pick up as you go.

Spread
One two-page layout — the left and right pages of the open album, shown together. Your album is a row of spreads.
Slot
A framed space on a spread that holds one photo. Layouts are just arrangements of slots.
Edit Mode
Double-click any spread to enter it. This is where fine adjustments — cropping, resizing, borders, text — live. Press Esc or “Done” to leave.
The photo library
The strip along the bottom holding every imported photo. Drag from here onto a slot to place a photo.

First launch: the app starts a free trial automatically — you'll see a “Free trial · N days left” pill while it runs. Enter a license key any time (the pill's Activate button, or the screen shown when the trial ends) to unlock it permanently on this computer; after activating it opens straight to your projects, no key needed each time.

Set upImportLay outRefineExport

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Layout & templates

Choosing and shaping how photos sit on a page.

1

Template cycling & “Match photo count”

Every spread can flip through dozens of ready-made layouts. The up/down chevrons stacked above and below a spread change its arrangement; the left/right chevrons move between spreads.

  1. Click the ▲ / ▼ arrows on a spread (or press ) to cycle layouts.
  2. Below the spread, toggle the pill between Match photo count and All layouts.

Why the pill matters: with “Match photo count” on, cycling only offers layouts that hold exactly the number of photos you’ve placed — so you never drop a photo or leave an empty hole.

2

Template Browser

A visual catalog of every built-in and custom layout, as little preview cards.

  1. Click Templates in the top bar to open the panel.
  2. Click a card to apply it to the current spread, or its + to start a new spread from it.
  3. Type in the search box to filter by name or number of photos.
3

In-place template editing

You don’t have to start from a blank template designer — reshape a spread’s slots right on the page.

  1. Double-click the spread to enter Edit Mode.
  2. Use Add Slot, then drag a rectangle to draw a new frame.
  3. Select any slot and drag its corner handles to resize, or the move handle to reposition. The trash icon deletes it.
4

Save as Template

Turn a whole design you’ve arranged into one you can reuse on any spread — not just the photo boxes, but the look.

  1. In Edit Mode, open the Layout section of the sidebar.
  2. Choose Save as Template and give it a name.

The template remembers your shapes, gradients, borders and decorations — apply it to another spread and only the photos are left to fill in. Your custom templates appear in the Template Browser alongside the built-in ones, forever.

5

Custom page size

Not limited to the seven presets — set your own album dimensions.

  1. On the New Project screen, pick the Custom size chip.
  2. Enter the width and height of the open spread in inches (e.g. 24 × 12″).
6

Spread Flip

Mirror an entire spread left-to-right in one click — handy for balancing facing pages.

  1. Click the flip icon in the spread’s header.
  2. Every photo and decoration mirrors across. Click again to flip back exactly.

Auto Build

Let the app lay out the whole album for you, guided by your star ratings.

7

Set up your shoot for Auto Build (in Lightroom)

Auto Build reads two things from your photos — the order they should appear in and their star ratings. Setting both in Lightroom before you export gives the strongest first draft.

  1. Align the sequence. Arrange the photos in Lightroom in the exact order you want them in the album — the natural flow of the day usually works well.
  2. Rate the images. Give your favourites 1–5 stars. The rating decides how large each photo appears — a 5-star can fill a whole spread, while unrated photos pack in tighter.
  3. Bake the order into the filenames on export. Number the exported files sequentially (e.g. 001, 002, 003…) so they carry your chosen order — the app lays photos out in filename order, reading numbers naturally (so img2 comes before img10).
  4. Include all metadata on export. In Lightroom's Export dialog, under Metadata, set Include to All Metadata — this embeds the star ratings so the app can read them on import.

The one setting people miss: ratings only come across when All Metadata is included on export. With “Copyright only” (or ratings stripped), every photo imports unrated and Auto Build sizes them all equally — you'd then re-rate inside the app using the stars on each thumbnail.

8

Auto Build

Turns your whole pool of unplaced photos into finished, laid-out spreads in one click — a strong starting point you then refine by hand.

  1. Import your photos (naming them in shooting order helps — see the tip).
  2. Click Auto Build in the top bar.

Order comes from filenames. Photos are laid out in filename order (numbers read naturally, so img2 comes before img10), which usually matches the flow of the day.

9

Star ratings drive photo size

Your ratings decide how large each photo appears. This is the single biggest lever on how an auto-built album looks.

  1. Hover a thumbnail and click its stars to rate it 0–5.
  2. Auto Build gives higher-rated photos bigger slots — a 5-star can fill a whole spread; unrated photos pack many to a page.

Select several photos first and one click rates them all at once. Ratings can also be embedded from Lightroom on import.

10

Fit to an exact page count

Have a fixed album size in mind — say 40 pages? Tell Auto Build the target up front.

  1. When creating the project, set the number of (blank) spreads you want.
  2. Import your photos and click Auto Build — it spreads them evenly across exactly those pages instead of making unlimited new ones.
11

Split-page mode

Layouts that balance neatly across the left and right page of each spread, rather than flowing across the center fold.

  1. Turn on Split pages when you create the project.
  2. Auto Build then composes each spread as a balanced left half + right half.

Edit Mode

Fine control over a single photo — cropping, sizing, and finishing touches.

12

Reframe, zoom & reposition a photo

Change what part of a photo shows inside its slot without moving the slot itself.

  1. Double-click the spread, then click the photo to select it.
  2. Drag the photo to slide it within the frame; use the sidebar’s Zoom and Reposition controls for precision.
  3. The crop-preview thumbnail in the sidebar shows exactly what’s visible — you can drag inside it too.
13

Resize, move & overlap slots — with guides

Slots aren’t locked to the template — reshape them freely, and let smart guides keep everything aligned.

  1. Select a slot; drag its corners to resize or the move handle to reposition.
  2. Watch for colored guides as you drag — center lines, edge alignment, equal spacing, and matching dimensions — and the slot snaps to center.

Slots may overlap on purpose — drag one photo partly over another for a layered, collage look. Hold Shift while resizing to keep a photo’s proportions.

14

Multi-select slots

Act on several slots at once instead of one at a time.

  1. Shift- or Cmd/Ctrl-click slots to add them to a selection — or drag a box across empty canvas.
  2. Resize or move the whole group together, give them all one border or opacity, or delete them in one step.
15

Borders, corners, softening, rotation & flip

Per-photo finishing touches, all in the sidebar while a photo is selected.

  1. Border color & width, and rounded corners.
  2. Edge Softness to feather the edges into the background.
  3. Angle to rotate, and horizontal / vertical flip.
16

Gradient overlay on a photo

Lay a translucent color wash over a photo — a dark-to-clear fade for a vignette, or a soft glow from one corner.

  1. Select the photo and open the Image tab in the sidebar.
  2. Turn the gradient on, then set the two colors, their transparency, and the direction — linear or radial.
17

Layer ordering

When photos and decorations overlap, decide what sits on top.

  1. Right-click a photo for Bring to Front / Forward and Send Backward / to Background.
  2. Or use the sidebar’s Layer buttons, or Cmd/Ctrl+] and [.

Decorative elements

Frames, shapes, and text layered on top of the photos.

18

Frames

Decorative outlines — thin, double, ornate corners, or a torn-paper edge — to dress a photo.

  1. In Edit Mode, open the Frames tab and pick a style.
  2. Add one while a photo is selected and it binds to that photo — they then move and resize together.
19

Shapes

Hearts, circles, stars, diamonds and more — as accents or backdrops.

  1. Open the Shapes tab and add a shape.
  2. Fill it with a solid color or a gradient, invert it into a cut-out, and scale it — even past the page edge for a bleed.
20

Text

Add names, dates, and captions with typography suited to a wedding.

  1. Open the Text tab and choose a preset — Title, Heading, Sub-heading, or Paragraph.
  2. Pick from 17 fonts (including formal script faces) and set size, weight, italics, alignment, and color.
21

Convert a shape into a photo slot

Get a photo cropped to a shape — a circular portrait, a heart-shaped detail.

  1. Right-click a shape → Convert to Slot.
  2. Drop a photo into it; the photo is clipped to that exact outline, and you can reframe it like any slot.

Add a border to a shaped slot and it traces the shape’s outline — a ring around a circle, an edge along a heart — not a rectangle around it.

Organizing & navigating

Finding photos and moving around a large album with ease.

22

Photo bins

Your own groupings that cut across the fixed categories — “Drone shots,” “Black & white,” “Must-includes.”

  1. Click New Bin and name it.
  2. Right-click a photo to add it to a bin; click a bin pill to filter the library to it.

A photo can live in as many bins as you like, all at once.

23

All / Used / Unused filter

See at a glance which photos still need a home.

  1. Use the All · Used · Unused tabs above the library.
  2. Each thumbnail shows a checkmark when placed — and ×N if you’ve used it more than once.
24

Smart Multi-Image Drop

Place a batch of photos and let the app choose the layout.

  1. Select several photos in the library.
  2. Drag them onto a spread — the app picks a layout that fits that count and places them all.
25

Grid view

A bird’s-eye view of every spread at once — the fastest way to sequence the album.

  1. Click the grid icon in the top bar.
  2. Drag cards to reorder spreads; double-click one to open it for editing.
26

Compare Mode — swap across distant spreads

Move a photo between two far-apart spreads without endless scrolling.

  1. In Grid view, Cmd/Ctrl-click two (or more) spreads to select them.
  2. Click Compare & Swap — the chosen spreads open side by side.
  3. Drag a photo from one onto the other to swap or move it.
27

Copy, paste & duplicate

Reuse any photo, shape, frame, or text — on the same spread or a different one.

  1. Select an element in Edit Mode.
  2. Cmd/Ctrl+C then V to copy/paste, or Cmd/Ctrl+D to duplicate in place (also on the right-click menu).
28

Backgrounds

Give a page a color behind the photos — subtle paper tones or a bold blackout.

  1. In Edit Mode, use the Background section: pick one of 10 curated tones or any custom color.
  2. Choose Apply to all spreads to set the whole album at once.
29

Keyboard navigation & shortcuts

Keep both hands moving.

  • move between spreads · change a spread’s layout
  • Cmd/Ctrl+Z undo · Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+Z redo
  • Cmd/Ctrl+] / [ layer order · Delete removes the selection

Output & workflow

Getting print-ready files out, and keeping your work safe.

30

Export options

Produce the final files — and a client-friendly proofing copy — with print in mind.

  1. Click Export; choose PDF, PNG, or JPEG.
  2. Export all spreads, just the current one, or a page range.
  3. Turn on Proofing to stamp each page with its number and every photo with a reference number for feedback.

Print-ready by default: exports carry a standard sRGB color profile so prints match your screen, and a warning flags any blank spreads or low-resolution photos (aim for 200+ PPI at print size) before you export.

31

External editor round-trip

Retouch a photo in Photoshop (or any editor) and have the album update itself.

  1. Right-click a photo → Edit with External Editor.
  2. Edit and save in that app — the album detects the change and reloads the updated photo automatically.

Pin your preferred editor once in Settings so every photo opens straight into it.

32

Autosave & recent projects

Your work saves itself, and picking it back up is one click.

  1. Save the project once; after that it autosaves on an interval you set in Settings.
  2. The opening screen lists your recent projects — click one to jump straight back in.

Templates: create, save & share

Turn any layout into a reusable design — and pass whole sets between projects, computers, or people.

33

Design a template from scratch

Build a brand-new layout by drawing empty photo slots on a blank page.

  1. Click Templates in the top bar, then + New to open the Template Editor.
  2. Use Add Slot and drag to draw each slot; drag the corner handles to resize, or the move handle to reposition. Slots snap to a light grid — hold Shift to place freely.
  3. Give it a name and Save — it joins your library alongside the built-in layouts.

A spread's own live layout can also be reshaped and saved without this editor — see the next entry.

34

Save a spread you've designed as a template

Any spread you've arranged can become a reusable template, so next time you only drop in the photos.

  1. Double-click the spread to enter Edit Mode.
  2. In the sidebar's Layout section, choose Save as Template and give it a name.

Templates remember the whole page design — slot shapes, borders, corners, gradients, the background colour or image, decorative shapes, text, and any logos or artwork — not just the photo boxes. Apply one to another spread and only the photos are left to fill in.

35

Share templates — export & import packs

Hand a template (or a whole set) to someone else, or move your designs between computers. Everything travels in a single .wdtpl file — including the artwork and backgrounds.

  1. In the Templates panel, right-click a card → Export. To send several at once, tick their checkboxes and choose Export selected, or use Export all.
  2. To load templates someone shared with you, click Import in the Templates panel and pick one or more .wdtpl files.

Any images a template uses are embedded in the pack, so it works on a computer that has never seen those photos. Imported packs appear grouped in their own folder in the panel.

36

Organise your template library

The Templates panel is a full manager, not just a picker.

  1. Search by name, photo count, or page size; filter by page size — the panel opens showing the layouts that fit the album you're in (switch to “All sizes” to see everything).
  2. Right-click a card to Duplicate (works on built-ins too, giving you an editable copy), Export, or Delete (your own templates only).
  3. Drag the panel's header to float it, drag its edge to resize the width, and use the slider to zoom the preview thumbnails.
37

Asset Library — logos & artwork

Import PNGs, logos and vector art once and reuse them across every project — as an overlay on a page or as a page background.

  1. Click Assets in the top bar to open the library, and import your files into the Assets or Logos tab.
  2. Drag an asset onto a spread to place it, or use a card's Add as overlay / Set as background buttons. Resize, rotate, and set its opacity like any element.

Assets you place become part of any template you save, and travel inside shared .wdtpl packs — so a shared design arrives complete.

Instagram Posts

A dedicated studio for square, portrait and carousel posts — the same design tools, sized for social.

38

Start an Instagram project

Alongside wedding albums, the opening screen can create Instagram posts — a separate project type with its own canvas and its own saved file.

  1. On the launcher, choose New Instagram Post.
  2. Pick a format — 1:1 square, 4:5 portrait, 16:9 landscape, or 9:16 story — and how many posts to start with.
39

Layouts & collages

Every post can cycle through post-sized templates, including ready-made multi-photo collages.

  1. Use the ▲ / ▼ arrows to cycle layouts, or open Layouts to pick from preview cards — grids, framed, rounded, circle, story bands, nine-grid, scrapbook and more.
  2. Select several photos and drop them on a blank post — it chooses a collage that fits the count and places them all.
40

Carousels & splitting an image across posts

Make a multi-slide carousel, or split one wide photo seamlessly across several slides.

  1. In the sidebar's Layout section, set a post's Span (1–4) to widen its canvas across that many slides. A dashed page-break line marks each boundary.
  2. Drop a single photo full-bleed across a spanned post to slice it into a seamless carousel — or place a different photo on each side of a break.

Export produces one image per slide, in order — upload them to Instagram as a carousel and they line up.

41

Edit, align & preview

All the album editing tools apply here too — reframing, shapes, text, backgrounds, and logo/artwork overlays — with the same alignment guides.

  1. Double-click a post to edit; drag photos and elements with the same snapping and centre/edge guides as the album.
  2. Click the preview (eye icon) to see the posts as a real Instagram carousel — swipeable slides, dots, and a caption.
42

Reorder, save layouts & export

Sequence the carousel, keep your favourite layouts, and export ready to upload.

  1. Switch to Grid view to drag posts into the order you want.
  2. Save a post's arrangement as a reusable Instagram template (Layout → Save as Template).
  3. Export each post as PNG or JPEG (at 1×, 2× or 3×), or the whole set as a PDF.