Contents
PowerAlbum Help Contents

Choose the topic for which you want information:

Overview 	introduces PowerAlbum and briefly describes how you can use it.

Parts of the screen 	explains all the elements of the PowerAlbum screen.

How to 	gives you step-by-step instructions for PowerAlbum's most common functions.

Menu commands 	describes all menu commands.

Keyboard and mouse 	provides instructions on selecting commands with either the keyboard or mouse. It also lists keyboard equivalents for various functions of PowerAlbum.

Messages 	lists possible error messages and tells you what you can try to do if you get them.

Glossary 	defines special terms as used in PowerAlbum.

To learn how to use Help, press F1.


Keyboard and mouse

Keyboard

Selecting commands using keys

Mouse

Selecting commands using the mouse

See also

Overview

How to


Selecting commands using keys

To select a menu command using keys:

1.	Press ALT or F10 to activate the menu bar.

2.	Select a menu by pressing the underlined letter in the menu name.

3.	Select a command by pressing its underlined letter.

Some commands have keyboard shortcuts.

To select this	Use this

File | Save	SHIFT+F12

File | Save As	F12

File | Print Catalog	CTRL+P

File | Exit	ALT+F4

Edit | Cut	CTRL+X

Edit | Copy	CTRL+C

Edit | Paste	CTRL+V

Edit | Find	CTRL+F

Picture | Add to Album	CTRL+A

Picture | Display	CTRL+D

See also

Keyboard and mouse


Selecting commands using the mouse

To select a command using the mouse:

1.	Point to a menu name.

2.	Click the left mouse button.

3.	Point to a command name.

4.	Click the left mouse button.

See also

Keyboard and mouse


Menu commands

File menu

New

Open

Merge Albums

Save

Save As

Print Catalog

Printer Setup

Exit

Edit menu

Cut

Copy

Paste

Find

Picture menu

Add to Album

Remove from Category

Delete File from Disk

Display

Category menu

Add

Modify

Merge

Delete


New command

Use the New command on the File menu to create new albums. Reasons for using multiple albums include:

More albums provide more ways to categorize your clip art.

Smaller albums are easier and faster to use.

If two or more people use the same computer, they can have separate albums.

When you use the New command, PowerAlbum automatically closes the open album. PowerAlbum will prompt you if there are unsaved changes before closing it. Choose Yes to save the changes or No to discard them.

New albums are blank and contain no categories. A new album is opened to the Contents page. You must add at least one category before you can add any pictures.

See also

Creating a new album

Adding categories

Adding pictures

Saving an album

Menu commands


Open command

Use the Open command on the File menu to open an existing album. Opening another album automatically closes the active album. PowerAlbum will prompt you if there are unsaved changes before closing the active album. Choose Yes to save the changes or No to discard them.

See also

Opening an album

Menu commands


Merge Albums command

Use the Merge Albums command on the File menu to copy the contents (pictures and categories) of a closed album into the open album.

See also

Saving an album

Merging albums

Menu commands


Save command

Use the Save command on the File menu to save changes (such as added pictures or categories, merged categories, new picture descriptions, and so on) to the open album.

If the album you are saving has not been saved before, the Save As dialog box appears. Use it to give the album a name and specify its location.

Keyboard shortcut

SHIFT+F12

See also

Saving an album

Menu commands


Save As command

Use the Save As command on the File menu to save a new album for the first time, or to save an existing album with a new name or in a new location.

When you are using the Save As command, you do not have to specify a file extension. PowerAlbum automatically adds .ALB. If you try to add a different extension, PowerAlbum will change it.

Once you save an album for the first time, you can use the Save command to save any changes thereafter.

Keyboard shortcut

F12

See also

Saving an album

Menu commands


Print Catalog command

Use the Print Catalog command on the File menu to print a catalog of pictures from the open album. A catalog resembles your album on the screen, except that one catalog page can contain up to four screen pages. Below each picture in the catalog appears its filename.

You print a catalog by categories, including and excluding those of your choice. You cannot print individual pictures.

You have the option of including the table of contents for the album. It lists all the categories and the pictures in each category. It can also include the complete path name for each picture.

When printing a catalog, you choose between your printer's resolution and Draft mode. Printer resolution provides sharper images, but can take more time to print than Draft mode. Before you can use the Print Catalog command, you must have a printer driver installed with the Windows Control Panel.

Keyboard shortcut

CTRL+P

See also

Printing a catalog

Printer Setup command

Menu commands


Printer Setup command

Use the Printer Setup command on the File menu to choose between installed printers and to make changes to printer options. To install another printer driver, use the Windows Control Panel.

See also

Printing a catalog

Menu commands


Exit command

Choose Exit from the File menu to close PowerAlbum and return to the Windows Program Manager or other active application. PowerAlbum will prompt you if there are unsaved changes before closing the active album. Choose Yes to save the changes or No to discard them.

You can also use the Close command on the Control menu to exit PowerAlbum.

Keyboard shortcut

ALT+F4

See also

Parts of the screen for information on the Control menu

Menu commands


Cut command

Use the Cut command on the Edit menu to move the selected picture to the Clipboard. You can then use the Paste command to move the picture to a different page in the same category, to a different category, or to place it in another application.

If you want to leave the picture in its place on the page, use the Copy command instead.

Keyboard shortcut

CTRL+X

See also

Paste command

Copy command

Moving, copying, and rearranging pictures

Menu commands


Copy command

Use the Copy command on the Edit menu to copy the selected picture to the Clipboard. You can then use the Paste command to place the picture in another category or in another application.

If you want to move the picture to another page in the same category, use the Cut command instead.

Keyboard shortcut

CTRL+C

See also

Paste command

Cut command

Moving, copying, and rearranging pictures

Placing pictures in other applications

Menu commands


Paste command

Use the Paste command on the Edit menu to insert the picture on the Clipboard into another application. If you are moving the picture within PowerAlbum, use Paste to insert the picture into a selected picture frame or, if no frame is selected, into the first empty frame on a page.

Keyboard shortcut

CTRL+V

See also

Copy command

Cut command

Moving, copying, and rearranging pictures

Placing pictures in other applications

Menu commands


Find command

Use the Find command on the Edit menu to search for pictures in an album. PowerAlbum finds pictures by matching text you enter in the Find dialog box to a picture's description or filename. You can enter entire words or only a few characters.

Search for pictures by file type by entering a period followed by the desired file extension. For example, enter ".TIF" to search for TIFF pictures.

Choose Find Next and PowerAlbum selects the next picture whose filename or description matches the text you entered. The Find dialog box moves so that you can see the picture. Continue to use Find Next until you have the picture you want.

Choose Find All and PowerAlbum copies all of the pictures it finds into a temporary category called Found. It automatically opens the album to the first page of this new category. If you want to make this category permanent, you must rename it to something other than "Found."

Keyboard shortcut

CTRL+F

See also

Searching for pictures

Renaming categories

Adding and editing a picture's description

Menu commands


Add to Album command

Use the Add to Album command on the Picture menu to add pictures on your disk to the open album. You can add more than one picture at a time, but adding a great number of pictures at once could be slow. When adding pictures, you can either select an existing category in which you want to insert them or create a new category for them.

If you want to add pictures of the same file type that are stored in different subdirectories, use the Include All Subdirectories option. For example, if you want to add all your TIFF pictures stored on the C drive, choose C:\ from the list of Directories, choose TIFF from the list of file types, and check the Include All Subdirectories option.

Note: An album must have at least one category before you can use the Add to Album command.

Keyboard shortcut

CTRL+A

See also

Adding pictures

Adding categories

Menu commands


Remove from Category command

Use the Remove from Category command on the Picture menu to delete the selected thumbnail picture from a category or, if it appears in multiple categories, from the entire album. This command does not affect the actual graphic file on your disk.

If you want to replace the picture, you must either add it to the album again or copy it from another category.

See also

Removing pictures from a category

Adding pictures

Moving, copying, and rearranging pictures

Deleting pictures from your disk

Menu commands


Delete File from Disk command

Use the Delete File from Disk command on the picture menu to delete the selected picture from your disk. Be careful; you cannot undo this command.

If you simply want to remove the picture from the album, but you don't want to delete the graphic file, use the Remove from Category command.

See also

Deleting pictures from your disk

Remove from Category command


Display command

Use the Display command on the Picture menu to see the selected picture in all its detail. Because picture sizes can vary, the selected picture may not fit within the Display window. If this occurs, you can either use the scroll bars to see the hidden portions of the picture or resize the window.

Click anywhere in the Display window to close it.

Keyboard shortcut

CTRL+D

See also

Displaying a picture in full size

Menu commands


Add category command

Use the Add command on the Category menu to add new categories to the open album. You can add more than one category at a time.

New categories are empty. To add pictures to them, use the Add to Album command or copy pictures from other categories.

See also

Adding categories

Add to Album command

Moving, copying, and rearranging pictures

Menu commands


Modify category command

Use the Modify command on the Category menu to rename an existing category. When using this command, make sure you are on a page of the category which you want to rename.

See also

Renaming categories

Menu commands


Merge categories command

Use the Merge command on the Category menu to merge two existing categories. PowerAlbum copies all the pictures from one category (the Merge From category) into another(the Merge To category). The Merge From category remains unchanged.

You may want to merge two categories if you want to delete one category but keep its pictures in the album.

See also

Merging categories

Deleting categories

Menu commands


Delete category command

Use the Delete command on the Category menu to remove a category and its pictures from the open album. Deleting a category does not affect the actual graphic files; they remain in their original directories on your disk.

If you want to delete a category, but keep its pictures in the album, merge the category with another or copy the pictures to another category.

See also

Deleting categories

Merging categories

Moving, copying, and rearranging pictures

Menu commands


Procedures
How to use PowerAlbum

Pictures

Adding

Deleting from your disk

Descriptions (adding and editing)

Displaying in full size

Moving, copying, rearranging

Placing in other applications

Removing from a category

Searching (finding)

Categories

Adding

Deleting

Merging

Renaming

Albums

Creating a new album

Merging

Navigating through

Opening

Saving

Printing a catalog


Adding and editing a picture's descriptions

Pictures you installed with the setup program probably have descriptions; you can change these or add to them if you like. Pictures that you add to PowerAlbum later will not have descriptions, but you can add your own.

Descriptions can be useful because you can use the Find command to search for any word, or part of a word, in a description. When entering descriptions, it is a good idea to use a variety of descriptive words, including some general concepts. For example, you might describe a picture of a sports car as "car, transportation, speed."

To add or edit a picture's description:

1.	Select the picture.

2.	If the description text box does not contain a blinking line cursor, click the box.

3.	Type the new word or phrase at the cursor. Separate words by spaces and/or commas. You can enter up to 64 characters.

4.	After you have made all your changes or additions, choose File | Save Album to save the descriptions.

See also

Searching for pictures

Saving an album

How to


Adding categories

To add a new category:

1.	Choose Category | Add.

2.	Type a name for the new category in the Add Category dialog box.

3.	Choose OK to add the category and close the dialog box, or choose Add Another to leave the dialog box open so you can add another category.

New categories are empty. To add pictures to them, you can copy pictures from other categories or use the Add Picture command.

You can also add a new category when you are adding pictures to an album or when you are using the Find All function.

See also

Add category command

Adding pictures

Moving, copying, and rearranging pictures

Searching for pictures

How to


Adding pictures

You can add one or more pictures to an album in one operation. When adding pictures, you can either add them to an existing category or create a new category and add them to it.

To add pictures to an album:

1.	Choose Picture | Add To Album. The Add Picture dialog box appears.

2.	Choose the drive and directory where the pictures you want are located.

3.	Use the List Files of Type to see only files of a particular type (PCX, TIFF, and so on) or to see all the files in the current directory (*.*).

4.	Select the file(s) you want to add. To select adjacent files, drag the pointer down the list. To select nonadjacent files, hold down the CTRL key as you select each file. To select every file in the list, choose Select All.

Note: 	Adding files takes time. If you try to add a large number of files at one time, it may take a considerable amount of time.

5.	Choose OK. The Select Category dialog box appears.

6.	Select the category you want to receive the pictures or choose the Add Category button to create a new category. If you choose Add Category, type the name of the new category and choose OK.

7.	Choose OK. PowerAlbum adds the pictures to your album. When it's finished, it reports how many pictures were successfully added.

8.	Choose OK once again.

See also

Add to Album command

Adding categories

How to


Creating a new album

To create a new album:

Choose File | New. If you have not saved recent changes to the open album, PowerAlbum asks if you want to do so. Choose Yes to save the changes, or No to discard them.

The new album appears at once. It is untitled and contains no categories or pictures. Before you can add pictures, you must first add at least one category.

See also

New command

Adding pictures

Adding categories

Saving an album

How to


Deleting categories

Deleting a category removes both the category and the pictures displayed in it from your album. Deleting a category does not affect the graphic files themselves; they remain in their original directories.

If you want to delete a category but keep the pictures it contains, copy or merge them into another category first.

To delete a category:

1.	If you are on the Contents page, select the name of the category you want to delete. If not, make sure you are on a page in the category you want to delete.

2.	Choose Category | Delete.

3.	Choose OK to delete the category.

See also

Delete category command

Moving, copying, and rearranging pictures

Merging categories

How to


Deleting pictures from your disk

You can delete a graphic file from your disk without leaving PowerAlbum. Be careful, as this is a permanent deletion.

To delete a picture from your disk:

1.	Select the picture you want to delete and choose Picture | Delete File From Disk.

2.	Choose OK to delete the file.

3.	Choose File | Save to save the change to your album.

If you do not save the album, the deleted picture will appear the next time you use the album, although the file is no longer on your disk.

See also

Delete File from Disk command

Saving an album

How to


Displaying a picture in full size

The pictures in your albums are reduced to thumbnails to fit onto the album pages.

To see a picture displayed in its actual size:

Select it and choose Picture | Display. Click anywhere in the display window to close it.

If a picture is too large to fit the display window, scroll bars appear. To see the entire picture, either use the scroll bars or enlarge the size of the display window.

See also

Display command

Placing pictures in other applications

How to


Merging albums

Merging albums copies the contents of a closed album into the currently open album.

To merge albums:

1.	Open the album that you want to receive the pictures.

2.	Choose File | Merge Albums.

3.	Choose a drive, if necessary, and navigate through the Directories box to find the album you want.

4.	Choose the album (.ALB file) that you want to copy from the File Name list box.

5.	Choose OK.

See also

Merge Albums command

Saving an album

Merging categories

How to


Merging categories

Merging categories copies all the pictures from one category (the Merge From category) into another (the Merge To category). The original Merge From category remains unchanged.

1.	Choose Category | Merge. The Merge Categories dialog box appears.

2.	Choose the category from which you want to copy the pictures from the left-hand Merge From list. You can only choose one category.

3.	Choose the category to which you want to copy the pictures from the right-hand Merge Into list.

4.	Choose OK.

See also

Delete category command

Deleting categories

Merging albums

How to


Moving pictures to another category
Moving, copying, and rearranging pictures

To rearrange pictures on a page:

Select a picture and drag it to another frame.

To move a picture to another page within the same category:

1.	Select the picture and choose Edit | Cut.

2.	Move to the new page and select the frame where you want the picture to appear.

3.	Choose Edit | Paste. The picture already in that frame moves to the right.

To move a picture to another category:

Select the picture, hold down the SHIFT key and drag the picture over the tab of the category in which you want to place it. When the tab is highlighted, release the mouse button. The picture will appear in the first empty frame of that category.

You can also use the Cut and Paste commands in the same way as moving a picture from page to page within a category.

To copy a picture from one category to another:

Select the picture and drag it over the tab of the category to where you want to copy it. Release the mouse button when the tab is highlighted. You can copy a picture to as many different categories as you want.

See also

Removing pictures from a category

Placing pictures in other applications

How to


Moving through an album
Navigating through an album

To move to the next page, click the arrow next to the page number of the right-hand page. To move to the previous page, click the arrow on the left-hand page.

To move to another category, click its tab.

Choose Contents to move to the Contents page.

See also

Searching for pictures

How to


Opening an album

When you open another album, PowerAlbum automatically closes the currently open album; you can have only one album open at a time.

To open an existing album:

1.	Choose File | Open. If you have not saved your recent changes, PowerAlbum asks if you want to do so. Choose Yes to save the changes or No to discard them. The Open Album File dialog box appears.

2.	Choose the drive and directory, if necessary.

3.	Select the desired album name.

4.	Choose OK.

See also

Open command

Creating a new album

How to


Placing pictures in other applications

To copy a picture from PowerAlbum to another application:

1.	Find the desired picture and select it by clicking it. A heavy frame appears around the picture.

2.	Choose Edit | Copy to place a copy of the picture on the Clipboard.

3.	Minimize or exit PowerAlbum.

4.	Switch to the document where you want to place the picture. This can be a document in any Windows application that lets you paste pictures from the Clipboard.

5.	Find the location where you want to put the picture and choose Edit | Paste.

See also

Searching for pictures

Adding pictures

Copy command

How to


Removing pictures from a category

Removing a picture from a category deletes the thumbnail image of that picture. If the picture occurs in more than one category, you can choose to remove it from the entire album. This does not affect the actual graphic file on your disk.

To remove a picture from a category:

1.	Select the picture you want to remove and choose Picture | Remove From Category.

2.	Choose Category Only to remove the picture from the current category. If the picture appears in other categories, it remains in them. Choose Entire Album to remove every occurrence of the selected picture from the album.

If you want to restore the picture later, you will have to add it to the album or copy it from another category.

See also

Remove from Category command

Adding pictures

Moving, copying, and rearranging pictures

Deleting pictures from your disk

How to


Renaming categories

You can either rename a category from the Contents page, or from a page in the category itself.

To rename a category from the Contents page, select it, then click the text box at the bottom of the window and type the new name.

To rename a category from one of its pages:

1.	Select Category | Modify.

2.	Edit the name in the Category Name text box or type a new name over it.

3.	Choose OK.

See also

Adding categories

How to


Saving an album

To save a new album, or to make a copy of the album with a different name:

1.	Choose File | Save As. The Save Album File dialog box appears.

2.	Type the name in the File name field. Choose a different drive and directory if you want.

3.	Choose OK. The name of the album appears in the Title bar at the top of the window.

Once you have used Save As to give a new album a name, you can choose File | Save to save other changes, such as added pictures, rearranged pages, or new descriptions.

See also

Save As command

Creating a new album

How to


Searching for pictures

Use Find to search for pictures by their descriptions, file names, or file types.

To use Find:

1.	Make sure you are not on the Contents page and choose Edit | Find.

2.	Type the file name, file name extension, or the word you want to search for in the Find What text box. You can enter a whole word, or part of a word. For example, "vine" will find any filenames and descriptions that contain those four characters, such as "vineyard" or "ravine."

If you enter two or more words separated by a space, Find will search for all the pictures whose descriptions contain any of these words. Entering "birthday party" will find all pictures with "birthday" in their descriptions, as well as all the pictures with "party" in their descriptions.

3.	Choose Find Next to see the first picture found. Continue to choose Find Next until you locate the picture that you want.

Or, choose Find All to copy all of the found pictures into a temporary category called Found. At the end of the search, PowerAlbum opens the album to the first page of this category.

Hint: Once you have a Found category, you can make it permanent by renaming it, thereby creating a new category.

See also

Find command

Adding and editing a picture's description

Renaming categories

How to


Printing a catalog

To print a catalog:

1.	Choose File | Print Catalog.

2.	Select the categories you want to appear in your catalog from the categories list box.

To select adjacent categories, drag the pointer down the list. To select nonadjacent categories, press CTRL and hold it down as you select each category. To select all the categories displayed in the categories list box, choose the Select All button. Choose Table of Contents if you want to print the table of contents for your entire album.

3.	If you are printing the table of contents, you can suppress the printing of each picture's complete path name by selecting the check box below the categories list box.

4.	Choose the resolution at which you want to print your catalog: Printer resolution or Draft. Printer resolution produces clearer images but takes more time than printing in Draft.

5.	Choose OK.

See also

Print Catalog command

How to


Parts of the screen

Title bar	displays the application name, the name of the open album file, the Minimize button, and Control menu box.

Menu bar	lists the PowerAlbum menus.

Picture album	displays the pictures the album contains.

Description and Filename	display this information for the selected picture.


Title bar

The top line of the PowerAlbum screen is the title bar. It displays

the name of the application (PowerAlbum)

the name of the current album file

It also contains the following mouse buttons:

the Control menu box, which you can click to display the Control menu or double-click to put away the application

a Minimize, which lets you return to Windows without losing your place in the application

See also

Parts of the screen


Menu bar

The menu bar appears directly below the title bar, listing the PowerAlbum menus: File, Edit, Picture, Category, and Help. Each menu contains a list of related commands.

To open a menu and select a command, do one of the following:

Click the menu name, then click the desired command.

Press ALT or F10 to activate the menu bar. Then select a menu by pressing the underlined letter in its name. With the menu open, select the command by pressing its underlined letter. For example, to open the File menu and select Exit, press ALT+F+X.

See also

Parts of the screen


Picture album

The picture album is a graphic representation of a PowerAlbum file that looks like a real photo album. The album contains reduced thumbnail images of your graphic files displayed in frames on pages, twelve to a page. The pictures are grouped into subject categories separated by tabs, as pictures in a real photo album often are.

To turn a page, click the arrow at the bottom of the page in the direction you want to go, as you would with a real book. Click the right-hand arrow to proceed to the next page, click the left-hand arrow to move back to the previous page.

To jump to another category, click its tab. The Contents tab moves you to the table of contents that lists all the categories in your album. If there are more categories than tabs, a More tab appears as the last tab. Click it to display the remaining category tabs.

To select a picture, click it. A heavy frame appears around the image. Note that a picture remains selected until you select another, even if you are not on that page.

See also

Parts of the screen


Description and Filename text boxes

These two text boxes appear at the bottom of the PowerAlbum screen. When you select a picture, its description and filename appear in the respective text box.

If your PowerAlbum package includes pictures that you installed with the PowerAlbum setup program, they probably have descriptions. Pictures of your own that you add to PowerAlbum will not have descriptions. You can change a picture's description or add a description to a picture at any time.

You can search for pictures by searching for words, or parts of words, in a description or filename.

See also

Adding and editing a picture's description

Searching for pictures

Parts of the screen


Glossary

Point to the glossary term you want defined and hold down the mouse button.

album

catalog

category

Clipboard

Control menu box

description

double-click

drag

file type

frame

menu bar

minimize

path

resolution

thumbnail

title bar


album

An album is a collection of reduced or, thumbnail, images of graphic files on your disk. It is the type of file created and used by PowerAlbum. An album has the file extension .ALB.


catalog

A catalog is a printed record of the pictures contained in an album. Use the Print Catalog command on the File menu to produce one.


category

A category is a division of pictures, usually defined by subject, such as Sports or Religion. Categories are separated by tabs. You may place a single picture in more than one category, if it seems appropriate. However, you can only place one copy of a picture in any category.


Clipboard

The Clipboard is a part of memory used to store information (text or pictures) temporarily. You can use it to move or copy items from one page or category to another in the same file, between files, or even between Windows applications. You cannot use it to paste pictures from other applications into PowerAlbum.


Control menu box

The Control-menu box is the boxed minus sign in the upper left corner of the PowerAlbum screen. When you click this box once, the Control menu appears. If you double-click it, you exit the program.


description

In PowerAlbum, each picture can have a brief description. You can use the Find command to search for words or characters included in a description. When you select a picture, its description appears in the Description text box at the bottom of the PowerAlbum screen.


double-click

To press and release a mouse button quickly two times.


drag

To move or resize an object by pressing and holding down the mouse button as you move the mouse to the desired location.


file type

A file's type indicates how it stores information. In PowerAlbum, you can use graphic files of the following types: WMF, BMP, PCX, CGM, TIFF, EPI, DRW.


frame

In PowerAlbum, pictures are displayed in frames, twelve to a page. When you select a picture, the frame changes to a heavy line. You cannot select an empty frame.


menu bar

The menu bar appears directly below the title bar near the top of the PowerAlbum screen. It contains the following menus: File, Edit, Picture, Category, and Help. Each menu contains a list of related commands.


minimize

You can leave an application but keep it in memory by reducing it to its icon. This is called minimizing. You can minimize the PowerAlbum window by clicking the downward-pointing triangle at the right edge of the title bar.


path

A path indicates the location of a file by specifying the drive, directory, and filename. For example, the complete path for the graphic file BONES.TIF might be C:\ART\MEDICAL\BONES.TIF. PowerAlbum stores a graphic file's path in an album file (.ALB). It does not store or encapsulate the actual graphic file in the .ALB file.


resolution

Resolution is the number of dots used to create an image on a screen or printer. The greater the resolution, the sharper the picture.


thumbnail

A thumbnail is a reduced image of a graphic file. Each thumbnail displayed in an album points to the actual graphic file on your disk.


title bar

The title bar appears at the very top of the PowerAlbum screen. It displays the application name and the open album name. It also contains the Control menu box and the Minimize button.


Overview

PowerAlbum is an innovative way to organize and select pictures for any Windows program that can read a graphic file from the Clipboard. PowerAlbum makes it easy to locate and select pictures because you can

See reduced images (called thumbnails) of the actual pictures instead of a list of file names

Organize your pictures into subject categories any way you please, even across drives and directories

Search for pictures by file name, file type, or key word

PowerAlbum looks and feels like an online photo album. An album contains reduced thumbnail images of your graphic files. They are grouped into subject categories separated by tabs, as pictures in a real photo album often are. You can flip through the pages of an album or jump directly to another category.

Once you find a picture you want to use in a document, copy it to the Clipboard. Then minimize or close PowerAlbum, activate the application that contains your document, find the location where you want the picture to appear, and paste it into place.

See Also

Parts of the screen

How to


Open Album File dialog box

Use this dialog box to open an existing album.

File Name

Type the name of the file you want to open or select it from the list. Only the files in the current directory are displayed. Use the Directories option to change the directory.

List Files of Type

.ALB is the only type listed in this drop-down list. However, if the File Name box contains *.*, instead of *.alb, you will see a mixture of files in the file list. You can only open .ALB files with this command.

Directories

The complete path of the current directory is displayed. If the file you want to open is not in this directory, navigate the Directories list box to open the desired directory. The directories listed reflect the current drive. If you need to change drives, use the Drives option.

Drives

This option lists the current drive. If the album you want to open is on another drive, select it from this drop-down list.

See also

Open command

Opening an album


Merge Album dialog box
Merge Albums dialog box

Use this dialog box to select an album you want to merge into the currently open album. The album you select remains unchanged.

File Name

Type the name of the desired album file or select it from the list. Only the albums in the current directory are displayed. Use the Directories option to change the directory.

List Files of Type

.ALB is the only type listed in this drop-down list. However, if the File Name box contains *.*, instead of *.alb, you will see a mixture of files in the file list. You can only merge .ALB files with this command.

Directories

The complete path of the current directory is displayed. If the file you want to select is not in this directory, navigate the Directories list box to open the desired directory. The directories listed reflect the current drive. If you need to change drives, use the Drives option.

Drives

This option lists the current drive. If the album you want to select is on another drive, select it from this drop-down list.

See also

Merge Albums command

Merging albums


Save As dialog box

Use this dialog box to specify the name and location of a new album. You can also use it to save an existing album under a different name or location.

File Name

Type the name you want to give the new file. You can use up to eight characters. PowerAlbum automatically adds the proper file extension, so you don't have to add one.

List Files of Type

You can only save files with the .ALB extension. If you try to enter a different extension, PowerAlbum will change it.

Directories

The complete path of the current directory is displayed. If you want to specify a different location for the new file, navigate the Directories list box. The directories listed reflect the current drive. If you need to change drives, use the Drives option.

Drives

This option lists the current drive. If you want to save your album to another drive, choose it from this drop-down list.

See also

Save As command

Saving an album


Find Picture dialog box

Use this dialog box to search for pictures in the open album.

Find What

Enter the text for which you want PowerAlbum to search. It will find pictures whose descriptions or filenames match the text you enter. You can enter words or parts of words. You can enter up to 256 characters, but a long character string may be impractical. If words are separated by a space, PowerAlbum will find pictures that match either word. To search for pictures by their file type, enter a period followed by the proper file extension. For example, enter ".TIF" to search for TIFF pictures.

Find Next

Choose this button and PowerAlbum displays the first picture that matches the search text. The dialog box remains open so you can continue the search. Once you find the correct picture, choose Cancel.

Find All

Choose this button and PowerAlbum copies every picture it finds into a temporary category called Found. It automatically opens the album to the first page of this category.

See also

Find command

Searching for pictures


Add Picture dialog box

Use this dialog box to add pictures to the open album.

File Name

Select the file(s) you want to add from this list. To select adjacent files, drag the pointer down the list. To select nonadjacent files, hold down the CTRL key as you select files. Only the files in the current directory are displayed. Use the Directories option to change the directory.

List Files of Type

Choose the type of file you want to add. You can add TIFF, WMF, CGM, PCX, BMP, EPI, and DRW graphic files. The list of files will display files of the type you select. To see graphic files of all types, choose All Types.

Directories

The complete path of the current directory is displayed. If the file you want to add is not in this directory, navigate the Directories list box to open the desired directory. If you need to change drives, use the Drives option. The directories listed reflect the current drive.

Drives

This option lists the current drive. If the file you want to add is on another drive, select it from this drop-down list.

Include All Subdirectories

Choose this option to add all the files of the selected type that are located in any subdirectory of the current directory. For example, if the current directory is C:\ART and the List Files of Type option is set to WMF, selecting this option will add every WMF file located in any subdirectory within C:\ART.

Select All

When you choose this button, PowerAlbum selects every file listed in the File Name list box. You can deselect files by holding down the CTRL key as you click them.

See also

Add to Album command

Adding pictures


Remove Picture dialog box

Use this dialog box to remove the selected picture from the current category or the entire album. Removing a picture does not affect the actual graphic file on your disk.

OK

This button appears if the picture appears only in the current category. Choose it to remove the picture.

Category Only

If the selected picture appears in more than one category, you can choose this button to remove it from the current category only. All other copies remain in place.

Entire Album

If the selected picture appears in more than one category and you want to remove every copy of the picture from the album, choose this button.

See also

Remove from Category command

Removing pictures from a category


Delete Picture dialog box

Use this dialog box to permanently delete the selected picture from your disk. You may want to make sure the correct picture is selected by checking the Filename area of the PowerAlbum window before you continue. This deletion is permanent.

If you only want to remove the picture from your album and you do not want to delete the graphic file, use the Remove from Category command.

OK

Choose this button to delete the selected graphic file from your disk. Be careful, because you cannot undo this command.

Cancel

Choose this button if you don't want to delete the selected graphic file or if you are not sure you have the correct file selected.

See also

Delete File from Disk command

Deleting pictures from your disk

Remove from Category command


Add Category dialog box

Use this dialog box to add a category or categories to the open album.

Category name

Enter the name for the new category.

Add Another

Choose this button to add the entered category and clear the Category Name field so you can add another category.

OK

When you have entered all the desired categories, choose this button.

See also

Add category command

Adding categories


Modify Category dialog box

Use this dialog box to change the name of the current category (that is, the category currently displayed).

Category Name

The current category name appears in this field. Replace it by typing a new name.

See also

Modify category command

Renaming categories


Merge Categories dialog box

Use this dialog box to choose two categories you want to merge into one.

Merge From

Select the category whose pictures you want to copy to another category. This category remains unchanged after the merge.

Merge Into

This is the category that will receive all the pictures from the Merge From category. Select the desired category.

See also

Merge categories command

Merging categories


Delete Category dialog box

Use this dialog box to confirm the deletion of the specified category.

OK

Choose this button to delete the category and its pictures from the open album. If any of the pictures appear in other categories they will remain there. This does not affect the actual graphic files on your disk.

Cancel

Choose this button if you do not want to delete the category or if the incorrect category is specified.

See also

Delete category command

Deleting categories


Print Catalog dialog box

Use this dialog box to specify options for printing a catalog of pictures from the open album.

Categories list

The categories in the open album appear in the list box on the left-hand side of the dialog box. Choose those you want to include in your catalog. To select adjacent categories, drag the pointer down the list. To select non adjacent categories, hold down the CTRL key as you select them. Choose Table of Contents to print the list of categories and their pictures from the open album.

Show Path Names in Table of Contents

Select this option if you want the complete path name of each picture in your album to be printed in the table of contents.

Resolution option

Select the desired resolution. Printer resolution uses the resolution of your printer. This can produce sharper images than Draft, but can take more time to print.

Select All

Choose this button to select all the categories listed as well as the Table of Contents.

See also

Print Catalog command

Printing a catalog


Picture Not Found dialog box

The picture you selected points to a graphic file on your disk that is not in its original location. The file may have been moved or deleted. You can use this dialog box to search for that file.

Search

Choose this button to search every directory on this drive for the selected graphic file. If PowerAlbum does not find the file, you can choose another drive to search. Note that if the selected drive is large, such as a network drive, this can take time.

Drives list

The current drive is indicated. To search another drive, select it from the drop-down list.

If PowerAlbum is unable to find the file, you may have to add it to your album again.

See also

Adding pictures


Select Category dialog box

Use this dialog box to choose a category or create a new category to which you want to add your pictures.

Category

This lists displays all the categories in the current album. Select the category to which you want to add your pictures.

Add Category

Choose this button to add a new category. The new category will appear in the Category list.

See also

Add to Album command

Adding pictures


Print Catalog Problem dialog box

Your printer is set to print in Landscape orientation. Choose Printer Setup to change the printing orientation to Portrait.


Duplicate Picture dialog box

The picture(s) you are trying to add already appears in the selected category. A picture can appear only once in each category, although you can add a copy to as many categories as you wish.

OK to All

If you choose this button PowerAlbum will not display this message for every duplicate picture. Instead, it will add as many pictures as possible. At the end of the operation, a dialog box appears with the total number of pictures you selected and the number successfully imported.

OK

If you are adding a single picture, this simply cancels the adding procedure, and you can start over. If you are adding multiple pictures, PowerAlbum will try to add the next picture. If it also appears in the selected category, this dialog box reappears.

See also

Add to Album command


Printer Setup dialog box

Use this dialog box to select one of the installed printers. If you don't see the printer you want to use, you must use the Windows Control Panel to add another printer.

Printer

Select the desired printer.

Setup

Choose this button to configure printing options for the selected printer.


Import Picture Problem dialog box

PowerAlbum is unable to import the specified picture. This indicates you may not have enough memory or the picture file was created and saved in an unusual variation of a standard graphics format.

OK to All

If you choose this button PowerAlbum will not display this message for every picture it cannot import. Instead, it will add as many pictures as possible. At the end of the operation, a dialog box appears with the total number of pictures you selected and the number successfully imported. Choose this option if you do not want to be present as PowerAlbum imports the pictures.

OK

If you are adding a single picture, this simply cancels the procedure and you can start over. If you are adding multiple pictures, PowerAlbum will try to add the next picture. If it cannot be imported, this dialog box reappears.

Cancel

Choose this option to abort the entire import operation.

See also

Add to Album command


Messages

This section contains a complete list of the error messages you may receive while working in PowerAlbum. The error messages are listed by number. If you need additional support, you can contact our Technical Support department. Make a note of the error message number before you call. See "Calling Technical Support" in the Introduction to your manual for details.

500 Picture <> already exists . . .

505 Library could not be loaded.

510 Common Open dialog . . .

515 Album <> exists . . .

520 Album <> has changed . . .

525 Picture <> already exists . . .

530 Picture <> cannot be located . . .

535 Unable to save album . . .

540 <> is not a valid album file.

545 Sorry, <> is no longer . . .

550 Unable to open <> . . .

555 You must be running . . .

560 Insufficient memory . . .

565 You are low on memory . . .

570 Insufficient memory . . .

575 Sorry, you must close . . .

580 Sorry, because you . . .

585 Unable to initialize . . .

590 Picture <> does not . . .

595 Picture<> already exists . . .

605 Sorry, not enough memory . . .

610 Out of disk space.

615 Maximum number . . .

625 File <> not recognized.

630 Unable to load <> filter.

635 Unable to load <> library.

640 Picture Handle not found.

645 Unable to import <> . . .


500 Picture <> already exists in the category. It will not be inserted.

The same picture can appear only once in each category. However, you can put a picture in as many different categories and albums as you want.

See also

Messages


505 Library could not be loaded.

A .DLL file could not be found. Run SETUP again and install the PowerAlbum files.

See also

Messages


510 Common Open dialog box could not be loaded.

There was a problem with the COMMDLG.DLL file. You may have replaced a newer version of the file with an older version. Run SETUP and reinstall PowerAlbum.

See also

Messages


515 Album <> exists, do you want to overwrite it?

You have specified a filename that already exists. If you choose Yes, you will overwrite that album with the currently open album.

See also

Save As command

Messages


520 Album <> has changed. Do you want to save it?

You have made changes to the currently open album. Choose Yes to save the changes or No to discard them.

See also

Save As command

Messages


525 Picture <> already exists in the category. It will not be inserted.

The same picture can appear only once in each category. However, you can put a picture in as many different categories and albums as you want.

See also

Adding pictures

Messages


530 Picture <> cannot be located. What would you like to do?

The thumbnail picture you selected points to a picture file that is not located in the indicated directory. The picture file may have been moved or deleted.

To correct the error:

1.	Choose Search to look for the file in all directories on the indicated drive.

2.	If PowerAlbum does not find the picture, try searching a different drive by selecting it from the list box. Be aware that this can take time if the indicated drive is large.

3.	If Search doesn't work, choose Cancel. You can then either add the picture to your album again, or you can delete the thumbnail.

If PowerAlbum locates the picture file, it will remember the new location for the duration of your working session (that is, until you close PowerAlbum). If you want PowerAlbum to remember the new location permanently, you must save the album.

Attention network users:	If you are sharing an album or clip art files with other users over a network, do not save an album if this situation occurs. Read "Principles of network use" in Chapter 5 of your user's manual for more information.

See also

Adding pictures

Removing pictures from a category to delete a thumbnail

Save command

Messages


535 Unable to save album file <>. Check disk space.

Don't close the album file. There was an error attempting to save the album file to the indicated path. This could be due to insufficient disk space or, the target disk may be read-only.

To correct the error:

1.	Without closing the album file, use the File Manager or similar program to free more space on the drive and then try to save the album again.

2.	If this doesn't work, check to see if the drive you are saving to is read-only. If so, try saving to another drive using the Save As command.

See also

Save As command

Messages


540, 545, 550 PowerAlbum is unable to open <>.

Messages 540, 545, and 550 indicate that PowerAlbum cannot open the album file you specified.

To correct the error:

1.	Make sure the album's filename extension is .ALB.

2.	Check (use File Manager if necessary) to make sure the file is in the directory you think it is.

If PowerAlbum still can't read the file, it contains errors or is not an album file. This problem may indicate that you sometimes run with very low memory.

See also

Messages


555 You must be running Windows in Standard or Enhanced mode to start PowerAlbum.

To run PowerAlbum, you must be running Windows in Standard or Enhanced mode, not Real mode. Consult your Windows manual for more information.

See also

Messages


560, 565, 570 Insufficient memory to run PowerAlbum.

Messages 560 to 570 indicate that Windows is running out of System Resources (such as memory or hard disk space).

To correct the error:

1.	Save the open album if you have made changes, then close PowerAlbum and Windows.

2.	Restart Windows and PowerAlbum and start working again without opening any other applications.

If you continue to have problems, check the contents of your startup group (the program group that contains the PowerAlbum icon). Move icons out of this group to conserve additional memory, then restart Windows.

If you have continuing problems that appear to be memory-related, you may have to revise your system configuration.

See also

Save command

Messages


575, 580 Running two versions of PowerAlbum.

Messages 575 and 580 indicate that you are trying to run two versions of PowerAlbum at the same time. A version of PowerAlbum is included with Calendar Creator Plus. You cannot run Calendar Creator Plus and an independent version of PowerAlbum at the same time.

See also

Messages


585 Unable to initialize String Dictionary, you may be too low on memory.

Windows is probably running out of System Resources (such as memory or hard disk space).

To correct the error:

1.	Save the album you are working with if you have made any changes to it, and close PowerAlbum and Windows.

2.	Restart Windows and PowerAlbum. Don't open any other applications.

If you have continuing problems that appear to be memory-related, you may have to revise your system configuration.

See also

Saving an album

Messages


590 Picture <> does not have the same date as the thumbnail. The thumbnail will be updated.

PowerAlbum stores the file creation date of each picture file with the thumbnail image that appears in the album. When you display, cut, or copy a picture, PowerAlbum checks a thumbnail image's date against the date of the picture file. If the picture file has changed since you added the image to PowerAlbum, the new version of the picture file is read and the thumbnail is updated.

See also

Display command

Cut command

Copy command

Messages


595 Picture <> already exists in the category. It will not be inserted.

The same picture can appear only once in each category. However, you can put a picture in as many different categories and albums as you want.

See also

Adding pictures

Messages


605 Sorry, not enough memory or file is too large to import.

The picture file may be too large to import, or Windows may be running out memory.

To correct the error:

1.	Save the album you are working with if you have made any changes to it, then close PowerAlbum and Windows.

2.	Restart Windows and PowerAlbum. Don't open any other applications.

If you continue to have problems, check the contents of your startup group (the program group that contains the PowerAlbum icon). Move icons out of this group to conserve additional memory, then restart Windows.

If the picture is complex, you can try to simplify it in the application where you created it. If you have continuing problems that appear to be memory-related, you may have to revise your system configuration.

See also

Messages


610 Out of disk space.

Use the File Manager or similar program to free more space on the drive. Or use PowerAlbum to check your clip art and delete images that you won't ever use.

See also

Deleting pictures from your disk

Messages


615 Maximum number of pictures reached, close some pictures.

You do not have enough memory or disk space to add more pictures to this album. You may have to start a new album or remove pictures from this album.

See also

Creating a new album

Removing pictures from a category

Messages


625 File <> not recognized.

PowerAlbum doesn't recognize this picture file's graphic format. PowerAlbum supports the PCX, BMP, TIF, CGM, DRW, or WMF graphic formats. If your picture is one of these, make sure that it has the correct filename extension for its format.

See also

Messages


630, 635 Unable to load <> filter/library.

Messages 630 and 635 indicate that PowerAlbum is trying to load a picture but can't find necessary internal data. Run SETUP again and reload PowerAlbum.

See also

Messages


640 Picture Handle not found. 645 Unable to import <>.

Messages 640 and 645 may appear if you have a memory problem or if the application that created your picture file saved it in an unusual variation of a standard graphics file format.

See also

Messages