Installing Lightroom Print Templates is a very different process for Macs and PCs. You are on the Mac page!
Special problem: Files Downloading as .txt files It is imparative that you know that there is usually a problem with the downloads to Macs. Macs change the filenames to .txt files. It is because Macs don’t recognize .lrtemplate files, and so the Macs assign it as a text file and add .txt to the end. The only solution is to go into your hard drive, delete the .txt part, and then you will be fine. What will be left is .lrtemplateHow to Install:
Download the template. Some templates will be a zipped folder and include a .jpeg or .png. If there is a .jpeg or .png, download that too. Go into your hard drive Download folder and check the template filenames. If they are .txt files, you need to delete the .txt off the end before continuing.
Open Lightroom. Click on the PRINT MODULE (one of the top right tabs). In the box on the left, it will say Template Browser. Under that it will say Lightroom Templates. Right click on that and choose New Folder. Name this folder JL Photography Templates. Then right click on it and click Import. Then search for the file that you saved in your hard drive and double-click it and it will install. Now your template will be installed in the Print Module, under the Template Browser, in the file called JL Photography Templates.
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FOR TEMPLATES THAT INCLUDE A .JPEG OR .PNG FILE
When your template is installed, it is not complete. You must install the background .jpeg image. Because of compatibility issues with PC, Macs throw away the embedded .jpeg that is embedded when the template is saved. So you have to manually re-embed it.
- Click on the template name in the left column. You will likely see a white background with one or more outlined boxes.
- Next go to the right column and scroll down to the section called Page. Under that the Identity Plate should be checked. Click on the rectangle Identity Plate and click Edit. Another box will pop up and you will choose “Use a graphical identity plate. Then choose “Locate File”.
- Now navigate to the .jpeg that was included in the zipped folder, and named the same file name as your template. It is important if you purchased more than one template with multiple .jpegs, that you match up the correct file names.
- Select the .jpeg and when you are returned to the Print Module your template should look correct. You are not done!
- Now you have to update your template with the .jpeg embedded. Just right click on the installed template in the template list and select “Update with Current Settings”.
- Now you are done. Your template is ready to use over and over!
Instructions for Using your Templates:
If you are using all photos from the same shoot/folder for your photo collage, then you can just click on over to the Print Module and drag/drop your photos into your template. After you are done, click “Print to File” at the lower right corner to save. This will create a jpeg.
If you would like to use photos from different shoots/folders…you need to find each photo in the Library…and as you find a photo, right click it and choose “Add to Quick Collection”. After you have found all the photos you want to use, navigate to the top of your folders in the Catalog, and you will see a folder called Quick Collection. Click on that and all the photos you chose will now be in your filmstrip. Now you can click over to the Print Module and use your Templates with all of the photos you just put in your Quick Collection. Just click a template name and drag/drop your photos into it. After you are done, click “Print to File” at the lower right corner to save. This will create a jpeg.
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Be aware that when you look at the template, some of the boxes may seem like they are not aligned. They have been tested extensively for alignment and will look correctly aligned when saved to .jpeg. But if you want to move the boxes, they are movable. And then next time you use the template it will return back to my original design.
Last, here are the topics you are going to come across and need to know. This info is also on the Help page:
“The photo boxes you created sometimes move if I click them. What is wrong?”
When you do drag and drop a photo, the box that is there “can” move if you move the photo after dropping it in. If this happens and you can’t align it by hand, just start over by clicking the template on the left column again and start dragging your photos again.
“How do I move my photo around INSIDE the box…like if I put a rectangle image into a square box?”
Just drop the photo in the box, then hold down CTRL (Command for Mac) while you grab the image with your mouse and move it around where you want it placed.
“My saved jpeg is missing the background image. Help!”
If you saved your jpeg, and you open it up and it is either empty, has one photo, or just some elements are missing, you probably had something selected when you saved the jpeg. So go back in to LR and make sure after you are finished with your template, that nothing is selected. Sometimes it is hard to see if the background is selected, so just click on the gray area outside your design. Then save again.
“My saved jpeg only printed one photo in the collage on a blank background. What did I do wrong?”
If you saved your jpeg, and you open it up and it is either empty, has one photo, or just some elements are missing, you probably had something selected when you saved the jpeg. So go back in to LR and make sure after you are finished with your template, that nothing is selected. Sometimes it is hard to see if the background is selected, so just click on the gray area outside your design. Then save again.
“I don’t understand how to put a custom background in my FB Timeline?”
Although the “box” to drop in your background is not visible, if you just drop a photo into the negative space in a timeline, the entire timeline will highlight itself in a yellow fine line…then you can drop your image file. Texture files and Digital Papers are great for backgrounds. And you can even use your own image. If you do use an image, you might want to not put a photo in all the boxes provided. Just leave a box blank and nothing will show there on the finished .jpeg.
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