# help: | # Getting Around
| The easiest way to get started with DiscLabel is to follow the step-by-step guide for creating a label for an iTunes playlist.
[updated] |  | DiscLabel is a single-window application with these parts: Design list: select from, name, and organize your designs into folders. Design Elements Work Area: Select an individual design element to work with or add to your design. Choose to work on a CD/DVD, CD Core, CD Spine, CD Jewel Case Cover, CD Jewel Case Tray Insert, DVD Cover, CD Jewel Case, Booklet, Mini CD, Business Card CD, CD Slimline Jewel Case Insert, DVD Booklet, VHS Spine, VHS Wrap, VHS Face, Super Jewel Box CD Insert, Super Jewel Box DVD Insert Booklet, Super Jewel Box DVD Insert, or Slimline DVD Cover. Work Area: view, edit, and prepare to print your labels. Thumb region: open to reveal textual templates you can apply to the selected template or design. Function Area: perform function-specific actions such as importing from iTunes, or choosing from edit controls. Function Buttons: choose what you wish to do: Edit, apply your design to printed media, or shop in the DiscLabel store.
File–New Design: Creating a new Design
|  | To create a new design, choose File–New Design, or press the button below DiscLabel's design list. The resulting dialog enables a large choice of options. You can even create a design ready for print without any editing. Create design from offers the primary choices: Random Design Factory, Image and Text, and Blank. In addition, you can choose from several categories of professionally-designed template. A wide variety are included with the product, and additional packs are offered for sale. Note that an internet connection is required to access all of DiscLabel's templates. Template List choose from preset text formats, or fully designed templates, depending on your choice in (a). For a Text and Image template you can also add a title right here. Element Chooser select what design elements to create for your project. Element Viewer choose which element you want to preview. Background Image Selector choose a background image and the application, or part of the file system to import from. You can import iTunes album art by choosing iTunes and a relevant playlist here. Preview shows selected choices. Select Tracks to Import click the button to import playlists from the selected application, then select your playlist. Hold down the button to change the import application.
Edit functions From top to bottom, left to right, by section: Import Tracks - import tracks, select the application for importing tracks by holding down the Tracks button. Once the application is chosen, click the button, and then you can and choose a particular playlist to import from. Edit Tracks - opens the track editor. Same as View–Track Editor. Import Image - opens the image import palette to import an image from a particular application or from the filesystem. Crop - click to bring up the cropping sheet. Effects - click to apply effects to the selected image. Effects are used to mask, soften edges, change color, and apply filtering functions that can radically change your images. Hole Size Selector - select the hole size for text wrapping for a disc design, use this to select custom text wrapping sizes for LightScribe. Clip Art - click to open or close the Clip Art window and select clip art to include in your design. Font - toggles the Font palette on or off. Selection Tools - select (move, drag), rotate around center of design, rotate around center of object. Object Tools - (by column) line, scribble, polygon, rectangular text, spine-oriented rectangular text, circular text, oval (circle), rectangle (square), ; select object tool then click and drag in design to create object. Choose type of circular text by holding down circular text button. Fill Color - select object(s), click, and set color in Mac OS X color palette. Alter the Fill Color type from the drop down-menu. You can fill with a solid color, a gradient, or select no fill. Stroke Color - select object(s), click, and set color in Mac OS X color palette. You can choose to have a stroke outline or not, and select from thickness, and display options for dashed edges. Shadow Color - select object(s), click, and set color in Mac OS X color palette. You can choose to have a shadow displayed or not, and select distance, angle, and blur. Hole Size - specify whether this design should have a small or large hole, or directly specify the inner and outter bounds for text (only applies to parts of type disc): controls the text formatting boundary. Font - toggles the Font palette on or off. Zoom - drag to zoom in or out of design; click pictures on end for zoom to fit. Layer Tools Designs can have their elements layered, which governs the drawing order of your design. Typically you will at least work with a layer for the background image, and one for text. You can only select objects in the currently selected layer. The layer tools are below the edit work area. Click on the layer tab you want to work in. Toggle visibility of layers by clicking the eye symbol (only for the layers you are not working in). Alter the stacking order by dragging the layer controls. Further layer options are in the Layer portion of the Arrange menu, or by pressing the menu button or control clicking on the active layer tab. Alignment Operations Choose Align Palette from the View menu to see the alignment choices. Alignment buttons - (6) align one object with respect to the design or several against one another Distribute Buttons - (2) distribute objects equally spaced horizontally and vertically Circular Distribute Buttons - (2) distribute objects at even angles the center of the design, and equalize the distance of objects from the center of the design Media functions Stylus Photo R340 - [your printer here] select printer Print Page - prints calibration mark for you to measure with a ruler Left / Top - indicates distance of calibration mark from edge for this particular printer Media: - select media type or label sheet to show in Work Area Print - print the media which appear in the Work Area above Note: Drag from the design list on the left to the blank labels in the Work Area to select what to print Print Label Outlines - print a sheet with just outlines of the labels: useful for planning designs or checking alignment Buy More - automatically navigates to the store to purchase more of the selected labels when possible |
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