The Importance of Easy Photobook Software

There is more to choosing a photobook provider than price, quality and service level. Even if you find a supplier that provides good value and books that meet your expectations for quality, it will count for little if the software is frustrating to use. At Cahoots, we believe the process of designing a photobook should not only be easy but also fun. That’s why we have placed a high value on selecting software that is easy to grasp and fun to play with.

Cahoots Re-invents Their Easy Photobook Software

We are excited to announce that we are introducing new and enhanced software that is fully capable, intuitive to use, and runs on both Windows and macOS. Our new Cahoots Easy Designer software will replace our Cahoots Easy Editor on Windows and Cahoots Pizazz software on Mac. So what are the important key features of our new design software?

Easy Designer – Ease of Use

1. It is cross platform, so the same software can be deployed on Windows or macOS. Switching between computers won’t require learning a new tool. Files created on one platform can even be opened on the other.
2. Invoking “Expert Mode” unlocks a number of more advanced tools (just like Creative Mode in our legacy Windows software).
3. Images, page templates, and backgrounds are all drag and drop enabled, allowing a quick design process.
4. Comprehensive alignment and distribution tools combined with grouping, copy and paste make custom layout creation a breeze.
5. Digital sticky notes (that won’t be visible on your printed product) provide important layout advice related to bleeds and binding seams, or can be added as digital reminders for your own projects.
6. Easily swap photos around on the layout by dragging their green handles.

Easy Designer – Design Capabilities

1. Apply drop shadows with the click of a button.
2. Specify stroke and fill when applying borders, allowing the design of unique border styles.
3. Backgrounds and borders can be coloured through sampling of any colour from your image, or indeed the entire screen.
4. Backgrounds can also be created through tiling of images.
5. Nearly every element can have its transparency property adjusted to give your layouts a more professional look.
6. A wide variety of digital paper backgrounds and page elements are included in the software – or easily apply your own.

Easy Designer – Technical Capabilities

1. Handles additional formats such as PNG, allowing page designs to incorporate elements as superimposed embellishments.
2. Feedback on image quality (according to the resolution) for any selected image on the page.
3. Add or delete double pages anywhere in the book. Content for single pages can be cut and pasted elsewhere in one action.
4. Book validation process alerts you to warnings and errors.
5. The width of the spine on printed covers, as displayed on  the cover layout, will adjust according to the page count.
6. Image preview and basic image editing functionality is available within the application itself, so there is no necessity to use an external app for basic requirements such as red eye removal, cropping, adjustment of contrast, brightness, saturation etc.
7. Validation, rendering and upload occurs on a page by page basis, and if the upload is interrupted, the software will offer to continue where it left off.

A New Backend Brings Additional Benefits

1. Our new backend systems will now incorporate an online checkout process once your book is uploaded. No more waiting for emails or hunting through spam folders. Once your book is successfully uploaded you will be taken to the online checkout for payment.
2. The same backend system will also keep track of VIP transactions, so registered users will always know how many points they will be earning, or how many they can use.
3. Our new system is flexible, allowing us to add more products as the opportunity arises. Look out for calendars soon!
4. Similarly, we can now provide options for you to configure your book. You can elect to have your book covered in one of our premium fabrics, directly in the software’s product selection wizard. Similarly you can also specify paper type (if applicable), the colour of end papers (i.e. inside covers), and whether you wish to have your printed book cover laminated in matt or gloss.

Hopefully you now share our sense of anticipation and are itching to try out our new Easy Designer application. Our brand new software is new to us, but it is quite mature, having been around for many years. The current Cahoots Easy Designer v3.8 is in “soft launch” so we are requesting that customers register their download so we can keep in touch in case of any unforeseen issues (which we are not expecting!). If you would like to test it out, please do go for it!

[If you are an existing customer and have  questions or concerns, please see our software FAQs, or contact us directly.]