Author Help

Image Chest ™ Proofing & Ordering Software System For Digital Photographers

Image Chest™ Step-by-Step

1. Open Image Chest

2. Begin a new project FILE > NEW

3. You will see that the program opens to the area where you select images for the clients CD/DVD. If this is the first time you are running Image Chest - you will want to add your personal information first. After you enter your information - it will be saved, and you will not have to enter it each time. You can modify your information. But, after the first time you run Image Chest your information will be automatically populated into the project. So, if this is your first time, click the

PERSONAL DATA icon and enter your information. Otherwise, browse to the folder that contains the images you want for the project, and select them by clicking the ADD IMAGE FILES TO LIST button. You can preview each image and delete images from the list

4. After you are satisfied with your image selection, you can now set the SIZES & PRICE options. EDIT > SIZES AND PRICES or click the

icon. You will notice that the pricing options are WITHOUT TAX, there is an input box that allows you to select the TAX RATE for your area. There is also an option to set SHIPPING charges. These are both optional fields. you may select only the image sizes you wish to offer. If you do not select an image size - it will not appear in the CLIENT MODULE.

5. You are almost finished! Save your project FILE > SAVE or click the

icon. The program will prompt you to give the project a name (I use my clients LAST name or a variation thereof) and ask you where you would like to save the project on your hard drive. Once you do this, you can preview what your client will see DISTRIBUTION > PREVIEW or click the

icon.

6. Once you are satisfied with your project, it's time to make a decision! How do you want to export your project? There are (2) choices - as a DIRECTORY or as an ISO IMAGE. Don't worry - they both look exactly alike and produce the same results! You only need to select one of these options. The difference: An ISO IMAGE is one file that you burn to CD/DVD, whereas, the DIRECTORY option creates multiple files that you burn to CD/DVD. An ISO image is kind of like a suitcase for your project. It will 'pack up' all of the files, and then when you burn it to media it will 'unpack' them. Kind of like a popular 'zip' utility does. Note: you will have to name the ISO image distribution. Experiment with each method and decide which one you prefer. The DIRECTORY method can be accessed by DISTRIBUTION > EXPORT AS DIRECTORY or the

icon. The ISO IMAGE method is accessed by DISTRIBUTION > EXPORT AS ISO or the

icon.

7. OK, let's wrap it up! Now your project is ready for the final step! Burning it to cd/dvd. If you chose the DIRECTORY method in step 6. Your work here is done. Just open your native cd/dvd burning program, select the INDIVIDUAL FILES (NOT THE ENTIRE 'DISTRIBUTION' FOLDER! There should be about 7 files that go onto your cd/dvd.), and burn them. This cd/dvd is now ready to give to your client. The Image Chest Burning Wizard will only burn ISO images.

If you chose the ISO method in step 6, you can either use the Image Chest Burning Wizard (DISTRIBUTION > BURN CD/DVD) or open your native cd/dvd burning utility and proceed using it. To save time, you may just want to open your native burning program that you are familiar with. The Burning Wizard MAY NOT be compatible with all cd/dvd burners, it is impossible to test them all. If you find that your burner is NOT compatible, please let me know. In this case, you would have to use your native software to burn the ISO image. The Image Chest Burning Wizard will guide you through the process. Please note: The burning wizard will do a 'hardware check' each time you attempt to burn a disk, this also adds to the time it takes to burn a disk. Your native software program is probably better suited for burning, but this function is included if you wish to utilize it. This cd/dvd is now ready to give to your client.

THAT'S IT! You are now ready for your next project!

Viewing an order Step-by-Step
(When an order arrives in your email from a client, you must open it from within Image Chest)

1. Open Image Chest™

2. Open the PROJECT associated with that clients order. FILE > OPEN or click the icon.

3. Click the ORDER VIEWER icon or EDIT > VIEW ORDER.

4. Click the OPEN ORDER button near the bottom of the window & navigate to where you saved the encrypted file & select it.

5. The order should now be displayed. You may use the PRINT ORDER button to print a 'hard copy' for your records or to aid in fulfillment.

CAUTION: THE HARD COPY CONTAINS PRIVATE INFORMATION SENT TO YOU BY YOUR CLIENT. PLEASE TAKE PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES TO SAFEGUARD IT!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I back up my projects to a cd/dvd?
Yes, you can back up projects to a disk. But to view the images, they must be in the same location on your computer as they were when you burned the project. You can still open and view order, regardless of whether the images are still in their original locations or not.

2. Why can't my client save their order and reopen it later to finish it?
In short, security. The order file is encrypted using a public/private key method. Once your clients order file is saved it is encrypted with a PUBLIC KEY. The only program that can open the PUBLIC KEY file (your clients order) is the program that contains the PRIVATE KEY file (the one you used to make your clients cd/dvd). This is a strong & widely used method of encryption. It is kind of like combination lock for your clients file, except that it need your combination, as well as your clients combination of numbers to open it. Once the file is saved, no one can open it except the person who it is intended for (you). If your client feels that their order is incorrect, they simply need to delete this order and start a new one. While inconvenient, this is just the way file encryption works.

3. Does Image Chest™ verify/authenticate my clients credit card?
No, Image Chest™ does not process any credit card information. This is done by you. If you do not have a merchant account, there is an option for your client to pay by check or PayPal™.

4. What operating system do I need?
Both the Author Module & the Client Module were designed to run on the latest computer running Windows 2000, Windows NT or Windows XP.

5. How big should the image file sizes be that are encrypted?
The program will encrypt each image, this will make each images file size larger than it was when it was imported into Image Chest™, The larger the file size the more processing the program will need to do. The program will work with any file size, but the OPTIMAL file size for each image is approximately ~1mb.