jAlbum/Preferences

Preferences are settings that affect the behavior of the program. They don't affect the the resulting album (the language preference being the exception). Preferences are global, i.e. they don't apply to a specific album project. For settings affecting the album, see jAlbum/Settings.

General

• Language: Use this to set the applications interface to your preferred language, changes take place immediately. jAlbum is translated to many different languages but note that the skin settings might not be translated since the interface for the skin settings is created by the skin developers.
• Look and feel: The default is to match your computer’s operating system but can be changed to Alloy, Metal, Nimbus or CDE/Motif.
• Number of Threads: Determines how many images and slide pages that will be processed simultaneously. This will normally default to using the same number of processor cores as your computer has. For example a single processor with four cores, that has dual threading, will allow eight threads to be used at the same time. This just means that jAlbum can process your projects faster the more threads that are supported. Read more about this here.
• Logging level: This controls the level of diagnostic/error reporting that is reported to the user. An error or warning is indicated in the bottom right of the application window by a yellow triangle, clicking on that icon will open the system console log, showing the details of the problem. This is probably best set to Warning, unless requested by jAlbum to change it for specific debug information or you are developing a skin.
• Check for updates: If selected the application will check the jAlbum server for updates. If you don't want to be bugged with information about updates then turn this setting off.
• Show warning dialogs: Warn before performing file deletion and similar risky tasks.
• Display thumbnails in file chooser: When adding files the application will try to use a native file chooser, but if one is not supported then a Java file chooser is used. Selecting this setting will show thumbnail images in the Java file chooser window.
• Remember last window position and size: If selected the application will open in the same position and at the same window size as used in the previous session. It does not apply to skin settings windows.
• Save backups of album projects: This creates a backup file of the settings used for a project, it does not create a backup of the project’s contents. The default name for the project’s settings file is jalbum-settings.jap. The default location for the file is specified in the Album preferences under My Albums location.
• Show tip of the day: If selected a usage tip will be presented when the application is run for the first time each day.
• Use jAlbum’s integrated browser: If selected then the integrated browser is made available for previewing the album within jAlbum. This can save time especially when experimenting with skin settings.
• Close progress dialog when done: When you make an album from a project jAlbum will show its progress as it generates pages, images, videos etc. If you want this progress dialog box to close when the album build is complete then select this setting. Note, if ‘Use jAlbum’s integrated browser’ is selected then this setting is inactive.

Album

• When adding files: Decides what jAlbum is doing when you are adding new files to the program, the options are ask, copy or link. Ask is the default state. Copy will make a copy of the file being added whilst Link will just keep a reference, indicated by a small curved arrow in the lower left of the thumbnail, to the original file. Ask will prompt you to decide whether to copy or link each time a file is added. Linking has the advantage of saving space since there is no need to duplicate the file. Copying means that you can have your original images stored on remote/ removable discs, that do not need to be present when making the album. You can read more about copying and linking here.
• "My Albums" location: Click on the folder icon and then navigate to the folder on your computer that you want to hold your jAlbum projects. For example, you could use a subfolder within your Pictures Folder, /Users/user name/Pictures/jAlbum. Whenever you select ‘New Album Project...’ from the File menu, then a new folder, named as your Album name, is created in the ‘My Albums location’.
• Illegal characters: Illegal characters are those that are not allowed in file or folder names, generally these will be characters that your operating system does not allow, or are not valid in URLs. If you want to add specific characters just add them to the end of the default set.

You can’t use those characters in file names within jAlbum, but if you add files that have such characters they will have a small yellow warning triangle, to alert you that they should not be used, see figure to the left.

• Clean old output files on make all: This setting will remove files that are no longer required with the current configuration, maybe because of a change to the settings or a change of skin. Copies of any included ‘Original’ images will only be deleted if not required and the output directory is a subdirectory of the image directory.
• Synchronise output directory: If selected then changes within jAlbum’s explore window pane will be reflected immediately in the output directory. For example, deleting a folder from the explore window pane will remove the equivalent folder in the output directory.
• Cache thumbnails: Caches are used to save time by not having to reprocess things, if selected a cache of thumbnails will be created to speed up operations.
• Video support: This will allow jAlbum to use ffmpeg to reprocess videos to a standard mp4 format. The Advanced tab has a list of supported video formats. Turn this setting off if you don’t want jAlbum to reprocess your videos. Note, how videos are supported varies on a skin by skin basis, not all skins support videos.
• Allow local flash preview: This allows videos in your ‘My albums’ location to be played using Flash technology within the jAlbum application.
• Keep track of files copied from memory cards: If selected jAlbum will store a small database file on each memory card so that it can track which images have already been used with jAlbum. The database file is called jalbum-copied-files.db, it is created when a card is inserted with jAlbum running and a file is copied from the camera’s image directory.

Skins

• Use layout hints: This applies to skins that supply a hints.jap file with recommended settings, for example the rows and columns as set in Settings, Pages, Thumbnail layout.
• Restore previous settings: This applies to skins that supply a hints.jap file and when ‘Use layout hints’ is selected. This ensures that if you have changed the rows and columns, and then change to another skin, with a hint for rows and columns, the values you set are used and not those supplied with the hints.jap of the newly selected skin.

Image editing

• Write xmp metadata to files: This will write comments etc. to the images in your project. Before writing though it will read any existing metadata and then write out the new data, ensuring existing information remains.

Publishing

• After publishing: Decide what jAlbum should do after the album has been published, you can open published album or do nothing. Open published album is the default setting and will open the album that you have published in an external browser.
• Include high-res images for print and backup: A folder called hi-res will be included in the uploaded album containing all images limited to a maximum of 2048px by

2048px if the original images are larger.

• Include the lifeboat file: This will upload a ‘lifeboat’ zip file containing your project directory structure, settings file and template pages amongst other things. This will allow you to recreate most of the project, should your original files be lost or damaged. If the Hi-res images are also uploaded then you should be able to recreate your complete project, even if your original images are also lost.
• Max simultaneous transfers: The higher the number selected, the faster the upload will generally be, If you have connection problems or memory problems try lowering this setting to 4 for example.

Advanced

• Use zip streaming when available: Click on the little right facing triangle to reveal a zip streaming option. If selected then the whole album will be zipped up and transferred to your host as a single file. This will speed up transfer times.

Paranoia

• Encrypt manifest file: Click on the little right facing triangle to reveal an encrypt manifest file option. Determined and technically savvy users could list your albums files by examining the manifest file. If you are really concerned about users digging into your album’s contents then turn this setting on and enter a password for the encryption algorithm. Make sure you remember the password!

Advanced

• Web proxy settings: Proxy servers can be used to allow access to web sites that may otherwise be blocked. Enter the proxy server details here, if you don’t know them you will need to contact your host provider.
• Compatibility mode: It can make older skins work because some skins use code that has been deprecated and for jAlbum to be able to load these skins it needs to operate in ‘compatibility mode’. Trying to load such a skin will usually result in a warning and this mode being activated if needed. In this mode jAlbum will tend to require more memory to run.
• Attempt to use native file dialogs: This setting requires jAlbum to be restarted to take effect. When selected adding files jAlbum will try to use the OS file chooser dialog, if it can’t, or if this option is deselected, then a simplified file chooser dialog is used. Navigating your own folders to find files is easier using the native file dialog.
• Unify image color model to RGB or ABGR: If BGR/ABGR is selected compatibility with certain image filters is improved, it will however result in jAlbum requiring more memory to operate.
• Supported video formats: This is a list of video file types that are supported by ffmpeg, if you have a video that is of a type not listed, but you know ffmpeg supports it, then add the file extension to this list.