Best approach towards lots of 'polaroid' framed images

[StephanP]

We're working on a graduation yearbook and we want to include a couple of pages with many photographs in polaroid instant picture style.
This would include the following work for eacht picture:

• Photo to be cropped to square size
• Photo to be positioned within a white rectangular frame
• optional text is written below the photo
• white background frame is given a drop shadow

If we'd have to do all this for each photo seperately, then we're bound to run into inconsistencies just due to the human factor.

What would be the best way to prepare this with, say, an"object template" where one could simply insert the photo and type in the text?

[utnik]

hi stephan

the 'scrapbook' will be your friend.
build one of your polaroids (white or light colored rectangle with drop shadow, image frame and text frame), format everything to your needs and send the whole combination to the scrapbook.
if you insert a scrapbook item by double clicking on its entry, it will be positioned on the actual page at the same position as the original item was. if your polaroids share a standard position, you should place the original there before sending it to the scrapbook...

utnik

[StephanP]

Thanks utnik. I'll try that.

Come to think of it a bit more, instead of placing the sqaured photo on top of the white rectangle, I could also position a white rectangle with square hole over the photo, thus removing the need to crop the picture first plus this way it's for certain that the photo is positioned correctly.

How would I create this white rectangle including a square hole? Is that possible in Scribus or would i need to prepare that in Inkscape or some other SVG-editor?

[utnik]

hi stephan

...instead of placing the sqaured photo on top of the white rectangle, I could also position a white rectangle with square hole over the photo, thus removing the need to crop the picture first plus this way it's for certain that the photo is positioned correctly.

i wouldn't do this! the drop shadow would be visible on the edges of your picture. (in the hole)
...and you don't need to crop your images, as long as you don't care about an excessive file size and the possibility that someone would recover the hidden part of an image from the .pdf file...

How would I create this white rectangle including a square hole? Is that possible in Scribus or would i need to prepare that in Inkscape or some other SVG-editor?

it's perfectly possible with scribus. under 'item' → 'path tools' → 'path operations' you'll find a set of boolean operations. (but as i wrote before,don't use it in this case! – and for more complex stuff you better use 'inkscape', as scribus converts circles in shapes with hundreds of nodes...)

utnik

[StephanP]

Thanks, utnik.
I hadn't thought of the drop shadow showing on the photo.

[steven8]

There is a free program call XnRetro.  You don't even install it.  Comes in a folder you can save anywhere.  Open your picture in it and you can give it retro image effects like a Polaroid and then choose a Polaroid 'frame.'  Looks like a real Polaroid picture.  Then all you need to worry about if you want is the drop shadow in Scribus.

https://www.xnview.com/en/xnretro/

[StephanP]

@utnik I'm experiencing a problem with the polaroid-template I'm trying to create

I've created 3 frames:
- white background rectangle with dropshadow
- image frame on top
- text frame on top

As soon as I group these three, the dropshadow will disappear.

If I select the three and send them (still ungrouped) to the scrapbook, then I am able to create new instances on my page, but they are still ungrouped making repositioning and rotating a trying task, because I need to make sure all three to be selected.

Is something off between grouping and dropshadows?

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[StephanP]

Another question about the scrapbook wrt the collaborative work we try to do in our Teams/SharePoint environment.
Is the scrapbook stored local to the Scribus installation, or is it stored relative to the .sla file so that other team members access it as well?

[utnik]

hi stephan

@utnik I'm experiencing a problem with the polaroid-template I'm trying to create

I've created 3 frames:
- white background rectangle with dropshadow
- image frame on top
- text frame on top

As soon as I group these three, the dropshadow will disappear.

If I select the three and send them (still ungrouped) to the scrapbook, then I am able to create new instances on my page, but they are still ungrouped making repositioning and rotating a trying task, because I need to make sure all three to be selected.

Is something off between grouping and dropshadows?

looks like a bug. (maybe you could report it here!)
the workaround might be to ungroup the parts after the final positioning – not as safe as it would be without the bug, but the shadow will reappear.

stored local to the Scribus installation, or is it stored relative to the .sla file so that other team members access it as well?

i didn't think about that – sorry!
but you can create a second scrapbook (i.e. in the same folder as you store the .sla file...)

utnik

[StephanP]

I've found a solution - be it slightly buggy wrt visibility of drop shadow

• white rectangle for background without shadow
• square image frame on top
• text frame for caption below
• group and then apply drop shadow

The drop shadow is now persistent and will be generated in PDF.
Drop shadow may disappear from view when another object on the page is selected, but will become visible again when the group is selected.

• use [alt] RMB to insert image in the image frame
• use [alt] RMB to edit caption text
• use RMB to raise/lower the object and Properties to modify rotation

Edit: bug (+ workaround) reported