These instructions show you one way to build a new label starting from scratch, without using a template of any kind. Using a template, or just a text template will always be a faster way to go.
1. Start with a blank label
Go to the Edit function. Click the plus button, then choose Blank in the Create design from portion of the resulting dialog, alternatively choose New Blank Design from the File menu.
The new design is automatically added to the design list on the left hand side.
2. Name your new design
Type a name for your design and press return. Your new design is selected.
You will see all the possible design elements you could use in your design. Select CD/DVD as follows:
CD/DVD
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Note: If it is not already visible, click the right arrow to View the Single CD/DVD design element and Edit it in the Edit Work Area.
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3. Choose a photo for the background
Click the Import Image button, and select iPhoto as the image source in the resulting palette. In the Import Image palette, select an iPhoto album, click the photo you want to use, and click Import.
Note: if you don't have iPhoto, or you have no photos in your iPhoto library you can drag an image file from the Finder onto the disc editing surface to import a photo.
You will see the photo you chose in the new design, and it will be selected - small selection handles (boxes) shown at each corner. If you don't see selection boxes it is because the image is too wide to fit in the work area. Zoom out, and you will see them.
4. Crop your photo
Click the Crop button (it is only enabled when a photo is selected). The cropping sheet appears. Click and drag the mouse over the area of the photo you want to use. Check Fit Original Size if you want it to cover the same surface area.
Now click Crop and your image is replaced with the portion you chose.
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Drag the image around by holding the mouse down within it and dragging. Resize the image by clicking and dragging one of its selection handles.
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5. Change the opacity of your photo
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Change the opacity of the image by first clicking the fill color button
And then dragging the opacity slider down to fade the image - this allows any text placed on top of the image to be read more easily.
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6. Import some tracks
Click Tracks, and choose a playlist from the list immediately below.
7. Place the tracks on your design
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Click the horizontal text button and a horizontal text region will appear. Click out of it and then once on the word text to reselect it and see the corner selection handles. Drag them so the text region covers the bottom half of the CD. Keep it selected.
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In the Text Palette, click the Text Format button and select a track format for your text from the list.
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Here is the result if you choose the format 1. Title (Length)
8. Add a Title
Click the text button
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Click the horizontal text button and a horizontal text region will appear. You can use enter your text now, or resize the region.
To resize, click out of it and then once on the word text to reselect it and see the corner selection handles. Drag them so the text region covers the top half of the CD. Keep it selected.
Double click the word Text that appears, and delete it by pressing the delete key.
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Now choose Playlist Album from the Insert pop-up menu.
Press return.
Now choose Playlist Artist from the Insert pop-up menu.
Notice how the Playlist items you insert immediately show your imported data.
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9. Change the title font
First make sure your Playlist Album/Playlist Artist text object is still selected (has corner selection rectangles). Click in the text once to select it if it doesn't.
Choose Font->Show Fonts from the Format menu
Pick a new font and size.
Your disc is now complete.
10. Making a CD cover
To make a cover you could repeat the above steps for each cover element. It's much easier, however, to duplicate the objects you created for the disc into a cover.
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To duplicate the elements:
- choose Arrange–Layer–Copy All Layers
- choose which design element you want to work with next
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CD Jewel Case Cover
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- Select the CD Jewel Case Cover design element, and click the + button to add a CD Jewel Case Cover to your design.
- click in the newly displayed cover, and choose Arrange–Layer–Paste Layers with Replace.
You can achieve the same with select all/copy and paste, but the above method is more efficient if you are dealing with a design with multiple layers that also includes locked items.
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To clean up:
- drag the corner of the background image to make sure the area is fully covered (hold down the shift key to keep the image resizing proportional)
- drag any of the text elements to fine-tune their position
Note that the CD Jewel Case Cover is different from a CD Slimline Jewel Case Insert, or a CD Jewel Case Booklet. Make sure you know what paper you're printing on before doing your layout, as the standard rectangular CD Jewel Case Cover may not be the design element you need.
Note that you will probably prefer to use the background layer to store your images, so they aren't easily selected when you add the text. To move an image to the background layer select it and choose Cut from the Edit menu. Click the background button. Choose Paste from the Edit menu. Click the layer 1 button again to continue working in the foreground. Note also that Select All will only select objects in the current layer.
11. Making a CD tray insert
Follow the steps in 10 but instead use the CD Jewel Case Tray Insert design element
 CD Jewel Case Tray Insert
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To add text along the spine of the CD tray click the vertical text button and a vertical text region will appear placed on the left spine.
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Double-click the text and click delete, then insert - the Playlist Album and Playlist Artist tags like you did in step 8. This time do not put a return between the two tags, instead use a separating mark, such as a bullet point (option-8 on the keyboard).
Center the text by choosing Text->Center from the Format menu.
Duplicate the spine text to the other side by dragging the text object to the other side while the option key is held down.
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To rotate the left spine text inward: click the rotate around center of object button, and drag the text item by clicking and dragging within one of the selection handles. Hold down the shift key to constrain the rotation to 45 degree increments as shown below.
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Click the arrow button to stop rotating, and click and drag in the text to drag the text object into its new position on the spine.
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Choose Save As Template from the File menu if you wish to reuse this template with different imported tracks in the future.
You can fairly quickly reuse this design with a different image.
- First, delete the image from the three design elements you've used (click the image, and press the delete button in each design element)
- Now import another image from iPhoto or the Finder & size and crop it as you like
- Choose Send to Back from the Arrange menu to get it behind the text, or place it in the background layer
- Copy the image by choosing Copy from the Edit menu
- In each of the other design elements, paste the image & size & position the image as you like. Don't forget to send the image to the back each time.
Note that you can save a lot of time laying out text by starting with one of the preconfigured text options. To see them, if they are not immediately visible, double-click the thumb to the right of the editor. Click one to try it out, choose Undo from the Edit menu if you don't like the result.
Infiniti
PressIt
Discrite
Inkrite
Peach
LightScribe
Scratch-Less
