Working with other software
Why your album supplier and lab care about your software
If all you want to design is un-matted flushmount albums, there is plenty of software to choose from (good and bad). But you still need to "get it right". High volume, highly automated suppliers don't care how you design the pages but they are very particular about what you submit! Make sure you get page dimensions, file specs etc right. That's what Photojunction's album resources and lab settings are about.
If you want to offer matted albums, things are very different. Hardly any album suppliers have the ability to make "freestyle" matted albums. The very few that do have their own dedicated software. Photojunction, of course, is linked to Queensberry.
Suppliers are very different. Check out the fine print of what's on offer, and make sure you won't be compromised.
Remember, Queensberry does not accept orders unless they are created in Photojunction. There are alternatives but extra charges apply.
You're a free agent
You have dozens, maybe hundreds, of programs to choose from. Some offer ways to do what Photojunction does (some of it anyway). Others may interfere with Photojunction!
Keeping your workflow simple will save endless hassles. Before installing any program or utility, ask yourself, "Will these people support me when I need it? What are the implications for the rest of my workflow?"
We strongly suggest: When in doubt, leave it out. Don't install anything without careful thought and a clear understanding of the impact on your workflow, and especially your suppliers.
"Upstream" software
"Upstream" software occupies a place in your workflow BEFORE the Photojunction stage (eg Aperture, Lightroom, Bridge etc).
If you prefer to use other software instead of Photojunction to organise and review your images, you can import the files in sub-folders and use the Folder view in Photojunction, instead of using PJ's own Groups and Collections.
You can't link your RAW files directly to Photojunction, as the software works with JPGs or PSDs (or TIFs). When you're ready to import the images to Photojunction, save a set of JPGs or PSDs from the RAW files and import those.
Exporting your page layouts
Not so long ago, most photographers edited their images in Photoshop. Now many of them use Lightroom or Aperture instead.
That creates a problem if the photographer does not possess Photoshop, as Photojunction uses the Photoshop scripting process to create page layouts for printing. If you're ordering Queensberry albums, the solution is to use PJ's "Export, Print and Assemble" service, which sends us the original image files so that we can create the layouts for you.