The main Slide Appearance section is accessed by selecting the tab at the top of the wizard window:

The Slide Appearance section is where you will configure many settings which control the appearance of each of the photos / slides in the slideshow.    The section appears as follows:

Navigating the Section / Using the Pods

The Slide Appearance panel is made up of a number of collapsible pods.    You can expand the pods which are most relevant to you, and re-order them as desired.    The order and expanded/collapsed state of the pods is automatically saved, and the last view is restored each time you re-launch the wizard.  This is designed to streamline the development process, instantly placing the most relevant and commonly used settings at your fingertips.

Each pod has several control buttons at the top right:

The first button allows you to move the pod up one space:

The second button allows you to move the pod down one space:

The third and final button allows you to expand or collapse the pod:

Tip: You can also expand or collapse a pod by clicking on its title.

When collapsed, a pod will appear like this:

The following sections of this topic detail each pod and the options each controls.

The Image Scaling and Alignment Pod

The settings in this pod control how the photos on each slide are scaled and aligned.    If, based on the scaling mode, the image is smaller than the available area, the Horizontal Image Align and Vertical Image Align settings determine the alignment of the image within the available area.

Property	Description
Image Scaling Mode	Specifies how the slide images are scaled.    The available scaling modes are: No Scaling / Show as much as fits - (showAvailable XML attribute value) - No scaling; images are displayed at their original size, and cropping occurs if images are larger than the available area. Scale Down Only - (scaleDown XML attribute value) - Images are scaled down to fit within the available area while maintaining their aspect ratio. If the images are smaller than the available area, their original size is maintained. Scale Both Up and Down - (scaleUpAndDown XML attribute value) - Images are scaled both up and down as appropriate, so that they are as large as possible while being fully visible in the available area. Always Scale to Fully Fill Area - (fillArea XML attribute value) - Images are scaled both up and down as appropriate, so that they always fully fill the available area. If the aspect ratio of the available area differs from that of an image, one of the image's dimensions is cropped.
Horizontal Image Align	If, based on the scaling mode, the image width is smaller than the available width, this determines the horizontal alignment of the image within the available area.
Vertical Image Align	If, based on the scaling mode, the image height is smaller than the available height, this determines the vertical alignment of the image within the available area.

 

The Image Border Pod

The settings in this pod control the border displayed around the edges of each image.    Here is an example of an image with a 2px red border:

Once you set the Border Thickness to a value of greater than 0 (which enables the border), the Border Color option becomes enabled:

Option details:

Property	Description
Border Thickness	The width, in pixels, of the border around the image on each slide.    Using a value of 0 will disable the border.
Border Color	If a border has been configured to show (Border Thickness > 0), specifies the color of that border.
Corner Radius	Specifies the radius of curvature (in pixels) of the border if enabled.

 

The Image Matte Pod

The settings in this pod control the matte displayed around the edges of each image.    Here is an example of an image with a 5px white matte and 2px red border:

Mattes are essentially an "inner border" if used in conjunction with a regual border (as defined in the Image Border pod).    If you enable a matte by setting the Matte Width / Thickness to a value of 1 or greater, the other two option will become enabled:

Option details:

Property	Description
Matte Width / Thickness	The width, in pixels, of the matte around the image on each slide.    Using a value of 0 will disable the matte.
Matte Color	If a matte has been configured to show (Matte Width / Thickness > 0), specifies the color of that matte.
Matte Opacity	Specifies the opacity/transparency of the matte if enabled.

 

The Image Drop Shadow Pod

The settings in this pod allow you to add a drop-shadow to each slide.    Once you enable the 'Use Dropshadow' option, all of the other options become enabled.    Here is an example of a slide with a drop shadow:

Option details:

Property	Description
Use Dropshadow	Specifies if a dropshadow should be shown on each slide
Shadow Color	If a drop-shadow has been enabled, specifies the color of the shadow
Shadow Direction	If a drop-shadow has been enabled, specifies the direction of the shadow.    This value can effectively be reversed by using a negative Shadow Distance.    Supported values are: Left - (left XML attribute value) - Shadow appears on the left, as if the light is from the right. Center - (center XML attribute value) - Shadow appears below the object, as if the light is from above. Right - (right XML attribute value) - Shadow appears on the right, as if the light is from the left.
Shadow Distance	If a drop-shadow has been enabled, specifies the number of pixels the shadow is offset from the slide.    Negative values can be used to reverse the shadow direction.

 

The Image Reflection Effect Pod

The settings in this pod allow you to add a reflection effect to each slide.    Once you enable the 'Use Reflection' option, all of the other options become enabled.    Here is an example of a slide with a reflection effect applied:

Option details:

Property	Description
Use Reflection	Specifies if a reflection should be shown on each slide.
Reflection Opacity	If a reflection is enabled, specifies the opacity/transparency of the reflection.    A lower opacity will result in a more subtle effect.
Reflection Size	If a reflection is enabled, controls the height of the reflection as a percentage of the original image's height.
Reflection Blur	If a reflection is enabled, controls the strength of the blur applied to the reflection.    Set to 0 to disable blurring.

 

The Image Watermark Pod

The settings in this pod allow you to add a watermark to each slide.    This is another image (JPEG, PNG, SWF, or GIF) which overlays every main slide, displaying ownership information etc.    Once you enable the 'Enable Watermark' option, all of the other options become enabled:

Option details:

Property	Description
Enable Watermark	Specifies if a watermark should be used.    If you enable this option, you must then specify a Watermark URL.
Watermark URL	If a watermark is enabled, specifies the URL of the watermark overlay image.    This file can be a JPEG, PNG, SWF, or GIF.    The path must be relative to the HTML page holding the slideshow; such a path will be generated automatically if you use the browse button ('...') to the right of the field.
Watermark Opacity	If a watermark is enabled, specifies the opacity/transparency of the overlaid image.    A lower opacity will result in a more subtle watermark.
Scaling Mode	If a watermark is enabled, specifies the scaling mode used for the overlay image.    To learn more about the available scaling modes, see the "Image Scaling Mode" parameter in the The Image Scaling and Alignment Pod section above.
Horizontal Align	Only applicable if a watermark is enabled.    If, based on the watermark scaling mode, the watermark is smaller than the available area, this setting controls the horizontal alignment of the overlaid image within the available area.
Vertical Align	Only applicable if a watermark is enabled.    If, based on the watermark scaling mode, the watermark is smaller than the available area, this setting controls the vertical alignment of the overlaid image within the available area.