Create a template
To create a template, go to Build > Template Basics. Select either Designer or Developer. On this page, you can add image and text layers. You can also reorder layers, change the size and position of layers, and apply shadow and glow effects to images and text.
See also Template Basics training video.
&allowCanvasPrompt and &layer=0 modifiers in the URL and press Enter or Return.Create the initial template creating-the-initial-template
When you create a template set, the Publish after a save option affects the set and set members in the following ways:
See also Manually publishing assets and Manually unpublishing assets.
You can create a template from an existing template. Open the template, select Save As, and enter a new name in the Save As dialog box.
To create the initial template:
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To create your initial template, use one of the following methods:
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Select the PSD or images first: In the Browse panel, select the PSD file or images you want for your template, go to Build > Template Basics.
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Start from the Template screen: Go to Build > Template Basics. Select either Designer or Developer.
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In the Enter Canvas Size dialog box, enter the width and the height measurements for your template.
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Select a folder in the Asset Library and drag the PSD file or images you want for your template onto the Template screen.
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When you are finished, near the lower-right corner of the page, ensure that Publish after a save is selected (default).
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Select Save.
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Select a folder for storing your template, enter a name for the template, and select Submit.
Adobe Dynamic Media Classic shrinks images if necessary to fit them on the canvas, the area on the Template screen for defining your template.
Edit a template set editing-a-template-set
Whether you edit a published set or an unpublished template set, the Publish after a save option affects the set and set members in the following ways:
See also Manually publishing assets and Manually unpublishing assets.
To edit a template set:
- In the Grid View, browse to a Template Set, and then below the image, select Edit.
- Change the template as necessary.
- When you are finished editing, near the lower-right corner of the page, ensure that Publish after a save is selected (default).
- Select Save, select a storage folder, enter a name for the set, and then select Save.
Delete a Template
When you delete a Template Set, the set itself is moved to the Trash. However, the members (or “children”) within that set are not affected; instead, they each retain their existing published or unpublished state.
See also Manually publishing assets and Manually unpublishing assets.
To delete a Template:
- In the Grid View, List View, or Details View, select one or more Templates.
- On the Global Navigation Bar, go to File > Delete > Delete.
Understand the Template screen understanding-the-template-screen
The Template screen offers tools for manipulating and parameterizing layers.
Use these tools on the Template screen so you can create templates:
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Pan: Lets you select layers, move them around the canvas, resize them, or rotate them.
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Text: Creates a text layer. Drag on the canvas to create a text layer, and then enter the text in the layer. See Creating a text layer.
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Preview: Opens the Preview screen and shows the template in a Zoom Viewer. You see what the template looks like to users on your Web site or application.
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Parameter Summary Opens the Parameter Summary screen. You can see the name of each layer in a template, and on each layer, the names of parameters that have been activated.
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Text Editor v4.3 and Text Editor v4.2: Use the latest and most fully featured Text Editor. You can choose to use Text Editor v4.3, or the previous Text Editor, Text Editor v4.2. When creating templates, Text Editor v4.3 is selected by default. When editing older templates, Text Editor v4.2 is selected by default. Text Editor v4.3 does not currently support word wrap, so when editing older templates that use word wrap, use Text Editor v4.2 to keep the template’s fidelity fully intact. If your older template does not use word wrap, you can choose Text Editor v4.3 to take advantage of the many new features it offers. For example, Increase Margins, Decrease Margins, Set Text In All Caps, and Copy Fit Text.
note note NOTE Text Editor v4.2 is planned for removal as an option in Adobe Dynamic Media Classic. It is recommended that you use Text Editor 4.3 when possible. The Word Wrap option will be incorporated into a future release of the Text Editor. -
Designer and Developer: Select the option that best describes your role.
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Canvas: Defines the total available area, in pixels, for defining your template. The default size is 300 × 300 pixels. Layers are placed on the canvas.
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Layers list: Lists the name of layers in the template. To select a layer, select its name in the Layers list. The Layers list offers tools for adding effects to layers, deleting layers, reordering layers, and parameterizing layers. See Work with layers.
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Layer Properties area: This area offers tools for changing the background color, opacity, size, and position of a layer. You can also change the background color, opacity, and size of the canvas. You can also adjust shadow and glow effects. See Work with layers.
Create image layers creating-image-layers
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Drag the image from the Asset Library to the canvas.
The ID name of the image appears in the Layers list.
note note NOTE If necessary, Adobe Dynamic Media Classic shrinks images to make them fit in the canvas when you create an image layer.
Create a text layer creating-a-text-layer
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Select the Text tool.
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Drag to create a text box on the canvas or on an image.
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In the Text screen that opens, add text by doing any of the following in the Preview tab:
- Type text in the text box. Choose Copy Fit Text to make the text fit n the text box.
- Paste text from the Clipboard into the text box.
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Select Apply, and then close the Text screen.
Format text format-text
To format text in a text layer, do the following:
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In the Layers list, double-click the name of the text box with text you want to edit. The Text Editor opens.
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In the text box of the Text Editor, select the text you want to format. You can select all the text, portions of the text, or individual characters.
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Specify any of the following formatting options, and then select Apply.
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Font: Choose a font on the Font menu. If a font you want does not appear on the menu, you can upload it into the Adobe Dynamic Media Classic. See Fonts.
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Font Size: Choose a font size from the menu, type a specific size in the box, or select the Up or Down arrows to increase or decrease the size by two points.
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Color: Select to choose a color for text.
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Bold, Italic, or Underline: Select the text, and then select the icon for the type of formatting you want to apply to the text.
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All Caps, Superscript, or Subscript: Select the text, and then select the icon for the type of formatting you want to apply to the text.
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Alignment: Choose an Alignment button to left-align, center, or right-align text in the text layer.
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Tracking: Type or select a numeric value by which to adjust the amount of space between words.
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Kerning: Type or select a numeric value by which to adjust the amount of space between characters.
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Line Spacing: Type or select a numeric value by which to adjust the amount of space between lines.
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Baseline Shift: Type or select a numeric value by which to move a selected character up or down relative to the baseline of the surrounding text. This option is especially useful when you’re hand-setting fractions or adjusting the position of inline graphics.
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Format paragraphs format-paragraphs
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In the Layers list, double-click the name of the text box with text you want to edit. The Text Editor opens.
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Select the paragraph that you want to format.
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Specify any of the following formatting options, and then select Apply.
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Alignment: Specify the type of alignment by clicking Align left, Align center, Align right, or Justify.
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End of Paragraph Justification: Select to specify the type of justification for the last line in the paragraph: last line aligns left; last line aligns center; and last line aligns right.
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Line Spacing: Type or select a numeric value by which to adjust the amount of space between all the lines in the paragraph.
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Indent All: Select to increase the amount the text is indented.
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Remove Indent: Select to decrease the amount the text is indented.
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Indent First Line: Specify the amount by which you want to indent the first line of text.
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Space Before Paragraph: Specify the amount of space that you want to appear above the first line of text in the paragraph.
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Space After Paragraph: Specify the amount of space that you want to appear below the last line of text in the paragraph.
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Vertical Align: Select where you want the text to appear vertically within the text box: Top, Middle, Bottom.
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Text Direction: Select the direction in which you want the text to display: Right-To-Left or Left-To-Right.
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Adjust text layer properties adjust-text-layer-properties
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In the Template Basics screen, select the text box you want to adjust.
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In the Layer Properties panel, select any of the following:
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Shrink Text (Text Editor v4.2 only): Select this option to shrink the text so that it fits within the text box.
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Word Wrap (Text Editor v4.2 only): To specify if or how the text wraps, select a wrap option:
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Wrap: Wraps the text to fit into a text box that is too small horizontally.
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No Wrap: Does not wrap the text when the text box is too small horizontally, and instead, cuts off a portion of the text.
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Nonbreaking Wrap: Wraps text to fit into a textbox, and does not break words.
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Position: Specifies the location of the text box on the canvas.
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Padding: Adds margins or crops the layer rectangle. Specify the number of pixels that you want to add or remove for Left, Top, Bottom, and Right. Enter positive numbers if you want to add a margin or negative numbers to the crop.
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View and edit text source code view-and-edit-text-source-code
The information provided in the Source tab of the Text Editor is for your reference. Edit the text only if you are familiar with editing source code.
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In the Layers list, double-click the name of the text box with text you want to edit. The Text Editor opens.
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In the Text Editor, to reveal the source code for the text, select the Source tab in the Text Editor.
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View or edit the text as desired.
Changes remain intact if you switch back and forth between Preview and Source view.
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Select Apply to render the edits.
Work with layers working-with-layers
Use the Layers list and Layer Properties area to work with layers. You can reorder layers, change their size and position, rotate layers, and determine the background color, foreground color, opacity, and blend mode of a layer.
You can also change the size of the canvas, choose its background color, and change its opacity setting.
Reorder layers reordering-layers
Changing layer order can affect appearance, especially when transparency or overprinting is involved. Be sure to preview the outcome before committing your changes.
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Use one of these techniques to reorder the layers in a template:
- Select a layer in the Layers list. Then select Up or Down as many times as necessary to place it in the correct position in the list.
- Drag a layer up or down in the Layers list.
Change the size and position of layers and the canvas changing-the-size-and-position-of-layers-and-the-canvas
Layers must be small enough to fit on the canvas. You can change the size of a layer or the canvas manually or by entering size measurements. You can change the position of a layer manually or by entering offset measurements. You can also rotate a layer.
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Changing the size of a layer: To change the size of a layer or the canvas, select the layer or canvas on the Layers list and use one of these techniques:
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Manually changing size: Select and drag a corner of the layer or canvas. With text layers, you can also drag a side of the layer. Hold down the Shift key as you drag to change the size but maintain the aspect ratio (the shape).
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Entering layer size measurements: Enter pixel measurements in the W (Width) and H (Height) text boxes in the Layer Properties area.
Beside changing the size of a layer, you can pad it. To do so, enter a Padding measurement in the Left, Right, Top, and Bottom box of the Layer Properties area. Padding adds a margin to the current layer to offset it from the perimeter of its base layer. Padding is useful if you add a drop shadow or outer glow effect and you want to make the effect more visible. Padding increases the size of a layer and displays its background color in the extended, padded area. The base layer repositions itself relative to the new size of the layer. For example, if the current layer is centered on the base layer, extending the left side of the layer moves it further to the right of the base layer.
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Changing the position of a layer: To change the position of a layer on the canvas, select its name in the Layers list and use one of these techniques:
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Manually changing position: Move the pointer near to but not over a layer boundary, and when you see the four-headed arrow cursor, select and start dragging.
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Entering position offset measurements: Enter X and Y offset measurements in the X and Y text boxes. These measurements represent the x, y offset of the anchor point in pixels.
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Rotating a layer: The Rotate box lists the angle to which the layer was rotated. To rotate a layer, select its name in the Layers list and use one of these techniques:
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Manually rotating: Move the cursor near to but not over a corner of the layer. When you see the rotation cursor, drag the corner of the layer. Hold down the Shift key as you drag to rotate by 15-degree increments.
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Entering a degree measurement: Enter the number of degrees to rotate the layer. Rotation is clockwise; to rotate in a counterclockwise fashion, enter a negative number.
Hide a layer or a layer effect:
You can hide a layer or layer effect by selecting the eye icon next to a layer name or effect name. Hidden layers do not appear in previews or output. The layer information is not deleted from the URL. Instead, hide=1 is added to the URL to note that the layer is hidden from view. For example:
layer=5&src=is{PortalCo/title}&pos=274,192&effect=-1&.effect=Drop Shadow&blendmode
layer=5&src=is{PortalCo/title}&pos=274,192&hide=1&effect=-1&.effect=Drop Shadow&blendmode
Determine the background color, opacity, and blend mode
To choose a background color, opacity, and blend mode for a layer or the canvas, select the layer or canvas and use these techniques:
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Foreground color: Select Foreground Color and choose a color swatch to change the color of the shadow or glow. You can also enter a color-value parameter in the box. The background color applies only to layers that use transparency. For example, it applies to a partially transparent layer in a price tag or the background of a text field. Layers that consist of a PSD, TIFF or PNG image with transparency turned on can have transparent backgrounds.
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Background color: Select Background Color and choose a color swatch to change the color of the padded areas.
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Opacity: Drag the Opacity slider to make any layer translucent so that part of the underlying image shows through. The 100-percent setting is opaque; 0 is transparent.
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Blend mode: To simulate one of the blend modes available in Photoshop, choose an option. The options are Normal, Dissolve, Lighten, Darken, Multiply, and Screen. These options are available for layers, not the canvas.
Use shadow and glow effects on layers using-shadow-and-glow-effects-on-layers
You can apply a shadow or glow to a layer. The shadow or glow applies to the perimeter of the layer and extends inward or outward, depending on the shadow or glow option you choose. If your template originated with a PSD file with shadow and glow effects, you can adjust these effects in Adobe Dynamic Media Classic.
After you apply a shadow or glow effect, you can adjust its size, color, opacity, and position in the Layer Properties area of the Template screen.
Apply a shadow or glow effect to a layer applying-a-shadow-or-glow-effect-to-a-layer
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Select a layer in the Layers list.
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Select the
Add Effectmenu and choose an option:-
Drop Shadow: Applies a shadow to the bottom and right side of the layer.
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Inner Shadow: Applies a shadow effect inside all edges of the layer.
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Outer Glow: Applies a glow effect around all edges of the layer.
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Inner Glow: Applies a glow effect inside all edges of the layer.
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An effect name appears on the Layers list after you apply an effect. To delete an effect, select its name on the Layers list and then select Delete.
Adjust a shadow or glow effect adjusting-a-shadow-or-glow-effect
To adjust a shadow or glow effect, start by selecting its name in the Layers list. Then change its settings in the Layer Properties area of the Template screen:
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Color: Select the Color button and choose a color swatch to change the color of the shadow or glow. You can also enter a color-value parameter in the box.
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Opacity: Drag the slider to determine how intense the effect is. Less opaque effects are more transparent.
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Blend Mode: To simulate one of the blend modes available in Photoshop, choose an option. The options are Normal, Dissolve, Lighten, Darken, Multiply, and Screen.
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Size: Enter measurements in the X and Y box to enlarge or shrink the shadow effect. Size options are only available for inner shadows and drop shadows.
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Grow: Drag the slider to extend the effect inward or outward.
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Blur: Drag the slider to control feathering at the edges of the effect. Effects with more blur are more feathered.
Mask layers masking-layers
The Layers list offers a Mask button that specifies how the mask or alpha channel of a layer is used. Using the Mask button, you can apply the effect of a background layer to a particular layer or the entire parent layer in your template. Select a layer in the Layers list and select Mask to cycle through these states:
- The background of the layer is opaque.
- The layer content is inverted and the background of the layer is filled with solid black.
- The background of the layer is filled with solid black.