Shape Collage FAQ

Common

• How do I get rid of the "ShapeCollage.com" watermark on the collages?

  To create collages without a watermark, upgrade to Shape Collage Pro.

• I purchased Shape Collage Pro, but I never got my license key or I lost it.

  Your license key was emailed to you instantly after you completed your purchase. If you did not receive this email containing your license key, then check your spam or junk mail folder.
  
  If you still can't find the email, then fill out the lost license key form and we'll send you your license key.

How to use Shape Collage

• How do I make a collage?

  Watch the instructional video to learn the basics of how to make a collage with Shape Collage.

• How do the collages get made?

  Shape Collage uses a very fast patent pending method to place the photos within the shape.

• What are the collage size, photo size, # photos, and photo spacing options? What are the auto and manual buttons?

  See the help page.

• How do I make a collage that I can print in high quality?

  If you are going to print the collage, the best thing to do is to set the "Collage Size" manually to be the same size that you will be printing it out as, eg. 8x10 inches. This will create the collage as a 300dpi image file that you can print at high quality.

• How do I make collages with all those cool shapes?

  Draw your own as a "Custom Shape", use a character symbol in the "Text Shape" (click the "..." button), or load a black and white PNG image file as a "Custom Shape" that has the shape you want. See the shapes gallery for some downloadable shapes.

• I don't like how the collage looks, how can I change it?

  Play around with the options, sometimes you just need more photos to make the shape look good. Try changing the "# photos" to be big, like 150 - 200 (it will duplicate the photos until there are enough photos).
  
  Tip: use the "Preview" button until you get a collage layout that you like, and then press the "Create" button to create the collage using that layout.

• I tried the options, but I want to move the pictures around myself.

  Save the collage as a Photoshop PSD file and edit the collage yourself in Photoshop or GIMP! You may want to set the shadow offset to 0, or alternatively, disable the shadow, so that when you rotate the photos in Photoshop or GIMP, the shadows don't look funny.

• How do I add text to the collage?

  Open the collage image file created by Shape Collage in your favourite image editing program (Photoshop, Gimp, Paint, etc.) and add text, icons, or anything else that you want.

• How do I print the collage?

  There is no print functionality within the Shape Collage program itself. Shape Collage creates your collage as a picture file that you can print just like any other picture file on your computer. Simply open the collage file with your image viewing program of choice and then print from there.
  
  You can also take the collage file to any photo lab or printing store to print the collage as a poster, or alternatively, you can print the collage online and make a poster, mug, t-shirt, etc.

• How do I get rid of the "ShapeCollage.com" watermark on the collages?

  To create collages without a watermark, upgrade to Shape Collage Pro.

Errors

• I am running Windows and I can't get the program to run.

  You probably have a problem with your installation of Java:
  

  1. Go to "Control Panel" -> "Add/Remove Programs"
  2. Uninstall all versions of Java from your computer (there may be multiple copies)
  3. Download and install the newest version of Java.

  
  

  If you are still having problems, please contact us and we can help you.

• I am running Mac OS X and I can't get the program to run.

  You probably need to update your version of Java:

  Mac OS X 10.4

  Mac OS X 10.5

  Mac OS X 10.6

  Mac OS X 10.7

  Mac OS X 10.8

  
  

  If you are still having problems, please contact us and we can help you.

• It says that some photos could not be read and the photos don't show up in the collage.

  For some reason, the photos could not be read by the program. If you look at the photo panel on the left, any photo that only appears as a gray box and not a thumbnail preview could not be read correctly. If you open those photos with an image editor and re-save the files, then that usually solves the problem. Sometimes the embedded color profile is the problem and the image needs to be saved without a color profile in order for it to work with Shape Collage.
  
  You can also have Shape Collage ignore the color profiles by going to Options -> Advanced -> Ignore ICC Profile

• The color of the photos in the collage and thumbnails is weird or the photos turn out really dark.

  The cause of this is an embedded color profile that is incompatible with Shape Collage. You can fix this by opening up the photos in Photoshop or another image editor, and re-saving the photos without an embedded color profile or convert the color profile to a standard one, like sRGB.
  
  You can also have Shape Collage ignore the color profiles by going to Options -> Advanced -> Ignore ICC Profile

• It says that it "Could not create the collage file" and I am getting a "java.lang.IllegalStateException" or "java.lang.NullPointerError".

  This is usually because you tried to save the collage in an invalid location or a place on your computer that you are not allowed to save files. Try saving the collage to a different location on your computer and using a different filename.
  
  This error can also sometimes be caused by a photo that Shape Collage can't read. Check the photos in the left side of the program and if any of them only show a gray box, then remove them and try creating the collage again.

• I am getting an "Out of memory" error.

  The collage is too big and is overwhelming your computer (this usually happens with collages larger than 200 megapixels, like a 15,000 x 15,000 pixel collage). If you are trying to make a really, really big collage like this and get an "Out of memory" error, try saving the collage in Photoshop's PSD format (instead of JPEG or PNG). If you are using a photo as the background for the collage, use a single colour or transparent background instead. Disabling multithreading in the options may help as well. If all else fails, then reduce the size of the collage or create the collage in separate, smaller pieces and combine them in Photoshop.
  
  See the Out of Memory help page for more information

Shape Collage Pro

• How long is the license valid for and are there free updates?

  The license for Shape Collage Pro does not expire. There will definitely be some free updates to the program, but the future plans for the program are not set in stone so if there is for example, a major huge new release, then it may not be included. We believe in doing what is fair and treating our users well, so we will come up with something appropriate if this happens.

• Is the software mailed to me after I purchase it?

  Nothing is physically mailed to you. When you purchase Shape Collage Pro, your license key is instantly emailed to you and you can start using Shape Collage Pro right away.

• Can I get the software on a CD, DVD, or floppy disk?

  Shape Collage is only offered as a digital download software program. If you wish to archive it to a CD, DVD, or floppy disk yourself, then you are free to do so, but if your computer blows up and you need to recover the software, you can always download the Shape Collage program from this website.

• I don't like PayPal. How can I pay using my credit card?

  After you click the "Buy Now" button to get to the PayPal payment screen, there is an option in the bottom left of that page to pay using a credit card.

• I'm trying to purchase Shape Collage Pro, but when I enter in my credit card information, it says that it's invalid.

  Sometimes this is caused because of your browser (try Firefox) or because your name or address does not match your credit card. If you continue to have problems, you need to contact PayPal or your credit card company because we do not handle any of the payment processing and have no control over this.

• I purchased Shape Collage Pro, but I never got my license key or I lost it.

  Your license key was emailed to you instantly after you completed your purchase. If you did not receive this email containing your license key, then check your spam or junk mail folder.
  
  If you still can't find the email, then fill out the lost license key form and we'll send you your license key.

• I have my license key, but I can't figure out where to enter it.

  You enter your license key into the Shape Collage program (not the website). In the "Help" menu of the program, go to "Upgrade to Shape Collage Pro" and enter in your license key. If you still can't find where to enter it, just restart the Shape Collage program a few times and the license key window will pop up.

• It says that my license key is invalid when I enter it.

  Make sure that you are entering in your license key correctly. We suggest that you copy and paste the license key when entering it in to make sure that you don't have any typing errors.
  
  Sometimes your firewall can cause problems, and disabling your firewall may fix this problem.

• I bought Shape Collage from the Mac App Store and it doesn't work anymore

  Shape Collage had to be removed from the Mac App Store because of changes to Apple's policies. Unfortunately, there is nothing that we can do and the only option is to download Shape Collage from our website.
  
  If you would like to continue using the Pro features in Shape Collage, you will have to purchase a license key. As a bonus, the newest version of Shape Collage has a lot of improvements over the older Mac App Store version (faster, live previews, editing capabilities, grid collages, web pictures, and more).

Other

• Can I have the source code?

  Sorry, the source code is not being released at this time.

• Is this a virus? A trojan? An STD?

  No.

• I have a bug to report, a feature request, comment, or hate mail, how do I contact you?

  You can reach us through our contact page
  
  You can also vote on feature requests

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