Using Captions with Your Photoshop Album Images

There are utilitarian reasons for adding captions to your photos in Photoshop Album. Captions provide descriptions of the image, such as who is in the image, who took the image, where and when the image was taken, and so on. Captions also are great if you want to add a personal touch to your images and to preserve a memorable occasion. Add a caption with some humor or sentimentality. You are limited to 63 characters so short and sweet is the ticket. You can add a caption when you first import your images or at any time thereafter.

Adding a caption

You also can use captions in creations, such as eCards, Web and 3D Atmosphere galleries, calendars, photo books, video CDs, slide shows, instant slide shows, and albums.

If you plan to use captions in a creation, you have to add the captions before you make your creation. If you don't, no captions will appear with your images. Also, when you print a contact sheet, you can choose to include captions. But again, the captions must be added before you print the sheet.

Here's how to add captions to your files:

1. Select a file and double-click the thumbnail to open the image in Single Photo view in the Photo Well.

Or you can choose View --> Properties to display the Properties pane. Then select a thumbnail in the Photo Well.

2. Enter your caption in the Caption text box, as shown in Figure 1.

When you duplicate a photo, you also duplicate any captions, notes, and tags attached to that image. Be sure to apply all those extras before you duplicate your image to save time.

Editing and deleting captions

Editing or deleting a caption is a no-brainer. Use one of these methods:

• Select the image in the Photo Well, and in the Properties pane, highlight the text in the Caption text box and retype your caption. To delete the text, simply highlight the text and press the Delete key.

• Double-click the image, and in the Single Photo view, edit or delete the text in the Caption text box below the image.

• Select one or more images and choose Edit --> Clear Caption for a single image or Edit --> Clear Captions of Selected Items to delete several captions at a time.

Adding audio captions

If you have a microphone attached to your computer, you can easily add audio captions to your files. You can add them in addition to, or in lieu of, written captions and notes.

Like other kinds of captions, you can use audio captions to provide practical information such as descriptions (who took the picture, what the picture is of, and when and where it was taken). Or you can use them to preserve a memory with sound.

Here's how to add an audio caption:

1. Select your desired photo in the Photo Well.

2. Choose View --> Properties to display the Properties pane.

Or click the Show Properties button in the Options bar under the Photo Well.

3. Click the Record Audio Caption button in the Properties pane, shown in Figure 2.

The audio window, also shown in Figure 2 appears.

4. Click the Record button in the audio window and begin speaking into your microphone.

If you have an existing audio clip you want to use as your audio caption, choose File --> Browse from the audio window menu, locate your file and click Open. The audio clip is imported into your audio window. Note the filename of the audio clip at the top of the audio window.

5. Click the Record or Stop button when you're done recording your audio caption.

6. Click the Play button to listen to your audio caption. If you want to do a second take, click the Record button again.

7. Click the Close button to close the audio window.

You also can choose File --> Close from the audio window menu. This action automatically saves the audio caption and attaches it to your photo.

Here's some useful information for handling your audio captions:

• Playing an audio caption: You can play captions in a couple of ways:

• Double-click the image thumbnail to display the photo in the Single Photo view. Click the Play Audio Caption button (which looks like a mini speaker icon), located immediately to the right of the written Caption text box.

• Select your photo and click the Record Audio caption button in the Properties pane.

In either case, the audio window appears. Click the Play button to hear the caption. Close the window when you're done.

• Editing an existing audio caption: Repeat all of the steps above.

• Deleting an audio caption: Follow Steps 1 through 3 above. Then choose Edit --> Clear to delete the audio caption from the image.