How to Create a Photo Gallery using OnMerge Images

Hold Ctrl+click to open sample

This is an example of a photo gallery that shows each person’s name and a
photo. The directory was formatted using Word’s Mail Merge Wizard label
option.

To do this merge, you will need:

1. Photos for each person in this pattern: first and last name .JPG.
2. Data source of name data.
3. A layout for the photo gallery.

Setting Up the Data Source

Depending on circumstances, databases can be in various formats or you may
create one from scratch. In this case, we use an existing data source that is
included with OnMerge Images Examples.

Setting up the Master Directory Template

We have included a pre-setup template for the above directory so you can easily
follow along these steps. Hold down the Ctrl key and click on this sentence to
bring up that template in another window.

Getting Started
[Word 2002 & 2003: Select Tools + Letters and Mailings + Mail Merge Wizard]
or [Word 2007 & 2010 only: Select Mailings + Start Mail Merge + Step by Step
How to Create a Photo Gallery using OnMerge Images 1
Copyright © 2005-2010 OnMerge. All rights reserved.
Mail Merge Wizard] to bring up the Mail Merge wizard on the right side of your
screen. The wizard will guide you through six steps to complete your merge:

 Step 1, Select document type: this example creates labels, so select

Labels and click Next at the right, bottom of the screen. “Labels” are
Word’s jargon for any layout where there are several records per
printed page in a grid layout.

 Step 2, Select starting document:

o Select Use the current document.

o Click on Label options

o The goal of this step is to create a type of “label” sheets that is

actually the layout for the picture gallery. Under Label Vendors,
select Other/Custom. Click New Label and fill out the dialog like
as shown below and then press OK, and then OK again.

The thinking is that we have an 8.5 x 11” sheet and wish to place 5
rows of 5 images on the page, while leaving almost a 1” margin on
top, 1/2” on the sides. Doing the math, this works out to 1.5 x 1.9”
labels.

How to Create a Photo Gallery using OnMerge Images 2

Copyright © 2005-2010 OnMerge. All rights reserved.
 o Click Next in the Mail Merge Wizard

 Step 3, Select recipients: We will be using an existing data source.

o Select Use an existing list, then Select list

o You will see a Select a data source dialog box. Click My

Documents\OnMerge Examples, and select Directory Data
Source.mdb and click OK.

o Click Next back in the Mail Merge Wizard.

 Step 4, Arrange your directory:

o This gallery is organized in 5 rows of 5 columns, with the photo on

the top and name below it. We’ll create one photo and name, then
use the Wizard’s Update all labels feature to create the rest.

o Make paragraph marks visible by pressing [Word 2002 & 2003:

in the main toolbar] or [Word 2007 & 2010: Home + ]

o Photo sizes may vary, so we’ll use a table layout to guarantee that
all images line up neatly. Place the cursor just to the left of the
paragraph mark (double-barreled P) in the top, left-most label.
Create a table with two rows and one column: [Word 2002 & 2003:
Table + Insert + Table] or [Word 2007 & 2010: Insert + Table +
Insert Table…] as shown.

How to Create a Photo Gallery using OnMerge Images 3

Copyright © 2005-2010 OnMerge. All rights reserved.
o Once the table appears as shown,

right-click the four-headed arrow to the top, left of the table and
select Table Properties to get a dialog box.

 Make sure the Table tab is selected. Click the Options

button. In the resulting dialog, set all margins to 0, then
press OK in that dialog. Select the checkbox to the left of
Preferred width and set the field to the right to 1.4 inches.
Set Indent from the left to 0.

 Select the Row tab. Press the Next Row button to select
row 1. Select the checkbox to the left of Specify height,
then set the value to 1.5”. Set Row height is to Exactly.

 Press OK.

o Place the cursor just to the left of the circle symbol at the top, left of
the first row in the new table. Click [Word 2002 & 2003: the
button in the Mail Merge toolbar] or [Word 2007 & 2010: Mailings +
OnMerge Images] to activate the OnMerge dialog box.

 Click Browse to tell OnMerge which folder your image

collection is located in. In this example, the folder is located
in My Documents\OnMerge Examples\Staff Portraits and
click OK. There is no need to select a specific image file, just
the folder the images are located in.

 In the first row under Type of name part, select Merge

Database and under Field Name, Bookmark or Text,
select First Name.

 The photos are named with person’s name first and last
name separated by a space. You must tell OnMerge
Images to include the space between first and last name. To
do so, click Field Name, Bookmark or Text, in the second
row and press the space bar once to insert a single space.

 In the third row under Type of name part, select Merge

Database and under Field Name, Bookmark or Text,
select Last Name. You will immediately see the person’s
photo appear in the preview area.

How to Create a Photo Gallery using OnMerge Images 4

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  You may use the controls to preview the
image for each photo.

 Click on the Options tab near the top of the dialog box.

 Select Merge blank image to make OnMerge insert blank

space if no picture is available for a given record.

 Set Image Box Width to 1.4 and Height to 1.5.

 Select OK.

o Center the image in the column using Word’s text centering feature.

o Place the cursor just to the left of the circle symbol in the table row
below the photo.

o [Word 2007 & 2010 only: Select Home, then press the button
in the paragraph section; select Remove Space Before
Paragaph]

o [Word 2002 & 2003: Select in the Mail Merge toolbar, click on
First_Name, OK; press the space bar on your keyboard; select
, click on First_Name, OK] or
[Word 2007 & 2010: Select Mailings + Insert Field + First_Name;
press the space bar on your keyboard; select Mailings + Insert
Field + Last_Name]

o Center the person’s name with Word’s text centering feature.

o Hover the cursor near the top, left of the table to reveal the four-
headed arrow; right-click the four-headed arrow and select Borders
and shading; select None and click OK.

o Back in the Mail Merge Wizard, click Update all labels to duplicate
the first label to all 25 labels.

o To create the title that is printed at the top of each page, use
Word’s Header feature: [Word 2002 & 2003: Select View + Header
and Footer; place the cursor in the header area and type/format
text, making sure it doesn’t interfere with photos below; select View
+ Header and Footer to exit the header] or
[Word 2007 & 2010: Select Insert + Header + Blank; type and
format text in the spot that Word indicates; adjust Header from Top
so that the text doesn’t interfere with the pictures below; set Header
from Bottom to 0; click Close Header and Footer]
How to Create a Photo Gallery using OnMerge Images 5
Copyright © 2005-2010 OnMerge. All rights reserved.
 o Back in the Mail Merge Wizard, click Next.

 Step 5, Preview your photo gallery: you may use the << and >>
buttons in the mail merge wizard to preview your finished directory
entries.

 Step 6, Complete the merge: Click Merge to new document to create

a new Word document that contains all the photos in the completed
mail merge.

Sizing Images?
Different images that you merge in the same spot may have different sizes and orientations. When
you actually do the merge, OnMerge will size the image to the largest possible size that your master
template supports.
There are two ways to tell OnMerge what that maximum image size is. 1) On the Options tab of the
OnMerge dialog, set Image Box Width and Height; or, 2) Drag the image’s corner so that it fills the
maximum width and height (image box) that the image could possibly occupy in your layout. As you
drag the corner, note that the image may appear distorted or stretched but OnMerge will correctly
resize the image as soon as you click outside it.
OnMerge will remember the maximum image box you just sized and use that size in the
merge even though it does not appear on-screen in the master template. This means that,
unless all merged images have exactly the same proportions, you may end up with white or blank
space on sides or tops of the merged images since each merged image may have different
proportions than the maximum image box.

How to Create a Photo Gallery using OnMerge Images 6

Copyright © 2005-2010 OnMerge. All rights reserved.