ℹ️ Before designing your output, decide whether you need an Overlay or a Layout. This determines how photos are captured and displayed.

Quick Reference

Item	Key Rule
Overlays	Best for single-photo designs. No photo boxes required. Use transparency or a cutout.
Layouts	Best for multi-photo designs or multiple layout options. Requires photo boxes.
Photo Boxes	Tell Curator how many photos to capture and where to place them.
Transparency	Allows photos to show through transparent areas while keeping design elements visible.
Cutouts	Used with solid overlays to create a transparent area where the photo should appear.
Multiple Layouts	All layouts within the same experience use the same captured photos.
Image Dimensions	Must match your overlay or photo box orientation. Incorrect dimensions may cause cropping or stretching.

Overlay vs Layout: Which Should I Use?

Overlays and Layouts both customize the appearance of your photos, but they serve different purposes. Use the guide below to choose the best option for your event.

Use an Overlay When:

Creating a single-photo design
Offering multiple design options before guests take their photos
Guests need to preview the design live to position themselves correctly
You do not need a multi-photo layout

ℹ️ A single experience can contain multiple overlays, allowing you to offer multiple design options without creating additional experiences.

Use a Layout When:

Creating a multi-photo design
Offering different photo arrangements within the same experience
Combining single-photo and multi-photo options within the same experience

ℹ️ Although layouts are commonly used for multi-photo designs, they can also be used for single-photo designs.

Up to four layouts can be added to a single experience.

Guests choose their preferred layout after all photos have been captured.

See Using Multiple Layouts in One Experience to learn how layouts share captured photos.

How Layouts Work

Layouts control where photos appear in the final output. Unlike overlays, layouts require photo boxes.

Photo boxes tell Curator how many photos to capture, where to place them, and the size and orientation of each photo.

💡 Photo boxes determine how many photos Curator captures and where each photo appears in the final layout.

Three photo boxes = Three captured photos

ℹ️ Photo box numbers control which captured photo is displayed.

If all photo boxes are assigned to Photo 1, every photo box will display the first captured photo.

To display different photos, assign different photo numbers (Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3, etc.) to each photo box.

Once you understand how photo boxes work, you're ready to use multiple layouts within a single experience.

Using Multiple Layouts in One Experience

Curator supports up to four layouts within a single experience. Each layout can contain as many photo boxes as needed, allowing you to offer multiple photo arrangements without creating additional experiences.

ℹ️ All layouts within the same experience use the same set of captured photos.

When multiple layouts are added to an experience, Curator captures the number of photos required by the layout with the most photo boxes.

Layout Configuration	Photos Used
Layout 1 = 1 photo box Layout 2 = 2 photo boxes Layout 3 = 3 photo boxes Curator captures 3 photos.	Layout 1 uses Photo 1 Layout 2 uses Photos 1–2 Layout 3 uses Photos 1–3

How Overlays Work

Overlays sit above the final photo and do not require photo boxes.

There are two ways to create an overlay:

Upload an overlay with a transparent photo area, allowing the photo to automatically appear beneath it.
Upload an overlay without a transparent photo area, then add a cutout in the Image Editor where the photo should appear.

ℹ️ A cutout creates a transparent photo area.

Any part of the design inside the cutout becomes transparent, allowing the photo to appear beneath it.

💡 Keep graphics, logos, and text outside the cutout area.

Elements inside the cutout become transparent. Upload them separately so they remain visible above the photo.

Understanding Transparency

Transparency determines what remains visible beneath an image. It allows photos and design elements to show through specific areas, making it possible to layer images together correctly.

Transparency in Overlays and Layouts

Transparent areas allow the final photo to show through your design.

Overlays: Photos automatically appear beneath transparent areas.
Layouts: Place photo boxes beneath transparent areas so photos appear through the design. Otherwise, the photo box will cover the design beneath it.

ℹ️ Checkerboard Pattern Reminder

The checkerboard pattern represents transparency in the Image Editor.
A checkerboard pattern does not always mean an image is transparent.
If the checkerboard pattern is part of the uploaded image, it is not actually transparent and will block anything beneath it.

Design Element Transparency

Graphics, logos, stickers, icons, and other decorative elements should use transparent PNG files so only the graphic is visible, not its background. This allows them to be layered above photos or other design elements without covering them.

💡 Best Practices

Use transparent PNG files for design elements.
Avoid JPG files when transparency is needed.
Graphics with a solid background (even white) will block anything beneath them.

Understanding Layers

The Image Editor uses layers to control the order of design elements. Items higher in the Layers panel appear above items lower in the list.

Layers work together with transparency to determine how design elements are stacked.

For example:

Logos can appear above photos.
Graphics can appear above other design elements.
Photos can appear beneath transparent overlays.

💡 Reorder layers by dragging them up or down to control which elements appear in front.

Understanding Image Dimensions

If your photos appear cropped, stretched, or don't fit your overlay or layout, the Image Dimension setting is usually the cause.

Image Dimension determines the shape and orientation of the photos Curator captures. Configure it on Page 4 of the Event Form for each experience, and make sure it matches your overlay or layout.

ℹ️ Image Dimension affects every photo captured in the experience.

It is an event-wide setting, so it should be compatible with every overlay or layout used in that experience.

Image Dimensions for Overlays

Match the Image Dimension to your overlay dimensions. For example, a 4x6 overlay should use a 4x6 Image Dimension. A mismatch can cause the photo to appear stretched or cropped.

The examples below show what happens when the Image Dimension does not match the overlay dimensions.

4x6 Overlay + 1x1 Image Dimension	4x6 Overlay + 6x4 Image Dimension	4x6 Overlay + 4x6 Image Dimension

In both incorrect examples, the overlay is stretched and the photo is cropped.

Image Dimensions for Layouts

Match the Image Dimension to the orientation of your photo boxes, not their actual dimensions. Otherwise, photos may appear cropped.

Use these Image Dimension presets:

Portrait photo box → 4x6
Landscape photo box → 6x4
Square photo box → 1x1

The examples below show what happens when the Image Dimension does not match the photo box orientation.

Portrait Photo Boxes + 6×4 Image Dimension	Landscape Photo Box + 4×6 Image Dimension
Photos cropped on the sides	Photos cropped on the top and bottom

💡 For best results, use the same photo box orientation across all layouts. This allows a single Image Dimension setting to work correctly across every layout.

If different orientations are used, 1x1 (Square) is often the safest option because it works well with both portrait and landscape photo boxes.

Why Doesn't the Capture Preview Fill the Screen?

The capture preview is based on the selected Image Dimension.

If the selected Image Dimension has a different aspect ratio than the device screen, the preview may appear smaller or display black borders. This is normal and does not affect the final photo.

The examples below use the same portrait device with different Image Dimensions.