The PDF builder turns any inventory list, exhibition, or fair into a designed presentation. This guide walks through one example from start to finish, a presentation for the exhibition Suspended States: create it, customize the cover and an artwork page, add a detail page, preview it, then share or download it.
Before you start: the PDF builder appears as Previews in the left navigation. It's turned on by request, so if you don't see it, contact ARTERNAL support to have it enabled for your account.
Step 1: Create the presentation
Click Previews, then Create New.
Find your list. Search by name, or use the All, Lists, Exhibitions and Fairs tabs. Each list shows how many works it contains.
Click your list (for example, Suspended States). Next becomes available once a list is selected. Click Next.
On Choose a Template, leave Default Layout selected and click Generate PDF.
ARTERNAL builds the presentation and opens it in the editor. It's named after your list. To rename it, click the title in the top bar, or open Menu and choose Rename Presentation.
The presentation starts with a cover, followed by pages for the works in your list. Each page shows the details a work has: a work with only an image shows just the image, and captions include only the fields that have information.
Step 2: Customize the cover
Click the cover, the first page in the left panel.
Replace the placeholder text. The cover includes a Booth Number placeholder. Click it and type your exhibition details, or delete it.
Add a background image. Click an empty area of the cover. In the right panel, under Background, choose Image, then click Upload Image or Browse Artwork.
If you chose Browse Artwork, the Select Background Image window opens. Search or use the Artworks, Alt Views and Installations tabs, pick an image (for Suspended States, an installation view), and click Use Image.
Adjust the title. Click the title to change its wording, size or color so it reads clearly over the image.
Step 3: Customize an artwork page
Click an artwork page in the left panel.
Edit the caption: click the caption and type your changes.
Try a different arrangement: click an empty area of the page, then click Change Layout. In the Change Layout panel, choose Artwork + Bio (Image Left), Artwork + Bio (Image Right), Artwork (Image Left), Artwork (Image Right) or Panoramic / Wide, then click Save.
Step 4: Add a detail page
A detail page shows a close-up of a work across the full page.
Click + New Page. In the Add Slide menu, choose Detail Slide.
In Select Artwork for Detail, pick the image to crop. You can use the main image, an alt view or an installation shot from the Artworks, Alt Views and Installations tabs.
In Crop Image, drag the handles to frame the detail, then click Crop.
Drag the new page in the left panel to place it right after the work it shows.
Your changes save automatically as you work.
Step 5: Preview
Click Preview to see the presentation full screen, the way your client will. Use the arrow keys to move between pages and press Esc to return to the editor.
Step 6: Share or download
Click Share in the top right. The Share or Export window has two options:
Share Link: click Copy and paste the link into an email or message. Your recipient opens the presentation in their browser, where they can page through it, zoom in, and download a PDF copy.
Export as PDF: click Download to save a PDF file to your computer.
Share link or downloaded PDF?
A share link stays up to date. Edits you make after sending it appear when your recipient opens or refreshes the link, so you don't need to send it again.
A downloaded PDF is a fixed copy of the presentation at that moment. Use it for attachments and records.
Optional reference
Page types
Click + New Page to open the Add Slide menu:
Artwork Slide: Add an artwork with caption
Cover Slide: Title page with background
Detail Slide: Full-bleed image
Blank Slide: Empty canvas
Toolbar
Add Artwork, Add Text, Shapes and Add Image sit at the top of the editor.
Tool | Shortcut |
Add Artwork | none shown |
Add Text | T |
Shapes | S |
Add Image | I |
Styling
Text: Size & position, Alignment, Text style, Font (font, color, size, bold/italic/underline), More text options (letter spacing, line spacing, uppercase), Text alignment, Opacity, and To front / To back. Text doesn't have a shadow option.
Artwork images placed by the layout: Size & position, Alignment, Opacity, Shadow (None, Soft or Regular), and To front / To back.
Pages
Drag thumbnails in the left panel to reorder pages. Right-click a page for Duplicate, Move Up, Move Down, Move to Start, Move to End and Delete.
Shortcuts
Undo: ⌘Z
Redo: ⇧⌘Z
Add Text: T
Shapes: S
Add Image: I
Brand Profile
Open Brand Profile on the Previews page to set defaults for the presentations you create. Changes save automatically.
Gallery Information: Gallery Name and Footer Text. You can still change the footer in any individual presentation.
Logo: Light and Dark versions. SVG is recommended because ARTERNAL creates the dark version from it automatically.
Brand Colors: Primary, Secondary and Accent.
Typography: Title, Subtitle, Heading and Body fonts.
Caption Format: the details shown in artwork captions. The default is Artist / Title, Year / Medium / Dimensions / Price. Use Insert Fields to add others, such as Edition, Provenance, Inventory #, Courtesy or Photo Credit, and turn on Preview to check the result.
Archive and delete
On the Previews page, click ⋮ on a presentation and choose Archive.
It moves to Archive right away, with no confirmation. From Archive, choose Unarchive to restore it or Delete to remove it.
Templates (Beta)
Under Templates, the Predefined section includes Base Template, a locked 9-page template. Click Duplicate to make your own copy in the Custom section. Base Template is also offered on the Choose a Template step when you create a presentation.
Looking for design ideas? See Previews Layout Examples & Best Practices