Fundy Designer has been around for a while. I’ve used it since version 8 and only recently became an ambassador for them, meaning I get to test the newest features early. It continues to be a robust tool in the arsenal of wedding, portrait, newborn, and family photographers, offering an array of features to simplify the album, card, wall art, and magazine design process. If you are a studio owner, then it's an essential part of IPS (In-person sales for those not down with the lingo). If you're a photographer and are not an Adobe InDesign expert, then this is going to be something you'll want to implement into your workflow. Here's a breakdown of its key aspects, along with what is going to blow your mind as we check out version 11.
Here's the official list of what has been updated:
- New Design Wizard workflow
- New auto design functionality for Gallery Designer
- New auto-design functionality for Card Designer
- 10 new stock rooms are now included ($300 value)
- 12 new card designs are also now included ($200 value)
- 1 new album design set is now included ($50 value)
- Enhanced Native Apple Silicon support on macOS for improved speed (this has also been added to v10 via a free update)
Fundy Designer Version 11
Faster Image Importing and AI-Automated Skin Retouching
Importing was always reasonably quick, but this version feels much quicker and gives me the option of retouching the imported photos on their way in, along with a list of extensive presets. It only retouches the photos with people's faces in them and leaves the others alone.
It also now gives you the option of saving even more time with the all-in-one design wizard. I mean, this is just genius as even if your client has not requested it, it's going to be easier to upsell them into a bigger more comprehensive package by just showing them what potential products would look like. Thank you cards and save the dates can be created like this at the same time too. A toggle switch at the top of the design wizard makes it easy to include just the products you want, customized before it even does the design for you.
Intuitive User Interface
Fundy Designer maintains its reputation for a user-friendly design. The interface is intuitive, making it accessible for both beginners and experienced users. The drag-and-drop functionality makes changing photos around easy, and dragging the lines between the images to resize is genius. I do love the presets, though, and it's always a good place to start when designing an album. Sorting images is as simple as clicking a button and selecting sort by date, name, rating, custom order, or story.
Smart Album Design
One of the standout features of Fundy Designer has been, since v10, its intelligent album design "drop zone" capabilities. The software automates the album layout process, integrating with almost all the major album companies allowing you to download all the different-sized albums they do, saving time for photographers while providing creative suggestions and differing layout options. Users still have the ability to manually control the design at any point, striking a balance between A.I. automation and personalized customization.
Variety of Templates
Fundy Designer 11 includes a diverse range of templates suitable for various photography genres and styles. Whether you are creating wedding albums, portfolios, or collages, gallery walls, or thank you cards, users can find the right template that perfectly complements their artistic vision. The template library is quite extensive, catering to different tastes and preferences and has been updated with additional designs in this version.
Image Proofing and Client Collaboration
Photographers who deliver and proof work for their clients will appreciate the built-in proofing tools that make collaboration with clients easy. Clients can review and provide feedback on the designs with a simple click-and-type interface, making the change adjustment process a seamless experience. This does feel like the easiest way to do things and stops the relentless back and forth between a photographer and their clients, and the client can see exactly what their product will look like and approve the design when changes are completed.
Auto-Design Your Gallery Wall
One of the best things about this new version is the ability to design your gallery wall. This version comes with several pre-made lounge design rooms with the ability to select different Gallery Wall layouts and swap them around just as you'd do within the album design software.
Just after importing, you can select again to retouch and then open your wall art design studio, choosing from the preselected backdrops, or you can even import your own. So, if the customer decides they want to see what their images would look like in their front room, you can ask them to take a picture (and provide measurements), and they can choose the wall art suitable for them. You even have the option of being able to calibrate your screen using the inbuilt measuring tool, allowing for accurate size-to-wall reproduction.
This makes in-person sales easy, as you can also add product pricing, meaning the client can see everything they need to make their own decision, and with the myriad of provided templates, you'll have lots of ways to sell and upsell your products. If you're like me and find designing gallery walls a bit stressful, this is a godsend.
Integration With Photo-Editing Software
Fundy Designer seamlessly integrates with popular photo editing software, allowing users to incorporate their edited images directly into the design. This integration enhances the overall editing and design process, creating a cohesive and polished final product.
Enhanced Native Apple Silicon Support on macOS for Improved Speed
So, while this was an inevitable (and much-needed) update as programs continue to offer enhanced capabilities and performance since the introduction of Apple silicon, it's nice to see that this has been retroactively also applied to v10 for those who wish to continue using the previous version.
Regular Updates and Support
The Fundy software team have demonstrated a commitment over the years to improvement through regular updates, and I feel that this update is only adding to what was already a great product.
What I Loved About V11
Maybe I'm a bit biased because I love this product already, but the snappiness of it has just been improved, the ingestion process is quicker, the bonus of extra templates is great, and the auto design wizard is just wonderfully well thought out. I also have a MacBook Pro with an M1 processor, and the speed increase on that is noticeable compared with that of my Intel iMac.
What I thought could be improved
Well, I would love to see a marketplace for templates or a way to create and share templates with other users. It could generate extra revenue for Fundy too, as this has worked for Aftershoot. I'd like to see the ability to be able to save the text going out to the client in the proofing section into a template in the design wizard to save me from copying and pasting from another application (although I'm told that this is coming in a future update), but these are minor things that bother me very little.
Conclusion
Fundy Designer 11 stands as a reliable and efficient tool for photographers selling their work. If you're seeking to streamline your album or wall art design process. Its user-friendly interface, intelligent design capabilities, and robust features mean it remains the most popular choice in the photography community.
