Contact sheet: settings and best results

What does Contact sheet do?

Contact sheet lays a batch of images out on one clean, labeled sheet, on your own computer. In the app the tool is called Contact Sheet. Use it to review selects from a shoot, send a client a proof, build a mood board or print an index of a folder. It saves one file: a PDF with as many pages as the batch needs, or a single PNG or JPEG board.

Contact Sheet opens as a Studio. The sheet you see in the middle is a live preview of the export, the settings are on the right, and your images are in a strip at the bottom in reading order.

01Step 1: Open the Studio and add your images

Click Tools in the sidebar, open the Create tab and click Contact Sheet in the From your media section. You can also search for "contact sheet".

Click Choose images or Choose folder, or drop files on the window. You need at least two. Photos, SVG files and camera RAW files all work. To add more later, click Add images at the top or the + at the end of the strip.

The strip at the bottom sets the reading order. Drag a thumbnail to move it, or click the A to Z button at the end of the strip to sort the images by name. Click the x on a thumbnail to remove it.

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1. 1Sheet preset
2. 2Settings tabs
3. 3Columns
4. 4Live page
5. 5Sort images by name
6. 6Export PDF

02Step 2: Pick a starting point

At the top of the panel, open Sheet preset. Under Starting points, choose the one closest to your job. The Studio always opens on Review.

• Review: a PDF with 4 columns, file names and pixel sizes above each image, and numbered tiles. Good for choosing selects.
• Client report: a PDF with numbered captions on a label bar and a header with room for client details.
• Proof: a dense PDF with 6 columns and small centered captions, for checking a whole shoot.
• Mood board: a PNG with 3 columns of square, cropped tiles on a dark page, without captions.

Applying a preset changes the design only. Your images stay where they are, and a message lets you Undo for a few seconds. Your own presets are listed under My presets.

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1. 1Starting points
2. 2My presets
3. 3+ Save current

05Step 5: Set captions and a watermark

On the Captions tab, Show captions turns captions on or off. Content chooses what they say: Filename, Name only, Sequence, Sequence + name, Filename + size or a Custom template built from the token buttons, such as {index:02} · {stem} for "01 · northwind-shoot-01". Add an optional Detail line, then set the size, alignment, position and treatment. Show index adds a number to each tile, and Show page numbers numbers PDF pages.

On the Watermark tab, choose where it goes under Apply to: Whole page, Each image or Both. Pick Text or Workspace logo, then set Scale, Opacity, the position, and the Layer: over the content or under it.

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1. 1Apply to
2. 2Content
3. 3Scale
4. 4Layer

06Step 6: Export, then check the sheet

On the Export tab, choose the Format. For a PDF, set the Paper size (A4 or US Letter), Orientation and Quality. For PNG or JPEG, set the Width. The line under the settings tells you what you will get, such as "2 A4 pages · up to 12 images per page".

The folder row shows Default output folder: your workspace’s output folder, in a contact_sheet folder with a subfolder for today’s date, such as 10-15. Click Change to save this sheet somewhere else. Then click Export PDF (or Export PNG, Export JPEG) at the top right.

When it finishes, the Studio shows the exported pages. Click View full size to look closely, Open folder to go to the file, or Edit sheet to change something and export again. See Where your files are saved.

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1. 1Edit sheet
2. 2Open folder
3. 3View full size

Every setting, and when to change it

Defaults below are those of the Review starting point. Settings reset when you leave the Studio, so save a preset to keep a design.

Columns

How many images sit side by side. More columns means smaller tiles and fewer pages.

• Range2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12
• Default4

Tile ratio

The shape of every tile.

• Range1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 4:5
• Default4:3

Image fit

Fit shows the whole picture. Fill fills the tile and crops; Focal point picks what stays in view.

• RangeFit, Fill
• DefaultFit

Spacing

Sets both gaps between tiles at once.

• RangeCompact, Balanced, Airy
• DefaultBalanced

Horizontal gap / Vertical gap

The exact space between tiles across and down.

• Range0 to 240 px
• Default24 px / 30 px

Page margin

The space between the grid and the edge of the page.

• RangeNarrow, Standard, Wide
• DefaultStandard

Tile frame

A border around each image. Matte and Polaroid add Frame size (2% to 16%) and Frame color.

• RangeNone, Hairline, Matte, Polaroid
• DefaultHairline

Background

The color of the page behind the grid.

• RangeLight, Dark, Custom
• DefaultLight

Header details

The text at the top of the sheet. The Sheet title is also the file name.

• RangeCompany, Sheet title, Project, Client, Date
• DefaultYour workspace name and "Selection review"

Optional details

Extra header content. Additional information holds up to 6 label and value rows.

• RangeBrand mark, Additional information, Project note, Badge
• DefaultBrand mark when your workspace has a logo

Layout recipes

How the header is arranged.

• RangeClient lockup, Studio signature, Project lead
• DefaultStudio signature

Top inset / Bottom inset

The space above the header and between the header and its divider.

• Range0 to 96 px
• Default22 px

Later PDF pages

What the header looks like after page 1.

• RangeFirst page only, Repeat full header, Compact continuation
• DefaultCompact continuation

Typography voice

The pair of fonts used in the header.

• Range9 font pairings
• DefaultClean neutral

Show captions

Prints a caption with each image.

• DefaultOn

Content

What each caption says. A custom template can be up to 120 characters.

• RangeFilename, Name only, Sequence, Sequence + name, Filename + size, Custom template
• DefaultFilename + size

Detail line

An optional second line under each caption, also built from tokens.

• DefaultEmpty

Caption size, Alignment, Position, Treatment

How captions look and where they sit.

• RangeSmall to Large; Left, Center; Above, Below image; Plain, Label bar
• DefaultMedium, Left, Above image, Plain

Show index

A number chip on each tile.

• DefaultOn

Show page numbers

Numbers the pages of a PDF.

• DefaultOn

Apply to (watermark)

Where the watermark goes.

• RangeOff, Whole page, Each image, Both
• DefaultOff

Watermark content

Your own words in a color you choose, or a logo.

• RangeText, Workspace logo
• DefaultText

Scale / Opacity

How big and how see-through the watermark is.

• Range5% to 100% / 0% to 100%
• Default22% / 50%

Position

Where the watermark sits on the page or on each image.

• Range9 positions, plus a fine offset
• DefaultBottom right

Layer

Over the content, or under it.

• RangeForeground, Background
• DefaultForeground

Text shadow

A soft shadow that helps a text watermark read on light and dark areas.

• DefaultOn

Format

A PDF with pages, or one image board.

• RangePDF, PNG, JPEG
• DefaultPDF

Paper size / Orientation

The PDF page.

• RangeA4, US Letter / Portrait, Landscape
• DefaultA4 / Landscape

Quality

How sharp the PDF is. Lower quality makes a smaller file.

• RangeDraft (150 dpi), Standard (200 dpi), High (300 dpi)
• DefaultHigh (300 dpi)

Width

The width of a PNG or JPEG board.

• Range1600, 2400, 3200, 4800 px
• Default2400 px

JPEG quality

For JPEG boards, the balance between file size and detail.

• RangeGood (80), High (92), Maximum
• DefaultHigh (92)

How to get the best results

• Put the images in order first. The strip at the bottom is the reading order. Use Sort images by name if your files are already numbered.
• Match the tile ratio to your pictures. Use 3:2 for most camera photos and 4:5 for portrait shots, so Fit leaves little empty space.
• Choose PDF for a big batch. A PDF adds pages as needed. Keep PNG and JPEG for a single board to post or share.
• Use Draft or Standard for email. High (300 dpi) is best for print but makes larger files.
• Fill in the header. A title, client and date make the sheet easy to find later, and the title becomes the file name.
• Save your design. Once a sheet looks right, click + Save current under Sheet preset so the next batch takes one click.

Why a result disappoints

• The export button is grayed out. Add at least two images. If a watermark is on, type its text, or pick or import a logo. If the note on the Export tab says Adjust the layout to continue, the layout does not fit: see the next two points.
• A PDF layout does not fit. The margins, gaps, frames, captions or header leave too little room for the images. If the tiles are tiny, use fewer columns. Otherwise lower the gaps, choose a narrower Page margin, a smaller frame or a smaller Caption size.
• A PNG or JPEG board is too large. A board can be up to 64 megapixels and 32,768 pixels on a side. Lower the Width, use more columns so there are fewer rows, choose a wider Tile ratio such as 3:2, export fewer images, or switch to PDF. If the export stops with a message that the sheet is too large to render safely, the same fixes apply. That message also mentions columns: use more columns, not fewer, because fewer columns make the board taller.
• A header field does not fit. Shorten the text, make it smaller with Aa, or try another layout recipe.
• Faces or products are cut off. Image fit is set to Fill. Set a Focal point for those images, or switch to Fit.
• A logo used by a preset is no longer available. The logo was removed from Hangar. Import it again, or click Continue without the missing logo.
• The export failed because an image could not be read, or is over the 100 megapixel limit. Open the image in another app and save a smaller JPG or PNG copy, then add that instead.

For other errors, see A file failed: what to check.

Limits

• At least two images per sheet; each image can be up to 100 megapixels.
• PNG and JPEG boards can be up to 64 megapixels and 32,768 pixels on a side. Use PDF for larger batches.
• Each PDF page is saved as a picture, so its text cannot be selected or searched.
• Animated GIF and WebP images appear as a single still frame.
• The header can hold up to 6 rows of additional information.
• Settings reset when you leave the Studio. Save a preset to keep a design.
• Everything runs on your computer. Nothing is uploaded.