StoryBook Creator 4.0 is an innovative design tool with unlimited creative potential. This easy-to-use software can be used to custom design a number of great Creative Memories products, including StoryBooks, page prints, photo panels, and calendars. You can upload projects directly to Creative Memories Digital Center, or export your pages to formats like PNG, PDF, or JPG, so you can upload them directly into Digital Center templates.

Purchase the full version of StoryBook Creator 4.0 if any of the following are true:

• You have the free version of StoryBook Creator 3.0 (not StoryBook Creator Plus 3.0)
• You have never upgraded from StoryBook Creator 2.0.
• You already own and intend to continue using StoryBook Creator Plus 3.0.

Purchase the upgrade version of StoryBook Creator 4.0 if you:

• Own an activation code to StoryBook Creator Plus 3.0 AND
• Do not intend to continue it once upgrading to 4.0.

NOTE: When activating the upgrade version, you must enter a valid StoryBook Creator Plus 3.0 activation code that has not been upgraded to 4.0. If SBC Plus 3.0 is installed on the computer being upgraded, it will auto populate during the upgrade process. If it is not installed to the computer being upgraded, check the back of your CD case for the code. If you purchased the download, log into your creativememories.com account, then go to My Account. Under Purchase History, click View My Digital Download Information. Find your order for StoryBook Creator Plus 3.0 and look under the Activation Code/License Key column. Note that you may need to scroll through several pages of digital download information to find your StoryBook Creator Plus 3.0 order.

At this time, we do not plan to continue updating StoryBook Creator Plus 3.0, though this may change if a critical issue is discovered in the future.

Although StoryBook Creator 3.0 is no longer available for purchase, Creative Memories will continue supporting it for the time being.

• Operating System: Windows XP Service Pack 3 (32-bit edition), Windows Vista (32-bit or 64-bit editions), or Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit editions) - Windows 7 is recommended.
• Processor: 1.5 GHz (2 GHz or higher recommended), 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
• System Memory (RAM): 1 GB (2 GB recommended)
• Monitor: 1024 x 768 resolution or greater with 32-bit color
• Disk space: 2 GB free space on system drive for software installation; as needed on system drive or other drive for storage of projects and content
• Other: Mouse or other pointing device; CD drive (if purchasing the CD version or the software); high-speed Internet connection is recommended

Actual requirements and product functionality may vary based on your system configuration.

Yes. In StoryBook Creator 4.0 Content Manager, you can add folders containing your digital artwork to your library. When you add the folder(s) where your 3.0 content is stored, this content will appear automatically in 4.0.

• Improved memory handling, making it faster to move between pages.
• Quickly change the color scheme of an entire page to coordinate with the colors of your selected element.
• A new Text Shape feature that allows you to use almost all fonts installed on your computer as an outline for a shape. (NOTE: If the font does not supply the required outline information, it will show up as a square when you try to use it for a text shape. Very few fonts do not supply this information.)
• Choose either basic or advanced mode.
• Open up to three projects at a time, then easily switch between them using tabs at the top of each open project.
• Several new filters, including Show Edges, Canny Edges, Palettize, Blur, and Despeckle.
• Apply multiple frames and mats by stacking them. Easily sample the frame style and apply it to other photos, or make that frame style the default for all photo boxes inserted moving forward.
• For StoryBooks with a personalized cover option, the cover page appears at the top of the pages panel.
• If photos are imported from Memory Manager, any journalizing in Memory Manager will be available in the properties of the photo in StoryBook Creator.
• In the Content panel of an open project, you can choose to display papers, embellishments, or shapes from ALL art kits/content packages, rather than being able to see content from one art kit at a time.
• Ability to add more than two colors to a color gradient.

You can purchase StoryBook Creator 4.0 in either CD or downloadable format at www.creativememories.com or your consultant’s website.

If you purchase a full license to StoryBook Creator 4.0, you can have both programs installed to your computer at the same time. However, if you have StoryBook Creator Plus 3.0 and purchase the upgrade license to the 4.0 version, you are not licensed to use them both at the same time.

You cannot upgrade from the 2.0 version directly to 4.0. You would need to purchase the full version of StoryBook Creator 4.0 instead of the upgrade version.

For people interested in using StoryBook Creator on their Macs, there are a variety of programs available that allow running a Windows program on a Mac.

• Parallels
• Boot Camp
• VMWare Fusion

Please note: The Creative Memories Consultant Services team does not have the staff or expertise to support these programs. We will continue to provide support for StoryBook Creator.

There is not a free version of StoryBook Creator 4.0. However, a version of the software can be downloaded and used free for 30 days. Click here for information on the free trial version.

The free version can be installed once per computer.

During trial mode, you MUST be connected to the Internet to use the software. You will see an error message if you open StoryBook Creator 4.0 when you are not connected to the Internet. In addition, the following features are not available in trial mode:

• The ability to save or export pages or elements to standard formats such as PDF, PNG, or JPG is disabled.
• Pages and projects cannot be printed locally (i.e. on your home printer).
• Pages cannot be shared to Facebook, Flickr, or Picasa.

The trial mode starts counting 30 days from the day the application is installed, not the first time it’s opened after being installed.

Yes, you can upload your projects to Creative Memories Digital Center for printing while you are using the 30-day free trial. Please note that once uploaded to Digital Center, “Trial” will appear in front of your project name if you have uploaded a file while in trial version.

Yes, you can purchase and install content to StoryBook Creator 4.0 while using the free trial mode.

StoryBook Creator 4.0 trial version can be installed (and uninstalled) as a new program without impacting your 3.0 version. Download and install the trial version as you would any other software program.

After 30 days, the software will no longer open without an activation code. Once the trial version is activated, you’ll have access to all projects created or content downloaded while using the trial version.

Yes, but you will need to save the file in 3.0 format (File › Save as › Save project as StoryBook Creator 3.0 project) prior to the expiration of the 30-day free trial.

The free trial version is limited to 30 days and cannot be extended once it expires.

If SBC 3.0 is installed and activated on the computer to which SBC 4.0 is installed, SBC 4.0 automatically finds the 3.0 artwork and displays the folders in Content Manager. The default location for artwork in 3.0 is C:\Users\Public\Documents\Creative Memories\Packages, which results in a folder called “Packages” automatically appearing in 4.0. If your 3.0 content is saved to a different location, then that would be the name of the folder that appears in Content Manager.

If the content does not automatically appear you can add the content folder to 4.0 by following these instructions:

1. Open Content Manager.
2. Click Add folder to library.
3. Browse to the location of your 3.0 content folder.
4. Select the folder and click OK.

If you purchased a DVD version of StoryBook Creator, the free artwork will automatically be installed when you install the software. You can find it in either the Creative Memories Art Kits folder or the Built-in Kits folder in Content Manager. If the artwork does not install automatically, open StoryBook Creator. With the DVD in the drive, click Import content, and then select Commercial Art Kit. Browse to your DVD drive. On newer DVDs, the art kits can be found in the folder Setup64\All Users\Documents\Creative Memories Art Kits. If you purchased StoryBook Creator 4.0 shortly after it launched, the kits may be located here: Setup64\Program Files 64\Creative Memories\StoryBook Creator 4.0\Kits. Select the kit(s) to be installed and click Open.
NOTE: You can install artwork from the Setup64 folder even if you’re using a 32-bit machine.

If you purchased a download version of StoryBook Creator, you will see an Artwork Download section at the bottom of the software download page under My Account on creativememories.com.

In Windows® Explorer, browse to the location on your computer where your content is saved. Then right-click on the package you would like to delete, and select delete.

After you add the 3.0 content folders from the Content Manager to 4.0, click on the Content tab, select File › Convert keywords. This will import your keywords into Storybook Creator 4.0.

If you purchased a CD version of StoryBook Creator, the free artwork will automatically be installed. You can find it under the Built-In Kits folder in Content Manager. If you purchased a download version of StoryBook Creator, you will see an Artwork Download section at the bottom of the software download page under My Account on creativememories.com.

The error was corrected in uploader version 2.0.4601. Check your uploader version by right-clicking on the Storybud icon in your Windows system tray. If you have a version previous to this (i.e., a number less than 4601), you should be prompted to update the uploader each time you open StoryBook Creator. You can also manually install the correct uploader version by downloading and installing the following:

For 32-bit versions of Windows, click here.
For 64-bit versions of Windows, click here.

Unfortunately StoryBook Creator does not currently support text in 16-byte character sets, such as Chinese.

If you have Microsoft Word, you can work around this issue by creating the text in Word (using the desired font and approximate size). Select the text, then do “Copy”. Now go to the Word “Paste” drop-down menu and select “Paste-Special”. Choose “Picture (Enhanced Metafile)” and click OK. Word will paste a picture of the text into the document. Now select that picture, copy and paste into StoryBook Creator.

This message appears if you are trying to install artwork using an earlier version of StoryBook Creator 4.0. Please make sure you have updated to the latest version of the software.

A software enhancement in November 2012 added this feature to StoryBook Creator version 4.0.4673.25434 or higher. Click here for instructions on using this feature.

Yes. The event lists you create are saved in C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Creative Memories\StoryBook Creator 4\Dates. They are files in XML format, with a file name that matches the name of the event list. If you provide this file to another user, and that user saves it to the same location on his/her computer, the event list will be available to that user the next time that user opens StoryBook Creator 4.0.

Basic mode displays the most features of the software, designed for the new StoryBook Creator user. The advanced mode will show more advanced features for the users that have mastered the basic mode and want additional editing options.

Connect to the Internet. On the Welcome tab, select Check for software updates in the lower left corner. You can also schedule the frequency the software checks for updates by going under Help › Options › Software Updates.

You’re not doing anything wrong. While most fonts work perfectly, some fonts, such as Aharoni, do not supply the required outline information in the font file to allow the font to be inserted as a shape.

By default, the current version of Memory Manager will share images to StoryBook Creator 3.0. There are 2 ways to get your photos from Memory Manager 3.0 into a project in StoryBook Creator 4.0:

1. To add the photos to a new 4.0 project:
1. Select the photos on Memory Manager 3.0, then select Copy from the drop-down arrow that appears to the right of the image when hovering over it.
2. Open StoryBook Creator and start your new project. On Step 4 of creating the project, click the Add Photos button and choose Paste.
2. To share them to an existing 4.0 project:
1. Open 4.0 and the project to which you would like to share the images.
2. In Memory Manager, select your photos and then choose “Add these images to a currently open StoryBook Creator project”.
3. Select the desired 4.0 project from the list of open projects.

Following these instructions to import your Freebies:

1. Click “Download Freebies by Clicking Here”.
2. Click Save on the File Download window.
3. Browse to a location to save the freebies. ClickSave.
4. Using Windows Explorer, browse to the location where the freebies were saved.
5. Right-click on the file and select Extract All.
6. Select a location to save the extracted files. By default, it will save them in the location where you saved the download. Click Extract.
7. Open StoryBook Creator 4.0.
8. Open Content Manager by clicking Manage Content from the welcome screen.
9. Click Import Content from the manage section on the toolbar.
10. Select Personal Art Kit to import freebies.
11. Select the personal art kit from the drop-down list.

Yes, when activating the StoryBook Creator 4.0, you’ll need to enter the new StoryBook Creator 4.0 upgrade product key, and then you’ll be prompted to enter your StoryBook Creator Plus 3.0 serial number.

If you are installing StoryBook Creator 4.0 to the same computer as your activated copy of 3.0, your 3.0 serial number will auto populate after you enter the 4.0 upgrade code. You can also find your 3.0 serial number on your 3.0 CD case, or from within StoryBook Creator 3.0. Just click on the Help question mark in the upper-right corner, then select About. You can copy the serial number from the window and paste it in the appropriate field in the 4.0 activation window.

If you do not have StoryBook Creator Plus 3.0, you must buy the full version of StoryBook Creator 4.0.

If you purchased the CD, the product key is listed on back of the CD case. If you purchased the download, log into your creativememories.com account, then go to My Account. Under Purchase History, click View My Digital Download Information. Find your order for StoryBook Creator 4.0 and look under the Activation Code/License Key column. Note that you may need to scroll through several pages of digital download information to find your StoryBook Creator 4.0 order.

StoryBook Creator 4.0 is licensed software. Each license can only be installed to one computer at a time. We do not currently offer a multi-user license.

Yes, you must be connected to the Internet to activate your software. The software must access our server during the activation process.

Your StoryBook Creator license allows you to have it installed to one computer at a time. Click here for instructions on moving your artwork files, project files, and personal settings from one computer to another.

Yes, follow these steps to open a StoryBook Creator 3.0 project in StoryBook Creator 4.0:

1. On the Welcome tab, select Open Project › Project.
2. Go to the StoryBook Creator 3.0 project path that was previously documented.
3. Select the manifest.projectx folder.
4. Select Open at the bottom.

Note: They will continue to be saved as 3.0 projects until you save them in 4.0 format (File › Save As › Save project as StoryBook Creator 4.0 project). There are some features and functions, such as adding a page to a project, that cannot be done to a project unless it is in 4.0 format. You will be prompted to save a project in 4.0 format when trying to use a feature that requires 4.0. When saved in 4.0 format, a copy of the project is created and the original 3.0 project remains intact.

1. Open the project in StoryBook Creator 3.0.
2. Select the Start Menu icon in the upper left-hand corner and choose Properties
3. The file path can be found under the Current project section of this window.

1. Open your StoryBook 3.0 project in 4.0.
2. Select File › Save As › Save Project As.
3. Provide a new file name for the project and determine the location it should be saved at.
4. Under Specify the format for the project, select StoryBook Creator 4.0 Project.

NOTE: You do not need to convert all 3.0 projects to 4.0 format. We recommend only converting projects you want to update in 4.0.

Adding your 3.0 content to StoryBook Creator 4.0 is very simple.

1. In StoryBook Creator 4.0, open Content Manager.
2. Click “Add Folder to Library”, then browse to the location where your content packages are saved.
3. If you have content packages stored in multiple locations, add as many folders as you want, pointing each folder to a different location where your 3.0 content is stored.

No, StoryBook Creator 4.0 will open your StoryBook Creator 3.0 projects, so you don’t need to convert all the projects when you install StoryBook Creator 4.0. We recommend that you convert the StoryBook Creator 3.0 projects as you work with these projects in StoryBook Creator 4.0.