# The Main section

This is the central section of JAlbum. Here you can select image directory, output directory, common album settings and control album generation. The first thing you usually do with JAlbum is to drag and drop an image directory onto the "Image directory" field here. Making an album is then as simple as pressing the "Make album" button below. However for more detailed control, there are some other settings as described below.

- Image directory -Drag and drop an image folder here
- Output directory -Specify another location for the output
- Output to image directory -Put the resulting album in the image directory
- Copy originals -Copy original images to output directory
- Process subdirectories -Make a web of a hierachy of image folders
- Make slides -Make a slide show with next/previous buttons and display of image details
- Link to originals -Link directly to original images from index page or slide show. Usually produces large albums
- Link to originals via scaled images -Produce smaller images that are displayed first. Practical for the web
- Link to scaled-down images only -Produce smaller images. Don't link to original images. Makes the smallest albums
- Thumbnail bounds -Specifies bounding box (not absolute size). Images will maintain aspect ratio, so if you specify 120x120 here and you feed JAlbum an image which is 640x480, it will be scaled to 120x90. A portrait image of 480x640 will be scaled to 90x120. To get same height images nomatter if they are landscape or portrait oriented, specify 1000x120 for instance.
- Image bounds -Image bounding box (not absolute size). Images will maintain aspect ratio
- Columns -Number of image columns in the index page(s)
- Rows -Number of rows in the index page(s). Will produce several index pages if no-fit
- Image ordering -Specify either chronoligical, numeric-alphabetical ordering or simple alphabetical ordering. Directories are put first and always in alphabetical order
- Directories first -Put subdirectories before images
- Reverse -Reverse image ordering
- Skin -Select overall apperance of your album
- Style -Select color theme and look of your album
- Sample button -Open a window showing an example of the current skin
- Edit button -Open directory of current skin for editing (Windows only)
- Rebuild album -Create a web album by rescaling all images (slower)
- Make album -Create a web album but don't rescale existing or unchanged images (a lot faster). Select this when image size need not be changed
- View album -Preview resulting web album in your browser