THE MAKING GUIDE
Give your collection a point of view.
One clear rule makes choosing easier. A small local library gives each new story its own place.
1. Decide what this work is about
Complete “These are games that…” before filling the canvas. “Changed how I explore” is a clear rule; “popular, recent, comforting, and essential” combines several different jobs. A backlog can include unplayed games when the notes describe curiosity rather than invented experience.
Choose a starting point in the template library, or study the fictional examples. Applying a template requires confirmation and creates a separate work with blank game names and useful prompts. It preserves your existing works.
2. Choose the shape and name the work
Nine slots suit one focused idea; sixteen allow four rows of four chapters. Compare the two layouts before choosing. Use a title such as “A year of returning to old favorites” so you can recognize the board later in library search.
The visible layout can switch between 3×3 and 4×4. Switching to nine hides slots ten through sixteen without deleting their data. Switching back reveals them. PNG, captions and printing follow the visible layout; JSON backups retain all sixteen slots.
3. Import a shortlist carefully
Write one game title per line in the batch-name field and inspect the preview before applying. Only slots with empty title fields are filled; existing names stay. Check the offered count and destinations, and trim the source list if you have more names than available slots. Use Undo when the result is not what you intended.
A good shortlist has reasons as well as names. When two choices tell the same story, keep both only if that repetition is part of the point. The editor accepts your own names and does not verify them against a catalogue.
4. Write one specific note and decide what position means
“Great atmosphere” becomes more personal as “I remember the walk from the quay to the bakery.” This is an original fictional writing example. A note can name a routine, a shared moment, or a change in your taste. Mark revealing notes as spoilers; they are hidden in sharing outputs by default.
Use the ranked option for a sequence read left to right, top to bottom. Choose unranked when position groups memories or balances the composition. Moving an entry carries its title, note, image and crop together. Ranking does not automatically sort your choices.
5. Inspect the artwork and the whole composition
Keep the original abstract illustrations or add permitted local JPG, PNG or WebP files up to 5 MiB and 24 megapixels. The processed copy has a longest edge of at most 512 pixels. The image guide covers cropping, white backgrounds and soft detail.
Read every visible row in Preview. Check the longest edition name, repeated notes and crop edges. Empty slots remain visible, and an empty or unfinished board can be exported. The progress count helps you find work to do; read the save status separately.
6. Keep the editable work and review the finished file
| Output | Use | Check |
|---|---|---|
| PNG | A finished image: 1440 × 1600 for nine slots; 1920 × 2080 for sixteen. | Open the downloaded file and inspect all rows, text, pictures and spoiler visibility. |
| Print / PDF | An A4 composition through your browser. | Inspect page count and the actual PDF or paper, separately from the PNG. |
| Caption | Text you can review and paste yourself. | Check personal details and the spoiler setting before copying. |
| Single-work JSON | Keep one editable work. | Includes all sixteen slots and spoiler notes, even when hidden from the visible layout. |
| Library JSON | Keep active and archived works together. | Restoring this file replaces the current library after confirmation. |
JSON files are not encrypted. A picture cannot restore editable fields. Use the sharing checklist before sending a file; the editor does not post or publish it.
7. Leave the next session a clear starting point
Keep up to eight works within the whole-library 3 MiB serialized budget; browser quotas may be lower. Duplicate a work for another edition, and archive finished work when useful. Archive still occupies capacity. A JSON backup outside this browser is the copy that can travel to another device.
Undo and Redo retain up to fifteen edits in the current work session. Changing works or leaving the page clears that working history. Check the saving status before navigating. Language links change the interface after saving; they do not translate your titles or notes. A failed save blocks navigation to protect the unsaved version.
Open my studio ↗ · Follow the deeper editing workshop · Organize and back up the library