Making a template for PDF in LR

[kevs]

I have a nice pdf structure I'd like to keep for future pdfs. Is there a way to just insert 10 new images, and tell LR that these 10 are new images but keep structure of old pdf? Nothing is very intuitive in LR!

[James R]

To my understanding you can create PDF templates within LR, but, you cannot import templates from other programs.  How complex is your current PDF template?

[john beardsworth]

There are a few places where you can generates PDFs - Print, Slideshow, Book.... It might be helpful to say which.

[kevs]

Thanks Guys, I'm in Book.
It's pretty simple, just 8 images and an end page with text.
Would be cool if I could just tell LR to put these new 8 images in.

I think I just started with one of their pre-made things.

[john beardsworth]

If you right click the book collection, you can duplicate it. Then back in Library, remove the current photos from the collection and you have your blank template. Duplicate it each time.

But you might also look at the Auto Layout where you can set up rules for how a new book should be laid out.

[kevs]

Thanks Johh, well this is super complicated, so let's start from scratch. Especially since my previous pdfs are now accidentally deleted.

I imported 8 images into Library. Then I made a collection of them and then I clicked Book.

That brought up Standard Landscape, (which is I guess what I used on my previous pdfs which looked nice),  and preset says One photo per page.

Now, I don't see the images in Collections/ Book. Where are they? just pages of greys squares. I think I remember before when I clicked book the collection of images populated those squares no?

[Lustrous]

Late comments to this thread-

To clarify- A 'Book' Collection is made by clicking on the Tab [Create Saved Book] that appears above the book page previews window. (It is different and separate to a 'Standard' Collection !  The Tab will disappear once you have clicked it once to create a Saved 'Book' Collection.)

Images don't populate the grey pages until you click on [Auto Layout],  OR you have "Auto Layout" set as default in the Book Preferences. (Book Preferences appears on the main menu only when the book module is open.)

-Once a 'Book' Collection is saved, the 'Standard' Collection used to start the book can now be deleted.
-You can delete or add images from/to the 'Book' Collection as John Beardy states above.
-You can "Duplicate" a 'Book' Collection and use other images for a new book.
-You should always re-open a book design by clicking the white arrow that appears at the end of the book name in the collections panel.

[kevs]

Thanks Lustrious, sorry for delay was out of town. I was going to try your great steps, but cannot even get to #1.

Bear with me first, I'm a bit confused on the fundamentals of collections and LR in doing this.

I changed location of my sample collection / book and LR is not smart enough to update or ask about to update the folder,  so the whole sample I had has exclamation points and had to be nuked.

I imported 8 new images, and saved a collection and also save a book.

That said I find LR to have almost zero intuitiveness and I'm pulling my hair out.

The "collection", which has the lame double horizontal symbol has 8 images in it, and after I clicked save book, these images took on book form, before, just normal images I could drag around.  And these image bleed together, and I'm totally lost.

Below that, indented triangle is what I thought would be the save book, it has the book symbol with 9 black grey images. Thats while I'm in Book tab. It almost seems like LR is inviting me to drag images onto those blank grey rectangles, but I don't know how - if you click out, you are out. I don't see a way to intuitively drag a image into those blank rectangles. Again, there is nothing intuitive about LR, so I'm just shooting in the dark, very frustrated. I would use another software but I know 100% LR is by far the best, even though it's almost incomprehensible.