Start here
You don't need to learn every tool at once.
Pick one thing you want to make, and start with that tool.
What do you want to make?
- Bring in your photos and sort themLibrary
- Give a photo the look you loveEdit
- An Instagram post with several photos, a carousel, a story or a pinSocial
- A post that moves, saved as a GIF or MP4Social
- One photo with a border, or a printFrame
- The whole shoot on one sheetProof
- A little book to print and foldZine
- A postcard, front and backPostcard
- A board for an idea still taking shapeConcept
- Notes, lists and the line you want to keepWriter
Good to know
Does White Space Studio replace Lightroom?
No. If Lightroom holds your catalogue, keep using it. I do. Export the photos you want to use as JPEGs and bring them into LIBRARY.
If you'd rather edit inside the Studio, export them unedited and use EDIT. It works well for phone photos too.
Where does my Library live?
Mac app: in the White Space Studio folder in your Documents.
Web: in your browser, on that computer.
Do my photos have to be in one place?
No. Bring them in from any folder. LIBRARY keeps its own copy, and your originals stay where they are.
Sort them into Collections inside LIBRARY. Don't move things around in the White Space Studio folder in Finder.
Social or Frame for Instagram?
SOCIAL for posts with several photos, words, carousels and movement.
FRAME for one photo with a border, or the look of a print.
Which hashtag do I use?
#thesocialexperiment, so we can find each other.
More questions
Getting set up
Do I use my Podia login?
No. Your Podia login is for the private White Space Studio classroom. Your White Space Studio login is on kimklassen.com. Create an account when you join, or sign in if you already have one.
I joined but I haven’t received my Mac app key.
I send each key myself, so it can take a few hours. It comes from hello@kimklassen.com with “WSS - your Mac app key” in the subject. Check your spam folder too.
Does it work on Windows?
The web version does, in your browser. The Mac app is Mac only.
Web or Mac app?
Both come with membership. The web version runs in any browser. The Mac app keeps your work in a folder on your Mac.
Tutorial: Getting started with WSS Web · Getting started with the Mac app
Where do I download the Mac app?
kimklassen.com/wss-mac. One download for every Mac.
How do I update the Mac app?
White Space Studio menu, then Check for Updates. Restart when it asks. You only need a new download when I email you one.
Where is the classroom?
discover.kimklassen.com/wss-edit. Workshop replays, the monthly theme and sharing live there.
Your photos and your work
I moved things and now Library is empty.
Quit the app. Put the whole White Space Studio folder back in Documents, with everything still inside it. Open the app again.
Tutorial: Library, Collections and All
Can my Studio folder live in Dropbox, or on an external drive?
Yes. Keep the app in Applications. Your Studio folder can live in Dropbox, your Pictures folder or on an external drive.
A Dropbox folder set to available offline still takes up space on your Mac. If space is the worry, an external drive is the better fit.
Move it from inside the app with Move Studio Folder, so everything stays connected.
The web version says storage needs attention.
Your browser is nearly full. Export what you want to keep, then delete older projects or photos from LIBRARY. Safari has the smallest limit.
Do I need to back up?
Mac app: your Studio folder is ordinary files. Back it up like anything else. LIBRARY can also make a backup file.
Web: export anything you’d miss.
Fonts
Can I use my own fonts?
Mac app: any font on your Mac shows up in the design tools.
Web: add the font files you own under Your fonts.
My font is on my Mac but the Studio can’t see it.
Adobe fonts need one more step. In Creative Cloud, open the font and tap Install Family. Then quit and reopen White Space Studio.
Export and print
What size are exports?
Print exports are 300 dpi, with the size written into the file. POSTCARD exports a front, a back and a two-page PDF. ZINE exports print, two-up and web versions. PROOF and FRAME export one sheet, all sheets or a PDF.
My Instagram export looks small.
Check the pixels, not the file size. A 600 KB file can be 2000 px wide. If it looks soft after posting, that’s Instagram’s compression.
How do I print a zine?
Print the first sheet, turn it over and print the back. Stack and fold. Choose Actual Size or 100 percent, never Fit to Page.
Tutorial: ZINE, getting started · Pocket zine
FRAME says 0 JPEGs, no eligible prints.
Two separate pages at 2400 px is over the size limit. Change Size to 3000 px long edge.
The tools
SOCIAL: how do I see the movements?
Open Export and tap MP4. Every movement plays as a clip. Pick one, and SOCIAL tells you what your page needs for it.
FRAME: I can’t find a layout, or the calendar.
Close Export. They’re in the Refine panel.
FRAME: can I add more text blocks?
FRAME has a heading, a subheading, a caption and a date. Tap the lock in the toolbar, or Cmd G, to move the heading and subheading separately. For lots of text blocks, use SOCIAL.
Tutorial: FRAME text tool update
ZINE: can I add words to the centre spread?
Add them in FRAME, save to LIBRARY, then open it in ZINE as the centre spread. Letter and A4 only.
Tutorial: FRAME seamless to ZINE centre spread
ZINE: my edited photos don’t show in the tray.
Run Check for Updates, or refresh the web version.
WRITER: copy plain text or copy markdown?
Plain text pastes cleanly anywhere. Markdown keeps headings and lists as symbols, for apps like Obsidian.
WRITER: my list item disappears when I press Enter.
Type in the box above the list, where it says “add an item, hit enter”.
Tutorial: WRITER user guide
How do I send a design to another tool?
Send To. FRAME goes to ZINE, POSTCARD or CONCEPT.
Tutorial: Send To
The Tutorials button in the app doesn’t do anything.
It opens your web browser, which is probably hiding behind the app.
Membership
Does my membership renew?
Yes, once a year. You can cancel anytime from your account, and it simply won’t renew. Your web access and your Mac app stay with you through the end of your year.
Can I sell what I make?
Yes. Prints, postcards, client gifts, products.
Help
Something isn’t working.
In SOCIAL, tap Report a problem. It fills in the details for me. In the other tools, use Help, then Email Kim in the Mac app, and add a screenshot.