Creating Layouts
Layouts control how photos appear during capture and in the final output. You can create and edit layouts from both the app and the web dashboard.
This article walks through creating a new layout, but you can always select an existing layout to edit a saved design.
How to Create a Layout
Open the Preset
Access your preset settings and open the preset you want to customize.
Add a Layout
Under General settings, find the Layout section.
Tap or click the Add Layout or plus button to add a new layout.
On the Core plan & up, multiple layouts can be added, allowing guests to choose their preferred layout before starting their session.
Adjust Basic Layout Settings
You can modify all basic settings even after the layout is saved.
Frame margins: Controls the spacing between photo frames.
Frame aspect ratio: Sets the crop for photos in the layout, such as square, portrait, or landscape.
Layout padding: Adds extra blank space around the layout edges. You can adjust top, bottom, left, and right padding individually, or lock padding to adjust all sides evenly.
Upload graphics: Add a logo or overlay
Background colors: adjust the background colors

Layout-Wide Design Settings
Once inside the Layout Designer, settings are split between the overall layout and individual layers.
When no layers are selected on the canvas, the Inspector displays settings that apply to the entire layout.
Define the overall canvas size for the layout.
Choose from common preset sizes or enter a custom size to set the working area for all frames and design layers.
Set the background color behind your layout margins using a color picker or hex code.
Both solid colors and gradients are supported.
Enable motion-based outputs such as GIFs, Rebound, or Video.
Motion options are only available when the layout contains a single photo frame.
After enabling GIFs or Video, additional options appear:
GIFs: Adjust the number of frames and playback speed
Videos: Set the maximum video duration
Rebound & Live GIFs cannot be configured
When a layer is selected, the Inspector switches to settings for that specific layer. Each layer type is covered on its own page below.
Migrating Layouts (HALO 4.0 → 5.0)
If you are transitioning from HALO version 4.0 to HALO 5.0, you will be prompted to migrate existing layouts.
Any custom graphics saved to the previous layout will be carried into the new version.
When prompted:
Choose a frame size (square, portrait, or landscape)
The selected size applies to all frames in the layout
Tap the checkmark to continue to the Layout Designer
Presets cannot be launched in HALO 5.0 until the layout is migrated.
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