This article...

• Discusses the benefits of adding images to your message.
• Details the types of image-based layouts available in Template Designer.
• Explains how to: add image layouts to templates, manage their location, and configure their properties.
• Describes the properties panels and settings for images, including content, style, alignment, and captions.
• Reviews Image Gallery features, such as resizing, aligning, rearranging, and removing images.

Adding images is one of the easiest ways to enhance the effectiveness and appearance of your messages. For example, you can insert:

• pictures to break up chunks of text;
• graphics (such as a pie chart) to represent numerical data; and
• icons and emojis to "lighten" the tone of the message and make it less formal.

And let's not forget the most important image of all: your organization's logo!

When you add images to a template, those images are then automatically included in any messages that are based on that template—which saves you having to add the images to each message that you create.

Images, logos, and icons

NOTE: There is no functional difference when it comes to images, logos, and icons; all of them are images and their "differences" have more to do with how they are used. However, we make these distinctions only to help you understand the purpose of each in the context of your messages and templates.

Further, there are no fixed rules for how these types of images are used or where they are placed in messages and templates.

Images

• Images tend to be temporary because they very often accompany content that changes from one message to another. An image that is suitable for one message (as part of the message body, for example) might not be suitable for or applicable to a different message, so it would have to be removed or replaced.
  • This article describes how to add and manage images in a Template Designer template.

Logos

• Place your logo in the header of your template. This ensures that it is automatically included in all of the messages that are based on that template.
• If your logo gets changed, you'll only have to replace it in your templates, after which, the new logo will automatically populate into your messages.
  • The Headers grouping in Template Designer has several Headers Layouts, most of which are designed specifically for Logos.

Icons

• Place your social-media site icons in the footer of your template. This ensures that they are automatically included in all of the messages that are based on that template.
• If something about your social-media account changes, you'll only have to replace it in your templates; the changes will automatically populate into your messages.
  • The Footers grouping in Template Designer has several Footers Layouts, most of which accommodate social-media site icons.
  • If you prefer to add social-media site icons elsewhere in your message (other than the footer) you can use the Icon Set layout in the Static Elements grouping that's described in Icon Set (Social Media Icons).

Image-based layouts

There are several image-based layouts in the Static Elements palette on the Design tab > Build sub-tab:

• Image with Text - this layout simplifies having descriptive or explanatory text next to an image. The text is managed in the text editor and the image in the Image Properties panel that is described below.
• Image - the preferred layout for standalone images. The image is managed in the Image Properties panel, described below.
• Image Gallery - this layout accommodates a group of images. Several pre-set configurations have recommended image widths and the images are managed in the Image Gallery Properties panel that is described below.

Asset Manager - your image file repo

Adding and editing images in any of these layouts calls the in-designer version of Asset Manager.

• Asset Manager in the Designers describes how to work with Asset Manager files in Template Designer and Message Designer.
• Asset Manager in Admin describes how to upload, store, and organize media files in Asset Manager.

Add an image-based layout

TIP: As you work with images in your template, your changes are immediately apparent on the design canvas. Also, you can undo and re-do actions via the icons above the canvas.

To add an image-based layout:

1. Navigate to the Design tab > Build sub-tab.
2. Expand the Static Elements group.
3. Click-&-hold and drag an image-based layout to the canvas and drop it in place.

TIP: The precise location isn't crucial right now because you can reposition the layout later.

The layout is selected on the canvas and the associated "properties" panel opens on the left. You can:

• start configuring the properties or
• click the Back button in the panel to add another layout. The layout that you added remains in place; you can configure it later.

NOTE: When you add an Image with Text layout, the Image with Text Properties panel displays. This panel is unique to this layout and has settings that other layouts don't have.

The sections that follow describe how to:

• add an image in the different layouts and
• manage image properties and display settings.

Image Properties panel settings

The Image Properties panel displays for two layouts: Image with Text and Image. The settings on the Content and Style tabs are described in the tables below.

NOTE: Note that the Image with Text Properties panel, described later in this article, is used to manage the properties (background color, padding, etc.) of the actual content block element, not the images it contains.

Content tab

Refer to this table when configuring these settings.

Setting	Description
Image	Click Select image to access the Asset Manager image-file selector. After you've selected an image, the section displays a preview. You can: Click the file name (e.g., top-banner.jpg) to open the image-file selector and choose a different image. Click the X to delete the current image; the file name is replaced by Select image which you can click in order to select a replacement image. Click the Edit Image button to open Image Editor and make changes.
Alt text	Specify the text that you want to display: in the Text version of messages that are built on this template and to message recipients if the image fails to load.
Add hyperlink	Click to open the hyperlink dialog with the type pre-set to Web Page; specify the following settings. (If you choose a different hyperlink type, different settings display.) url - Specify the URL to which the image will link. name - Specify a name for the hyperlink (used for web tracking). Disable tracking - Check the box to disable web tracking for this hyperlink; uncheck the box to enable web tracking. Click Insert Hyperlink. To learn about the hyperlink options, see Hyperlinks in Messages.
For mobile version	Choose whether to use this image, use a different image, or to hide this image for messages that are built on this template when they display on mobile devices.
Add image caption	Check the box to expand the field. Input your preferred caption and, optionally, use the Text style dropdown to change the appearance of the text. Refer to Captions, below, for information on caption behaviors and configuration options.

Style tab

This section describes the Style settings that are available for the Image layout and the Image with Text layout.

Image layout

This layout has only one Style setting: Alignment.

• Click the dropdown to set the horizontal position of the image: left, center, or right.

Image with Text layout

This layout has several Style settings, some of which influence others.

Setting	Description
Alignment	Click the dropdown to set the horizontal position of the image (and its caption) in relation to the text. Choose left, top [i.e., above], or right. Your choice influences the Padding options; refer to Padding in this table. If Alignment = top, an additional setting, Position, displays; this is described below.
Position	Click the dropdown to set the horizontal position of the image in relation to its caption. Choose left, center, or right.
Padding	Click the dropdown to set the amount of space (in pixels) between the image and the text. If Alignment = left, you can set right and bottom padding If Alignment = right, you can set left and bottom padding If Alignment = top, there's only bottom padding

Image Gallery Properties panel settings

The Image Gallery Properties panel displays when adding the Image Gallery layout. This panel has unique settings because you add and manage individual images but you also configure settings that apply to a single item: the gallery.

Manage the Gallery

Configure these settings to customize the appearance and layout of the images in the gallery.

Setting	Description
Size of images	Click the dropdown to set the configuration of the images in the gallery. The more images per row, the smaller those images will be, and vice versa. Experiment with the options before you add your images; the placeholder on the canvas provides "size-of-image" samples, such as the Large option shown below. Choose a configuration:
Image alignment	Choose either Justified or Left as the position of the images within the gallery. TIP: You have to add images in order to see the effect of this setting because the "size-of-image" samples do not reflect this setting. Both of the following examples have the Medium - 124px (Maximum 4 per row) setting. Justified Left

After you have set the configuration and alignment, click (+) Add image (under Image alignment) to populate your image gallery.

Add and manage images

You can manage (add, remove, and reposition) your images as described in this section.

Setting	Description
up arrow and down arrow	Click these to rearrange the left-to-right order of the images.
trashcan icon	Click this to remove the image. Click Remove at the confirmation prompt.
Image	Click Select image to access the Asset Manager image-file selector. After you've selected an image, the section displays a preview. You can: Click the file name to open the image-file selector and choose a different image. Click the X to delete the current image; the file name is replaced by Select image which you can click in order to select a replacement image.
Alt text	Specify the text that you want to display: in the Text version of messages that are built on this template and to message recipients if the image fails to load.
Add hyperlink	Click to open the hyperlink dialog with the type pre-set to Web Page; specify the following settings. (If you choose a different hyperlink type, different settings display.) url - Specify the URL to which the image will link. name - Specify a name for the hyperlink (used for web tracking). Disable tracking - Check the box to disable web tracking for this hyperlink; uncheck the box to enable web tracking. Click Insert Hyperlink. To learn about the hyperlink options, see Hyperlinks in Messages.

Example

The following image shows a completed image insertion. Note the:

• image preview,
• image file name,
• alternative text for the Text version of the message, and
• validated web address.

Image with Text Properties panel settings

When you choose the Image with Text Properties layout, there are several sets of properties to manage: the actual content block element, the image, and the text.

• Click the text portion to add and manage the text in the Text Properties panel as described in Text Layouts.
• Click the image to add and manage the image and its properties in the Image Properties panel, as described in Image Properties panel, above.

Use the Image with Text Properties panel to manage the properties (background color, padding, etc.) of the actual content block element.

Refer to this table when configuring these settings.

Setting	Description
Use default background	By default, this image-based layout will use the background color that is set in the Theme menu. Uncheck the box to select a color to use for this image-based layout (only) in this template (only).
Border	By default, this layout does not have a border. Check the Border box to automatically apply the following default border properties: solid, 1px, black (#000000), all sides. Or, you can set: Border Style - a solid, dashed, or dotted border. Border Size - the thickness (in pixels) of the border. Border Color - the color of the border. Apply Border To - which sides (top, bottom, left, right) you want the border applied to.
Banner	Check the box to extend the layout to the edges of the message body.
Padding	Accept the default of no padding or click the dropdown to set the amount of padding (in pixels) and then apply it to the top, bottom, left, and/or right.
Banded Background	Accept the Default option to keep the layout within the message body. Click Banded to have the layout extend to the edges of the page.
Vertical align	Click the dropdown to set the vertical position (top, middle, bottom) of this layout.

Captions

You can include a caption with the Image and Image with Text layouts, and you can add image captions on the Image Properties panel of templates and messages.

• In templates, navigate to Design tab > Build > Content (shown below).
• In messages, navigate to Design Message tab > Content.

To add a caption to an image:

1. Scroll down in the Image Properties panel and check the add image caption box.
2. In the caption text field, type the text that you want as the image caption.
3. Click the text style dropdown and choose a style for your caption text.

Captions notes & styles

• Captions are always centered.
• Captions always display directly below the image.
• Captions that are too long to fit within the layout will line-wrap.
• Captions that are applied to an image are also applied to the alternate mobile image, if one is used.

Your image caption can be one of the three Standard Text styles:

• Standard Text 1,
• Standard Text 2, or
• Standard Text 3.

These Standard Text styles cannot be modified in this Properties panel.

You can modify these styles (font, size, weight, and color) in the template that the message is based on.

1. Edit the template and, on the Design tab, click the Theme subtab.
2. From the Element dropdown, select text.
3. Customize one of the Standard Text styles for use with captions as described in the Text section of Manage a Template Theme.