SparkPages Support

Getting Started

• Create a project, give it a name, and add cover content. Chapters and standalone sections let you group pages however your story works.
• Add pages and set explicit page membership so you always know which photos belong where.
• Use the Recent, Folders, and All tabs beneath Projects to find work in progress. Pin, move to a folder, duplicate, archive, restore, export, or delete a project at any time.

Photos and Assets

• Grant photo library permission when SparkPages asks. You can change access later in system settings.
• Browse, filter, and search your library from Assets, then select results to add them to a project.
• Page-scoped photo trays hold images you plan to place. On macOS the tray behaves as a persistent side surface.
• Duplicating a project preserves its embedded assets.

Layouts

• Shared layouts cover one to four items and are previewed in a visual gallery. Apply and Cancel are always explicit.
• Layout thumbnails use the same geometry the page uses, so previews match the result.
• Layouts apply only to the items you select. Non-selected content and your existing crops are preserved.
• Layout subregions let a template hold grouped items; item assignment is separate from template geometry.
• If one recommendation cannot be produced, the remaining valid alternatives are still shown.

Crop

• Drag to reposition and pinch to zoom in the photo editor. One precise Zoom slider remains for fine adjustment.
• Overflow dims and a thirds grid appears while you adjust. Use Cancel, Done, Reset, or Recenter as needed.
• Crop preserves intrinsic photo proportions and the existing frame, aspect ratio, rotation, and page layout.
• Only the crop recipe is committed. Original assets are preserved and cancelled sessions are discarded.

Project Content and AI Prompts

• Project Content is a versioned JSON contract for project metadata, cover text, chapters, sections, stable IDs, and order.
• Use Paste JSON or Import JSON File to create or update a project. Validation and a Review Changes step run before anything is applied, and stale content versions raise a warning.
• Omitted objects, pages, assets, layouts, and tray state are preserved by an update.
• Import/Export Project Content is separate from full portable .sparkpages project import and export.
• Create and Refine AI prompts are generated locally, including schema rules and existing IDs where appropriate. No AI service calls, provider accounts, or API keys are required.

Export and Rendering

• PDF output follows the order shown in Pages.
• Export a whole project as a portable .sparkpages file to move it between devices or keep a backup.
• Thumbnail and PDF caching reduce preview memory use; large projects may take a moment on first render.

Devices and Sync

SparkPages runs on iPhone and iPad with iOS 18 or later and on Mac with macOS 15 or later. Minimal same-user private iCloud synchronization is available when the iCloud capability is configured on your account. Local operations do not wait for synchronization to complete.

Troubleshooting

• Photos not appearing: check photo library permission, then confirm your filter and search terms.
• A layout looks wrong: confirm which items were selected before applying, and try Reset in the crop editor for individual photos.
• Import rejected: the file must match the Project Content schema. Review the validation messages before retrying.
• PDF order unexpected: reorder in Pages, since the export follows that order.
• Project missing on another device: confirm iCloud is signed in on both devices, or move the project with a .sparkpages export.