A guide to using Our Story and frequently asked questions

Creating a New Story and Changing an Existing Story

How do I create a completely new story?

If you want to make a completely new story then on the opening page tap on the Create button. On the next page, drag one of the pictures from your gallery onto the storyboard at the bottom of the screen. If it is difficult to drag a picture, then rest your finger on it until the picture expands slightly and then drag it to the storyboard.

When the picture is in the storyboard if you tap on a picture then you can add sound or text to the picture. In this way you can build up a story using the pictures on your device.

If you want to delete a picture from the storyboard then simply drag it off the storyboard.

In the storyboard there are icons beneath each picture to let you know whether the picture has text, sound or is a heading. It is usually possible to dictate the words you want to add to the picture by tapping on the microphone above the keypad.

How do I change an existing story?

On the opening page tap on the ‘Use Existing story’ button. Select the story you want to change and then tap on the edit icon (a crayon). You can then change a story in exactly the same way as described above.

Saving and Deleting a Story

How do I save my story?

On the Create page tap on the orange ‘save’ icon at the top at any time to save your story. There also are prompts to ask you to save your story at critical points. If you save a story then the previous version of this story will not be available. If you want to keep a story safe then it is a good idea to send and store the story on another device (see Sharing).

What happens when I rename my story?

When you rename a story then the story you are editing is given a new name and the previous version is not saved.

How do I save my story on other devices?

You can use the share option to send the complete story (with sounds) to another person or another device. The complete story can only be read on a device (apple or android) which has the Our Story app. It is also possible to send PDF files which have all the pictures and text, but no sounds, to be read on most digital devices and computers. If you want to send the complete story to another device, then tap Share and select ‘Play and Edit’ when you get to the Format page. Next send the story by Dropbox or email. Storing important l stories on another device is a useful way to make sure you have a back-up.

Can I save my story on a PC?

Yes, you can do this via email or Dropbox (see sharing above). Remember, you cannot play the audio associated with your story on a PC/Mac; this is only possible on a device that has Our Story installed on it. However, friends and family without an iPad or tablet are likely to enjoy seeing the pictures and text as a PDF file. You can also backup valued stories on a PC and then send back to your apple or android device if needed.

Can I disable the delete button?

Yes, on the opening page tap the cog icon in the top right, then scroll down the options and tick the appropriate box about disabling the delete button.

Using Our Story

How do I add sound?

Open a picture in the storyboard at the bottom by tapping on it. Then tap on the microphone icon. Tap the red button to start the recording and you will see the duration of the recording displayed. Tap the square red button to stop the recording. To hear your recoding tap the green arrow. If you do not like the recording tap the dustbin to delete it.

How do I add text?

Open a picture from the storyboard by tapping on it. Then tap on the bottom white rectangle to add the text. When finished tap ‘Done’ or close the keyboard. It may be possible to dictate the words you want to add by tapping on the microphone icon above the keypad.

What are headings?

Sometimes it is useful to be able to put a heading in a story, for example, ‘Day 1’ as a heading for photos about the first day of your holiday. Teachers can use headings as a way of suggesting what their students might write or do. Dragging a heading into the storyboard will allow you to use one of the colours as a heading page in your story. You can also use one of your photos by selecting ‘make this a heading’ when you open the photo in the storyboard. The text for a heading will appear in the middle of a page rather than at the bottom.

Sharing and Sending

How do I send a story to friends and family?

You can send your story with sound recordings via email or Dropbox. Depending on your Internet connection and the size of your story (which is determined by the number of pictures and the amount of sound), the transfer may take a while. The revolving circle lets you know the computer is sending (or saving) your story.

If the receiver of your story has the app installed on their device, they will be able to open the story immediately after they receive it.

Sending by email

If you have an email account then this is the least complicated option. Simply tap on the green sharing icon (box with arrow), then on the next page tap on the appropriate email connection. Next, fill in the mail address of the person you are sending your story to.

Opening a story sent by email

Usually you can simply tap on the attachment in the email and it will open in Our Story.

On iPads and iPhones, when the download has finished, you will see a row of icons, scroll to the left to reveal the Our Story icon, tap on this icon, then tap OK when story is imported.

On Android devices opening stories is more variable, tap on the story file in the email and this will start the process of opening the file.

There is the option of using the download button on the ‘existing story’ page (blue icon with down arrow) which will allow you to search for files that have been downloaded to your device.

Sometimes if you are using your institution's webmail system (e.g. Outlook) you may not be able to download story files from your webmail account to your device. This problem is often solved by installing and using an email app on your mobile device (e.g. Outlook for Android) and using it to access your institution's email system.

Sharing by Dropbox

If you or the receiver doesn’t have a Dropbox account, this will need to be set this up before sending your story via Dropbox. The story is sent to your Dropbox folder and then you can share via Dropbox or another means such as email.

Printing

How do I print my story?

If you wireless printing (e.g. Apple Airprint).

Tap on the blue print icon and then on the next page select the print option again. You will be given the choice of different booklet sizes, choose the page size that you would like. You will then need to give details about your printing choices.

If you cannot use wireless printing then print from another computer.

To print from computer or another device you will need first to create a PDF file of your story while using Our Story; tap the print icon and then tap ‘Send PDF’.

You will need to send a PDF version of the story to your computer by email or drop box (see Sharing above). Then print the PDF file in the usual way on your computer or other device.

How do I create a printed booklet with my story?

You can create different sized booklets (full page pictures, half page pictures or quarter page pictures which some children really like). For a full sized booklet, you can print it in one-sided or double-sided and bind on the left hand-side.

For smaller booklets, you need to print them on one side of the page and cut along the horizontal dotted line.

Then fold the paper so the pictures are on the outside.

Put all the folded paper together and staple or bind the booklet on the left hand side.

Will my printed story be exactly like my digital story?

You can print it in various formats and adjust the font and text orientation via settings (see below).

How do I change the font size and text alignment in the stories and PDF pictures?

Text size and alignment can be altered by tapping on the settings icon (top right on opening page of the app). This allows you to stop video recordings and the use of headings. You can also alter the text size and alignment when playing or story or printing a PDF file.

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A guide to using Our Story and frequently asked questions

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