← Working together

Draw on the same page

Check out what you change, check it in, Update, and wrap up when the manuscript is done.

Two people can work on one page at the same time, as long as each holds a different layer. Here Alice draws the characters of a panel while Bob draws its background.

1. Check out a layer

Open the page. In the layer list, right-click the layer you will draw on and choose Check Out Layer. The same commands are in the Shared menu at the top right.

Bob right-clicks the Background layer of one panel. The menu's first item is Check Out Layer Background

Your face appears on the layer. A face on a layer means that person holds it, and only they can change it.

The same panel's two layers: Characters shows Alice's face, Background shows Bob's

2. Draw on it

Click the layer you checked out, so the top of the layer list reads Drawing and that layer's name. Then draw as usual.

The top of Bob's layer list reads Drawing, Background, and the Background row with his face is selected

3. Check it in

When you are done, right-click the layer and choose Check In Layer….

The question Check in Layer Background? Everyone gets your drawing on it when they Update. Buttons Check In, Check In, Keep Holding, and Cancel

To give a layer back and throw away what you drew on it, choose Release Layer… instead. MangaLoft asks first, and offers Check In Instead….

The question Discard your changes to Layer Characters and release it? Changes you haven't checked in will be discarded. Buttons Discard and Release, Check In Instead…, and Cancel

4. Update to see the others' work

When someone checks in, your Shared menu shows it: Shared · 1 update. Choose Update.

Alice's Shared menu, titled Shared · 1 update: You hold Layer Characters. 1 page has a newer version. Below, Update (1 page), then Check In and Release for her layer

Bob's drawing appears on Alice's page. Nothing changes on your page until you Update.

Alice's page after Update: the rectangle Bob drew on the Background layer is now in the top-right panel

Refresh, in the Collaboration window, reloads the lists of people and documents. Update brings in drawing.

Or: check out a whole page

For a page that only you will work on, choose Shared ▸ Check Out Page. The top of the layer list says You hold the whole page, and you can change any layer on it.

Page 1 on Bob's Mac, a full page of panels: above the layer list, his face and You hold the whole page

Check it in with Shared ▸ Check In Page…. A page is either held whole or by layers: while you hold layers of a page, check them in before you check out the page.

The question Check in Page 1? Everyone gets your drawing on it when they Update, and you no longer hold it. Buttons Cancel and Check In

Kept safe

If the owner or an admin releases something you hold, or the manuscript stops being shared before you check in, MangaLoft keeps your drawing safe. It is listed in Shared Documents, under Kept-Safe Work: choose Save as Document… to keep it.

When the manuscript is done: Wrap Up

The owner chooses Shared ▸ Members…, then Wrap Up…. Ask everyone to check in first.

The Members sheet: Finished with this document? Wrap Up closes the shared document and brings the work into your original. It's about 58.4 MB in your iCloud. A Wrap Up… button

The shared window closes and your own file opens, with everyone's checked-in work in it.

Alice's own magician-and-knight document, no longer marked Shared, with Bob's drawing on pages 2 and 3

The shared copy stays in your iCloud until you delete it. In Shared Documents, under Finished, open the manuscript's Members… and choose Delete Shared Copy…. Your file keeps the version you wrapped up.

The question Delete the shared copy of magician-and-knight? This deletes the shared copy and its history from iCloud. Your file keeps the version you wrapped up. Buttons Delete Shared Copy and Cancel

Your collaborators are told the manuscript is no longer shared, and its window closes for them.

On Bob's Mac: magician-and-knight is no longer shared. Its window was closed. Drawing you hadn't checked in is kept safe in Shared Documents. An OK button

Stop working with someone

To end a connection on Mac, open Collaborate ▸ Collaborators… and press the trash button on that person's row. To invite them again later, connect again.

On iPad, tap the people button at the top of the document browser, then open the Collaborators tab and press the trash button on that person’s row.