In short, AutoFocus 2.0 is a clean and simple WordPress theme developed for photographers looking to showcase their work. AutoFocus 2.0 provides stronger markup, better browser support, and Theme options that enable you to customize various elements of the theme without ever touching code. It’s also designed on an 800px, 8 column grid which truly allows your images to shine. This new version also boasts a sharper typographic approach with a 22px baseline grid, and a Hoefler Text/Helvetica (Times/Arial for you PC users) font stack that’s much easier to read.
Why ditch Thematic? Using child themes allows you develop/customize themes really quickly however, the child theme structure created an extra dependency that caused lots of compatibility issues with the theme, Thematic and WordPress itself. In efforts to limit dependencies, simplify customizations and make the installation process easier, I’ve recoded the entire theme as an HTML5 standalone theme. Check out the demo, and if you like what you see download it now. There’s also a pro version available for purchase, that comes with even more options and features — and it’s only $2500! Check out the demo.
Features | Lite | Pro |
---|---|---|
Dynamic Flickr Integration that pulls image sets directly from your Flickr account with only a few clicks. | — | ✔ |
Support for WordPress 3.0.+ Custom Menus | ✔ | ✔ |
Lightbox effect for [gallery] shortcodes using Fancybox. | — | ✔ |
Custom admin styles for an improved WYSIWYG experience. (screenshot) | ✔ | ✔ |
Front page image crop editing. | — | ✔ |
Valid HTML5 Markup with Microformats. | ✔ | ✔ |
Browser proof CSS for Firefox, Safari, & Internet Explorer. | ✔ | ✔ |
An optional portfolio style layout with squared images (screenshot) | — | ✔ |
A strict grid based design mixed with clean typography and a baseline grid. (screenshot) | ✔ | ✔ |
A Theme Options page for easy customization of colors, post formatting, etc. (screenshot) | ✔ | ✔ |
An optional Featured Posts section for featuring posts and displaying them front and center. (screenshot) | — | ✔ |
Widgetized sidebar areas. (screenshot) | ✔ | ✔ |
Support for Video and Gallery embedding via oEmbed. (screenshot) | ✔ | ✔ |
Optional EXIF data display. | ✔ | ✔ |
Periodic error & bug fix updates. | ✔ | ✔ |
A custom Blog style Page Template. (screenshot) | — | ✔ |
Custom Shortcode styling for displaying other types of content. (screenshot) | — | ✔ |
2 additional & optional ad-spaces for banners & widgets. (screenshot) | — | ✔ |
Add a custom logo option. (screenshot) | — | ✔ |
A per-post sliding Gallery of attachments option. (screenshot) | — | ✔ |
Version: 2.0.5
Updated for WP 3.3+!
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Unfortunately, Feather Weight(fthrwght) & Allan Cole cannot offer refunds on any purchases due to the nature of the product being sold. Please review the demo and the information below carefully before you purchase this theme.
Please be aware that e-Check purchases can take up to 7-10 additional days to process.
AutoFocus 2.0 is Copyright © 2011 by Allan Cole. It is released under the GNU General Public License, version 2.0 just like WordPress.
For users upgrading from any older version of AutoFocus or AutoFocus+, in order to give AutoFocus 2.0 more flexibility I needed to rework the overall functionality. The changes I’ve made make things easier across the board. At the same time, I can’t guarantee that everything will work exactly like how it did in the old versions — though I did leave in some scripts to help make the transition easier. Most modifications or customizations, done to the old version will mostly likely not work with this new version. Now that the coding is redone in a more streamlined way, I’m hoping that customizing will be much easier.
AutoFocus 2.0 uses a 3 step process to determine which image it will use as the “Anchor Image.” The Anchor Image is what you see on the front page for each post and the main image on single posts.
Obviously, selecting Featured Images in Step 1 gives you the most control. Steps 2 and 3 are more for people coming from older versions of AutoFocus. It’s important to think of the Anchor Image as a separate piece of supportive content for you posts.
After you upload your images to WordPress, do not click Insert Into Post from the Add Image panel. If you click Insert Into Post you’ll get duplicate images. Only use that button if you want your images to show up within the post area, under the title. AutoFocus places uploaded images above the title automatically (hence the name of the theme :-) ).
To use the new Flickr image feature, you need to first have a working Flickr account. After you’ve created an account and added a few image sets, you can start setting up the Flickr API to work with AutoFocus 2.0 using the instructions below.
Note: When specifying your username, it must be the username found in your Flickr URL (eg. http://flickr.com/photos/username). This is not necessarily your Flickr username you use to login.
After you do that, on any Post Edit screen you should see a drop down where you can select your Photo Sets directly from Flickr.
Please make sure to always upload images that are least 800px wide to ensure proper formatting. AutoFocus 2.0 & WordPress will then, automatically create three custom images sizes that lock into the AutoFocus 2.0 grid. These sizes are automatically set when you activate AutoFocus 2.0 for the first time. For your reference, here are the sizes:
Please note that these settings only effect the images that you upload after you activate AutoFocus 2.0. I strongly suggest installing the Regenerate Thumbnails plugin by Viper007Bond, which regenerates all the image sizes in your blog so that they fit the dimensions of the AutoFocus 2.0 grid and display areas. Here’s some more information about image sizes in WordPress.
IMPORTANT: Users upgrading from any previous version of AF2.0 will need to manually adjust their media settings.
With AutoFocus version 2.0 you can now adjust the thumbnail images directly on the Front Page.
By default the Photo Credit is set to show the post author’s Display name. Using the Photo Credit Option on the post edit screen, you can override the post author to display any credit you’d like.
Both AF2.0 & AF2.0 PRO use oEmbed to display any supported embedable content using only the link to the content. Use the Embed URL Option on the post edit screen to add YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr galleries and other Media types to your posts. Simply insert any oEmbed supported URL scheme and it will override the Anchor Image on single pages. More information.
AutoFocus 2.0 utilizes the new Sticky Post feature to determine which posts show up in the featured area. Check out Nathan Rice’s site to find out how to make a sticky post — it’s really simple. Please note that if there are no Sticky Posts in your site, the featured area will not appear. If there is more than one Post marked as “Sticky,” AutoFocus will choose one Sticky Post to show in the featured area at random.
AutoFocus 2.0 comes with an additional Featured Slider option that allows you to display a sliding list of Sticky Posts on the front page. To use this feature, simply navigate to the AF2.0 PRO Options page and turn the option on while you have 2 or more Posts marked as “Sticky.”
Use the Key combination: ALT + G to toggle the AF2.0 layout grid from anywhere on the site.
To use the blog layout, simply create a New Page and select the Blog Template under the Attributes panel on the Edit Post screen (example). You will also need to select which Category, you would like to use for the Blog posts. That selected category will be excluded from the loop on the Home Page, so you can manage the blog posts separately.
To use the sliding image attachment gallery feature, simply attach 2 or more images to a post and turn on the “Show Image Gallery” option under the AutoFocus 2.0 Post Options. By default, the slider only shows 10 images at a time. To display more, change the Slider Image Count option to a higher number.
The “Show Image Gallery” check box also works when using a Flickr Set.
This features only display on posts which are not in the category defined for the Blog. It also does not show on Pages.
I’ve built in some additional styling which allows you to showcase other types of content and mix up the layout on a post-by-post basis. Check out this post to see some examples and live instructions.
More details about using AutoFocus 2.0 shortcodes can be found under the Help Panel of any Post or Page Edit screen. You may want to check out the WordPress codex on the subject as well.
There are five sidebars included with AutoFocus 2.0. These sidebars can be edited under Appearance > Widgets in the admin. There are 4 sidebars located at the bottom of every page. The fifth sidebar will only show up on single Posts and Pages, under the Post Meta (example). Here’s a list of the available sidebars.
There are a number of Theme Options that allow you to add a personal touch to AutoFocus 2.0. These options can be found at Appearance > AutoFocus 2.0 Options in the back-end.
I’ve removed the + naming conventions from AutoFocus now that it is a standalone theme. The + was tied to the Thematic based versions of which I’ll be dropping support for. This change has taken effect in both the theme Titles and in the folder and zip file names.
I’ve recently switched to a new online product management system called Fetch. E-junkie and Quixly will no longer be used. To make the switch, I've needed to create new download link(s) for all past users so their records are in this new system. At the moment, the emailing system is having some bugs fixed so I am unable to send out an alert of this switch to past customers. The system should be back working, and when it is, add notifications@fetchapp.com & allan@fthrwght.com to your email contacts to ensure that you receive all future updates in your inbox. To my knowledge, only themes that are available on WordPress.org.com/themes will show an update notification. Update notices will be distributed through email.
Simply re-download the theme using the same link that was originally sent to you. You only need to pay for the theme one time. All updates are free. When updates are released, an email alert will be sent to you with an updated download link. Please add notifications@fetchapp.com & allan@fthrwght.com to your email contacts to ensure that you receive all future updates in your inbox.
Please allow up to 24hrs to receive your theme download link. In most cases, the download link is delivered immediately meaning you’ll probably just need to check your spam folder for the download link email. In some cases, you’ll need to make sure the email address associated with your PayPal account is up to date and active. As a precaution, please add notifications@fetchapp.com & allan@fthrwght.com to your email contacts to ensure that you receive all future updates in your inbox.
The first thing you’ll need to do is save a copy of the current theme folder running on your server to your local desktop as a backup. Next, for users upgrading from any older version of AutoFocus 2.0 (Not the original version), simply use FTP to replace the theme files on your server. I do NOT recommend using the built in WP theme uploader.
Due to the nature of the product, I am unable to process refunds. AutoFocus is a digital product which means there is no way for you to return it to me, unused. There is also no way for you to guarantee that you won’t use the product after receiving a refund, which isn’t fair. Please be sure you understand what you are buying before purchasing this theme.
In almost all cases this just means you probably skipped over the installation instructions. AutoFocus+ Pro is a child theme and it requires Thematic and the latest version of WordPress to work correctly. Here are the instructions again:
If you’re getting a blank screen, after activating AutoFocus+ Pro, you will need to manually delete AutoFocus+ Pro from your server using FTP client. Once the theme folder is removed you’ll gain access to the backend again. When you’re logged back in, upgrade to the latest version of WordPress which doesn’t break when parent-less child themes are activated in the admin.
If you are having problems with the theme, please make sure that you have followed all instructions down to the smallest detail and be sure you are using the latest version of WordPress. Please do not email me directly with theme support questions.
Instead, visit my Get Satisfaction Forum or ask a question using the form below. The forum is great for discussing issues publicly amongst other users. Feel free to post questions of any kind there. That way others in the community can both provide and benefit from the solutions found in the forum. I personally will only be responding to bug/error reports, but anyone else is welcome and encouraged to provide solutions there as well.
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The Themeshaper Support Forums is also a great place to find information about using and tweaking child themes within this framework. The WordPress Support Forums is another great resource for everything related to WP and theming — I am sure you will find answers to almost all of your questions using these three resources.
Because, AutoFocus+ Pro is already a child theme, the best way to customize it is to edit the theme files directly, while keeping a changelog of the changes. When you upgrade you’ll need to repeat the custom edits into the new version.
AutoFocus 2.0 is a standalone theme so the best way to make customization is to use a child theme. This way you can make future proof changes that allow you to stay up to date with the latests versions of AutoFocus.
AutoFocus 2.0 and AutoFocus+ Pro is distributed AS IS. fthrwght and Allan Cole cannot offer support for customization help through this site. If you’d like to change something about the theme you’ll need to handle it on your own. Please do not email me directly with theme customization related questions.
As an alternative, you can check out WPQuestions.com which is a problem-solving community for WordPress, ideal for users seeking quick, succinct answers they can't find in any WordPress forums. I’d recommend running your most pressing AutoFocus 2.0 questions by the experts at WPQuestions.com
In the WordPress admin area, go to SETTINGS > READING and increase or decrease the Blog pages show at most number. IMPORTANT: AutoFocus is only built to handle about 30 images on the front page.
Developed using multiple scripts from previous versions of AutoFocus and largely influenced by the TwentyTen Five theme.
All sample images in the demos were used with permission from James Brandon King for wordbk.com. This guy’s work is incredible!
jQuery powers all the animated elements. For more info check out The jQuery Project. AutoFocus 2.0 also uses the HashGrid jQuery plugin, the Cycle Plugin, the Fancybox Plugin, and the jsColor Javascript Color Picker by Honza Odvarko.
AutoFocus 2.0 is distributed AS IS. fthrwght and Allan Cole will not be offering support or customization help through this site. Please make sure that you have followed all instructions down to the smallest detail and be sure you are using the latest version of WordPress.
WPQuestions is a problem-solving community for WordPress, ideal for users seeking quick, succinct answers they can't find in any WordPress forums. I’d recommend running your most pressing AutoFocus 2.0 questions by the experts at WPQuestions.com
The Themeshaper Support Forums is also a great place to find information about using and tweaking child themes within this framework. The WordPress Support Forums is another great resource for everything related to WP and theming — I am sure you will find answers to almost all of your questions using these three resources.
My Get Satisfaction Support Page is a great space to discuss issues publicly amongst other users. Feel free to post questions of any kind here. I will only be responding to bug/error reports, but anyone is welcome to offer help and support.
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AutoFocus has moved to http://themesupply.co
and will no longer be maintained here.