Make sure that you enter both the name and license key exactly as they are shown on the label inside the CD packaging or in the download instructions that were e-mailed to you. All letters must be entered in UPPER CASE, and there should not be any extra spaces before or after the values you enter.

With Kaleidoscope Kreator 2.0, this can happen if you installed a Template Pack add-on product without first unlocking Kaleidoscope Kreator. To remedy this you will need to remove and re-install both products.

For example, if you installed the Frame Frenzy Template Pack, follow these steps:

1. First make sure that you have your CDs (and/or the downloaded setup utilities) for both products handy.
2. From the Windows Control Panel, start "Programs and Features" (or "Add or Remove Programs" on Windows XP) and do the following:
   
   • Highlight the "Frame Frenzy Template Pack" entry and click Uninstall (or Remove) to uninstall it.
   • Highlight the "Kaleidoscope Kreator 2.0" entry and click Uninstall (or Remove) to uninstall it.
     
3. Now re-install Kaleidoscope Kreator 2.0.
4. (Important) Start Kaleidoscope Kreator and enter the name and license key for that product. You must do this before proceeding to the next step. Then exit Kaleidoscope Kreator.
5. Now re-install the Template Pack.
6. Finally, start Kaleidoscope Kreator and enter the name and license key for the Template Pack when prompted.

A label containing a name and license key should be found on the inside of your CD packaging.

We've had occasional reports of missing license labels - if yours is missing, please contact us and we'll send you a new one ASAP.

NOTE: For Kaleidoscope Kreator 2.0 CDs the label should be attached to the Quick Start Guide insert.

Yes. If you currently own Kaleidoscope Kreator 1.0 (the original version) or Kaleidoscope Kreator 2.0, you can upgrade to Kaleidoscope Kreator 3 at a discounted price of $24.99 (CD) or $22.99 (download).

Look for the special "Kaleidoscope Kreator 3 UPGRADE" options in our online store.

To meet the upgrade requirement, you'll need to either have a previous version of KK already installed on your computer, or have the installation CD for that previous version available for validation.

If you are having problems unlocking the Kaleidoscope Kreator 3 Upgrade product on a 64-bit Windows Vista computer, please contact us. Some early revisions of the KK3 Upgrade product may not function correctly on this particular Windows Vista platform.

For computers running other versions of Windows, the KK3 Upgrade may not detect the presence of a previous KK version if:

• Your computer has been restored after a disk failure
• Program files from the previous version of KK are missing, renamed or moved
• The previous version of KK was installed without using its setup utility

If you have the original factory CD for a previous KK version, the KK3 Upgrade can directly validate that CD to to satisfy its upgrade requirement. See below for details.

If you are upgrading from a downloaded copy of Kaleidoscope Kreator 2.0, you'll need to correctly install and unlock that earlier version before performing the upgrade. If you didn't make a backup of your KK 2.0 download, or if you have already tried reinstalling KK 2.0 and KK3 still won't recognize it, please contact us.

Yes, but only if you have the original factory CD for a previous version of Kaleidoscope Kreator. In this case the Kaleidoscope Kreator 3 Upgrade can directly scan and validate that CD to satisfy its upgrade requirement.

NOTE: The following method will not work if your previous KK version was purchased as a download.

• Install the Kaleidoscope Kreator 3 (KK3) Upgrade
• Unlock the KK3 Upgrade with the name and license key for that product.
• Once the name and license key are accepted, it will check your computer for a previous installed version of KK.  When it doesn't find one, KK3 will prompt you for the installation CD for a previous KK version.
• Insert the CD for the previous KK into your CD/DVD drive. Once your computer detects the CD, you may see an "AutoPlay" window or the main menu for the CD.  Close this window, but leave the CD in the drive.
• Now back in KK3, make sure the correct drive is selected (usually there’s only one) and click OK to proceed.  KK3 will then validate the earlier KK CD.
• If you are prompted for the name and license key for that earlier KK version, enter both values exactly as they are shown on the label inside the packaging of that earlier KK CD, then click “Unlock”.

If you are upgrading from a downloaded copy of Kaleidoscope Kreator 2.0, you'll need to correctly install and unlock that earlier version before performing the upgrade. If you didn't make a backup of your KK 2.0 download, please contact us.

Yes. Although Kaleidoscope Kreator 3 uses a new format for its add-on template packs, it can convert your existing KK 2.0 Frame Frenzy and Quilters' Polygons template packs to this new format so you can continue to use them.

When you first unlock Kaleidoscope Kreator 3, it will ask if you want to convert earlier template packs. If your KK 2.0 template packs are already installed, clicking "Proceed" will convert them automatically. If you choose to skip this step, you can perform the conversion later by selecting "Tools->Convert Earlier Template Packs..." on the KK3 menu bar.

You can also convert a KK 2.0 template pack directly from its installation CD:

• Insert the CD for the template pack into your CD/DVD drive. Once your computer detects the CD, you may see an "AutoPlay" window or the main menu for the CD.  Close this window, but leave the CD in the drive.
• Start KK3 and select "Tools->Convert Earlier Template Packs...".
• Read the introductory text and then click "Proceed".
• KK3 will attempt to convert Frame Frenzy first, then Quilters' Polygons. Read the title and text of the dialog carefully to make sure it's asking for the correct template pack installation CD. If it's not, click "Skip/Cancel".
• After KK3 validates the installation CD, it will ask you for the name and license key that came with it (found on the label inside the CD packaging). Enter both values exactly as they are shown on the label, then click "Unlock".
• On Windows 7 or Windows Vista computers, if you see a "User Account Control" prompt, click "Continue".

Once the template pack conversion has completed, you will see the new shapes in the Select Kaleidoscope Shape window (you may need to close and restart KK3 first).

Only partially. Because of the extensive design changes that were made for KK3, we weren’t able to fully support opening KK 2.0 workspaces in KK3.  The image, rotation and shape are retrieved, but the scale and positioning may be incorrect.

The file extension for KK3 workspaces is .kk3.

Kaleidoscope Kreator 3 is supported on Windows® 7, Windows Vista® and Windows® XP (with Service Pack 2 or later).

Other system requirements:

• 512 MB of RAM (1 GB recommended)
• 45 MB of available hard disk space
• 1024x768 monitor resolution

Kaleidoscope Kreator is a Windows-only program. To use Kaleidoscope Kreator on your Mac, you'll need to set up your Mac to run Windows (via either Boot Camp, Parallels Desktop®, VMWare® or Virtual PC).

Kaleidoscope Kreator 3 is fully supported on Windows 7 and Windows Vista. In order to accommodate the enhanced security features found on these systems, please follow these steps when installing:

Before you install

To install Kaleidoscope Kreator on Windows 7 or Windows Vista, you'll need either a user account with administrator privileges, or the password for such an account.  To find out what kind of account you have, click on "User Accounts" from the Control Panel.

Performing the install

During installation (from either the Kaleidoscope Kreator CD or the downloaded setup utility), Windows will ask your permission to proceed.  If you are installing from a "Standard user" account, you will need to provide an administrator password.

When you reach the final installation screen titled "InstallShield Wizard Completed", make sure the "Launch the program" checkbox is marked before clicking on the Finish button.

Next, when Kaleidoscope Kreator prompts you for a name and license key, enter the values from the label in your CD packaging or from your download instructions e-mail.

NOTE: Earlier versions of Kaleidoscope Kreator should run fine on Windows 7, however they have not been fully tested on that platform and support is limited.

If User Access Control is enabled (the default), then you can run Kaleidoscope Kreator from a Standard user account. However, if you have disabled User Account Control for whatever reason (not recommended), then you must install and run Kaleidoscope Kreator only from an Administrator account.

A free maintenance update is available for Kaleidoscope Kreator 3 that addresses a small number of issues that were found since KK3 was initially released in January 2009.

This maintenance update was released in October 2009. Subsequent versions of Kaleidoscope Kreator 3 (build 3.0.515.0 and later) already contain these changes.

Click here to download the latest Kaleidoscope Kreator 3 maintenance update

A free maintenance update is still also available for very early versions of Kaleidoscope Kreator 2.0 that includes a number of performance improvements and fixes to known problems.

This maintenance update was released in August 2006. Subsequent versions of Kaleidoscope Kreator 2.0 (build 2.0.1.0 and later) already contain these improvements and fixes.

Click here to download the Kaleidoscope Kreator 2.0 maintenance update

If your template pack CD came in a plastic DVD-style case, or if the CD itself has a copyright of 2008 or earlier, then the template pack was originally for Kaleidoscope Kreator 2.0 and must be "converted" before it can be used with Kaleidoscope Kreator 3.

KK3 has a built-in utility that can perform this conversion directly from the template pack CD. This procedure is described here.

If you see an error similar to the following when installing a KK 2.0 Quilters' Polygons Template Pack on Windows 7 or Windows Vista:

please contact us to get an updated version of the Template Pack setup utility for use on these platforms.

Evaluation copies of Kaleidoscope Kreator 3 will include a watermark on all kaleidoscopes. To create kaleidoscopes without watermarks, you will need to purchase the full product.

TIP: When you save or print a kaleidoscope using the free evaluation copy, save the workspace as well (click the Save Workspace toolbar button or select "File->Save Workspace..." on the menu bar). If/when you purchase Kaleidoscope Kreator 3 you can re-load the workspace and save or print your kaleidoscope without the watermark.

Download instructions are e-mailed to the address you provided when purchasing the product. If you do not receive these instructions shortly after completing your order, the e-mail may have been blocked or routed to a spam folder. If you cannot locate the download instructions e-mail, please contact us ASAP.

To make a backup of your downloaded software, copy the setup utility file(s) that you downloaded (for example, "kksetup_v301_dl.exe") onto a CD or other backup media, write your license info on it, and keep it in a safe place.

If you ever need to reinstall the software, you can run the setup utility directly from this backup CD.

If your Kaleidoscope Kreator CD and CD packaging do not indicate any version, then you have the original version (also referred to as Kaleidoscope Kreator 1.0).

Here are the cover graphics for the different versions of Kaleidoscope Kreator:

Original

Version 2.0

Version 3

The .NET Framework is a common component from Microsoft that Kaleidoscope Kreator (and many other Windows applications) depends upon in order to function correctly. Kaleidoscope Kreator 3 requires .NET Framework 2.0. Earlier versions of Kaleidoscope Kreator required .NET Framework 1.1.

During the installation process, the Kaleidoscope Kreator setup utility checks to see if .NET is already installed on your computer, and only installs it as needed.

Although older versions of Kaleidoscope Kreator are not officially supported on 64-bit Windows systems, they should work fine.

During installation, you may see a compatibility alert for a component called "Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1". This is a Microsoft component that older versions of KK depend on and will automatically install if necessary. The warning itself is a false alarm, and Microsoft says that you can safely ignore this warning and continue with the installation.

Kaleidoscope Kreator 3's help system includes a Getting Started guide that has step-by-step instructions on making your first kaleidoscope, and a Reference Guide with detailed descriptions of each feature. To access the help system, click "Help" on the KK3 menu bar, then select either "Getting Started..." or "Kaleidoscope Kreator Help...".

A printable PDF version of these documents is available here.

The KK3 CD includes a "Quick Start" video that demonstrates basic usage, and a "What's New" video that highlights new features in this latest version of Kaleidoscope Kreator. Both of these videos are also available on our website here.

To find the sample photos on the Kaleidoscope Kreator CD, put the CD in the CDROM drive, then click on the Open Image button in the toolbar on the left and browse to the CD drive. The photos are in the Sample Photos folder on the CD.

The same basic technique is used to find your own photos. Click on the Open Image button and then browse to find your photos on your hard drive.

If you are unfamiliar with browsing to find your photos, please view the following video tutorial which will explain how to find your photos: How to use your own photos in Kaleidoscope Kreator (Flash Video).

Windows and Windows Vista are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.