A gift for a long memory: how to make a photo book? Create a photo book online with your own hands. Tips on how to make a photo book yourself in Photoshop

· 08/29/2015

Article text updated: 08/30/2018

In December 2013, I published an article with recommendations on what to give to someone who is interested in photography. One of the gift ideas is a photo book made up of photographs of the person to whom we are giving it. But, in general, this is a universal solution that can be presented to newlyweds at a wedding, and to their parents, or to print a photo album from a matinee in kindergarten or from a graduation party at school. In today’s article we will discuss how you can use a photo book design program yourself, what nuances to consider when creating an album, and how to place an order for printing online.

1. What is a photo book

I first saw a photo book in 2012, when my colleague showed photos from her vacation, designed like an ordinary book: with binding, a hard beautiful cover, with photographs in frames and interesting captions for them. A photobook is a type of POD (print on demand) when you can order only one copy of a publication from a printing house.

It seemed to me that creating a book to order was insanely expensive. However, to my surprise, I was wrong: the price of a photo book made of good paper with a hard cover will be about 2,000 rubles for 40 sheets. Inexpensive, in today's times, for a gift.

Also, I was sure that to create a photo book you need to master the skills of photo editing in Photoshop, layout programs, or order the services of a designer. Also a misconception! Of course, if you have artistic taste, if you can improve the quality of pictures before sending them to print, this will be a plus. But even an ordinary person today can create an absolutely stunning album with his own hands: you just need to go to the printing house’s website and download a program for a photo book containing page layouts, backgrounds and decoration modules.

I also recommend watching a video with a lesson on how to arrange your albums, recorded by professional photographer Sergei Rozhnov. He specializes in wedding photography. I think you will also find useful tips in this video.

My first photo book was a birthday present. I have been racking my brain for a long time about what to give to the person who has everything. And then I remembered this option. On my computer hard drive I had photographs from my brother’s trip with his wife. I spent half a day on the design, sent the print order to the printing house online, and five days later came to pick up the result. You should have seen how delighted my gift was!

2. How to create a photo book yourself

On the Internet you can find a large number of printing houses offering to print your order online. Personally, I used the services of Fotokniga-Ural. My friends ordered their photo books in Moscow, from the Printbook company, which has a large selection of templates on its website.

1) So, go to the Fotokniga-Ural website, in the “Program” section, select “Download photobook editor”. They have 2 versions: basic and advanced, which includes all the decorations: frames, masks, clip art.

2) Install the editor on your computer, selecting “New order” and begin creating a photo book. First we define the type. For example, I chose a format of 20*29 cm, a printed cover (sometimes, for example, leather).

3) At the next stage, we show the program where the photos are located, select the layout of the photos and the background. Next, the editor fills the template with images automatically. The resolution of the images will be degraded when creating a photo book, but don’t worry - this is only during the design process, so as not to slow down the computer, everything will be fine when printed.

4) Now we create the cover. For this purpose, I chose two photographs and arranged them together, placing text with the title.

If you have some knowledge of Photoshop, you can search Google Images for the phrase “photo book cover” for samples and find many interesting ideas for yourself. Complete it in advance and upload it to the editor along with other photos.

Well, I'm not a very creative designer, and I whipped up this cover for a supposed photo book to illustrate today's tutorial.

5) Next we move on to page design. The work is painstaking, but creative. You can enlarge or reduce blocks, place them at your discretion, align them, insert signatures, decide for yourself how many pictures to place on each page, whether they will have frames, and the like.

The program for creating a photo book with your own hands has a “Masks” tab. Using this tool you can add various effects to your design. For example, make the edges of photographs feathered.

You can also use clipart templates built into the editor or found on the Internet.

As I said, you are free to use your own decorations and textures. For example, enter the search query “travel scrapbooking png” into Google Images and you will see thousands of photo album designs. Here “png” is the image format when they have a transparent part. Well, that is, let’s say, the background in JPEG will be white, and in PNG it will be transparent. You need to check: perhaps the program for creating a photo book allows you to use vector images - they do not lose quality when scaled, unlike raster ones.

For the background, you can use your own photographs (as I did when designing the cover), or, for example, textures downloaded from various sources.

Please note that a red exclamation point has appeared in the lower right corner. If you click on it, we will read the editor’s hint that the image resolution is not enough for high-quality printing (300 dpi is needed).

In conclusion, I note that from the printing house you can order not only a photo book with your images, but also calendars, business cards and brochures. The program we installed allows you to layout a layout and prepare it for printing via the Internet. Next, I present to your attention the recommendations of experienced designers.

Over the past few years, the activity of creating and printing photo books has become very popular. Today we can order our copy from a printing house in a couple of clicks, and this type of photo album for storing our best works is very common among photographers. The arrangement of photographs on the pages of our first photo book has hundreds of variations and can stun anyone. Hopefully, the tips presented in this article will help you make decisions as you prepare your own book.

Step 1 – Theme

You first need to decide why you decided to put your photos together, as this will influence all subsequent steps in creating your DIY photo book. Will it feature the products you produce? Are you planning to sell it? Are you going to send it to potential publishers or exhibition galleries? Or are you just going to show the photo to your friends and family?

Next, it is important to decide which book layout editor you will work with. You can find a huge number of programs online for creating photo books yourself. Don’t rush to use the first one you come across: try several, presented by different printing houses.

Step 2 – What type of photo book are you choosing?

Once you've decided on the basic idea and chosen a program, it's time to think about what type of book you want to create. This decision is also partly influenced by the purpose, why you are creating it, the content and the available budget.

Traditionally, photo books come in hardcover with a smooth cover, but you can let your imagination run wild. It is your book. You can wish for whatever you want, as long as you have enough money. For example, you decide to publish it in A3 or A5 format. Take a close look at the photos selected for printing: are they suitable for placing one large photo on a spread or do you want to place several photos on one page.

Step 3 – Topic and Content

The best photo book is characterized by integrity, i.e. it is not just “a collection of good photographs by a certain photographer.” If the main part of the book is connected by a certain general theme, it will be better perceived by the viewer. You can use pictures taken at a specific time, for example, “a snapshot of one day in my life.” It is very important that the photos selected for a given topic strictly correspond to it and are arranged in chronological order.

Step 4 – Selecting Photos

Selecting the right photos is vital when creating a photo book. You need to choose the best photos to create a top quality product, but you need to remember: we are making a book, which means it must have a rhythm and completeness that tells the whole story from beginning to end.

If you just insert your best photos, most likely, a lot will remain “behind the scenes”. No need to print anything, anywhere. The right approach is to be selective and critical of your choices.

Step 5 – Photo Order – Telling a Story

When you have chosen photos for your first photo book, you need to decide in what order they will be presented. As stated earlier, a book needs to tell a story, so you need to think about the “story flow” that the images tell. You don't just want to throw all the landscapes at the beginning and all the macro photos in the middle—you want to create a balance of photos that will inform and delight the reader and engage them.

The first approach is to arrange the pictures in chronological order, as they were taken. This will add a natural feel, although you may find that some of the photos could be rearranged to better tell the story of the events.

Step 6 - Template

So, you have selected photos and arranged them in a certain order. Now it's time to decide how to present them on the page. You'll be surprised at how many layout options photo book software offers. You will have to spend time trying to choose the most suitable ones.

First, decide whether the photos will be posted with or without frames. If - without, then make sure that the edges of the image extend beyond the cropping boundaries when printing, so that there is no white stripe left later. If you decide to publish photographs in frames, you need to decide on the thickness and shape.

Next you need to decide what the layout of the spread will be. Typically, the image is placed on the right page, and space is left on the left for a short description, if required. But you are not required to strictly follow this rule. You might want to print photos on every page of your photo book. But whatever you decide, keep it simple and be consistent.

Step 7 – To include text or not to include text?

There is no need to post captions for photos. Text is necessary if you think it will bring something that a photograph cannot say. For example, this could be a description of the shooting location, name, date, or some other details related to the event depicted in the photo. Do not repeat what is already clear from the photograph. If you decide to add captions to your photos, make sure they fit the style of the photo book and not that you just slap them on anywhere. You need to use a font that matches the layout.

Step 8 – Cover Photo

The image chosen to be placed on the cover of the book is the first contact with the viewer. It should be a stunning photo that invites the viewer to read it. If you can choose a photo that best describes the content of the book, be sure to include it.

Step 9 – Should I convert the photo book into an electronic version?

The first and main purpose of a photo book is to be printed so that it can be held in hands, given to friends and family, and photography lovers. But these days, a book can be converted into electronic form to be displayed on the Internet, for example.

If there is no money to print a photo book in a printing house, then the electronic version is a good solution: it does not require paper costs and, potentially, will allow more readers to become familiar with the contents. However, your photos deserve to be printed on paper.

Step 10 – Try it!

Well, the simple guide to creating a photo book is over. It may seem like a lot of work, but when you pick up your first copy, you'll be truly delighted. If you have any other tips for creating a book, please share them in the comments and maybe you can help someone create their own masterpiece!

4. Before sending your order for a photo book to the printing house, check whether you have taken into account the design recommendations

Before you click the “Order a photo book online” button, make sure that you check the quality of the pictures using the following questionnaire below!

1. Uniformity of design– Experienced designers advise using no more than 1 or 2 fonts to design a book. Review your layout and make sure you have used no more than 2 fonts in 2 sizes. Typically, one font is used for body text and another for headings. If the program allows, simply copy one text block and paste it into the desired location. This saves all text settings on all pages of the photo book. Some editors allow you to set font parameters on all pages at once - it’s very convenient, you don’t have to worry that the uniform style will go astray on some sheets.
2. Alignment– have you checked that the photo blocks and decorative elements are aligned as needed? Many programs for creating photo books have a function that allows you to align several objects horizontally and vertically at once. Typically, you hold down the SHIFT key and select all the blocks on the page, then click on the corresponding item in the menu or on the desired “shortcut key”.
3. Indentations– is a photo, frame or decoration too close to the edge? Most photo book editors will point out the layout error. Everything inside these boundaries will be printed, everything beyond them will be trimmed during printing and binding. Sometimes this safe zone is wide, but the printing press still needs some margin.
4. Space between pages (binding)– “remember the spacing” – similar to rule number 3. Make sure nothing important is located along the center line. This especially applies to text and faces in portraits. Well, you only need not worry if you are using a photo book layout that does not have a binder.
5. Reviewing and checking for errors– if possible, use programs that check your grammar. When the photo book editor doesn't have this feature, copy and paste the text into Microsoft Word to double-check the content for errors. Note!!! If you just copied text into Word or from Outlook, chances are there will be some formatting codes pasted that will be "invisible" to you and won't show errors when you preview, but will show up when you print the book. If possible, ask someone you know to check your text and photo captions. With an open eye you can see missing words, for example, or minor typos.
6. Photo quality– most programs for creating online photo books are equipped with an indicator indicating that your photo does not have sufficient resolution (usually a density of 300 dpi is required). But keep in mind that the editor will not tell you that the photo is too bright or dark, that the person has red eyes, for example. Therefore, double-check the quality of the pictures. Sometimes you can't tell that this photo is slightly underexposed (darkish) until you put it next to other photos. Often you have to return to photo editing after previewing the finished, assembled photo book.

Some printing houses build photo editing tools directly into the book creation program. But these photo editors are limited in their capabilities. Therefore, it is better to process images in specialized programs such as Photoshop or ACDSee.

In general, once again: before sending an order to print a photo book to a printing house, view it in the “Preview” mode, keeping in mind the recommendations listed above, and minor errors will not darken your joy from the result.

5. How to design a wedding photo book

You invited a professional, talented photographer for a wedding photo shoot and Love Story, you received gorgeous photos, the only thing left is to take the last step: create a stunning photo album. They say that an album with photographs from a wedding is like a wedding dress: it should be so beautiful that you can’t take your eyes off it. And you need to understand that not only does there exist the art of taking amazing photographs, there is also the talent to create a dream album from a set of photos...

1. Choose the most incredible photos

Consider a photo book as a means of preserving emotions, and not just an album for photographs. Choose only those pictures that you cannot live without. The best book contains only gorgeous photos. And these don’t always have to be standard shots. Sometimes this can be an image of a veil lifted by a breeze or the expression on the face of one of the guests.

2. Let the photos speak for themselves

In the digital age, you can implement many tricks when creating an album. Sometimes there is visual noise. When creating a wedding photo book, photographers advise not to place more than 1 or 2 photographs per spread. Tip: Place a vertical photo on one page, and on the next spread - one horizontal photo, spanning two pages.

3. Think chronologically

It is clear that photographs from the registry office must precede photographs from the restaurant. Although there may be exceptions. No one can stop you from inserting the most interesting photo taken later at the beginning.

4. On one spread, place pictures taken in the same period of time

This concerns the harmony of the photo book. Even more important than the way you arrange your photos is their flow. Like in a magazine: a photo album consists of double-page spreads. Think of each of them (2 pages) as one whole. Pages should be related to each other in meaning or style.

5. Use more color if your wedding was colored (and vice versa)

There is no rule when to print a color photo book and when to print a black and white one. It all depends on the wedding: if there was a lot of color, then most of the pictures will be colorful. If at the wedding all the guests were dressed in classic, formal clothes, then the book can be printed in black and white.

6. Have photos of the most important moments of the wedding ceremony

Key points: the bride and groom walking down the aisle, the exchange of rings, the first kiss - naturally, should be included in the book.

7. The size of the photo album should correspond to the duration of the wedding

The number of pages in the photo book should be compared with the duration of the celebration. You need to understand that if you had a modest wedding dinner in a restaurant with friends, then there will be fewer photographs than when the “wedding sang and danced” for three days. Don't fill the book with weak photographs. There may be fewer of them, but they will be impressive.

In the article reviewing the Nikon D5300 camera, we discussed how to shoot video. It was noted there that in order to create an artistic picture, it is important to include in the reportage (and a wedding is reportage photography) different plans in the images: close-up, medium, general, and so on. If we look closely at the examples above, we see that the pages with diverse images make the greatest impression. Therefore, not only a wedding photographer must be able to make a high-quality photo report, but then when arranging the layout of a photo book, you need to arrange the resulting photographs correctly.

I would like to thank my friends Anastasia and Lev, Pavel and Nastya for agreeing to show their books in this article. I hope that today some site guests have found the answer to the questions: “What to give for a wedding? For a birthday? On the anniversary of another memorable event? How to beautifully design an album after a vacation trip to distant lands? May you all have only bright photo books and emotions from them!

How to learn to create professional-looking photo books yourself

In conclusion, I want to say that the tips posted in this article give only a general idea of ​​​​the principles of creating a photo album from your photographs. By following the recommendations, you can create a good photo book. But to get a truly professional publication, try to make money by arranging and selling albums to clients, you will have to dive much deeper into the nuances of design.

I suggest you familiarize yourself with the contents of the video course “Secrets of creating chic photo books 2.0”, from which you can get simply invaluable advice. It provides recommendations on which programs can be used to make layouts, provides a detailed overview of the functions of the book editor, and examines in detail the nuances of creating a travel album, children's and wedding photo albums.

Well, those who want to create their own photo book using the PRINTBOOK.ru editor can go to the official website and find out the current conditions and prices. In 2018, the company was renamed netPrint.ru.

If you were looking for information on how to create a photo book yourself in the sense of assembling it from separate sheets of paper, then watch the following video from the workshop. It seems to me that it won’t work out neatly the first, second, or even third time. You also need to spend money on a special machine.

In contact with

Classmates

From this article you will learn

• What topic can you create a photo book on?
• How to create a photo book step by step
• What programs are there for creating photo books?
• How to create a photo book online
• Who to contact when you need a top-class photo book

If you want to capture beautiful memories of a memorable event for a long time, your choice is an individual photo book. Wedding photo books, which professional photographers can help create, are becoming most popular.

What topic can you create a photo book on yourself or with the help of professionals?

A photo book is a colorfully designed selection of your photographs, printed on thick paper or cardboard. This book differs from a simple photo album not only in its bright thematic design. It will help create a specific story about a memorable event. Therefore, it is pleasant to review the photo book in the company of relatives and friends in order to immerse yourself in memories again.

Depending on the chosen topic, photo books can have different design options:

1. Wedding photo book

For any couple, a wedding is a happy event, the memories of which you want to keep for life, so you can review the photos with your children and even grandchildren. A wedding photo book will help to preserve the memory of this day as carefully and colorfully as possible, to create a story not only of marriage registration, but also of your acquaintance and the development of relationships from the first date to the reverent “yes” in response to a marriage proposal.

2. Pregnancy and discharge from the hospital

Many married couples, while expecting a baby, do not only repair and purchase necessary baby items. More and more often, expectant mothers are striving to create many photographs demonstrating their happy situation. Professional photographers offer shooting in a thematically designed studio, in which not only future dads, but also other children of the couple can take part.

You can also not only create a photo book with footage of your pregnancy, but also supplement it with photographs taken during discharge from the hospital. By looking at such a book with your children, you can show your grown-up baby how happy it was to wait for his birth.

3. Children's photo book

You really want to capture the story of your baby’s development from the first smile to the first “mother” for a long time. Every day your child will delight with new successes. A children's photo book will help preserve the memory of these events. Using special services, you can create a photo book online for free, adding new pages to your child’s life story over and over again.

4. Graduation

Graduation is the last page in the book of your academic life. Leaving beloved teachers and dear friends with whom they spent many years, people strive to take as many photographs as possible. To preserve their memories for a long time, you can create a photo book online and print it for all your loved ones, collecting in it not only photos from the prom, but also those that were taken during school.

5. Vacations and travel

6. Competitions and tournaments

Sports events are spectacular competitions of skill and dexterity. The photo book will leave a long-lasting memory of the victorious dash and the triumph of receiving a prize on the podium. Using specialized services, you can create a photo book for free and save it on digital media for later printing.

7. Anniversaries and other important dates and events

And although pessimists claim that a birthday is a sad holiday, we always look forward to anniversaries. An excellent solution would be to create a photo book with your own hands, saving photographs in it from the moment the hero of the day was born to the present day. Such an unusual gift will be pleasant to any person, without exception, because the story of your relationships, memorable meetings and joyful events will forever remain in it.

8. Model shooting

A beautiful portfolio is the “face” of a model, her professional qualities and capabilities. A photo book will help not only demonstrate high-quality photos, but also create a pleasant impression on a potential employer due to its beautiful design and competent presentation.

9. Portfolio of work for business

Business competition encourages you to use increasingly inventive methods of presenting goods or services that make your company stand out from others and help increase sales. Designing your product catalog in the form of a photo book will help attract the attention of potential customers and create the image of a successful project that cares about its first impression.

10. Printed presentations

The information you submit electronically can be duplicated using a photo book. This will help your customers explore your catalog and business details in more detail. This way, you will not only keep a complete list of goods and services with the customer, as well as detailed information about contacts, but you will also indirectly be able to set a precedent for attracting other possible clients if your catalog is stored in a visible place.

11. My hobby

Despite the hustle and bustle of the modern world, many of us still find time for our hobbies. For some, this is a way to create a good mood, and for others, a hobby develops into additional income. You can create a specialized electronic resource, presenting your achievements on it. The photo book will show your successes in the most advantageous and vibrant way. You can carry it with you to a meeting with potential customers or just show it off to friends and family.

12. Party in the style...

Today, various themed parties are becoming increasingly popular. Organizing such an event, preparing decorations and costumes, as well as developing a menu in the chosen style is a very troublesome, but very enjoyable task, in which you can involve not only future participants, but also companies specializing in such holidays. And of course, after such a non-standard and probably noisy and fun party, there are many bright photos left from which you can create a colorful photo book, preserving unforgettable impressions not only in your memory, but also on photo paper. The photo book will clearly complement your story about this holiday.

13. Portfolio in kindergartens and schools

Arriving at school on the first of September, many modern first-graders receive from the teacher a folder for a portfolio, which must be filled out throughout the child’s educational activities. All kinds of diplomas, certificates, letters of commendation, as well as photographs from events in which the student participated are placed here. This kind of “dossier” of the child can be supplemented with photographs of his extracurricular life, for example, family or crafts. If you create a photo book from your portfolio, you can not only show it to relatives and friends, but also review it from time to time with your child. A photo book will help preserve the brightest events of his life not only in memory.

14. Product catalog

A photo book with a product catalog will be a very convenient and visual assistant for your business, especially if it is related to MLM distribution. A substantive presentation of products, especially new products, will help create great demand and increase sales.

15. Dream album

Psychologists say that visual representation is the best way to speed up the fulfillment of your most cherished dreams. If you fantasize about traveling to exotic countries or building a cozy home, you need to create a photo book yourself that will reflect your deepest desires. This will help not only structure your dream, but complement or change it as needed. This way you can clearly figure out exactly how you can achieve what you want and what steps you need to take to achieve it. And most likely, your dream will come true in the very near future.

10 steps on how to create and print a photo book

Before collecting photographs united by one theme into a photo book, carefully read the 10 rules showing how to correctly create it so that the final result pleases you.

Stage 1. Set goals - why do you need a photo book?

Decide on the purpose of your photo book. Will the main task be to collect photographs of one topic into a single publication, supplemented with comments or beautiful design? Or your goal is to create a certain product catalog that you will offer to your clients. Will this photo book become private, intended for viewing by a limited circle of people, or do you plan to show it to all your friends and family?

Stage 2. Selecting a program to create a photo book

Today there are many applications and programs that will tell you how to create a photo book. Advice from experts and experienced owners of similar publications, who have already dealt with ordering and designing them more than once, will help you make your choice. Be sure to check with the publishing house where you plan to produce a photo book whether their specialists will be able to translate all your ideas into printed form.

Stage 3. Book type

The choice of the type of photo book depends on what it is intended for, its content, as well as the amount you plan to spend on creating the layout and subsequent printing in the publishing house. Standard photo books have a hard glossy cover. However, you can get creative and choose among the design options offered by the printing house. Decide on the size of the publication. To do this, you need to arrange the selected photographs as they will be in the photo book. Perhaps a large format would be appropriate for this design. Or maybe the best option would be a cozy “pocket” size, which will be convenient to take with you to show to friends or partners.

Stage 4. Topic and content

The subject of a photo book and its content are very important for a holistic perception. If you want the book to create a cohesive story about a time in life or a memorable moment, choose images that have a common theme or structure. You may want to create the effect of a specific color in your photo book. In any case, the sequence and generality of the photographs should be traced, supplemented by the necessary style and color design.

Stage 5. Selection of images

Careful selection of photographs is a very important step. In order to create a photo book, a simple selection of the best frames is not enough, otherwise this “hodgepodge” will not look decent even with the most spectacular design. The general theme of the photographs should be traced from the first to the last page so that the book looks cohesive and tells a story about a memorable event or stage of life's journey.

Be a little critical. Perhaps a photo in which your hair is not quite shiny can create the necessary accent or color scheme, linking the rest of the frames into a single picture. It must be remembered that a photo book is, first of all, a colorful visual story, and not just a selection of successful photographs.

Stage 6. Picture order, history

After selecting suitable photographs, you need to arrange them according to the intended story. Avoid presentations based on the principle of “landscapes separately, portraits separately.” Carefully examine all the photographs, to do this, lay them out on a large flat surface if the sample photographs have already been printed, or sort them on the computer screen. See which frames can be used to create a single group. For example, several shots of a landscape and a macro shot of one of its objects. Please note that this group of photographs should fit on one spread of the photo book and at the same time not bore the viewer with excessive overload of colors or the amount of detail. Don't forget that the entire photo book as a whole should create a story, so each spread represents a transition from previous photos to the next. Consistency is very important in design. Even if your photos are not related thematically, try organizing them according to color scheme or use various visual effects of special computer programs to combine frames in a monochrome solution.

Stage 7. Layout

Before creating a photo book layout, carefully consider how the pictures will be arranged on its pages. Experiment with different layouts to find the one that suits you. You shouldn’t radically change the layout on every page, otherwise such a photo book will look tasteless. Determine the location of each photo. If this frame will occupy the entire page, you can create a mat of a suitable color or remove the cropped edges completely, giving the photo the entire field of the page. The second page can be supplemented with text that tells about this photo, or a couple of smaller photographs to create a single ensemble with the first frame.

Stage 8. With or without text

While text is optional, don't be afraid to add it to your photo book. It will help create balance and avoid overcrowding your photos. The text will complement the visual history of your photographs with explanations, dates or impressions. However, you shouldn’t get carried away with platitudes in the “winter morning” style over a photograph, if that’s exactly what is captured in it.

Text explanations should have their place. Just like photographs, they must be correctly placed on the photo book layout in order to create the necessary accents and prevent the text from dominating the photo. Don't forget that your goal is to create a photo book, not a story with colorful pictures.

Stage 9. Cover photo

The right photo for the cover is already 50% of the success of your photo book. The goal of this shot is to captivate the viewer, make them want to open the book, and create the right impression. Therefore, the cover must be high-quality printed with high resolution.

Stage 10. Electronic version of the photo book

Of course, holding a photo book in your hands and studying it is much more pleasant than looking at pages on a computer or tablet screen. This publication can be given as a gift to friends or relatives. However, electronic photo books are no less popular than their glossy counterparts.

The price of such a book is very affordable, since the cost of full-color printing is quite high. In order to choose one of the options, decide for yourself for what purpose you want to create a photo book. If you plan to view it with a limited circle of people or give it to grandmothers, who are often unfamiliar with a computer, the paper version will be preferable. However, if your customers will consider the photo book or if there is a need to send it to relatives abroad, it is worth creating it in electronic form. Such a publication can be reproduced countless times, significantly expanding the circle of readers.

These steps will help you create your first photo book. They are not as complicated as they might seem at first glance. Of course, performing this algorithm will require a lot of time and patience, but it will save you from unnecessary expenses. When, after all the work and expectations, you pick up your first photo book, still smelling of printing ink, you will understand that such a result was worth all the resources spent.

How to create a photo book yourself using the program

Today there are many special computer programs that you can use to create a photo book yourself. When choosing among all the variety, you need to rely on the goals that you plan to achieve with the help of this software, the presence of positive reviews and, of course, the cost.

The optimal ratio of price and functionality, as well as the availability of support service, will be the most suitable option. If you are a beginner, you should not purchase complex programs that are needed to develop a professional design. Choose those that have an interface that is understandable even to an inexperienced user, a large library of templates and an affordable price. There are also free options that allow you to process photos with a variety of effects.

If you want to create a photo book with your own hands, of course, it will require a lot of time and labor not only in choosing suitable photographs, but also in mastering the program and making a layout. However, such a photo book will cost you practically nothing if you do not order a print, while professional designers, as a rule, charge additional money just to create the layout.

The most popular graphic editors for creating photo books:

• HP Photo Creations Editor has over 1,800 templates for editing pictures and creating collages or cards, as well as many editing tools to help you create your own photo book.
• Scrapbook Flair is one of the best programs for beginners, which is distributed free of charge and supported by the Scrapbookflair virtual community. Has a large library of graphical editing tools.
• Wondershare Photo Collage is a fairly simple program for beginners who are planning to create a photo book or album.
• Adobe Photoshop is one of the most popular graphic editors. A rich library of templates and visual effects allows you to create almost any graphic object from scratch. However, the program interface is quite complicated for beginners, and besides, this editor takes up a lot of computer “memory”.
• InDesign (Adobe InDesign) is suitable for professional editors who can use it to create print or online publications. To download the program, you must register on the developer's website.
• NetPrint (Printbook) is the most visible Russian photobook service on the Internet. This is a real large production facility, processing and sending out a huge number of orders, operating without significant disruptions in terms of timing and quality. Lead times are short, product quality is high, prices are moderate. However, this production and logistics are accompanied by a website and editor that are far behind the level achieved by production. The site is cluttered, so creating a custom book layout takes longer than it would take to produce and deliver it.
• Lightroom. A very good program, but learning how to use it is not so easy. Works great with RAW format, an excellent cataloger of large photo archives. Beautiful interface. The main task of LightRoom is to process a photograph in the desired way, that is, to achieve the correct color rendering, contrast, level the horizon line, crop the image into the desired format, prepare it for printing, etc.

When choosing a suitable graphics editor, be sure to consider compatibility with the operating system installed on your computer.

How to create a book in Adobe Photoshop: step-by-step instructions

Step 1. Install the profile

After purchasing or downloading the program, you need to install it on your computer and also configure the monitor’s color settings. This will allow you to see as accurately as possible how the chosen color scheme will look in the printed photo book. By following the detailed instructions, you can easily configure all the necessary parameters and templates.

Step 2. Create a photo book

After you have installed the program and adjusted the monitor colors, you can create a photo book in Photoshop. To do this, select the right page template and click on it with the mouse. This will be the first page of our photo book.

Then decide on the color scheme. Depending on the theme, select the desired shade palette. As a rule, bright colors are used for children's photo books. For an album intended for a boy, blue shades and halftones are used, and an album for a girl is usually colored in pink and red. Delicate pastel colors will help create the right mood for a wedding photo book. However, you can refuse standard design schemes and choose a color card that suits you and your photo book.

Now you need to create a background for placing photos, as well as a text description. You can use the suggested templates or create your own. Look at reviews from users of this graphic editor and examples of their work. Perhaps they will give you the right idea. The Texturizer filter will help create a texture for the selected background.

The first page usually contains an abstract to the book, describing its contents. You can place a small photo that will illustrate the text. If the photo book is intended for someone as a gift, you can create a special greeting on this page.

Follow the instructions and add a photo to the page. The picture can be supplemented with a background, frame or other graphic tools. To resize the selected object, use the zoom keys. There are also editing tools for text additions.

After finishing the first page, move on to the spread. This way you can visualize how it will look in a photo book. Following the instructions, you need to create a new “Spread” file, the size of which will be 2 times larger than the first page. Remember to set guidelines to serve as a guide and add your chosen photos and text. Using the template library, design the spread according to the theme of the photo book. It will help create the story of your project and begin the story of a memorable event or event, so devote special attention to its decoration.

After the spread is finalized, you need to cut it using the “Frame” tool, entering the exact values ​​for cutting. Detailed instructions and an intuitive interface will help you with this. Please note that dimensions are given in millimeters. After making the cut, be sure to save each page as a separate file, numbering them according to the sequence. The remaining spreads can be created in the same way. When all the pages are completed, send the finished photo book to print. If you want to save it electronically, you can use the toolbar to create an animated presentation of your book that lets you literally “turn” the pages.

How to create a photo book online

However, not only using Photoshop can you create a photo book. There are many graphic editors, each of which has its own advantages. All of them are designed for making photo collages and processing images, many are available online, which allows you to create a photo book from any medium.

CreateCollage

This service is understandable even for novice users. The program helps you create a photo book by processing photographs and combining them into simple collages. Making a photo collage consists of 3 stages:

1. Selecting a template from the editor's library. You can combine up to 6 images using one of several methods offered by the program.
2. Loading images from storage media or device memory. Transferring images is carried out in a standard way and will not be difficult even for an inexperienced user. Images must have a *.JPG extension and no more than 1 MB in size.
3. Combining photos to create a collage from them. The images you saved in the editor are located at the top. Using the mouse, you can move them to the collage field and manipulate their size or location. Once the images are arranged as desired, click the “create” icon and you will be able to see a page with the finished collage.

By saving the finished image in your computer memory or on a storage device, you can create a new collage to later combine them into a photo book.

This graphic editor has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantages include convenience and simplicity even for novice users, as well as the ability to change the size of images and their location. However, if you want to create a collage of photos that do not fit into a standard frame, the service will crop the pictures according to the dimensions of the template. Therefore, it is necessary to keep track of exactly how the photo will look in the final version, or to independently crop the images in order to select the necessary fragment.

Photovisi in Russian version

This is an online version of the famous graphic editor in Russian. The service's library has a large number of different templates for creating a collage, as well as the ability to select standard samples according to the subject of the photographs. This editor allows the user to edit the selected template: change the background color and transparency, add graphic elements and experiment with their sizes. Such additions will help you create a custom template. In addition, you can add your own backgrounds and decorative elements saved in your computer's memory.

Finally, the template is selected and all necessary changes are made. Now you need to upload the images. Photos can be retrieved from the computer’s memory, as well as from Facebook and Instagram. Process your photos by changing the size, vertical or transparency. After finishing editing the images, save the finished collage by clicking the “Finish” icon located in the upper right corner of the service screen.

For its users, this graphic editor offers the purchase of a premium account with advanced image processing capabilities. But even the photo collage created in the free version has the necessary resolution for high-quality full-color printing. If you wish, you can post it on Facebook or Instagram.

DesignPhoto Editor

This easy and convenient Russian-speaking service has a good set of characteristics. Immediately after downloading, it offers to create a funny cartoon from your photos or design the selected photos in a funny way. Therefore, a good mood when working with this service is guaranteed.

The menu offers a large library of various frames and templates for images. Having chosen the option you like, you insert your photos and start editing. The image processing tool has a funny lifebuoy shape with a menu with buttons for resizing, rotating, shifting, etc.

The service allows you not only to create a collage, but also to upload the finished version to social networks. To do this, you need to select the repost icon in the menu. You can also send the image directly by email.

PhotoFunia

This graphic editor also has a Russian version and is available online. The service's library offers a wide variety of effects and filters for image editing, and also has a number of additional features for those who want to create animated collages.

First, you need to select the template or effect you like and upload a photo from your computer’s memory. Having completed the image with the necessary text description, click the “Create” icon, and the finished collage will appear on the screen. After this, you will have the opportunity to change the size and volume of the image and save the selected option on a medium or immediately send it to one of the social networks.

This service is constantly evolving, adding new templates and effects to the library. There is also a competent Russian-speaking technical support service that will help not only create a collage, but also solve any problems that arise.

Printler

This service is suitable for those who want to create a photo book layout online for free. Its significant difference from other graphic editors is the ability to publish a link to the photo book you created on social networks.

By clicking the “Create Book” icon, you will be taken to the photo upload page. They can be added both from the computer memory and from social networks. Loaded images are located at the bottom of the screen and can be easily manipulated using standard computer mouse keys. After the pictures you have selected are uploaded to the service menu, click “Create a book”, and a ready-made photo book will appear in front of you, with which you can continue editing.

The program offers 3 colors for the cover. Each spread can be processed and saved, so that you can later flip through the photo book for a complete perception. Experiment with the placement of photos on the page, their sizes, and the background. In addition to the existing library of pictures, you can select your own from your computer’s memory for design. There are also social network icons, by clicking on which you can immediately create a link and upload it for publication.

Using this service, you will not only get the opportunity to create a photo book online for free and save it on a storage device or on social networks. The printer cooperates with printing houses, so immediately after finishing editing, your book can be sent to print. Information for entering personal data and paying the invoice will appear in a separate window. The finished publication will be sent free of charge. This service is available to all residents of the Russian Federation.

If you need a high-quality photo book, then how to create and order it from professionals

If you want to print a photo book using professional equipment, it is best to contact the printing house directly. Firstly, the price will be significantly lower than when working with intermediaries, but most importantly, an accurate understanding of the nuances of printing processes, knowledge of all technologies and vast experience are guaranteed to give you the opportunity to get an excellent result that will not disappoint!

The SlovoDelo company offers:

• High-quality full-color printing of photo books;
• Various cover design options according to the design proposed by the client;
• Large format and interior printing;
• Making photographs;
• Low cost and delivery of products;
• Adequate timing.

In contact with

When I first came across the design of my own photo book,I had a lot of questions. Finding answers to these questions took a lot of time. Then I came across an article by a wonderful girl who explained in detail how to create a photo book with your own hands. Thanks largely to her, this hobby appeared in my life. I’ll try to repeat her feat - describe the entire process of creating an individual design for your unique photo books.

It all starts with what you have to think about

1. What type of photo book will you choose. In this article I will talk about custom design of Premium photo books. For "Premium" photobooks, the internal unit turns out 180 degrees. This allows you to use all the space without loss and place images at the joints. Features of a "Premium" photo book

2. Select a photo center where you can print Premium photo books. This must be done from the very beginning, because... On the websites of these photo centers you can find out the sheet sizes of your future photo book.

3. Let's start choosing the size of the photo book sheets (choose from the sizes that the photo center offers). I would like to clarify that the sizes of photo book sheets for self-creation in different graphic editors (including Photoshop) are different for all photo centers!!!

4. Now, you must decide on the content (subject). What event or holiday is your photo book dedicated to: a vacation at sea, a birthday, an anniversary, a wedding, the first bell at school, or maybe just the past summer. In addition, it will be interesting if the book contains not only your photographs, but also text (your memories, poems, notes from diaries, entries from your little ones’ albums), memorable little things (such as postcards, notes, a theater or cinema ticket, souvenirs ). Such pleasant little things can always be photographed (scanned) and added to your photo book.

5. After this, you need to choose the style in which your future photo book will be. What I mean? If you are going to make a photo book about a child, then it will be natural to use bright and cheerful colors, and if it is a wedding or anniversary, then soft tones will be more suitable. But this is your individual choice. There are no rules here. Everything is decided by your preferences and imagination. Examples

6. The next stage is choosing the background on which the entire composition of your photo book will be built. This can be a background from a photograph, a nature background, a texture background (wood, paper, fabric), a plain background, a gradient and much more. The background can be the same on all pages of the photo book or different on each spread. All this can be found on various Internet resources.

7. After choosing the background, we prepare the photographs that will be used in the design of your photo book. If necessary, we process them (color correction, sharpening, eliminating photo defects, etc.), but for the first work you don’t have to do all this.

Many interesting and unusual items for home decoration are sold in stores. But making something with your own hands to please yourself and your loved ones, knowing at the same time that no one else has such a unique product, is much more pleasant.

An unusual book of memories

Lately, more and more people are trying to create a photo book with their own hands, so that there are bright memories of the irretrievably flowing moments of life. And I no longer want to put photos into a boring, unremarkable, stereotypical photo album, but I want it to be completely different - elegant and beautifully designed.

Specialized stores offer a large number of decorative elements for creating your own work. But before you buy everything you need, you definitely need to decide which theme will dominate. Or maybe a photo book made with your own hands will be dedicated to a single event?

This fact is important, because then it is possible to clearly determine:

• what materials for binding and decoration will be needed;
• what is useful for background decoration;
• how to decide on the choice of texts.

Most often, making a photo book with your own hands is caused by important events, for example, the birth of a child, an anniversary both in your personal life and in the work team, and a wedding. And even an ordinary country trip can be imprinted forever if an entire book appears dedicated to the short trip.

Number of pages

When the event and theme are determined, you need to select all the items that will be needed during work. The number of pages in the photo book also needs to be determined in advance and take a little more - in case you have to add photos. The dimensions of the sheets also matter and are selected according to the size of the photographs.

All photographs are selected in advance, and texts for them must also be selected. The most basic material for the pages of a photo book should be thick sheets. The main thing is to decide how to place the pictures. You will need to experiment by applying the photo to paper. This procedure will take quite a lot of time, but then the finished album will turn out at a decent level.

You can attach a photo in various ways:

• The usual method, but the photo will take up the entire spread, or you will have to trim the edges. You can give your photos an unusual shape using one or more templates.
• Frame each photo, decorating each with an exquisite pattern. But the frames will also require certain conditions, since you need to decide what thickness should be and what color shades will look most harmonious.

A do-it-yourself photo book is created in an original way when you use a two-page layout, allocating space for a photograph in the first half, and using the second for a witty text or poem. But you can put a lot of photographs on the spread - as your imagination dictates. An important condition: do it in such a way that you don’t end up with a mindless pile-up of pictures and the semantic style isn’t lost. Otherwise, it will not be easy to look through such a chaotic book.

Text additions

Many people, when creating such books, do not take the texts into account. They are right in their own way, because usually texts are used when they want to supplement the captured moment with some important information that is understandable to the viewer. You can make a short note indicating exactly where the photo was taken or who exactly was captured if the person or event is unfamiliar.

But you should not emphasize what is clear without words. If you want to make headings or small texts, you must find a place for them so that they correspond to a specific photograph. But they shouldn't be so good that they attract more attention than the photo.

When creating your own photo book, you must follow the rules of consistency and remember the given topic. Having decided how many sheets will be used and what size will be needed, you should decide how to design the cover so that it looks attractive and explains what the photo book you made with your own hands is about.

When the basis of an unusual book is ready

The easiest way to get your own original edition is to take the required number of thick sheets (landscape ones are ideal) and fold each one in half. Using glue, they must be attached in this way: glue the last page of the previous page to the first part of the next sheet. When the last sheet remains, it should be attached on top, since this is already the cover. This will form the basis of the photo book.

Now, page after page, the album is filled with photographs, which must have a clear sequence if we are talking about the development of any event. The layout obtained in this way can be useful if it is possible to layout a book in a graphics editor. To make your DIY photo book more durable at home, buy sheets of thick cardboard. If you need to cut them, use a stationery knife rather than scissors, as it is easier, faster and more convenient to cut with them.

Beautiful design

Photos hold up well if you attach them with double-sided tape. Glue in this case is a bad help, since it causes the pictures to become deformed. Do not decorate the pages too intensively with voluminous applications or patterns, otherwise the book will not close completely. To easily design each page, a convenient photo book should be created. You can make templates with your own hands in any quantity. It is easier to work with such blanks, but the pages should not be overloaded with colorful and numerous drawings.

But the cover provides a lot of room for creativity. It can be decorated with all kinds of ribbons, velvet, small artificial flowers, beads, macrame elements or crocheted with all kinds of patterns. The materials from which decoration can be made are chosen from a wide variety. You just need to remember that they must fully correspond to the theme of the entire photo book.

Connecting parts

While working, you need to remember to leave about 2 cm of space on the edge where the album spine should be, so that assembling the photo book with your own hands will be quite easy in the future. Binding is the most labor-intensive job. It would be easier to give the parts to an experienced craftsman so that he can assemble the book into one whole, but you can try to complete the work you started yourself. You can connect the sheets using springs, but only if they are not as dense as cardboard. Using a hole punch, you can make holes and connect all the pages using satin or silk ribbons.

Using rings you can make a more durable structure. You can do it yourself, which will require a vice and a hole punch. The sheets are collected together and fixed so that they do not move. Only then can holes be punched. To prevent the resulting holes from becoming deformed and deteriorating, grommets need to be strengthened there. You don’t have to buy metal rings; plastic ones will do. But the braid will also perfectly connect all the cardboard sheets.

You can start your own business

If the photobook you made with your own hands turned out well and earned the approval of others, you may receive an order from those who want to have their own album. You can eventually make this work your main occupation. People have many reasons to remember important events that happen in their lives, so orders will always be in demand. But in this case, more solid materials will be required, and these include:

• a machine designed for assembling sheets and making covers;
• a machine used to round corners;
• a device that cuts corners;
• a machine that allows you to attach corners to the cover.

Conclusion

All devices and accessories will require costs, but this business is just emerging, so there will always be customers. The efforts and expenses put in will pay off and will soon bring profit. So if at first the question was only how to make a photo book with your own hands for your family, then soon this hobby will begin to provide excellent income.

Photo books appeared with the development of printing technologies and were luxurious gift copies made on glossy paper of the highest quality. Initially they were positioned as illustrated catalogues, but over time they became available to a wider audience. Using a graphic editing program at home, you can make a completely unique photo book in a single copy!

A very personal gift

If you still haven’t figured out what to give your best friend for her birthday or mom and dad for their wedding anniversary, believe me, you can’t think of a better option. Imagine that you can insert any moments captured on film into a photo book, create collages, choose a theme and design, insert quotes from your favorite songs or cartoons into the album.

You can order a photo book in a special salon, or you can make it yourself. To do this, you will have to master a graphic editing program; at first the work will require patience, but then the skills will definitely come in handy.

How to make a photo book: where to start?

Where to start creating a photo book with your own hands? First you must decide on the theme of your album, what will it be about? The theme will give direction to the selection of images and design.

Here are a few options to choose from:

• Family vacation, and not necessarily in one year. This could be the story of all family travels, with comments, interesting facts or small funny incidents from the life of household members;
• A wedding album can include not only photographs from the celebration, but also background: acquaintance, joint celebrations, bachelorette party, bachelor party, etc.;
• For parents, you can select images that tell about the history of the family, the birth and growing up of children and grandchildren. Don't forget to include photos of your pets;
• A children's album includes the stages of a child's growth over a certain period, for example, over a year or two.

Once you decide on a topic, it will become easier for you to compile a selection of photographs necessary for the book by creating a special folder on your computer desktop. Copy into it all the pictures that may be useful in your work, the main thing is that they coincide with the chosen direction.

Creating a photo book layout

This stage seems to many to be the most difficult, but yet it is necessary, just like a drawing of the future house, a sketch of a drawing, preliminary sketches.

By creating a paper layout with your own hands, you will clearly understand:

• how many pages will it have;
• what size will they be?
• on which pages you will place certain pictures and collages;
• where inscriptions, quotes or any other text will be located;
• where to place decorative elements and how you want them to look;
• how you want to decorate the cover of your book.

To create a paper “photo book”, you just need to fold several A4 sheets in half and glue or stitch them along the fold line.

When choosing the sheet size of a future book, you should pay attention to the following subtleties:

• What are you going to print your images on? Sometimes the size of a book is immediately limited by the availability of special printer paper;
• For graphic editor programs, the parameters for spreads vary, this will also be one of the determining factors of size;
• What size will the cover of your book be - this is the third detail that determines the format of the work;
• It is better to print the image that you want to place on the cover of your book on self-adhesive paper.

The cover can be selected in special centers, where you will also find paper of the required format, stickers for clipart and other little things that are pleasing to the eye.

Online editor for creating a photo book

The next step is to work with a program that will allow you to:

• select the page size and place a photo or part of it on it;
• create a page background on which the images will be located;
• process images by removing or adding contrast, sharpening, eliminating defects, correcting them where necessary;
• place decorative details and decorations in planned places;
• place notes, quotes, and inscriptions on the pages of the book that can be scanned and edited in a graphic design program.

Photo book layout for printing

You can create a book in a graphic design program with your own hands, down to the various details of the clipart, inscriptions, number of spreads and filling of the main background on which the photographs will be located. But do not print and bind yourself, but do this by sending the layout to the email address of one of the centers that deals with this professionally. First, you should study the price list of options that this company offers, perhaps discuss various details and pre-order with the employees.

In this case, the book from the first to the last page will be created by your own hands, but printed in a photo center, and this will in no way diminish its merits. At your request, professionals can make color corrections or add missing details that you were unable to insert yourself.

The most expensive option is considered to be a book with a large number of spreads, with sheets of non-standard sizes, in a hard glossy cover.

DIY photo book

This option assumes that you have absolutely no skill in working with graphic editors, and you have no time to learn. To create such an album on your own, you will need ready-made images or copies scanned on thick paper.

Place them by creating a new document in Microsoft Word (on one standard A4 page you can fit six 8x8 photos, so you should have several pages for an 8x16 book that will fold in the middle and contain two images). Once you've printed them out, you can start assembling them. Let us remind you that there can only be an even number of pages, plus a cover image.

For work we need:

• stationery knife;
• double-sided paper tape;
• thick cardboard;
• tape on foam rubber;
• thick cardboard for the cover.

After printing, you should have several sheets of thick paper with images, 8x16 in size, which need to be folded in the middle. As a result, we get several folded pages, the colored side inward, the outer side of the pages secured together with paper tape.

For the cover, use a utility knife to cut thick sheets of cardboard to fit and glue them to the outside of the future book. Before decorating the cover, the end needs to be glued with a piece of beautiful fabric, without stretching it too much. Be sure to leave a centimeter on each side so that the fabric overlaps the cardboard.

How to design a photo book cover?

Here you don’t have to limit the flight of your imagination at all. If it is better not to insert voluminous decorations inside the photo book, since the pages will be deformed and will not close tightly, then you can glue any shells, pebbles, twigs, even funny figures to the cover. It all depends on the topic you choose; in online stores for handicrafts or scarp-booking you can purchase amazing sets and make the cover unique.