Creating a Photobook - St. James Plantation Photo Club

Creating a Photobook
Jack and Linda Eyler
St. James Photography Club
May 9, 2016
Why Create a Photobook

To see your photos in print and not be hidden in the
1000s of archived digital images

To capture a special event and invoke memories
 Vacations,
 Yearly

highlights
To create a special purpose book
 Photo/art

reunions, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays…
portfolio, cookbook, genealogy
Also use photos for related products – mugs,
calendars, cards, posters, canvas prints …
Other Products
Photobook Sites
Name
Website
Apple iPhoto Mac-iPhoto
Blurb
Blurb.com
Costco
Costcophotocenter.com
Mixbook
Mixbook.com
Mosaic app
MyPublisher Mypublisher.com
Shutterfly
Shutterfly.com
Snapfish
Snapfish.com
(not including shipping)
Comments
Photos integrated with software;
easy to produce photo book
Sleek look, best paper, premium
printing
Not as many photo layouts/theme
pages, least expensive, good color
printing, easier to get redone/
refund, coupons
Best reviews, most customizable,
shortest time to produce
Owned by Shutterfly, most custom
options, more complicated software
– not for beginners
Best reviews, market leader, most
variety of options, saves photos on
iCloud, good color printing, coupons
Good options but inconsistent print
quality, coupons
Size/pages
Cost
8x11/20
$30
8x10/20
$32
8x11/20
$18 ($13)
8x8/30
$30
9x11/20
$30
8x11/20
$40 ($25)
8x11/20
$35 ($15)
Getting Started

Select online photobook maker
 Instructional
tutorials/videos (also on Youtube)
Can create using PC/Mac, tablet and some have apps
 All have two ways to generate photobooks

 Custom
- you select every option – page themes, layouts –
consider using Storyboard to first pay out photos on pages
 Simple – photos placed chronologically, more constraints on
photo sizes/layouts; however, can convert to Custom

Many page themes, photo layouts and text fonts/colors;
clipart, up to 100+ pages ($.50-$1.25 per extra pages)

Multiple book sizes and cover styles
Select, Edit and Upload Photos

Use your own editing stool to edit photos – website’s
editing tool has limited capability
 Free:
Pixlr, PicMonkey, Picasa …
 Adobe
Photoshop, Lightroom, Elements …

Easier to upload photos from one folder

May want to use file naming convention to group photos

Upload photos
 Many

sites store photos forever in the Cloud – photo backup
If photos already edited, turn off website’s autocorrection
Photos per Page
Text – Font Style, Size, Color
Photobook Options Comparison

Book Cover:
Both: Soft cover (cloth, pseudo-leather, real leather, linen,
silk)
 Both: Hard shiny or matte cover with or without dust cover
 Cover layout: Costco - 22
Shutterfly - 20


Photo page layouts (1-10 photos/page, text):
Costco - 87 Shutterfly - 565
Paper designs: Costco - 435 Shutterfly – 3703
 Embellishments: Both – 15,000+
 Text: Both - many font styles and colors
 Paper: Both – glossy and matte
 Print Quality: Both very good Costco – easier to return/redo
 Binding: Both - lay flat or not
 Process: Costco – easier
Shutterfly – more detailed

Summary
Check out Photobook websites to find which works best
for you
 Organize and photo-edit your photos before starting the
photobook - will save time
 Use your photo-editing tool, not the website’s limited one
 Recommendations:


Use Costco for best “bang for the buck”, ease of refund/redo and
good consistent quality product

Use Shutterfly for more options but still competitively priced

Look for coupons – periodically available
No matter which website selected, there’s a learning
curve

Don’t get frustrated – the results are worth it!
