Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Digital Photo Books – I’ll Make ‘em for you!

Cover 2007 

Photo Book-Making Service by Webajeb

I’m creating a photo book today for a client.  It’s the third in a series, one for each summer, that she and her family spend at her dad’s lakefront home in Canada.

{I can create one for you, too, for a low flat rate for the first 20 pages.  Click here for more info.}

You’ve heard the website names, perhaps visited one or more:

Snapfish, Shutterfly, Smilebooks, KodakGallery, MyPublisher, Lulu, Picasa, Blurb, Photobook Memories, and more every day.

You can go to any one of these websites, upload your digital photos and, using their premade backgrounds and page layouts, make beautiful photo books in a variety of styles and sizes.

Easy and fast, right?

Yes and, well,  no.  It IS pretty easy, once you’ve been through the process a few times, have learned the tricks at the various websites to make the process go faster, are familiar with the photo book tools for editing, adding and spellchecking text, creating the covers and spine designs, etc.  Oh, and resolving any issues that may pop up such as text that’s too large to fit the space allotted, a photo that gets cropped incorrectly or turned on its side, or pages that are out of order.

And the process IS pretty fast, once you’ve been through it a few times.  I will warn you right up front, though, to be prepared for it to seem tedious and tiresome and for it to take far longer than you expect your first time through.  Each time after that will get easier.

I know.  I’ve been ‘round the block with most of them at least once or twice by now!

My current favorite is Shutterfly; I like all the services they offer to digital scrapbookers, and they are the best for when you want to upload your own custom-designed scrapbook pages instead of using their premade stuff.  I like their galleries, too, and how you can set up one of your own and make it invite-only if you want.

I have a gallery there myself which contains some of the photobooks I have made.  Here is the link, but you’ll have to become a member before you can access it.  When you go to the link you’ll be able to choose the option to request being added as a member.  I’ll respond to all requests as quickly as possible.

Take a look at the books I’ve already created.  Perhaps you’d like one, too?