I've been making photo books for my grandchildren, and I'm here to tell you: The grandkids love them. I've made them for my younger grandkids, but I can tell from the reaction of the other grandkids that the older ones would love one, too. So would their parents.
You should have your photos downloaded to your computer before you start work on your book. Don't worry about cropping them. You will be doing that as you work on your book. Some sites also include photo editing programs. If you have a photo editing program that you are comfortable with, you can tweak your photos with it before starting your book.
Making Photobooks Takes Time
Don't get me wrong. It is possible to choose an automatic layout, send your book to a pharmacy or discount store for printing, and have your photo book in an hour or two. If, however, your intent is to create a very special, one-of-a-kind keepsake, you'll want to allow at least two weeks for the total process. Creating a custom book is sure to take half a day or more, and a meticulous designer could spend several days on the process. Printing your book will take 2-7 days. Standard shipping can take up to a week, although faster shipping is available for more money. If you are creating a book for a special occasion, I'd advise starting a month ahead of time.
About Picture Resolution
It's best to use your original downloads rather than pulling pictures from Facebook and other sites, which may have compressed the shots. Most sites will warn you if your picture resolution is poor. Heed that warning. It may still be possible to use the picture by juggling the layout so that the picture will be sized smaller, but you can avoid the problem altogether by using a photo that hasn't been copied and compressed. Some sites offer guidance about minimum resolutions, but those numbers depend upon the size of the book and the size of the photo in the spread, so there are no hard-and-fast numbers.
Avoid These Errors
I had been working on my first book for several hours when my computer froze. I wasn't concerned, assuming that there was an autosave feature. There wasn't. So hit that save button, and hit it often.
If you are creating a large book, it may not display in actual size on your monitor. Be careful about facial close-ups, which can be overwhelming when a book is actually printed.
Don't Be Afraid of Text
Yes, it's a photo book, but some text will make it more meaningful and will make it more interesting in the future. Yes, adding text is time-consuming. You'll have to check the spelling of people and places. But if you don't add text, you're virtually ensuring that someone someday will look at your book and have questions for which there are no answers.
Double Check Everything
Even companies that guarantee their work won't guarantee it against errors that you make. So be sure that your pictures are placed the way you want them and proofread any text multiple times. Better yet, have someone else proofread it.
You're an Artist!
No one tells you how proud that you'll be after you've created a photo book. You'll feel like the world's greatest artist, author, photographer and designer, all in one! Seriously, you'll feel happy knowing that you've created a gift that will give someone else joy. And if that someone is a grandkid? There's no better feeling.
Create the perfect holiday gift and visit us at Make-My-Books.com and build your very own photo book!
No comments:
Post a Comment