One great thing about having a smartphone nearby is that you can take photos whenever you want. But as your digital photo collection grows, it can become overwhelming.
Swiping through your phone’s photo app doesn’t let you fully enjoy your pictures. Making photo books is a great way to bring your phone’s photo collection to life.
So, how do you start?
Organizing Your Photos
It’s common to have lots of photos on your phone, sometimes hundreds or even thousands. The first step in making a photo book is to pick out the photos you want to use.
Make an album on your phone or tablet for the photos you want in the book. The photos will be in order by when you took them, and you can’t change this. Choose the best ones and avoid duplicates.
Plan ahead. If you want to make a photo book every year, start an album for the current year and add to it as you take photos. Or set aside time each month to go through your photos, delete the bad ones, and add the good ones to the album.
Creating Your Photo Book
You can pick from different websites to make your photo books, like Shutterfly or Mixbook. Sign up for an account with the site you choose, and then pick the type, size, and quality of paper for your book.
Choose a theme, like a year overview, family trip, graduation, or special event. The website will have lots of themes to start with. You can also make your own, but it takes more time.
Planning your book ahead of time can help. Sketch it out on paper first. Decide if you want sections, captions, titles, or descriptions, and write them down. Then, include the right photos in each section.
Upload your photos from your device. It’s easier if you upload a few pages or groups at a time, not the whole album. Use your notes and plan to help you choose which photos to upload.
This helps you focus on the layout and where to put the text and captions. Some sites will put your photos on the pages for you once you upload them. So, being organized pays off.
Make Sure You Like It
After finishing your photos and text, double-check everything to make sure it looks right. If you see a caution symbol on a photo, it means it might not print clearly because it doesn’t have high resolution. You can try picking a smaller photo size or using a different picture.
When you’re satisfied with everything, complete your book and pay for it. It usually takes about two weeks for shipping. Your project and photos will be saved in your account in case you want to use them again.
