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A guide to making your first memorable photo book

Matt Avatar By: Matt | Last updated February 18, 2020

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Images create memories. Memories that you want to capture and have access to anytime you want. A picture is worth 1,000 words. How about an entire photo book filled with pictures?

Photo books have become more and more popular nowadays. They are affordable, easy to make, real and tangible. With today’s technology you can take thousands and thousands of digital photos, not worrying that you are going to run out of film. The problem is it can get tedious trying to browse through all the images. You want only the best shots and you want them all together. That’s what makes a great photo book.

Whether you are about to create your first photo book or you just want some tips on how to craft an even better photo book than your last ones, this article is here to give you some useful tips.

Figure out the type of photo book you want to make. First you have to know what kind of photo book you are going to create, on what subject and for what kind of purpose. Then you want to decide on the layout, type of cover and so on. This will be pretty simple to figure out once you have a general idea about the images you are going to use, their size, quantity and so on. Generally, photobooks have a hardcover and include a slip cover, but that is not a general rule. There are also plenty of formats and sizes you can use and a lot of themes. Once you choose the software that you are going to work with, you can also see how many formats/sizes and so on there are available. Knowing what purpose your photo book will serve will also be helpful in determining the best format and size: will you display it in your home and if so, where exactly? On a shelf in your bookshelf, on your dining room coffee table, etc.? How large can it be? How much space will it occupy?

Plan how the content will be presented. Although you want to only use your best shots for your perfect photo book, it is about more than just that. Figure out what kind of story you want to tell and make sure your photo book is coherent and unfolds naturally. Place your images in a logical order, so that the story flows and runs its proper course. Maybe you want everything displayed in a chronological order, maybe it’s about a vacation and all the places you went to. The important thing is to see your photo book as an actual book that tells a beautiful story.

Tell people more with the help of words. Even though a picture may be worth a thousand words, that doesn’t mean there’s no room for more. Sometimes text could be really useful and serve as a description of the image. You can write the date and place the picture was taken on, the name of the people in the photo, a funny comment or observation. The whole purpose of the text is to help you personalize your photo book and make it even more expressive.

Don’t make it hundreds of pages long. A well-conceived photo book makes an impression and leaves you wanting just a bit more. Most times, a 20 pages photo book will be sufficient and will also be quick to put together.

Less is more and simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. The latter one belongs to no other than Leonardo Da Vinci and we tend to think that the man knew what he was talking about. Don’t overcrowd your pages with images. Keep it clean, airy and simple. You should also stay away from amateur effects such as lower opacity, drop shadows and so on.

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