In order to get your print photos into photo books, you'll want to scan them into your computer. This is relatively straightforward if you have a printer at home with a flat bed or access to a flatbed stand alone scanner. As each printer and computer setup is very different, I cover only the basics here, and provide links to additional detailed articles.
Tips & Techniques,Photo Books
Screenshots on your iPhone or iPad
Tips & Techniques, Mobile DevicesLet's face it - iPhones and iPads have revolutionized the way we document our lives. I used to take out my camera only for vacation shots or prom pictures. Now my iphone camera is an intrinsic part of my day as I take shots of where I parked, books I may want to read or that shirt I really liked. Screen prints from the web on my iPad document directions, recipes, restaurants and articles to read later. These are the digital 'post-its' of my life that will hopefully enable me to survive my impending Alzheimers.
Instant Facebook album
Photo Books, Gifts, EverydayAlthough I may not be the most accomplished Facebook poster out there, I am glad to say that lots of friends and family keep me constantly amused with their photos, funny cards, recipes and hysterical stories. Blurb has an automated system to help you create A book directly from you and your friends' albums on Facebook.
Deals and Discounts
Photo Books, Tips & Techniques
Most photo companies are always running some sort of discount program, so make sure that you always look for coupon codes before you buy your book or cards. Once you get comfortable with different services, you might want to decide which company you want to use for a project based upon the discounts available at the time as they can be up to 60% off.
There is an excellent site that tracks all the deals and discounts daily called PhotoBookGirl.
Hard or soft cover?
Tips & TechniquesConverting file formats - JPG, PNG
Tips & TechniquesWhen you do a screen print, it results in a .PNG file which is recognized as a photo in most of the photo software that is downloaded on your computer such as Blurb and iPhoto.
However, many of the web based applications ask for a .JPG file and you'll see that when you try to load a .png file up into their services, that they are grayed out.
Fleeting Triumphs
For kids, Photo BooksWhen my kids were little they loved playing with wooden building blocks with their Dad. He always encouraged them to use every block in each creation. As our collection of blocks grew, this became more and more of a challenge - especially since we would seek out the most obscure shapes and buy only 1 of each because it was so fun to watch him struggle with his innate sense for symmetry.
Good Night Junior's Room - An Updated Bedtime Story
For kids, Photo BooksI saw an animated version of Good Night Moon on the web and realized that I still knew every word. My college age son is considering updating his room and I realized that the new look would forever erase the personality piled into that space.
Why not take a book you love and personalize it for someone? In this story, we say Good Night to everything in my son's room.