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Saturday, March 27, 2010
Vol. 2 No. 12
If you have been following the Lenscapture Blog, you have seen some of the images I have posted from my latest trips to the Southwest of the United States. These recent adventures have taken me to the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Verde Canyon, Zion National Park, Kodachrome Basin State Park and the amazing Bryce Canyon.
Sharing these adventures with others is one of the main reasons for starting this blog more than a year ago. Another way to share and preserve these memories is to create a photo book. The great thing about a photo book is how it can be used. You can use it to create a portfolio of your work, to remember and re-live a fantastic vacation, to share an event such as a wedding or sweet 16, or to just decorate your coffee table.
In this tutorial, I'll be describing the steps in creating a photo book using AdoramaPix's online design tool. I just produced an 8x12 hard cover book from my recent exploits through Arizona and Utah. This is a big book that opens to a nice wide 24" allowing me to display huge panoramas.
I have used several photo book building applications in the past and have found them to be either under-powered or way too complex. The Adorama PixBuilder application is pretty versatile and simple to use. You will need to create an account upfront, so let's start there:
Step 1 - Create a free account. In order to begin the process Adorama requires you to sign up. They give you 25 free prints when you create a new account and 3 GB of long term storage. They have a premium membership for $24.95 a year that allows you unlimited long term storage (60 day temporary storage is free with both account levels). This paid membership also allows downloading your galleries from any browser.
Step 2 - Click the link Photo Books in the upper navigation bar, then select Create a Book to launch the Flash-based builder.
Step 3 - Select the shape for your book. You can choose from portrait or landscape layouts or square books.
Step 4 - Choose the size and page count. Books range from 6x4 inch to as large as 12"x 12". You have two choices for page count: 26 pages (13 double- page spreads) or 50 pages (25 double-page spreads). Prices run as low as $15.95 for a 6x4 inch 26 page book, to $124.95 for a 12x12 inch with 50 pages
Step 5 - Now you select a theme. While I produced my book using their "build your own" theme, the Adorama PixBuilder interface provides 33 other themes; from baby books to family fun, to fine art, recipe, and wedding books. The Flash interface allows you to select a theme and preview it by flipping through pages with sample photos before making a final theme selection. This is a very nice feature.
Step 6 - Select the photos you'll be using for the book. This is where you'll upload your images. You can upload them directly from your computer, import them from photo sharing sites Flickr or Picassa, or from an existing Adoramapix gallery.
Step 7 - Name your book. This will not appear on the book. It's only a reference used when placing your order, sharing or reordering a book.
Step 8 - Layout your cover and your page spreads. This is the fun part where you select which photos go where, add any captions or text, and place a title on your cover and spline. Themed-pages have placeholders allowing you to drop photos right in for automatic resizing. You can even select to have a photo spread across the entire two-page spread. The interface even keeps track of what images you have already used in your layout.
What I found very appealing was the ability to change design elements that are part of the pre-made themes. So, if there's a butterfly cutout on one-page you can click on it and slide it over across the spread, or delete it entirely. This book builder also allows you to add elements that Adorama calls "stickers." With over 2,000 to choose from, you can further personalize your book by adding clip art, stock photos, or even calendars.
Step 9 - Preview your book. You can virtually turn the pages for a realistic preview of your creation. If you need to change anything, you can easily go back into the editor and make your corrections.
Step 10 - Now it's time to place the order. Again, Adoramapix provides a straightforward interface that shows your order detail with cover image and the price. This step provides options for image color correction (recommended) and ordering additional books in other sizes. Once you are satisfied with the order, add it to your shopping cart and checkout.
I would estimate a 26 page book would take you around 30 minutes after uploading you images to finalizing your order, if you use one of the themed-layouts. After that, it takes about a week for the finished book to land on your doorstep.
As of this writing, I have produced two different books in 4 sizes. I am already planning my next book project. This is a quality product that will not disappoint.
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1 comments:
I'm finally getting around to building some books (my daughter will turn three and I am making her first year book!) I found this roundup of 12 different photobook vendors. Very good comparison including Adorama and Mpix which I have used in the past. Happy building.
Evan
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