In recent years, the digital photo album has almost completely superseded the albums of a lifetime, those in which you pasted your printed photos and that surely you have one around your house from when you were younger. The possibilities offered by these digital albums are almost endless and the excitement of adding details sometimes it can lose us from the main objective. Today I bring you some tips so that your digital photo album is beautiful, pleasant to look at, not boring and does not go out of style. Does it seem complicated? Not at all, keep reading 😉 Although before, you will surely be interested in knowing this mega guide that we have prepared for you on photo development.
- time and patience
- Tells a story
- Select the photos carefully
- Choose the format well and with whom to print your digital album
- like edition
- Choose the cover well
- Get familiar with the program
- Organize the structure
- make it dynamic
- Careful with…
- check it well
1. Time and patience
If I start here it is because of the importance of dedicating time to the digital photo album. The day to day makes the rush our usual companions, however, they are that, companions, not friends at all, rather enemies.
It can help you to make an album in a hurry to get by. If you don’t care who it’s for, the photos aren’t very well done, you really need it, etc., well, go ahead, run, make your digital album automatically, with the photos you take and in any way.
In fact, you could save yourself the following points ;), because we would talk about an emergency to get out of trouble, and not about it being beautiful, pleasant and lasting over time aesthetically speaking.
But you don’t want that, that’s why you’re reading this. So we continue 😉
2. Tell a story
A photo album has to count for something, if you just want to collect a few photos and have them in one place, it is almost more feasible to print them and put them in a box. Your intention to collect them in an album is different, right? For it to make sense and capture attention, it has to tell a story. In this way it will serve now and in a few years, when you want to remember those moments, what happened or if someone wants to know you a little more.
Make sure that the order of the photographs makes sense, either chronologically, or by theme, etc. It will depend on what is the subject on which you are putting together the album. The important thing is that you are clear about what you want to have with him (your little one’s first year, a trip to Thailand, the wedding of your best friends, the birth of your nephew or your sister’s tennis championship, to name a few). Some examples).
Once you are clear about the topic, think about the best option to order the photos. Some general advice.
- Establish a script beforehand.
- When in doubt, use a chronological order.
- In a portrait session, start with the widest shots and gradually work your way down to close-ups and extreme close-ups.
- If the photos are very varied, establish themes (excursions, day to day, celebrations…).
- Choose a photo of each key moment.
3. Select the photos for your digital album
I’ll start by telling you that less is more. The digital age offers us the possibility of having countless photos of the same moment in a free. This has its advantages, but it does not mean that you should put all those photos in the same album or page. It is preferable to be selective when deciding the photos you want to include in the album and, unless you have a specific intention, do not include photos that are very similar. Preferably one larger than many small and almost the same.
Try to have variety. Imagine a birthday and there are only photos of the birthday boy. It will be boring to death. Include photos of the preparations, the details, the guests, the gifts, etc.
4. Choose the format and with whom to print your digital photo album
You have already decided which photographs you are going to include and you are clear about the subject. It’s time to choose who you’re going to print the album with and decide on the format. For example, if you want a digital album, or if for this less important occasion you prefer a photo book, or a photo book, each house offers different possibilities. You also have to choose if you want it square, vertical, landscape, larger or smaller, with more or fewer pages, etc. Another important detail is deciding the type of printing (matte, gloss, etc.). There is no better finish, but an ideal one depending on the situation.
This is a small panoramic format, choose the format according to the album you want to create
These are the aspects that you must take into account when deciding on one or another brand when printing your digital album:
- The products they offer and print quality
- The program used
- customer service
These three points seem basic to me. I have my own opinions and experiences, which do not have to coincide with those of other people, but I will tell you that I have to be convinced on these three points. Cewe albums and photobooks have worked well for us.
5. Like Edition
Try that all the photographs have a similar edition, at least those that you are going to put together or those that are from the same day, same theme, section, etc. (depending on how you structure the album). This will make it more pleasing to the eye and in a few years it won’t look old fashioned.
Edit all photos similarly
6. Choose the cover well
With the cover you must summarize in an image what the album will be about. How many times have you decided to read a book or buy it for the cover? It has to suggest and invite you to enter. Choose the right photograph, dedicate the time you need.
In addition to the image, also choose the font you are going to use well. Try to be neutral colors or harmonize with photography. Colors of the same tonal range so that they do not divert attention and that it is beautiful and pleasing to the eye.
Choose a suitable cover
7. Familiarize yourself with the program
Before launching to put together the album, once you have decided with which company you are going to print it, spend some time bug his programme. The idea is that you know how it works, the templates it offers and others. This way you can better plan the album.
Some have a wizard that tells you how to proceed. Once you know the program you do not need it, but to familiarize yourself it is very good.
Use the wizard the first time
If you decide on Cewe, here is a tutorial from Mario to create your album with his program.
8. Organize the structure
It is time to organize the structure of the album, you have the templates, the selected photos and more or less the order (remember point 2). Help yourself with paper and a pen if necessary to make an outline of what the album will be like.
Keep in mind that, if it does not have a full opening (180º), you should not put a photo in the middle or, if you do, that the union of the two pages does not coincide with an important part of the photo. Here is an example of full opening and how it looks with a photo that occupies two pages:
If you are going to put a photo in the place of the opening, make sure that it is complete
In this other you have an example of opening book typenever put photos that are in the middle of the two pages if you ask for this type of opening.
book type opening
9. Make it dynamic
Try to make it dynamic and at the same time simple. How is it achieved? Follow these tips:
- Less is more, try not to saturate the pages with many photos.
- In the same sheet includes different sizes.
- That the different sheets are homogeneous in terms of number of photos. Try not to insert a full-size photo on one page and 20 photos on the next. That dizzy a bit. It is better to distribute the photos so that there is a similar number of photos in all of them.
- The same with frames, drawings and others. I am in favor of completely smooth albums, without a lot of drawings that in two years have become obsolete. The frames, if you use, that they are all the same, but try to keep them simple for the same reason as the drawings. If we talk about money… the same, the smoother the better. If you are worried that the background of your photo does not subtract prominence from the subject… how are you going to put a page background with a floral pattern that does not stick even with glue! Having the resource does not force you to use it… do it with measure or better not do it at all ;).
Avoid abusing patterned backgrounds, it is better that the photos have the leading role
The type of leaves you should avoid if you want that your album does not go out of style is something like the following.
It may seem very cute to you today, but in a few years you will not think the same
10. Beware…
With some aspects it is important to take special care. Let’s see with what.
sizes
If you get a warning that the photo does not have enough resolution for the size you are choosing, please pay attention to it. Make the photo smaller or change it to another. It is preferable that you make it small, or delete it, than that you skip this message and spoil all the work because this image looks regular.
the edges
Be careful not to put certain important elements on the edges. You run the risk of being left out. In theory it should not happen, but it is something that sometimes happens. Whoever avoids temptation… avoids danger ;).
delivery times
While most album printing companies tend to meet deadlines, the ideal is not to be complacent. Being cautious in this regard can save you an upset with a client or prevent a surprise from being crushed completely.
Sometimes the unforeseen happens, with printing, messaging or anything else. Do not rush times when ordering your album if you need it for a specific date. It happened to me once, they made me an order for a gift, it arrived on time but badly printed. And although Hoffman agreed with me, to send it back to me they asked me to reassemble the entire album. Impossible, I didn’t have time. The album turned out bad, those who commissioned me too, and I worse 🙁 .
11. Check it out
You’ve finished it, they burn your fingers to hit send, but no. It’s not the moment. Remember what I told you at the beginning, rushing is not good. Let the album sit for at least a day and review it. Try to see it with new eyes, like someone who observes it for the first time. Check if there is any error and if it is nice to see If you’re already bored with something you have to redo 😉 .
With this review you can avoid the occasional mistake like the ones that have happened to me of inserting a repeated or rotated photo… yes yes, what I was telling you about the rush was from my own experience. So, prepare yourself a coffee and enjoy the moment ;).
If after reading this article you are not sure if what you want is to have all those photos in an album or if you are looking for other ideas, in this article I will give you new ideas where to print your images.
I hope this article has clarified some doubts and illuminated the path. Yes it is…