Snapfish Photo Book Review

Snapfish are an online photo service, allowing you to share, print off and store images and purchase a range of quality personalised photo gifts using your favourite shots.  I had a go at making my own Snapfish photo book using photos from the summer holidays.

I opted for an 11" x 8" landscape photo book with a hard, custom cover.  The process was very simple, first picking the images, then choosing the book you want followed by the theme.  There are lots of different themes providing coordinating backgrounds for your photos.  Some premium themes have an extra charge attached.

I love the themes as they really make your book into something special.  I chose a premium theme, Hallmark Magical Memories.  This costs £5 extra and gives you twenty pages, each with a different but coordinating background. I then personalised my book by dragging and dropping images into the spaces.  I also added my own embellishments which I chose from a huge array of images and phrases to add to my project.  I was impressed with how easy it made it to create something a bit out of the ordinary.  The phrases such as "Splash", "Fun in the Sun", "At the Park" etc. worked well with pictures from our days out.  "Birthday Boy", "Time to Celebrate" and "Party Time" were perfect embellishments for Freddy's birthday snaps.

The layouts could be changed to include extra images, which is always important to me on account of my massive number of digital images that I want to see liberated from my hard drive.  Individual photos and text boxes can be dragged and dropped manually to further personalise the finished product.

I had a lot of fun making this book, and I had no idea that I had been creating for almost 2 hours before I was ready to order.  Making photo books can be quite time consuming when you get lost in the creative process! For those who don't have hours to spend, there is an autofill option which takes a fraction of the time.  But for me, I love getting creative and making a completely bespoke end product.

There are other optional extras you can add on.  I went for a paper upgrade giving thick, glossy, photo quality paper for my book.

My book arrived well packaged within the week.  Great service!

The theme and embellishments added a real element of fun to the book.  The kids loved the big, colourful pages, fun phrases and interesting photo layouts.  It told the story of our summer from Freddy's birthday in July to his first day at school perfectly!  We will treasure it for years to come.

Prices for the 11" x 8" hard custom cover photo books start at £24.99.

My top tip for making photo books is to create a new folder of the photos you want to include in your book on your computer, making sure the images are not too big.  This way, the upload will be quicker and easier to mange.  You will be able to double check which images you want before you begin making the book and upload them as a job lot ready to be used.  If you are like me and take ten shots of every picture, it can be tricky trying to find the best image whilst in the middle of making your book.  Taking the time to prepare which pics you want before you start makes the process much less stressful.

Find out more and make your own at Snapfish.

Photo Books from Vistaprint

Vistaprint is Europe's largest online personalised gifting company, selling a huge range of products for both home and business use.  I was given the opportunity to make a photo book for myself, so I could try out their service and review the end result.  

I love photo books.  They are such a creative way to organise favourite images into a beautifully bound book which will last forever.  They are also an ideal gift for loved ones.  Whether you are using old family photos or your latest digital captures,Vistaprint allows you to preserve your pictures using different backgrounds, layouts and added text.  

Vistaprint photo books are available in small, medium, large and extra large formats and come with leather, canvas or photographic hard covers.  Pages come as standard or can be upgraded to glossy finish.  Prices start at just £11.99.

The website is really easy to use.  I used the online editor version where you can work online, selecting photos from your computer to edit and create photo books of up to 70 pages.  There is also a download editor with advanced editing options giving more freedom, with special effects, masks and filters which creates books of up to 120 pages.

It is easy to place images on the page and make the book look how you want it to.  You can rearrange them and add text and change the backgrounds until you are happy to save your creation.  Alternatively you can auto-fill and let the editor make your book in a single click.  Ordering is easy.  You can upgrade to glossy paper, different cover finishes and a lay flat option.

Your finished photo book is a completely bespoke, personalised and individual creation that makes such a thoughtful gift.  With Mother's Day approaching, why not make your mum a book filled with her favourite family photos.  It would be a treasured gift that would last forever.

There are various postage and delivery options and the book arrives well packaged to your door.  I was delighted with the end result.  The A4 size, photo covered, glossy paged book is gorgeous.  The Chic Black background that I chose as a theme looks really effective against the photos.  I was very impressed with the whole experience.  Everyone who has seen the book has commented on how nice it is and how lovely the thick and glossy paper is - well worth the upgrade!

The total cost of my 21 x 28 cm photo book with the glossy paper and a photographic cover was £23.73, which is a very competitive price for such a lovely , bespoke photo book.

For more information and to order your own personalised photo books or other gifts visit  www.vistaprint.co.uk

Albelli For Father's Day Gifts

Photo Books...Perfect Presents For Father's Day

This June 17th it is Father's Day.  For the well organised among you, this may mean that you are thinking of what to buy your dad to mark this special day.  One idea for a really thoughtful present that will bring a lifetime of joy is a photo book.  Filled with favourite, family photos, a photobook really is the perfect keepsake that any dad will be thrilled to receive.

Albelli was voted no.1 by the gadget show (sure to impress any geeky dads out there!) and promises 100% satisfaction.  Moments captured on camera can be used to make a beautiful, bespoke photo book.  Don't keep those digital snaps stored on a computer...they deserve to be turned into something special!

There are many different sizes and formats to pick from with prices starting at just £6.95.  The designs and layouts can be personalised according to the style you want.  Covers can be personalised using a photo, or you can choose a coloured linen cover, or a luxurious leather finish.  Pages can be upgraded to a high gloss finish and extra pages can be added to include all those extra prints.   Each photo book really is as unique as you make it!  There is an auto-fill option if you want to make a photo book really quickly online.  You simply select your chosen photos and the book is created for you.  Alternatively you can create your own using the downloadable tools, giving total control over the design.

The website includes some inspirational ideas to get your creative juices flowing.  Ideas such as a Year Book, or a Family Tree or a 'This Is Your Life' style book can be created for your dad.  You could even photograph children's artwork and include drawings, which will preserve favourite portraits forever!

I was offered the chance to make a photo book for Father's Day and decided to make a book dedicated to our  recent holiday in Disneyland Paris featuring Ian on the cover!  I made a folder of photos I wanted to use then  used the downloadable tools to edit, organise and arrange my photos exactly how I wanted them using a plain white background.  I opted for a photo on the front cover which is an optional extra.  It is a lovely way to personalise the book with a photograph of dad!!

There are loads of masks, frames and backgrounds available to really add impact to your end result, but I went for a simple theme, using the maximum number of photos.  It is up to you how you want to present your pictures.  Text can be added to tell the story and share thoughts and memories.

Another optional extra is to get the pages upgraded to thick, glossy photo quality paper.  It really makes the finished product look like something special.

The finished book arrives well packaged.  The customer service is excellent and the turnaround is prompt.  Emails keep you informed of your book's progress.

As ever I am really impressed by the quality of the Albelli Photo Book that I created.  I'm sure that Ian will love seeing all our holiday snaps brought together in a gorgeous, glossy, quality photo book with his photo on the front cover!

Take a look at albelli.co.uk and discover their range of photographic products and be inspired to make your dad a beautiful and thoughtful gift this Father's Day.

Albelli Photo Books

Albelli produce the most incredible photo books for every occasion.  I like to regularly get my digital photos made into photo books, which are a wonderful way of preserving our memories.  So far, this February has given us some unexpected snow days, half term and Valentine's Day.  With so many fabulous photo opportunities I've got lots of lovely photographs of my family that deserve to be on display for everyone to look at.  So I was very pleased when Albelli offered me the chance to make my own photo book.

I love the Albelli site.  You can make photo books instantly by choosing which pictures you want including and letting the programme do the rest.  But I love the freedom of making my own.

Page layouts, backgrounds, number of photos per page, text and photo sizes can be played around with to create your own unique design.  I loved the creative freedom, dragging, dropping and cropping my pictures in my own way, picking colour schemes and adding text boxes.

It is quite intuitive and user friendly and regular save prompts ensure you don't lose your work!

Creating my Albelli Photo Book

When you have created your book you can choose optional extras such as a full photo front cover and extra thick glossy pages.  These make your creation even more special.

My Photo Book arrived a week after I made it which is a great turnaround time.  Email messages kept me informed of its progress along the way.  The books are sent in sturdy cardboard packaging and are wrapped in plastic so they don't get damaged.

I have to confess that I let out a little gasp of joy when I saw my book.  It was so glossy and colourful.  No wonder Albelli were voted as the No1 Photo Book by The Gadget Show!

My Valentine's Cupcakes on the Cover

Different Layouts 

Thick, glossy pages

Valentine's Day Photos

Funky Backgrounds

Prices start at just £6.95.  

They would make a fabulous, unique and thoughtful gift for Mother's Day filled with family photos.

Find out more at Albelli.co.uk