Need help making photo book on a budget

[las3888]

Hi all,

I would like to put together a photo album of all the shots I have taken of my Cub Scout den through the year. Last year I spent hours upon hours (days) of pretty much manually cutting and pasting photos together and photocopying. I know there has to be something better/easier/faster and more affordable!

I have probably in the neighborhood of 150 photos, although I could whittle it down some. They are mostly on an SD chip or emailed to me.

Is there some kind of photo program online (free?) that will let me easily upload and plop in photos into an album template? I don't mind printing on plain paper(I have a color inkjet at home). I know that Shutterfly and other services will put these books together, but they are pricey. I need to do 9 books and don't want to spend any money if possible, but am willing to spend a few dollars per book if I have to and know that it's going to be easy and FAST!

ANY ideas???!!! Please help!

 

[las3888]

Oops, I didn't realize that I had posted this twice. Sorry!

 

[elaine amj]

Give each kid a CD of their photos - very cheap and easy to do. I know for me, I would prefer this, particularly with a 150 photos!

Alternatively, Microsoft Word actually has some nice templates that are easy to use. It can become a VERY large file though - so watch out. I've learned since to compress the pics. I just did a search for Microsoft Word scrapbook template. I like how they have manipulated the layers - I used that for my first photobook. Turned out looking awesome (still took me a ridiculous number of hours).

The other option is that a lot of places (like Walgreens photos) offer a collage printout. It's about 39 cents a print and can hold 10-20 photos easily. I did one for a vacation we took and pinned it up on my fridge. I had about 8 photos on there and it looked great. 15 pages per kid is about $6 per kid. They have templates for the photo collages.

Also, I just found this eHow talking about collages. Apparently Word has collage add-on you can use. Or else you can do it in Picnik as well.

http://www.ehow.com/how_8361564_create-printable-collage.html

Have fun!

 

[rachael_9667]

Shutterfly.com for sure

Try signing up at similac.com for a new baby in your family, they are offering a code for a free photobook for shutterfly (you pay only shipping) for new members.

I love Shutterfly and have used it exclusively for 7 years now - no complaints at all and my books are beautiful!

 

[ShariVT]

huge fan of shutterfly you could make one book and then let the kids parents order a copy if they want otherwise I think just a cd of the photos.

 

[labdogs42]

I'd make a Shutterfly share site for the group. Then people can download the pictures they want, order prints, or books, etc. The sites are free to set up. You can also put together a book and people can order copies if they want them. I did that for my son's class last year and it was great! I paid for a copy for my son and bought one for his teacher, but everyone else was on their own! Shutterfly runs great deals so even if I have a book finished, I don't always order it right away. I wait for the 40 or 50% off sale!

 

[elaine amj]

Shutterfly.com for sure

Try signing up at similac.com for a new baby in your family, they are offering a code for a free photobook for shutterfly (you pay only shipping) for new members.

I love Shutterfly and have used it exclusively for 7 years now - no complaints at all and my books are beautiful!

Echo the love for Shutterfly. Their templates are very user friendly. I have done two books now when they've had deals for free books. I like a PP's idea of making a book and sitting on it until the next deal. I'm stealing that one!!

 

[Pesky]

Yep, try shutterfly. Watch retailmenot.com and check on coupons.

 

[labdogs42]

Or, if you just want to print hard copies, use Power Point, Picasa, or Microsoft Word. Photoshop or Photoshop Elements would work, too. Then you could save the book as a .pdf and/or print copies.