Photo Books

[londonpenguin]

I've uploaded my photos to Kodak EasyShare Gallery (or whatever they're calling themselves these days) and was about to order prints when I noticed something called Photo Books. Apparently, Kodak can print your photos directly into an album-type thingy, so you don't get a bunch of prints that you have to then put in an album.

Has anyone ever ordered a Photo Book? I find the idea of a printed book appealing, but I'm wondering what the quality is like.

Thanks for any feedback!

 

[fitzperry]

I've ordered several of them and have been pretty impressed with the quality. The books are nicely bound, and the print quality isn't bad. The things that kind of disappointed me were the very limited number of templates/layouts and the limited space for text, despite there being plenty of blank space on the pages. I think they've added some new templates since I last did one, so maybe some of that has been remedied. My favorite book was one I did of my extended family's Christmas Eve photos from the late 60's and early 70's (my dad had scanned a bunch of my grandfather's old slides)--I had several books printed and gave them as gifts, and they were a huge hit.

 

[jann1033]

i ordered one from snapfish and it was really nice, with theirs the cover is a translucent "frame" so you first pic shows the center( they were of my daughters trip to hawaii so the translucent frame part had little palm trees on it.) i thought it was very reasonable and would make a nice presentation as well as protected the pics. i may make one for some of our vacation pics.
in the olden days ( when i was little) we used to get our pic bound with plastic binders that were kind of cheesy but these are much nicer

 

[rtphokie]

i ordered one from snapfish and it was really nice, with theirs the cover is a translucent "frame" so you first pic shows the center( they were of my daughters trip to hawaii so the translucent frame part had little palm trees on it.) i thought it was very reasonable and would make a nice presentation as well as protected the pics. i may make one for some of our vacation pics.
in the olden days ( when i was little) we used to get our pic bound with plastic binders that were kind of cheesy but these are much nicer

I was unimpressed with snapfish's books. They are just 4x6 photos punched with holes and spiral bound.

The result is too stiff, too heavy and doesn't feel like a book at all. The pages tend to stick together for some reason.

 

[Miller1412]

Check out the new ones from Shutterfly. They are awesome. I just made one of our trip with 50 pages and it is beautiful...like something you'd pick up at the bookstore. You can select background papers, layouts, cover styles, etc. It's fabulous.

 

[londonpenguin]

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[dmslush]

Check out the new ones from Shutterfly. They are awesome. I just made one of our trip with 50 pages and it is beautiful...like something you'd pick up at the bookstore. You can select background papers, layouts, cover styles, etc. It's fabulous.

I agree! I just got one from Shutterfly and it is beautiful! It has a leather cover, and would be great as small coffee table book.

 

[budbeerlady]

What is a good place to purchase a photo book of our last trip? I would love to make one for DD. I am looking for a smaller sized, maybe 5*7 hardcover. Thanks!

 

[Steve's Girl]

Snapfish.com

 

[garris3404]

Try shutterfly or clark clor labs.

 

[gruZ]

We did a few for Christmas presents from ofoto.com (which I believe Kodak has either purchased or handles their fulfullment). Very satisfied with the process and results.

 

[Cinderella2004]

Have you checked out the new disneyphotopass site??? I was there the other day and couldn't believe the memory books they had!!! They are larger than what you specified, but the backgrounds are awesome.

You can upload your own pictures to the site. No need at all to have a photopass card.

They are expensive. But I'm totally doing one for our next trip. LOL

 

[RadioNate]

I've used mypublisher.com with good results.

 

[MassJester]

I picked up three books on Amazon that I wanted to recommend:

Complete Digital Photography, 3rd ed by Ben Long
528 pages plus CD rom

I'm only a few hundred pages into this book, but it offers a wide range of valuable advice no matter where you are in the spectrum of digital photography: gonna buy a camera, have a point and shoot, looking to upgrade to a DSLR, have a DSLR.

Chapter headings include: How a Digital Camera Works; Basic Photography: a Quick Primer; Evaluating an Image; Chosing a Digital Camera; Building a Workstation; Shooting; Manual Exposure; Special Shooting; Preparing Your Images for Editing; Correcting Tone and Color; Building Your Editing Arsenal; Essential Imaging Tactics; Special Effects; Output​

Understanding Exposure, revised ed by Bryan Peterson
159 pages

Now this book was built with film jockeys in mind (yes, yes, I use film...) but the light lessons are good for people who use either platform.

Chapter headings include: Defining Exposure; Apperture; Shutter Speed; Special Techniques and Filters; Film vs. Digital​

The Photographer's Guide to Filters by Lee Frost
144 pages

Years ago I went nuts and bought all sorts of filters for my Minolta SLR. I put the polarizing filters on my lenses, and the rest have sat in their cases through two Presidential administrations. Why? I didn't know what to do with them and was too lazy to find out what all the fuss was about.
After reading this book, I have a mkuch better understanding of the opportunities that a modest set of filters can afford the picture taker.

Chapter headings include: Chosing a Filter System; Polarizing Filters; Graduated Filters; Colour Balancing Filters; Neutral Density, Skylight and UV Filters; Filters for Black and White Photogrpahy; Soft Focus Filters; Using Colour Filters; Filters for Special Effects; Close-Up Filters; Filters for Infra Red Photography; Combining Filters​

Good stuff in these volumes for folks who are looking to broaden their skill set.

 

[barrie]

Thanks for the recommendations. I second Understanding Exposure.

And I'll add a photoshop book to the list:

The Photoshop CS2 Book for Digital Photographers, by Scott Kelby
480 pages

Excellent book for novices because it has easy to understand, step-by-step instructions for doing everything from cropping to fixing photos that should have had a flash to printing. The photos are fabulous for following along and being able to see the before and after. I've learned tons from this book and use it all the time.​

Massjester - you're better than me for typing out the chapter headings. I'll just include this list cut and pasted from the amazon page:​

The sharpening techniques the pros really use (there's an entire chapter on, just this!)
The pros tricks for fixing the most common digital photo problems fast!
The step-by-step set-up for getting what comes out of your printer to match exactly what you saw on screen
The retouching secrets of how the pros retouch portraits
How to process raw digital camera images (plus how to take advantage of all the new Camera Raw features of CS2!)
How to color correct any photo without breaking a sweat (you'll be amazed at how easy it is–once you know the secret)
A whole chapter on the latest, most requested Photoshop special effects
How to reduce noise, deal with lens problems, avoid halos, and more How to show your work like a pro!
Plus a host of shortcuts, workarounds, and slick "insider" tricks to send your productivity through the roof!
​

 

[fairestoneofall]

I "third" Understanding Exposure.

 

[MassJester]

I can just hear it now -- stop reading about taking pictures and get out and take some, but...

I was meandering through a Barnes & Noble today and found a periodical from the UK that is certainly worth looking at. Digital Camera world has a wealth of beautiful photography, easy to understand instruction, and fine points of inspiration--all in the Queen's English.

It's a bit pricey on our side of "the pond" but worth a look if you've got some coins burning a whole in your pocket.

 

[Diz-Mommy]

Just wondering who here has purchased a book from the Photo Pass site, and what they thought of the finished product. I'm a Creative Memories consultant and my "consultant side" says I should make a StoryBook on the CM site, but the problem is they don't have any Disney Templates as of yet... But it appears as if there are only a handful of templates to choose from on Disney's Photo Pass site however, and the ones I'm seeing are rather cheesy IMO.

I guess I'm wondering how happy you were with your book. What was the page quality like? Are the prints crystal clear? Was it easy to make? Do you think it will last for years to come?? I have two little boys that will no doubt want to look at it over and over again. Would you consider the construction sturdy (as much a book can be that is)

Thanks in advance for any input!

 

[Diz-Mommy]

Anyone??

 

[Lanshark]

I have a lot of digital pictires that I want to have printed.

I can print at Target for about 15 cents a copy. I've used them before and was happy. The problem is how to display/store them once printed. We're probably talking about a couple of thousand pictures. I hate to stick them in a box but am not sure what type of album to use where the pictures won't degrade too badly.

Photo books are cool but the most I can find in one is 400 pictures at about $100. I'd love to hear if anyone has done this.

Any ideas would be appreciated. It's a summer project.