Snapfish:Help: Photo Books

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Create photo books

Overview

Book Covers

Create an Express Book
Create a Photo Book

Choose the Size, Cover, and Theme
Select Photos
Create Page Layouts
Write Captions
Organise Pages
Control Icons
Placing Photos and Editing Pages
Save Your Photo Book
Preview Your Photo Book
Share Your Photo Book
Order Your Photo Book

Overview
Select Photos
Organise Pages
Add and remove pages
Save Your Photo Book
Preview and Order Your Photo Book
Share Your Photo Book

Overview

A photo book is a custom-made book, designed by you, that showcases your photos in a beautiful, professional-quality, and durable format.

Unlike a photo album, in which prints are attached to paper pages or inserted into plastic slots, a photo book prints your photos directly onto the pages, so it looks like a published book. In addition, you can choose page styles, write captions, edit your photos, and much more.

When you create a photo book you can:

Work on your photo book from any computer connected to the internet
Share your photo book online
Use photos in your albums and your friends' albums to create your photo book

Snapfish offers five sizes of photo books and many different covers:

12" x 12" Signature Photo book, available in leather cover
8" x 11" Classic Photo Book, available in personalised hardcover, custom jacket cover, leather, and linen cover
8" x 8" Square Photo Book, available in personalised hardcover and custom jacket cover
5" x 7" Everyday Photo Book, available in hardcover
Custom cover photo book: 8" x 8"
Custom cover photo book: 8" x 11"
Classic Hard Cover Book:11"x8"
Classic Soft Cover Book:11"x8"
2" x 3" Mini Book, available in soft-cover

Book Covers

There are many covers to choose from when creating your photo book. This list provides you with a description of all our covers. Please note all covers are not available for all photo books.

Signature Photo Book leather covers - Photo book is professionally bound in soft leather, no photo on cover
Hardcover linen and leather cover - Photo book is printed on long lasting acid-free paper, one photo is displayed on centre of cover page
Personalised hardcover - Photos and captions are printed directly on the cover of a hardcover bound photo book
Hardcover - Photo book is bound in acid-free paper cover with one photo displayed in centre of cover
Custom Jacket Cover - Hardcover photo book includes personalised dust jacket. Customise front, back, spine and flaps with photos and captions.

Note: To create a photo book, you must have Macromedia Flash Player 9 or higher installed in your browser. If you do not have Flash 9, you will see a pop-up window asking whether you would like to download it. Downloading Flash is fast, easy, safe, and free.

Create an Express Book

With our exclusive Magic Layouts, creating an Express Photo Book is a snap. Just choose your photos, sit back, and we'll do the rest. You can always rearrange your photos, add captions, and change the theme and cover style once you start building your book. To get started:

Roll your mouse over the Products menu under the Shop section at the top of the page.
Click on Photo Books in the menu that appears.
On the next page, click on the type of Photo Book that you want to create.
Follow the "Express Books" link in the menu on the left side of the page.
You can learn more about Express Photo Books on the next page. When you're ready to get started, click the "create an express book" button.
Your book will be automatically filled with all of the photos from the album you started with. If you want to add more, click the "get photos" button at the right side of the page.
- To select a photo to include in your book, simply click it and it will be added to the collected photos in the right-hand column.
- To de-select a photo, click the grey "X" at the lower right corner of the photo under "your collected photos." To add photos from a different album, use the menu on the left side of the page to select another album.
When you've selected your photos and are ready to continue, click the "done" button. Your photos will be automatically placed in your book using our Magic Layouts. A magic layout randomly arranges the photos on a page. You can add up to 15 photos to a magic layout.
To place photos in any empty photo spots, simply drag a photo from the collected photos at the right into an empty area labelled "drag photo here" in the book template or anywhere on the page.
Make any changes to your photo book's layout, if you want. To change your book's photo layouts, backgrounds, or photo borders, click the related tab to view your options. When you find an option you'd like to use, drag and drop it into the page you want to edit.
To add a caption or message to any page, hover your mouse over the page and click "add title" in the menu that appears near the top. This will add a new caption area to your page. Click "add text" to bring up a small window where you can type your caption, and choose the font, size, colour, and positioning of your text. When you're done, click the "apply changes" button and your caption will appear on the page.
Once you're happy with all of the pages in your photo book, click the "preview" button to review your book before you order. If you're happy with your photo book and ready to check out, click "order this book." If you need to make more changes, click "close" to continue editing.

Tip: You can also save your book or send your book project to a friend by using the icons at the top of the page. If you save your book and use autofill in it later, your new pages will have regular layouts, rather than Magic Layouts.
On the next page, choose your photo book's cover colour and enter the number of books you'd like to order. Check the box next to "Yes, I have reviewed my book," and click the "add to cart" button.

Create a Photo Book

Roll your mouse over the Products menu under the Shop section at the top of the page.
Click on Photo Books in the menu that appears.
On the next page, click on the type of photo book that you want to create.

Choose the Size, Cover, and Theme

On the next page, choose the size and cover of your book by clicking the "Create now" link below the book you would like to create.

NOTE: If you change your mind, click the "Change" link on the right and you'll be taken back to the selection page. Please note that you cannot make changes to the book size and cover later in the process.
On the following page choose the cover for your photo book by clicking one of the suggested covers or choosing from all available covers in the "Covers" section. Your cover choice will preview in the middle section.
Next, choose the theme for your book. Click on each theme to see how it will look in your book.
Then click "Make this book" at the bottom of the page.

Select Photos

On the following page, click the "Get photos" button under "Your collected photos" to select photos for your book.
You will see a list of your albums on the left. Click on any album to see the photos previewed in the middle section.

NOTE: You can select photos from your friends' albums or photos from your projects by clicking and selecting from the drop-down menu
To view your photos larger or smaller, drag the toggle bar below the photos to the left or right.
You can either click the photos you would like to select or drag and drop them into "Your collected photos" on the right. Click "Add all" to add all photos in the album, or "Remove all" if you change your mind.

NOTE: To remove individual photos once they're in "Your collected photos", point mouse over the photo and click on the "X"
When you are finished selecting photos for your book click the "Done" button. You can always add more photos later.

NOTE: If you would like to have your photo book automatically created with the photos you have selected check the box "Autofill using these photos" before clicking "Done". If you have selected more photos than the book can hold you will get the option of adding more pages.

Create Page Layouts

At the bottom of the page you see three tabs: "Layout", "Backgrounds", and "Borders". These three controls give you layout and design options for each page of your book.
To change a photo layout for a page, click the "Layout" tab. Choose how many photos you would like for your layout by clicking "1 photo", "2 photos", and so on. Then drag the layout you prefer onto the photo page.

NOTE: Magic layouts are a fun way to rearrange a page. Just select a normal photo layout, then drag and drop photos into the photo area. Once you have selected photos for the whole page click on "Magic layouts", and then drag one of the magic layouts onto the page in the book. Your photos will magically rearrange themselves. If you don't like the new layout just click the "Undo" icon at the top of the page.
A caption box will sometimes be part of the design. You do not have to write anything here, your photo book will be printed without the box on the page if it's left blank.
To change the background for a page, click the "Backgrounds" tab. The first selection of backgrounds you'll see will be from the theme you chose when you started making your book. To select a background drag and drop it onto the preferred page.

NOTE: You can select background designs from different themes by clicking one of the theme names above the designs or selecting a group of themes from the drop-down menu on the left.
To add borders to a photo, click the "Borders" tab. Drag and drop the selected border onto the photo or check the "Apply all" box to add the same border to all photos in your book.

Placing Photos and Editing Pages

Drag and drop a photo from "Your collected photos" onto an available photo slot in the book.
To remove a photo from the book, either drag and drop another photo on top of the old one, or point mouse over photo and click "Delete".
To edit a photo in your book point mouse over photo and click "Edit".
In the photo editor pop-up window you can rotate, add effect, zoom, control brightness, enhance colour, flip, and remove red eye. Click "Apply changes" to save.
If you don't like your changes click the "Revert changes" link to revert to the original photo.
Point mouse to any page in your book and an option bar will pop up. You can add or remove pages, add or remove caption, shuffle photos, and move captions.
To shuffle photos, click on "Shuffle photos". This will create a "Magic layout" with the photos on your page.
To move a caption click on "Move title", then click on an arrow to select where you would like to move your caption.

Write Captions

Some page layouts include space to write captions. These spaces appear in a box usually below a photo with "Add text". Click the box to open the caption editor.
Here you can select font, size, colour, and how you would like the text to be aligned. When you're satisfied with your caption, click "Apply changes".

NOTE: The maximum number of characters allowed will depend on the font and font size.

Organise Pages

On the right hand side of the photo book application there are two icons. Click these to change how you view your photo book.
Click "View all pages" icon for the storyboard view. Here you can add, delete, and rearrange the pages in your book.
Rearrange pages by dragging and dropping them in the order you would like.
To change to single-sided pages, where your photos are printed on the right hand page only, select "Single-sided pages". You must have fewer than 65 pages in your book to do this.
Click on "View 2 page spread" to continue working on your photo book.

Control Icons

There are 10 icons running along the top row of the photo book application, the list below goes through these in detail.

Save - Click on the save icon often to save your photo book. Your book will also be automatically saved at regular intervals.
Undo - Click this icon to undo an action. You will get a list of recent actions to choose from, choose one or more actions to undo.
Redo - Click this icon to repeat an action taken or to if you change your mind about an undo-action.
Themes - Use this icon to change the theme for the entire book. If you only want to change the theme for certain pages click the "Backgrounds" tab at the bottom.
Covers - Select from available covers for your photo book. For example, leather or linen.
Pages - Add or remove pages anywhere in the book.
Autofill - Create your book automatically with your selected photos. Use existing set of photos or select new ones.
Share - Share your photo books with friends and family. Clicking this icon will open a pop-up window. Type your recipients' email addresses and a short message, then click "Share book".
Preview - Flick through your finished book as it will appear when it's printed. It's very important you do this carefully before ordering your book
Order photo book - Click to order your photo book. If you have not filled all available photo slots you will be given the option of completing your book or continuing your order.

Save Your Photo book

You don't have to complete your photo book in one session. If you prefer, you can save it and return at any time to work on it again.
Simply click on the "Save" icon at the left in the row of icons at top.
When you save your photo book you will be given instructions on where to find the saved book if you return at a later date.
Once you've logged-in, roll your mouse over the Photos menu at the top of the page.
Click on Go to your photo library in the menu that appears.
Then click "Owned projects" under the "Projects" menu in the toolbar to the right of the page.
Under "Saved photo books" click on the photo book you would like to continue working on.

Preview Your Photo Book

After you've completed placing your photos and editing your pages, it's time to preview your photo book.
First, click the "Preview" icon towards to right of the row of icons at top.
On the following page, use the buttons at the bottom to page through your book. You can also use the drop down menu to take you to a specific page.
When you're satisfied with your photo book, click "Order photo book."

Share Your Photo Book

You can share your photo book with your friends and family, so they can enjoy it online or order copies of their own.
Just click the "Share" icon towards the right of the row of icons at top.
In the following pop-up window enter recipients' emails, write a message, and click "Share book".

Order Your Photo Book

After you've previewed your photo book and made final changes (if necessary), it's time to order it!
First, click the "Order photo book" icon at the right in the row of icons at top.
On the next page you will see a summary of your photo book including number of pages, type of cover, and price. Select quantity by clicking up or down on the arrows.
You must then check the box "Yes, I have reviewed my photo book". If you would like to make changes at this stage click the "Edit photo book" button.
Click the "Add to cart" button to purchase your book.

Create a Photobook

Create Photo Pocket Books

NOTE: Mini Books allow for exactly 25 photos, since each photo takes up an entire page. You can change the order of the photos once you have selected them.

Roll your mouse over the Products menu under the Shop section at the top of the page.
Click on Photo books in the menu that appears.
On the next page, click on the type of photo book that you want to create.
From the store, click "Photo Book" in the list of favourites on the left side of the page.
On the next page, select "Mini book". Then click "Create mini book".

Select Photos

Note: pocket books allow for exactly 25 photos, since each photo takes up an entire page. You can change the order of the photos once you've selected them.

After you click "get started," you'll see a new page with a list of your albums to the left of the page.
Click on any album title, and the photos in that album will be displayed on the main part of the screen. To view friends' albums, click the arrow next to "your albums" and then select "friends' albums".
Pocket books allow for a total of 25 photos: 1 for the cover, and 24 for each of 24 pages. You can add any individual photo by clicking on it, or you can add all of the photos in an album by clicking "add all" at the top of the page. To remove any photo, simply roll over it in the photo well at the right, then click the red "click to remove" label.

Note: You can change the order of the photos on the next page, once you've selected them.
Navigate through your albums to select the 25 photos you'd like to use for your set of pocket books.
Next, add a cover title in the caption box at the top right of the page.
When you have finished selecting photos, click "build my book" at the top of the page.

Organize Pages

You will see the photos you selected placed in the book in the order that you chose them on the previous page.
You can change the order of these photos by clicking "sort pages."
You will see the pages lined up in the center of the screen. To move a page from one place to another, just click on a page and drag it to the position where you want it. Then release the click. The page will drop in to its new position, moving the other pages over by a single page.
When you're satisfied with your new organization, click "OK."

Add and Remove Photos

At any time while you create your Photo Book, you can add and/or remove photos.
To remove a photo you've placed in your book, simply roll over it with your mouse and click the trash can icon. This will only remove the photo from its place in the Photo Book, not delete it from your selected photos or your Snapfish account.
To add new photos to your book, just click "select photos" and choose more photos. Remember, pocket books can only have 25 photos, so if you'd like to add a new photo and you have already chosen 25, you will need to remove one first.

Save Your Photo Book

You don't have to complete your Photo Book in one session. If you prefer, you can save it and return at any time to work on it again.
Simply click on the "save for later" button at the bottom left of the screen.
To return to your Photo Book, go to your photo library by clicking the "photos" tab at the top of most screens.
Then click "projects" in the toolbar to the left of the page.
Click "your projects" in the menu that opens up beneath "projects."
You'll see any Photo Books (and calendars) that you have ordered or saved in the main part of the page. Click on any Photo Book to open it.

Preview and Order Your Photo Book

After you've completed placing your photos and editing your pages, it's time to preview your Photo Book.
First, click "preview and order" at the bottom right of the page.
On the following page, use the buttons at the bottom to page through your book. The button to the far left takes you back to the beginning, and the button on the far right takes you all the way to the end.
To edit any page, click "edit this page" to be taken back to the build mode, where you can make any changes you wish.
If you want to change anything else about your Photo Book, click the "back" button (NOT your browser's back button, but the one within the Photo Book page) to return to the previous page.
When you're satisfied with your Photo Book, click "order book."
A pop-up will appear asking you how many pocket book sets you would like to order.
Select your quantity, then click "add to cart".

Note: Once you place your order, your Photo Book is saved in your Snapfish account. If you ever want to edit it or order more copies, just go to your photo library and click "projects" in the toolbar to the left of the page. Then click "previous projects," and you'll see all of the Photo Books (and calendars) that you have ordered in the main part of the page. Click on any Photo Book to open it.

Share Your Photo Book

You can share your Photo Book with your friends and family, so they can enjoy it online or order copies of their own. Learn how to share your Photo Book.

Still have questions?