iPhoto photo book replacement

[WESTEAST]

Always used Apple's iPhoto built-in photo service for our Cruise photo books and was very pleased with template choices that allowed me to include lots of narrative. Now that Apple discontinued this built-in service (Sept 2018), I wonder if anyone has recommendations that will deliver same quality? 

[pierces]

46 minutes ago, WESTEAST said:

Always used Apple's iPhoto built-in photo service for our Cruise photo books and was very pleased with template choices that allowed me to include lots of narrative. Now that Apple discontinued this built-in service (Sept 2018), I wonder if anyone has recommendations that will deliver same quality? 

 

I have used Blurb for years. Very pleased with the excellent material quality and options available.

 

Latest Picture-A-Year book: https://www.blurb.com/bookstore/invited/7971678/14554e361b6a89b73a855d1b831e6b5e4961386f

 

Dave

[Dan_K]

1 hour ago, pierces said:

 

I have used Blurb for years. Very pleased with the excellent material quality and options available.

 

 

Dave

 

Also, if you use Lightroom, the book module in LR exports directly to Blurb for book printing. You set up the book in LR and export directly to Blurb. 

[WESTEAST]

Thanks I will look at Blurb and do not use Lightroom.  Any feedback on Shutterfly?  

[pierces]

2 hours ago, WESTEAST said:

Thanks I will look at Blurb and do not use Lightroom.  Any feedback on Shutterfly?  

 

Blurb has free software you can download. They have Booksmart which is simple and pretty intuitive. They also have BookWright which is more advanced. There are online templates and iPhone/iPad tools as well. 

 

https://www.blurb.com/bookmaking-tools

 

No experience with Shutterfly.

 

 

Dave

[zackiedawg]

I used a company for a while called MyPublisher, which then got bought out by Shutterfly.  They seem similar, both in cost and style...but I haven't actually done a book with Shutterfly.  They use online templates to build the book.  I would prefer a downloaded software, but I also like more book size layouts - in particular I like 8x11 and 11x14, as opposed to 8x10 or 11x13, just because I almost always shoot in 3:2 format and that means less cropping and better page fit overall.  I have actually been considering giving Shutterfly a try for a Florida bird book.

[Crew News]

Another vote for Blurb. 

 

I create youth sports photobooks for a friend whose son participates in every school and community sport available.  During the layout phase, Blurb warns if any photo has less than the needed ppi to make a good print so that adjustments can be made to ensure an amazing photobook.

[marysb]

I really like Mixbook. They  have great templates and backgrounds ( the best I’ve seen) for a themed book ....like cruises, beach, tropical vacation,  etc.  Or you can have a modern sleek look.   Very user friendly.  I have also used the Apple Books and liked them because you didn’t have to be online to use it, but mixbook was more versatile for layout, font, layering, etc.  Quality was similar.

Edited November 9, 2019 by marysb

[Mr. Click]

Echoing everything Dave said about Blurb.  They do a great job.  We did a land trip to Venice, Vienna and Budapest in September and it was my first adventure with the Sony A6400 after way too many years of SLRs and DSLRs.  I just finished the book yesterday and here is my link.

 

https://www.blurb.com/bookstore/invited/8394646/25a7d8b965bf7396156bb6c5206d3d98388dff03

 

We did not get out a lot early or late so this was really shot on the fly with a camera I am still learning but all in all I am happy with the results and anxiously wiaitng to see the printed version on Nov 27.  I used Bookwright because I like doing my own layouts and keeping things in some order.  

[pierces]

45 minutes ago, Mr. Click said:

  I used Bookwright because I like doing my own layouts and keeping things in some order.  

 

I took another route on my Picture-a-Week books and the wedding albums. I chose the full two-page spread option, got the exact pixel dimensions from the page layout and created my own layout in Photoshop. When a page is done, I export as a JPEG and just drop it onto the page spread.

 

This is what a ready to paste two-page spread image looks like for a 10x8 standard landscape:

 

For the large landscape in the wedding albums, I used individual assembled page-sized images :

 

 

Some basic Photoshop skills are necessary, but it allows for any possible layout or background.

 

Dave

 

 

[Mr. Click]

Interesting idea Dave, I never thought of it.  I have always just done my layouts in bookwright.   All in all I am happy with Blurb.  They do good work and they sand behind their work.  I had one book come in with a smudge or maybe a smashed bug on one page.  I sent them an email and with in an hour I had a reply asking for a picture of the problem and and a few minutes later they said a whole new book was on the way.  A whole lot better than Mixbooks response to a complaint on the last book they did for me.a few years ago.

[effinaround]

22 hours ago, Mr. Click said:

Echoing everything Dave said about Blurb.  They do a great job.  We did a land trip to Venice, Vienna and Budapest in September and it was my first adventure with the Sony A6400 after way too many years of SLRs and DSLRs.  I just finished the book yesterday and here is my link.

 

https://www.blurb.com/bookstore/invited/8394646/25a7d8b965bf7396156bb6c5206d3d98388dff03

 

We did not get out a lot early or late so this was really shot on the fly with a camera I am still learning but all in all I am happy with the results and anxiously wiaitng to see the printed version on Nov 27.  I used Bookwright because I like doing my own layouts and keeping things in some order.  

You've got some wonderful images there!  Thank you for sharing this as I enjoyed the whole thing on a very cold and crisp, waaaaaaaaaaay below seasonal, November morning!

[Mr. Click]

4 hours ago, effinaround said:

You've got some wonderful images there!  Thank you for sharing this as I enjoyed the whole thing on a very cold and crisp, waaaaaaaaaaay below seasonal, November morning!

Thanks, it was a great trip even without a cruise involved. It was also my first real outing with the Sony a6400 so it was a lot of learning on the fly.  As for the cold, I gave that up 7 years ago and I am enjoying sunny and 70s toady :).