I'd like to make a photobook/portfolio? Any advice please?

[SergeTheBlerge]

I've got a bunch of edited photos and so far have only shared through online forums and my Pixoto page. I'm not sure exactly where to go to get the best quality paper and prints. The first site available everywhere seems to be Shutterfly but I hear they may be iffy in print quality and may come fairly expensive. I was thinking a semi-large book, like 12"X12".

I have both edited photos from my old 12MP Canon and my newer 24MP Rebel. I would like to make some pages as full photos and others perhaps with multiple photos. Would anyone recommend me blowing up the 24MP shots and save only the 12MP ones for smaller frames in the book? To avoid any noise/distortion/pixels? Anything else to look out for?

Any good sites or advice I'd very much appreciate. Unless of course it is better to go to a local photo shop and have it done in person. What are all your experiences with creating photobooks? Thanks!

[Stagecoach]

Would anyone recommend me blowing up the 24MP shots and save only the 12MP ones for smaller frames in the book? To avoid any noise/distortion/pixels? Anything else to look out for?!

Sergio,

I don't think there's any standard recommendation that can be made for that question, as it depends upon the specific images.

For example, I have many images taken with a 12MP camera that can be blown up well but also many pictures taken with a 36MP camera that due to lets simply say 'operator error' could not.

[Shadowman]

I've used Blurb, they have a limited file size you can use and the output is quite good; obviously print medium will make the difference in quality.

http://www.blurb.com/?q=blurb&form=E....blurb.com%2F=

[Mike Buckley]

If you explain who you are making the book for and the purpose for which you are making it, you'll get much more helpful responses. As an example, I use Blurb, but that's because their print technology, quality and cost meet my needs for giving books to friends. If your needs are different from mine, you may need a higher quality print technology, which will come at a higher price.

[ST1]

I too have used Blurb for printing books of some of my images. I found them to be helpful, in fact they reprinted one for me even though the problem was caused by user error.
From memory when you upload your images to their servers ( I do so from within Lightroom) you do get notifications of problem images, e.g. I uploaded one that still had some transparent areas, oops :-(. Their book production process also advises the user of images that are not of a suitable resolution.


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[george013]

Consider flat opening too. Special when you want to use multi page photo's.

George

[Mike Buckley]

Another tip is to wait for a sale regardless of the company you choose unless you have an impending deadline. It seems that all companies have sales from time to time. I don't think I've ever used Blurb at less than 20% off the regular price.

[jisner]

I've got a bunch of edited photos and so far have only shared through online forums and my Pixoto page. I'm not sure exactly where to go to get the best quality paper and prints. The first site available everywhere seems to be Shutterfly but I hear they may be iffy in print quality and may come fairly expensive. I was thinking a semi-large book, like 12"X12".

I have both edited photos from my old 12MP Canon and my newer 24MP Rebel. I would like to make some pages as full photos and others perhaps with multiple photos. Would anyone recommend me blowing up the 24MP shots and save only the 12MP ones for smaller frames in the book? To avoid any noise/distortion/pixels? Anything else to look out for?

Any good sites or advice I'd very much appreciate. Unless of course it is better to go to a local photo shop and have it done in person. What are all your experiences with creating photobooks? Thanks!

If you're an Adobe Lightroom user, check out the Book module. You can layout your entire book from cover to cover and when finished, export as PDF or even interface directly with Blurb to have it printed. Disclaimer: I haven't used Blurb.

See this Adobe article, How to make a photo book

[Urbanflyer]

I did a book with blurb for my son's 40th birthday and was very happy with it. Used their program for layout and found it to be very flexible. The book was ultimately 117 pages and not cheap, but well worth it.

[ST1]

If you're an Adobe Lightroom user, check out the Book module. You can layout your entire book from cover to cover and when finished, export as PDF or even interface directly with Blurb to have it printed. Disclaimer: I haven't used Blurb.

See this Adobe article, How to make a photo book

If you do use Lightroom to put the book together, you can get a discount on the cost by allowing the Blurb logo to be included on the inner last page.


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[Mike Buckley]

Blurb also used to give about a 20% discount to first-time users who use Lightroom to create and upload the book. I don't know if that promotion is still in effect.

[DanK]

I have used only one printer for books: AdoramaPix. They use heavy-gauge photo paper (luster is the default, but there are choices), and the books have a lay-flat binding. All of the books I have purchased from them have been excellent. The only images that were not as I wanted them--and there weren't many of them--were user error. I turn off their corrections of the images, and I got the WB wrong for a few.

[Shadowman]

Sergio,

You will have to do some of the research yourself, for instance when I used Blurb I did a deep search to see if there would be any issues printing front/back, would there be any bleed through, shadowing, or other concerns. There is a Dream Team that you can utilize to help you with your project.

[Mike Buckley]

Considering that John mentioned the research required to take full advantage of Blurb, perhaps use my research as a starting point. The details of my research are explained in this thread. Keep in mind that the thread is four years old and may be at least a little out of date.