Want to preserve your memories of an exciting journey or happy moments of your wedding? A photo book is great storage for pictures dear to your heart. However, it is quite difficult and time-consuming to create such a thing manually.
A photo book maker can greatly simplify the work. Below, you will see a description of 12 online services you can rely on.
- Shutterfly - Our choice
- Mixbook - Easiest to use
- Snapfish - Easiest uploading
- Walmart Photo - Quick print Mailpix
- Presto Photo - Offers a decent marketplace
- Bookemon - Professional binding
- Mailpix - Fast checkout
- Mpix - High-quality photos
- Artifact Uprising - Book for any event
- Picaboo - Simple search
- Blurb - For professionals
- Google Photos - Minimalist layout
- Costco - Wide choice of hard covers
- GrooveBook - Monthly mini photo book
In this review, you will find the answer “What is the best website to make a photo book?”. The list contains options for experienced users who want to save their time and for beginners who are not sure of their skills. Some platforms are subscription-based while others require membership.
1. Shutterfly – Our Choice
Best all-around service
- Fully customizable templates
- Large picture and background libraries
- Convenient search
- Ideas for ready-made templates
- Not found
Verdict: Shutterfly has over a dozen book templates and sizes, as well as tutorials and ideas. If you need a little inspiration, you can click the “Idea Pages” for some ready-made templates. It will not take long to learn how to navigate this photo book service, even if you are not pro in digital technology.
You can add photos from your computer or pictures already uploaded to Shutterfly, Facebook or Instagram. You can use images from the Shutterfly art library too. Any uploaded photo must be in JPEG format.
Shutterfly photo book company offers a service where one of the company's designers oversees your photos and develops a book for you. However, you will have the opportunity to add the finishing touches before it is printed.
2. Mixbook
Easiest to use
- Extensive background, template, layout and picture libraries
- Cover and paper selection
- Upload photos from different resources
- You can add and edit effects
- There is no shadow for a text or a picture
Verdict: Mixbook is the best photo book maker in terms of ease of use. It has many editable templates on various themes: for family, weddings, travel, and templates for everyday photos. You can start an empty book or customize any of the available themes.
Mini-soft matte photo books with thick, flat pages will create a feeling of home comfort. Besides, paper with pearl finish gives your images lightness and brilliance. You can choose the type of cover: soft, genuine leather, gloss or matte. It doesn’t matter what cover you pick as all photo books are durable, flexible and have professional binding.
Being one of the best alternative to bulky photo album software, Mixbook allows you to upload photos from your computer, phone, Facebook, Instagram, Smugmug. Or use pics that you have already uploaded to the website. You can also add effects, text, backgrounds and stickers to your photos.
3. Snapfish
Easiest uploading
- User-friendly
- You can choose size and binding
- Design layouts and editable templates
- Good print quality
- There is no convenient search for pictures or backgrounds
Verdict: Snapfish allows you to upload photos for an album in a very simple way, organizing all your uploads in a file. Here you will find easy-to-use tools and many tips for creating your own photo album.
Even if you choose a template to start with, you can still change the pages for other backgrounds or completely change the theme of the book. Some decor elements with specific patterns have shadows for each photo. As a result, they look more like traditional pieces of an album.
You can choose the cover type of photo books: soft or hard, linen, or leather books. Besides, you can select the type of pages, such as thick or high-quality silky paper.
4. Walmart Photo
Quick print
- Easy to learn
- Many covers and sizes
- Day print function
- Upload from different places
- Inconvenient photo storage
- Limited image editing options
Verdict: You can customize the size of your book, from 5x7 inches to 12x12 inches, as well as cover type, binding and delivery speed. Walmart Photos has the function of one-day and 1-hour photo books. A linen cover is made in just an hour. Hardcover will be ready during the day.
You can change the templates at any time, but the uploaded photos will not be transferred. Walmart allows you to upload photos from your computer, Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, Dropbox and Google Photos. But the website will store files only for one year.
You can edit the photos after adding them. However, this photo book online service does not provide many opportunities to improve images. There are not many effects and stickers, but you can add text.
5. Presto Photo
Offers a decent marketplace
- Different sizes
- High quality of a photo print
- More affordable than competitors
- No way to edit images
Verdict: Presto Photo is a functional photo book service that has a great variety of photo book types and sizes. Offering six different styles (that range from “landscape” to “tall portrait”) with twenty-four sizes to choose from, the service can help you create original photo books.
You can have an album printed on different types of paper, including lustre, matte, silk, and velvet. Besides, you can order hardcover or softcover for your photo book. If you prefer pages to lay flat when opened, you should be ready to pay extra.
Presto Photo developed a native macOS app providing Mac users with numerous advanced features. No matter whether you store your photos in iCloud, Lightroom, or PC folders, you won’t experience any difficulties when importing them. Presto Photo has many advantages like the greatest selection of book sizes, paper, and binding types, as well as affordable prices.
Depending on the size and options you choose, the price of an album may vary from $8.99 to up to $48.99.
6. Bookemon
Professional binding
- Free design instruments
- Impressive collections of frames, backgrounds, and clipart
- Top-quality printing
- Quick turnaround
- You can order as much as you want
- Some templates are dated
Verdict: Bookemon is a fantastic, easy-to-use service for creating photo albums and photo books. This online service contains tons of ready-made templates that you can customize to your needs. You can also create unique designs using a blank template. If you have your own layout, you just need to upload it.
Bookemon includes free collections of incredible frames, backgrounds, and clipart for you to create unique photo books. Thebinding, printing, and hardcover also deserve lots of flattering words. Plus, you get your order in the shortest time.
7. Mailpix
Best for fast checkout
- No registration
- Wide range of styles
- Price and resolution alerts
- Photo size varies depending on the template
- Rather expensive
Verdict: Mailpix offers high quality photo books with ultra Lay Flat, Lay Flat, hard and softcover, ranging in size from 8 by 8 inches to 11 by 14 inches. You can choose styles for almost any occasion, including birthday, Mother and Father's days, Christmas, Halloween.
First, you select a layout and upload your photos. You can change the page layout at any time, and the photos added to this page will be adapted.
A wide variety of page layouts makes Mailpix the best photo book company. Moreover, the site warns you if the resolution of the photo is too low so you can adjust it, or that the section may be cropped. Besides, Mailpix updates the final price as you move on, so you won’t be taken aback by the final price when placing an order.
8. Mpix
High-quality photos
- Very good photo reproduction
- Fully customizable templates
- Attractive, well-organized pictures
- Convenient search in libraries
- Limited backgrounds and layouts
Verdict: Mpix is a pretty good professional photo books service because its bookmaking software is flexible, with fully editable templates, an attractive and easily searchable picture library. However, Mpix does not have the full range of expected tools. Besides, the background and layout libraries are limited.
Similar to the best book design software, here you can choose the type of cover, such as hard, soft or magazine. Each order is carefully checked before shipping, so the quality of photos and albums is excellent. Also, when ordering from $35, photo book delivery is free.
9. Artifact Uprising
Book for any event
- Great quality
- Superior appearance
- Easy to use
- Simplified page counting
- Photo editing tools are limited
Verdict: This is the best photo book maker if you need the highest quality when it comes to actual building of your album. Their book is simply gorgeous, with thick pages on the blackboard, excellent binding and gold embossed on the fabric cover. Besides, the service provides simplified page counting and easy-to-use image layouts.
Although the Artifact Uprising software is very easy to use, it is very limited and there is no room for personal creativity. For example, its templates are stylish, but they are not customizable. Photo editing tools are also very limited, and there are no available clips, backgrounds or frames.
10. Picaboo
Simple search
- Large selection of picture editing tools
- A huge background and picture library
- You can find materials in a convenient way
- Various designs
- Poor photo quality
Verdict: Picaboo has fully adjustable templates, comprehensive photo editing tools, and a large library of backgrounds and pictures. By the way, you can edit your images. Moreover, Picaboo is the best photo book service with the most convenient search engine that allows you to look for content based on the theme, style, colors and keywords.
Picaboo also has various design options, such as seamless sheets with flat trim or double-page thickness, matte cover or genuine leather and foil cover. However, the print quality of the photos is poor.
11. Blurb
For professionals
- Great choice of photo book options
- Flexible creation tools
- Exchange and sale of your books are available
- Useful tips for editing photo books
- Steep learning curve
Verdict: Blurb has many free desktop, browser or mobile tools. You can also use professional tools like Adobe InDesign or PDF Uploader to create premium photo books.
It is possible to import the photos you want, choose the automatic creation of the book, or drag and drop the pictures into the chosen layouts. You can also create your own layout and save it for future use.
When you finish the project, you can click Upload it to the Blurb Server. You can purchase physical copies of your photo book and/or get a digital PDF version for $5. If you order multiple copies (10-20+), Blurb has 30-40% discounts. You can also upload publications for sale by clicking “Sell Book” instead of “Order Book”.
12. Google Photos
Minimalist layout
- Easy learning
- Ready-made albums
- It is possible to add filters for photos
- Many pages in the book
- No décor elements
- Small selection of bindings
Verdict: Google Photos is the easiest choice to make your own photo book. Google provides you with some ready-made albums based on your images. Or you can start from scratch and manually add all the pictures by clicking “Make a photo book”. There is not a very large selection of covers and bindings. You can choose either 9 by 9 inches hardcover or 7 by 7 inches softcover. Both books start at 20 pages and can take up to 100 pages.
Google offers a minimalist layout on white pages. If you wish, you can add captions to them. There are no decorations, but you can still create original layouts with multiple photos. Hold and drag the page to reorder or click to edit.
Google Photos is one of the best apps for making photo books. It has picture editing options that let you add filters before creating a book.
13. Costco
Wide choice of hard covers
- Attractive books
- Flexible tools
- Clear images and a wide range of colors
- Different page layouts
- Paid membership
- Hardcover only
Verdict: Costco allows you to create great projects while being relatively easy to use. However, a paid membership is required to access the photo center. Photo books are made only for community members in 3 working days.
You can create three different types of photo books with several themes and wedding captions for photos. 20-page photo albums are made from high-quality photo paper offering exceptional colors and sharp images.
You can choose your own page layouts in a range of background colors. Hardcover protects your pictures and is available in black, white or silver.
14. GrooveBook
Monthly mini photo book
- Free shipping
- Unique design
- Small book sizes
- You can tear the desired page
- Only 40-100 photos per month
- You can’t edit photo book
Verdict: This is one of the best photo book websites with unique designs. You can upload photos from your mobile phone directly through the app and print them using GrooveBook. It’s an easy task with a monthly subscription starting at just $3.99 per month and free shipping. Each month, you can select 40-100 of your favorite photos to see them in the next Groovebook.
Each photo book album is sent by mail. Its dimensions are 4x6 inches. Besides, it also has a unique, colorful cover design every month. Your photos are perforated, so you can easily tear them and share them with your friends and family. Or you may leave them untouched in every colorfully bound booklet.
FAQs
What is the easiest photo book company? ›
Mixbook has been rated as many people's favorite custom photo book service because its design system is extremely intuitive and user-friendly. You can start with one of their trendy themes or a blank book, choose a landscape, square, or portrait layout, and start adding pictures to its many layout options.
What is the best photo book publisher? ›- Acanthus Press. Acanthus Press is an independent publishing company based out of New York, New York that was established in 1982 originally as a small antique bookstore. ...
- Amherst Media. ...
- Angel City Press. ...
- Balcony Press. ...
- Boulder Books. ...
- The Brucedale Press. ...
- Camino Books. ...
- Gingko Press.
- Best Overall: Shutterfly.
- Runner Up, Best Overall: Printique.
- Best Budget: Amazon Prints.
- Best Themes: Mixbook.
- Best for Weddings: Artifact Uprising.
- Best App: Chatbooks.
- Best for Mac: Motif.
- Best for Instagram: Snapfish.
Mixbook also offers better value for money. The print quality is just as good as Shutterfly. But you can have a high-quality book of pictures at a lower price. Mixbook makes fantastic photo books for a reasonable price.
How many photos make a good photo book? ›There are number of things to keep in mind when making a photo book. Most photo books contain between 50 and 100 images. Shorter books can work well if the images they contain are very concentrated, being both graphically strong and thematically related.
What is the most popular size for a photo book? ›Popular sizes include 11×8, 16×12 and 14×11. Portrait photographs definitely take a different set of skills and have a different feel in general. When your priority is to showcase your portraits, these sizes are your best options.
How much should a photo book cost? ›The price of photobooks varies by service, as you might expect. But to get a good idea prices for a 20-page 8.5 x 11-inch book usually start at around the $30 mark and hit $46 at the top end. The other factor to take into consideration with price is shipping, which is usually charged as extra.
Are Mixbook photo books good? ›Mixbook produced a lovely book with a velvety matte cover that has a pleasant feel. The good quality semi-gloss paper has a nice weight (though not as thick as Shutterfly). The attractive end papers have a good weight and the feel of velum. The binding is solid and well-done.
Who are the top 5 publishing companies? ›- Penguin/Random House.
- Hachette Book Group.
- Harper Collins.
- Simon and Schuster.
- Macmillan.
Rank | Publisher |
---|---|
1 | Penguin Random House |
2 | HarperCollins |
3 | Simon & Schuster |
4 | Hachette Book Group |
Which photo album is best? ›
- Pioneer Photo Albums 300-pocket European Bonded Leather Photo Album. ...
- Leatherkind Capri Leather Photo Album. ...
- Hama Photo Album. ...
- Vienrose Photo Album. ...
- ZeeYuan Photo Albums Leather Scrapbook. ...
- Pioneer X-Pando Magnetic Album. ...
- Kiera Grace Photo Album. ...
- Pearhead Baby Photo Album.
Tom's Guide Verdict
Shutterfly does a lot of things right, including great paper quality, colors, and skin tones in books, but it was middling in some other aspects. And the calendar we ordered (and re-ordered, just to make sure) was simply abysmal. So your choice depends to an extent on what product you order.
Conclusion: Pocket Albums are not only a high quality, long lasting solution for your photos, they're most likely cheaper than what you're paying for a standard (non silver halide) hard bound photo book. Pages don't tear out, or fall apart.
What is the best shape for a photo book? ›For those of us not versed in photographic theory, a square photograph will draw the eye to the centre of the image so this large, square photo book is perfect size and shape to get the best out of baby pics and those pictures that capture perfect fleeting moments, whether on holidays, at a wedding or just when the ...
What site is better than ShutterFly? ›Top 3 ShutterFly Alternatives:
Our choice: MyCanvas. Quickly create photobooks: Mixbook. Extensive collection of templates: Picaboo.
shutterfly.com/progallery provides an end-to-end fulfillment solution for professional photographers, known as “Pro Gallery partners;” who want to sell their photos online.
Is matt or gloss better for photo books? ›Because a matte finish tends to mute colours, it's the ideal choice for black-and-white photographs, portrait photography and professional portfolios, where you don't want overly vibrant colours distracting from your subjects or composition.
What is the best paper for photo books? ›- Luster Paper. Luster is our most popular choice. ...
- High Gloss. High gloss has a very bright and distinctive look. ...
- Silk. The newest addition to the lineup is silk. ...
- Linen. Much like the silk paper, this offers a classic look with a slightly larger texture. ...
- Pebble. ...
- Deep Matte.
To ensure the best quality for your image, particularly on high definition devices, the height of the image should be at least 2,500 pixels. Ideal dimensions for cover files are 2,560 x 1,600 pixels. 1.6:1 is a ratio you will see in paperback fiction — especially with the smaller, mass-market formats.
How much does it cost to make a professional photo book? ›The average cost of creating a photo book on your own is between $200 and $500. However, if you want your book published by a reputable, established publisher, you can expect to pay anywhere from $2500 to $5000.
What makes a good Photobook? ›
Keep the layout simple so the photos shine. Include only your best and most meaningful photographs. Feature hero shots on a page of their own or across a spread for impact. Symmetry, white space and consistent margins will make your design look stylish and professional.
How do I choose a photo book? ›- How many photos do you want to feature?
- What size are your photos?
- What is the orientation of your photos?
- Do you want to add any text/captions?
- Where will you display your photo book?
- Photobook size options.
Photo books have a page count between 24 and 200. Photo albums have a page count between 24 and 64*.
Which is better quality Snapfish or Shutterfly? ›Both Shutterfly and Snapfish have their perks and quirks when it comes to image quality. Snapfish is known to offer better clarity which is often the highest priority for users. In contrast, Shutterfly can help in retaining the original color scheme of your photos better by keeping them at a minimum saturation.
Where is the cheapest place to make a photo book? ›- SNAPFISH. Select your size, pick a template, and then upload your photos online or via the free Snapfish app. ...
- ARTIFACTS UPRISING. These GORGEOUS books make the perfect gift! ...
- CHATBOOKS. Just download the free Chatbooks app on your phone, and it connects to your Instagram account. ...
- MIXBOOKS.
How long will it take for you to make my Photo Book? The new Photo Book will be placed in your account within approximately 3 business days of submitting a Make My Book service request. You'll receive an email notification when the book is ready.
Is Mixbook cheaper than Shutterfly? ›That being said, Mixbook's prices aren't far off Shutterfly's. In fact, their base prices are almost identical (although Mixbook's larger photo books are slightly less expensive). However, we're giving Mixbook the edge in this round because they're a little bit more straightforward with pricing than their competitor.
Is Shutterfly or MPIX better? ›If you want a good-quality photo book, Shutterfly is the one you need. Its prices are effective for many audiences. If you like a premium service and the money is not a problem, Mpix is here. Of course, if the sizes are not offered by one, you only have the option to go to its opponent.
Can I trust Mixbook com? ›Mixbook has a consumer rating of 3.92 stars from 62 reviews indicating that most customers are generally satisfied with their purchases. Mixbook ranks 14th among Photo Printing sites.
Which book company is best? ›- Simon & Schuster. Simon & Schuster is where we begin our big five journey, as this publishing company holds an annual revenue of $830 million. ...
- HarperCollins. ...
- Macmillan Publishers. ...
- Penguin Random House. ...
- Hachette Livre. ...
- Bertelsmann Education Group. ...
- Scholastic. ...
- Pearson Education.
Which is the best book company in the world? ›
The big 5 publishers are Penguin Random House, Hachette Livre, HarperCollins, Simon, and Schuster, and Macmillan Publishers.
What is a good book publishing company? ›Here's a list of the best self-publishing companies for authors: Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) Barnes and Noble Press. Kobo.
Who are the big five in publishing? ›As 2022 began, the U.S. trade publishing business was dominated by what has been called the Big Five—Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Hachette Book Group, and Macmillan.
What is the cheapest publishing company? ›- #1 Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) KDP is a free service offered by Amazon that allows authors to publish and sell their books on the Kindle platform. ...
- #2 Apple Books. ...
- #3 Barnes & Noble Press. ...
- #4 Kobo Writing Life. ...
- #5 StreetLib. ...
- #6 Xinxii. ...
- #7 PublishDrive. ...
- Tip #01: Plan Ahead.
The Publisher owns 100% of the copyrights in the musical works and has sole administration rights. The overall split of music publishing revenue is 50/50, as the Writer is left only with the Writer' Share of music publishing revenues from performances.
Which photo prints last longest? ›- Pigment inkjet prints on archival quality paper could last with no visible fading for 75 - 400+ years, depending on quality of framing and display conditions.
- Silver gelatin fiber prints properly processed, framed, and displayed could last several hundred years or more.
RAW files are the highest quality image format. They are loved by photographers as RAW format records all data from the sensor of the camera. Since RAW is an uncompressed format, it gives immense creative liberty to the photographers during post-processing.
Who competes with Shutterfly? ›- Snapfish.
- Minted.
- CafePress.
- Tiny Prints.
- Paper Culture.
Blurry photos are usually the result of insufficient lighting or too much movement. Sufficient lighting allows the camera to capture a photo more quickly. Make sure to use a flash or have good lighting. It is best to always minimize any motion in a photo, as motion captured on camera will often appear and print blurry.
Can I trust Shutterfly? ›Overview. Shutterfly has a consumer rating of 2.81 stars from 1,190 reviews indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Shutterfly ranks 45th among Photo Printing sites.
What is a premium photo book? ›
The Premium Photo Book is the perfect way to celebrate your special occasions, like a wedding or anniversary. To make your memories last, we've added the option of 200 Micron non tearable paper in this premium photo album range. It couldn't be easier to create your photo album online!
Why are photobooks so expensive? ›Because of the need for quality reproductions, photo books cost much more to print than other books, and therefore they are more expensive. Higher prices result in demand often too small to justify a large print run.
What is the best paper size for a book? ›Which trim size should you choose? Most independent authors and publishers use either 5.5ʺ × 8.5ʺ or 6ʺ × 9ʺ for their novels or nonfiction books. These are good, reliable trim sizes that present a good reading experience for both non-fiction and novels.
How many photos should be in an album? ›This is always a difficult question to answer, as there are so many variables. On average I'd always suggest to aim for between 80-120 images in a standard sized album. But until the album has been designed by your photographer it's impossible to know the final layout of things.
What is the best photo library? ›- Adobe Lightroom Classic. The best photo organizing software overall, though images must be imported first. ...
- Apple Photos. ...
- Google Photos. ...
- Adobe Bridge. ...
- Adobe Elements Organizer. ...
- ACDSee Photo Studio Professional 2022. ...
- Corel PaintShop Pro Ultimate 2022. ...
- CyberLink PhotoDirector.
Quality of results
We were fairly pleased with the photo book we received from Snapfish. The color accuracy was good throughout the book - and even on the cover too. In other photo books that we reviewed we tended to have trouble with the cover printing the colors of our image accurately.
- StockSnap.io. ...
- Burst. ...
- Gratisography. ...
- Life of Pix. ...
- Picjumbo. ...
- BARNIMAGES. ...
- Negative Space. ...
- Stockvault.
- Movavi Photo Editor.
- Adobe Bridge CC.
- Magix Photo Manager Deluxe.
- Apple Photos.
- Google Photos.
- Digikam Photo Manager.
- Nikon ViewNX-i.
- Apowersoft Photo Viewer.
Both Shutterfly and Snapfish have their perks and quirks when it comes to image quality. Snapfish is known to offer better clarity which is often the highest priority for users. In contrast, Shutterfly can help in retaining the original color scheme of your photos better by keeping them at a minimum saturation.
How much is a photo book from Shutterfly? ›Soft photo cover | $12.99 $10.39 | $24.99 $19.99 |
Hard photo cover | - | $34.99 $27.99 |
Padded photo cover | - | $39.99 $31.99 |
Cloth Hard Cover with die-cut window* | - | $39.99 $31.99 |
Leather and Faux Lizard Hard Cover with die-cut window* | - | $44.99 $35.99 |