Have you seen them? Hard covered books that highlight and showcase  your special memories.  Once reserved for weddings, now photo books are being used for vacations, birthdays, births, anniversaries, family trees and other life events. Fun, and now affordable, these treasured keepsakes can be passed from one generation to the next. Here are a few tips when working with a photo book:

Keep your project organized by filing all of your images and other materials in a single folder on your computer. As you begin to design your photo book, remember that less is more. Fewer shots will allow you to use bigger pictures, and a concise book will make the process less overwhelming. If you need inspiration, look at the coffee-table books of your favorite photographers, or better yet, check out the portfolio layouts in other books.  Take the time to really look at what you’re designing. Try different combination of pictures and sequences. Be patient, ask yourself, do I have all the great pictures I want in this book? Do I have the correct names of the people and places?

There are many on line companies that offer photo book services. The process is as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. Most offer pleasing templates for easy online upload and plug-in, or you can often elect to do your own layout design through software. Next week, we will look at the Top Ten reviews of photo book templates to see which one offers the best service and price. In short, photo books are a fun family project and a great way to preserve your treasured memories. Just  remember, don’t rush the process. The effort you put into it will be rewarded when you get the finished book.