Creating books - Use LR Book module or the lab's templates/software?

[sirhawkeye64]

Not sure where to put this question but it's something i've been thinking and wondering about: When it comes to making photo books (either for personal use or to sell) do people who use LR Classic, use the book module, or do you generally use the print lab's online wizards/templates instead?

I have thought about making some small 4x6 or 10x10 books for various things like my landscape shots and travel photos, mostly for personal use to show friends and family (so basically an album, but in the form of a book, instead of just a bunch of prints in a standard album) but I've sort of gotten away from using Lr Classic and mostly use Bridge/ACR these days, but am wondering if the Book module is used all that much by people for this purpose or not.

 

[LumixCat]

Whevever we go on a trip, afterwards I make a photo book on the Walgreens website.

They have different sizes available.

You have the option to make a photo book for same day store pickup, or you can have it shipped (either to your house or to the store for pickup), which takes about 2 weeks. The first option doesn't have the best image quality. The second option has much better image quality.

Every week, Walgreens has a different coupon code on their website, so I usually wait until they have a code for 50% off, since the photo books can get kind of expensive. I've been doing this for many years, and I've been satisfied with the quality of the photo books.

 

[LumixCat]

I do use Lighroom to edit individual pictures. I had no idea that Lightoom had a book module.

 

[drynn]

I have made many books with Lightroom, and used the built-in facility to send to Blurb for printing. Once I realised that the printed book is darker than my desktop monitor(!) I am very pleased with the books.

If you are already a Lightroom user, I would suggest trying the book module before going elsewhere. There are many good tutorials on Youtube: try Julieanne Kost for starters, but there are many others with good tutorials.

 

[LumixCat]

Thanks for the suggestion. In addition to using the Walgreens website to make photo books, I also use it to make calendars every year. What I do is thoughout the year, I upload pictures onto the website in a separate folder for each month.

Then, at the end of the year, I make a calendar for the next year showing significant things that we did the prior year by month. For example, in December 2024, I created a 2025 calendar. The January 2025 page shows stuff that we did in January 2024. Likewise for all subsequent months.

This also accomplishes the secondary function of providing a place to back up my pictures. I can also search past folders by year and month, and download pictures as needed. I mostly only have my final edited pictures on the website, mostly. I still keep my orignal images and raw files on my computer at home.

I can also use the website to make mugs, posters, ornaments, and other gifts with my pictures. Other stores have similar photo websites. But after using the Walgreens website for over 10 years, I've grown accustomed to the user interface.

By the way, regarding the comment above about printed images being darker than what's on screen, I've experienced that as well. I use a laptop (with has a very bright screen) to arrange the calendars and photo books, since i can use it while laying down on the sofa. But before ordering, I view the items on a desktop computer whose monitor brightness more accurately corresponds to how bright the printed pictures come out. So I sometimes have to use the desktop computer to edit the brightness of some individual photos before ordering the calendar or photo book.

 

[sirhawkeye64]

I have made many books with Lightroom, and used the built-in facility to send to Blurb for printing. Once I realised that the printed book is darker than my desktop monitor(!) I am very pleased with the books.

If you are already a Lightroom user, I would suggest trying the book module before going elsewhere. There are many good tutorials on Youtube: try Julieanne Kost for starters, but there are many others with good tutorials.

So I'm going to assume that you find the book size you want and then adjust LR's book module to match, make your book, and then send them the page layout from LR (and maybe the edited files)? I've never done a book so I'm curious, but it's something i may start doing (hence why I'm asking).

 

[drynn]

I have made many books with Lightroom, and used the built-in facility to send to Blurb for printing. Once I realised that the printed book is darker than my desktop monitor(!) I am very pleased with the books.

If you are already a Lightroom user, I would suggest trying the book module before going elsewhere. There are many good tutorials on Youtube: try Julieanne Kost for starters, but there are many others with good tutorials.

So I'm going to assume that you find the book size you want and then adjust LR's book module to match, make your book, and then send them the page layout from LR (and maybe the edited files)? I've never done a book so I'm curious, but it's something i may start doing (hence why I'm asking).

The standard book sizes are: (in inches) - 7 x 7, 12 x 12, 8 x 10, 10 x 8, and 13 x 11. I use 10 x 8 for my travel books; panoramas look great on a two page spread, and you can have borders or full bleed. Drag and drop photos, resize, get an estimate of cost as you go...

There are many built in page layouts; 1, 2, 3, or 4 to a page, or you can create your own. You can have photo captions, and/or text boxes (or text pages). Hard covers, soft covers, dust covers...

Really, too much to cover in a thread. But I have seen good Lightroom book tutorials from Julieanne Kost, Scott Kelby and Matt Kloskowski to name a few. And they all go into full details.

When you're done, you just click Send To Blurb, and the whole book, including covers, and edits, gets uploaded to Blurb. Book arrives about 7 days later (probably subject to location).

 

[Bill Ferris]

I've created one book in the LrC Book module. Like drynn, I published the book through Blurb. I used the 13"x11" template. I wrote most of the text in Microsoft Word, copied and pasted that into the text cells in the project. Here, are some snaps to give you an idea how final product turned out.
























Bill Ferris Photography
Flagstaff, AZ