Handy software features

• Use the Arrow and Shift-Arrow keys to nudge photos 1 or 10 pixels at a time
• Use Momento’s layering capabilities to add background photos or colour to a page
• Relative Alignment tools are available in the Arrange menu, on right click, or by using Ctrl + the Number Pad to align photos on the bottom (2), left (4), top (8) or right (6) sides

General design tips

• Dark grey text will be less over-powering on a page than black text
• Don't be afraid to leave space around your more important photos
• For a professional look use a maximum of 3 different frames

Use ACE for inspiration

To get a quick start on your design and the creative juices flowing, you can use the Sort Mode to set the relative size of all your photos, and set page breaks then ACE automatically creates great looking page layouts in a few seconds. You can always adjust and fine tune the layout with the manual editing tools. If you're ever stuck for ideas just click on the ACE Layouts button, turn on Randomise and click on Redraw until you see something you like.

Full page and background photos

You can create interesting pages by using a photo to create a background photo for your page.

• In Layout Mode, drag your background photo onto the page
• To enlarge it to fill the page, use the Arrange Menu > Fill page (or right-click Fill page)
• Then move the photo to the back using Arrange > Layers > Send to Back (or right-click Layer > Send to Back)
• For an interesting effect, try adding the Faint frame to the background photo

Coloured blocks and backgrounds

1. In the Updater panel, download and install a collection such as Bright Solid Backgrounds or Light Textured Backgrounds
2. In the Backgrounds panel, drag the desired colour to the page and it will automatically be set as the background

Note: While it is possible to further adjust these colours, we advise that you do not use light colours for backgrounds as they tend not to print well.

Double page panoramas

Panorama photos look striking when laid out over two pages. You don't need to chop your photo in two to create a double page panorama, just follow these steps:

1. Place the photo on the left page (even numbered), then scale and position it so that the desired left portion is visible (note: panoramas don't have to be in halves)
2. Note where the image is cut off along the right edge, and ensure that no important content is in the margin area (eg: peoples' faces)
3. Now copy and paste the image to the next page (odd numbered), then use shift & left-Arrow to slide the photo until it starts exactly where the left half ended
4. Finally, select the photo on the left page and press shift & left-Arrow twice, then select the photo on the right page and press shift & right-Arrow twice. This moves the photos onto the page by about 5mm.

Note: The aim is to have about 5mm doubled up in the middle as this amount is lost to the binding process. While a perfectly accurate join can never be guaranteed because of small variations in the binding process, this technique will give the best results. Remember that if you insert or delete pages earlier in a book, that the left half of your photo may no longer be on the even page.

How to create punctuating shots

Want to add colour, creativity and tell a story in your photobook without using words? You could begin by adding punctuating shots to some pages. They are colourful, creative and add character to your book.

1. Choose a photo that has a particular item of interest. E.g., the flowers at a wedding
2. Crop the photo to show only this item
3. Resize it to a small square and place it in the desired place on your page

Such photos don't need to dominate the page, instead just offering a little decoration to help tell your story

PHOTOS & PREPARATION

Taking digital photos for a book

The golden rule with any digital photo prints is that the larger the original photo size the better the print quality. Large photos can always be made smaller but small photos cannot be made larger without losing clarity and quality. 

This table gives you a guide for the size of photos that can be printed with common digital camera settings:

If you scale a photo too large, the software will warn you with a '!' icon.

Photo scanning specifications

To include existing photo prints in your book, they need to be scanned at a resolution that is suitable for the size you wish them to appear in your printed book. For best results, you should use the following specs for the best print results:

• for the equivalent of a 6x4", scan at least 1800 x 1200 pixels
• for a full A4 page print, scan at least 3500 x 2480 pixels
• for a full A5 page print, scan at least 2480x x 1750 pixels

See the Services Directory for professional scanning services

JPEGs from film

To have files created from your 35mm film, we suggest you have your photo lab digitise your photos and save them to CD when they are developing the film, as this can save you scanning individual prints after the event which will save you time and money. Use the sizes listed above when requesting this service.

Scanning for the best print results

Scanning photos is an art in itself, and special attention needs to be given to any prints you wish to scan to include in a photobook. Should you choose to scan your photos rather than use a professional service, we encourage you to use the following guide:

• Wipe the scanner glass thoroughly with a lint free cloth after every few scans
• Gently wipe the surface of the print before scanning
• Scan all photo prints at a minimum of 300 dpi
• If you intend to enlarge a photo, scan at 600dpi
• Save scans as JPEGs with a quality setting of at least 70%

This last step can make the biggest difference to your photobook print. Compare the scan preview with the real photo, and if your software has controls to adjust the scan quality, adjust the lightness and darkness controls so that all parts of the scanned photo still have detail.

Enhancing scanned photos

Use your preferred digital imaging software to:

• Remove dust and scratches with a de-noise or stamper tool
• Auto-adjust colour levels
• Auto-adjust brightness or contrast
• Increase sharpness with an Unsharp Mask filter

Important: Always make a copy of original photo files and avoid over-enhancing as this can cause deterioration in quality and an unnatural look

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