Make your photo book, step by step.

1. Start a book

A new book opens on this screen. Fill it in from top to bottom, then click Create the book.

1. 1
   Book title

   The name of the book. You can change it at any time from the top bar.

2. 2
   Theme (optional)

   A ready-made style: backgrounds, fonts and page layouts. Blank starts from empty pages. Everything stays editable afterwards.

3. 3
   Format

   The size and shape of the book, with its starting price. The format cannot be changed after creation, so choose it first.

4. 4
   Cover

   The cover type, followed by the paper and the finish. These can be changed later with the Material button.

2. The screen at a glance

Once the book is created, the editor shows six areas.

1. 1
   Top bar

   Title, format, material, undo and redo, save status, 3D preview, price and Order.

2. 2
   Sidebar tabs

   Photos, Layouts, Text, Shapes, Stickers, Backgrounds and Links. Click a tab to show its panel.

3. 3
   Side panel

   The content of the open tab: your photos, the layouts, the text styles and so on.

4. 4
   Page

   The spread you are working on, left and right page. Click an item to select it and show its toolbar.

5. 5
   Zoom bar

   Zoom, recentre, print guides and snapping.

6. 6
   Page strip

   Every spread of the book, from the cover to the last page. Click a thumbnail to open that spread.

3. Top bar

The top bar holds what concerns the whole book.

1. 1
   Back (left chevron)

   Leaves the editor. The book is saved and waits for you.

2. 2
   Title

   Click it to rename the book.

3. 3
   Format

   Reminds you of the format chosen at creation, for example Square 21 x 21 cm.

4. 4
   Material

   Changes the cover, the paper, the finish and the options offered by the store. The price follows your choices.

5. 5
   Undo and Redo (curved arrows)

   Cancel or restore your last changes. Shortcuts: Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Y.

6. 6
   Save status

   The book saves itself as you work. Saved means everything is stored. Not saved - retrying means the connection dropped: keep the page open, the editor tries again.

7. 7
   3D preview (open book)

   Shows the book in 3D, as it will look once printed.

8. 8
   Estimated price

   The price with the current pages and options. Click it to see the details: format, extra pages, paper and options.

9. 9
   Quantity (minus and plus)

   The number of copies to order, from 1 to 99.

10. 10
    Order (cart)

    Checks the book, then takes you to payment.

4. Photos

The Photos tab holds every photo of the book.

1. 1
   Import photos

   Adds photos from this computer. A PDF can be imported too: each page becomes a picture.

2. 2
   From my phone (phone)

   Shows a QR code. Scan it with your phone camera to send photos straight from its gallery, while you keep working.

3. 3
   Create my book with AI

   Sorts your photos, sets aside duplicates and missed shots, lays out the pages and writes captions. Once the book has pages, the button reads Complete my book with AI. Shown when the store offers it.

4. 4
   Build the book

   Orders the photos by date, gives the best ones a large slot, adds the pages needed and places the captions. Undo cancels it in one click.

5. 5
   Suggest captions

   Suggests a title and captions from the photos of the book. Nothing is written in the book without your approval. Shown when the store offers it.

6. 6
   Search

   Filters the photos by file name.

7. 7
   A photo

   Drag it onto the page, or onto a frame to fill it. A green check marks the photos already used in the book.

8. 8
   Drop zone

   Drop files from your computer here to import them.

• After an import, the editor may suggest a review: near identical, blurry, very dark or overexposed photos are listed so you can remove them. Everything is kept unless you untick it.
• A photo too small for its frame is flagged as low resolution before you order.

5. Layouts

A layout sets where the photo frames and text boxes sit on a page.

1. 1
   Hint

   Reminds you how to apply a layout: hover a template, then choose the page.

2. 2
   Left page (left-pointing triangle)

   Applies the template to the left page of the open spread.

3. 3
   Right page (right-pointing triangle)

   Applies the template to the right page.

• Further down, the Spread section holds templates that cover both pages at once.
• The template adds empty frames and sample captions. Photos already placed stay where they are: drag them into the new frames. On the cover, the two buttons are Back cover and Front cover.

6. Text

The Text tab adds titles, captions and paragraphs.

• Click a style (Title, Subtitle, paragraph, caption, calligraphy, fancy) to add it to the page, then double-click the text on the page to type.
• Available fonts lists the fonts of the store. Click one to add a text in that font.
• Spine adds a title centred on the spine of the book. Under 6 mm of spine, keep it short or leave the spine blank: the text may run onto the cover at the fold.

7. Backgrounds, shapes, stickers and links

The other tabs decorate the pages.

• Backgrounds: choose Left, Both or Right, then a colour, a gradient or a paper. Colours from the photos tints each spread with the colours of its own photos. Apply to all pages repeats the choice across the book.
• Shapes: click a shape to add it to the page, then change its colour and border from its toolbar.
• Stickers: illustrations and emojis, with a search field.
• Links: adds a QR code that opens a video, a web link or the 3D version of the book. Test it with your phone before ordering. Shown when the store offers it.

8. Photo toolbar

Click a photo on the page to show this toolbar above it.

1. 1
   Crop

   Moves the photo inside its frame. Double-clicking the photo does the same.

2. 2
   Zoom in the frame

   Enlarges the photo inside its frame (1.0x means no zoom).

3. 3
   Enhance (sliders)

   Applies a light brightness and colour correction. Click again to go back to the original. Your file is never changed.

4. 4
   Frame shape

   Rectangle, circle and other shapes for the frame.

5. 5
   Rounded corners

   Rounds the corners of the frame, in millimetres.

6. 6
   Border

   Border width in millimetres, and its colour from the swatch next to it.

7. 7
   Drop shadow

   Adds a soft shadow under the photo.

8. 8
   Clear the frame

   Takes the photo out and keeps the empty frame, ready for another photo.

9. 9
   Opacity

   Makes the photo more or less transparent.

10. 10
    Rotation

    Turns the frame, in degrees.

11. 11
    Order (stacked squares)

    Sends the item to the back, one step backward, one step forward or to the front.

12. 12
    Lock (padlock)

    Stops the item from moving by accident. Click again to unlock.

13. 13
    Duplicate

    Makes a copy of the item (Ctrl+D).

14. 14
    Delete (bin)

    Removes the item from the page (Delete key).

9. Text toolbar

Click a text on the page to show this toolbar.

1. 1
   Font

   Opens the list of fonts, each shown in its own style.

2. 2
   Size

   Text size in points.

3. 3
   Bold

   Sets the text in bold.

4. 4
   Italic

   Sets the text in italics.

5. 5
   Colour

   Text colour.

6. 6
   Alignment

   Aligns the text left, centre or right in its box.

• The second row works like the photo toolbar: opacity, rotation, order, lock, duplicate and delete.

10. Pages and zoom

Below the page, the zoom bar and the page strip.

1. 1
   Zoom out (minus)

   Shows the spread smaller.

2. 2
   Zoom level

   The current zoom. Click it to fit the spread to the screen.

3. 3
   Zoom in (plus)

   Shows the spread larger. Ctrl and the mouse wheel zoom too, the wheel alone moves around.

4. 4
   Recentre (crosshair)

   Puts the spread back in the middle of the screen.

5. 5
   Print guides (grid)

   Shows the bleed and the safe area: keep text and faces inside the safe area, as the edges are trimmed.

6. 6
   Snap (magnet)

   Items snap to edges, centres, margins and to each other. Hold Alt while moving to turn it off.

7. 7
   Book pages

   The number of spreads in the book.

8. 8
   Add a spread

   Adds pages at the end of the book: two, or more when the binding needs pages in groups.

9. 9
   Cover

   The first thumbnail is the cover. Click any thumbnail to open that spread.

10. 10
    Move (small arrows)

    Hover a thumbnail to show them, then move the spread earlier or later in the book.

11. 11
    Delete the spread (cross)

    Hover a thumbnail to show it. The editor asks before deleting.

11. 3D preview

The 3D preview shows the printed book, cover and pages. Drag to rotate it, use the keyboard arrows to turn the pages.

1. 1
   Close (cross)

   Returns to the editor.

2. 2
   Previous page (left arrow)

   Turns back one page.

3. 3
   Next page (right arrow)

   Turns one page forward.

4. 4
   Spine

   Turns the book to show its spine, with its width in millimetres.

12. Check and order

Order runs a final check of the book before payment.

• Blocking issues, such as a missing photo or a wrong page count, must be fixed before ordering.
• Warnings, such as a low resolution photo, a sample caption left as is or a long spine text, do not prevent ordering but may affect the print.
• Fix closes the check so you can correct the book. Order anyway goes on to payment.
• Set the number of copies with the quantity next to the price before you click Order.

Common tasks

Keyboard shortcuts

On a Mac, use Cmd instead of Ctrl.