Photo Book Tutorial

Our Nations Photo Lab Photo Book features archival quality paper with hand-stitched binding and a variety of premium hardcovers. You can fully customize your Photo Book using the tools provided on our Nations Photo Lab website’s ordering platform. Below you will find a step-by-step guide to help walk you through the process. Also included are visuals and descriptions of the customization tools provided on the platform.

1. To create a Photo Book, first, you will need to upload the images to your gallery. Here is a helpful link to walk you through this step.

2. After uploading images into your gallery for the Photo Book you are creating, you will head to the Photo Book page on the website to customize your Photo Book's size, paper, and orientation. 

Please note, you cannot change the cover once you start creating the Photo Book. The Classic option opens up like a magazine in the center. The Lay-flat (our most popular option) has a 2mm gutter down the center to create the lay-flat look of the book when you open the Photo Book.

Classic:

Lay-Flat:

3. Once you have selected the specs for your Photo Book, next, you will click the "Customize Now" button to choose a theme. We have a variety of themes to choose from, or you can "create your own" blank theme.

The blank theme starts you off with a completely blank project to build your book page by page. The Blank Theme (Design your own!) splits the left and right sides of the page. The Blank Theme (Design your own!) Spread conjoins the left and right sides of the page.

The full-page photos theme lets you pre-select the images and pre-places them in the book before entering the main customization window. The Full page photos theme will pre-place one image per side of a page. The Full page photos Spread theme will pre-place one image that spans from the left to the right side of the page.

Lastly, there are designer themes pre-designed for you.

4. Once you pick your theme, the website will bring you to the Photo Book interface to start designing.

Please note that when you open the Photo Book, there is a white vellum page, and the first page starts on the right side of the Photo Book.

5. At this point, it's best to familiarize yourself with the icons and customization tools to create a fantastic Photo Book of your own. 

The first icons you will see will be gray to the left of your screen, laid out vertically.

6. The top icon, “PHOTO,” allows you to access your images from your gallery to use in the Photo Book. Please choose the gallery of images you are interested in using for the Photo Book. You can also click on the “Upload Photos” button if you suddenly realize you need additional photos to complete the Photo Book.

7. The “TEXT” button allows you to choose to add text to a page or cover (only available on the Lustre photo cover). This section allows you to select the font, color of font, and size of the font.

8. The “LAYOUT” button allows you to choose different collage layouts for each page in the Photo Book. It’s a great tool to use if this is the first time creating a Photo Book. Please note that a 1/8th of an inch trim happens around the edge of the templates. 

Once you click on a layout, you will see different options based on the number of images you want per page. We do not recommend using the spread option because there is a gutter down the center of the Photo Books. We recommend creating individual pages. The full-page spread option is there for Album 99s and Infinity Albums only. Please visit our article on the top 8 differences between Photo Albums and Photo Books for more information. 

The layouts on the templates are adjustable. You can move the image nodes within the template or resize them with the transform tool (shown later in this tutorial).

The next few steps are optional, depending on your design preferences. Below are different design features our ordering platform has to offer.

1. The “BACKGROUND” allows you to change the color/design of the background on the pages. We supply a wide range of background designs to choose from in this area of the menu. If you do not see a background you like, you can upload an image and set it as the background. 

2. The “BORDERS” button allows you to add a color border to the images on the page. 

3. The “STYLES” button allows you to pick a quick border in different colors of gray.

The following features are when you are manipulating an image on the page. The first symbol is a hand, and this is the pan/zoom button.

1. This bar allows you to zoom in/out or move the image inside the image template only.

2. The "TRANSFORM" button allows you to stretch or change the image's shape on the page/spread with little half-circle bumpers in black. Click and hold down on your mouse to start adjusting the size/ shape.

3. The “ROTATE” button allows you to change the orientation. You will know you selected it because a blue box will appear around the image. Then click on the rotate button to switch to portrait or landscape.

4. The “BACKGROUND” button allows you to set the image to the front from the background or make the image the background.

5. The “TRASH” button allows you to remove an image off the page/spread. Click on the image you want to remove. The selected image will be highlighted in blue, or click the transform button and click and hold the image with your mouse. Then drag it off the page until it turns red and the trash icon appears and release the mouse. The image will disappear from the page.

6. To add pages to your Photo Book, use the page button with the +. To add at the end of the book, you must be one spread before the end of the book for this feature to work. 

7. To remove pages from the Photo Book, use the page button with the X. To activate the remove pages feature, you have to have added more pages than the minimum 10 spreads / 20 pages. You must always have a minimum of 10 spreads / 20 pages.

8. The “REORGANIZE” button expands the spreads going across the bottom of the page and allows you to drag a spread to a different area of the Photo Book. The place you move the spread to must be blank. You drag the spread over the intended new location in the Photo Book until you see a vertical blue line and then release it. Done correctly, you will see the spread in its new place in the book.

Once you’ve reviewed and approved all of your design edits, click ADD TO CART to begin the checkout process.

Please feel free to call or chat with us if you have any further questions while creating your new memories. Our phone line (888-507-5755) is available Monday through Friday, 10:00 am-5:30 pm EST, and our live chat is available Monday through Friday, 10:00 am-5:30 pm EST.