I created a photobook of me and my maid of honor using mixbook. I hadn't heard of this photobook company until one of the nesties posted about it. It's a little different than the other digital photobooks because it allows you to make collaborative books, get pictures from various online sources, and creates a "scrapbook" feel. I decided to give it a try in my quest to find the best digital photobook. After signing up for mixbook, they e-mailed me a code for a buy-one-get-one-free book, so I thought this would be great since I could give her one and keep one for myself.
Mixbook is online editor, so there is no software to download (yay!). As I mentioned earlier, you can get pictures from various online sources, including Facebook. You can even grab pictures from your friend's album. I tried this, but the resolution on most of the pictures was not high enough. However, you can also get pictures from Picasa, SmugMug, etc., so those photos will most likely be higher resolution. I haven't tried the collaboration feature, but that could be fun if you're not a control freak like me.
The templates are pretty cool. I'm a scrapbooker, so I loved all the different layouts and embellishments. It's a little hard to scroll through all the available options since it isn't really organized, and it took me a while to understand how to use and place the items. I love the pre-made templates...I got a professional looking book without much work! If you are more creative, you can start from scratch...just like a real scrapbook!
They have both square and rectangle books. I went with a 8.5"x8.5" album for this one to match the Shutterfly album I made as my "Will You Be My Maid-of-Honor?" book. It cost $29.99 for 20 pages, then $1.00 for each additional page. The classic rectangular books are similar in price. There is also the option for a soft cover which is a great option at $12.99.
The only downside for me was the shipping (not sure if this is because it is to Hawaii or if it is the same for everyone). If I ship USPS Media Mail, I have to wait about a MONTH to get my book! The next option, 2-day air will cost me about $30 for one book. I opted for the $7 USPS Media Mail, so I won't be able to post a review about the actual quality of the book until then. For now, here is a link to the online version of the book:
http://www.mixbook.com/photo-books/wedding/me-and-my-maid-of-honor-4745648
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
Photobook - Picaboo
A fellow knottie posted a coupon code for a free large album on Picaboo, so I decided to take advantage of it and create a photobook of our Seattle engagement pictures.
I downloaded the software to my computer and chose the pictures that I wanted to add to the album. The software was easy to use, but I little slow and clunky at times. There were a variety of pre-set layouts, and you are able to add/move/delete things around as you please. You aren't able to automatically create a panoramic spread, but it is possible with some outside manipulation. The fonts are a little limited, unlike MyPublisher, where I could use any font on my computer. I really liked the ability to change the brightness and contrast of pictures and easily turn them black-and-white or sepia. My favorite feature is that you can make your own pictures background images for your page. There is also a large number of background images that come with the software.
The product pricing is okay. I got my album for free (just paid $8.99 shipping), but the regular price of the album is $39.99. They have other album types, but they can get pricey. I am interested in trying the flush-mount album because it offers thick, lay-flat pages, but those start at $349.99. I'm not ready for that investment yet.
The quality of the book was okay. I thought MyPublisher was better, but that was also a much more expensive album. These pages were not as thick and didn't have a "rich" feeling to it. I also preferred the silky-matte finish of the MyPublisher cover to the high-gloss finish of the Picaboo album. I am interested to see how the $26.99 "classic" MyPublisher album compares to this one.
Here is a link to view the book I created in Picaboo:
http://app.picaboo.com/WebView/Project.aspx?clientID=b77e7864-39d1-6936-2590-a6d53f7281fe
I downloaded the software to my computer and chose the pictures that I wanted to add to the album. The software was easy to use, but I little slow and clunky at times. There were a variety of pre-set layouts, and you are able to add/move/delete things around as you please. You aren't able to automatically create a panoramic spread, but it is possible with some outside manipulation. The fonts are a little limited, unlike MyPublisher, where I could use any font on my computer. I really liked the ability to change the brightness and contrast of pictures and easily turn them black-and-white or sepia. My favorite feature is that you can make your own pictures background images for your page. There is also a large number of background images that come with the software.
The product pricing is okay. I got my album for free (just paid $8.99 shipping), but the regular price of the album is $39.99. They have other album types, but they can get pricey. I am interested in trying the flush-mount album because it offers thick, lay-flat pages, but those start at $349.99. I'm not ready for that investment yet.
The quality of the book was okay. I thought MyPublisher was better, but that was also a much more expensive album. These pages were not as thick and didn't have a "rich" feeling to it. I also preferred the silky-matte finish of the MyPublisher cover to the high-gloss finish of the Picaboo album. I am interested to see how the $26.99 "classic" MyPublisher album compares to this one.
Here is a link to view the book I created in Picaboo:
http://app.picaboo.com/WebView/Project.aspx?clientID=b77e7864-39d1-6936-2590-a6d53f7281fe
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