Creating a holiday photo book

Tips for getting started with creating a book for all your precious memories

These days, we take more pictures than ever before. How many of your favourite pictures are actually printed as a physical copy though? Instead, they sit languishing on our hard drives and phones, sometimes never to see the light of day again.

Creating a photobook is a fantastic way to preserve your memories for generations to come, giving you a fantastic memento of a wonderful trip away and giving you something to sit proudly on your shelf.

This time of year is the perfect time to gather together your photos, perhaps from your summer holiday. If you've been somewhere special and want to remember it forever, make yourself a photobook.

Luckily, it's also never been easier to put together a book from scratch. The results are high-quality and will look at home next to a professional photography book on your coffee table or bookshelf. In this blogpost, we're going to look at some of the excellent options Jessops offers for creating your own photobook, with some tips for getting the most from your creation.

Creating a holiday photobook: the options

You may be worried that creating a photobook is expensive. In fact, there a range of options available to suit every budget, starting from just £6.99.

Printing a small photobook is a great option if you want to regularly print your photos - you could print one to commemorate every trip, special occasion, event and so on. The small and pocket photobooks are excellent value for money, and what's more they're easily transportable - ready to show off at a moment's notice - they also make for fantastic gifts.

As you move up in size, you'll be able to fit more and larger photos in your book. The Small Landscape photobook is still compact enough to fit in your handbag, and makes for a great way to commemorate a trip or special occasion.

A Square photobook lends itself perfectly to your snaps from Instagram, if you're using the traditional and popular 1:1 format. The Large photobook is available in Landscape or Portrait, giving you lots of choice to create a book in the format you like best. The Landscape book gives you a traditional style of book, while the Portrait book also has plenty of room for all your favourite pictures.

Next up you have the XL and XXL options. These books look wonderful on your coffee table, and really show off your best photos - they're perfect for a special holiday or trip, as well as memorable occasions such as a big birthday or wedding.

Creating a holiday photobook: choosing covers, papers and highlights

With our photobooks, you can personalise the cover in lots of different ways. You can use your own photo, or photos, as well as creating a variety of different layouts for your favourite look.

What's more, you get a range of different options when it comes to choosing the material for your cover. Most photobook sizes allow you to choose between hardback and softback, depending on what you prefer. The XXL photobook also gives you options to create a linen or leather cover for an ultra-special look.

Next up, you can choose between the different paper options. Stick with Classic for an all-round quality appearance, but consider our other options if you want a more premium experience. Choose between True Matte, High Gloss, Premium Photographic, Glossy Photographic and Matte Photographic (note: only Classic paper is available for the small and pocket photobooks).

Some of our photobook options give you the choice of glossy or silver and gold highlights - you can use these to add a special sheen to text in your holiday photobook.

Creating a holiday photobook: how to make it

You can have as much or as little control over the final layout of your book as you want. So, whether you want to just create a book and print it, or you want to take your time to fine-tune the exact design you want, there are options for you.

There are two ways you can create your book. First up - download our free software to your computer. This gives you the flexibility to create your book whenever you like, without relying on an internet connection - perfect for making the most of your time on a train or plane back from your holiday trip. You also have a great variety of papers and book sizes available when you use the software.

When you use the software, you can choose from a huge range of backgrounds and layouts, plus there's a helpful creation assistant to get you started and your book will be auto-saved as you go along.

Your other option is to create your book completely online. This saves you having to install any software on your computer, and allows you to access it anywhere you have an internet connection. You can create your book on a tablet this way, too.

On the downside, you have fewer options when it comes to backgrounds, layouts and book sizes - but there's still plenty of choice available.

Once you have decided a method for creating your photobook, you'll find it easy to get going. The software is intuitive to use - you should have no trouble finding your way around it. For the simplest option, autofill your book, but don't be afraid to experiment with different layout options to create a book which is truly unique to you.

You can also customise each page with clip-art, backgrounds and text which match your personality and the theme of your book - so if that's a holiday or special trip, you'll find something to complement your images from our vast selection.

Creating a photobook: tips for making a photobook

If you want to take your time to make your photobook extra special, there are some simple tips you can follow to give your book the professional edge.

1. Be selective

It can be tempting to print every single photo you've ever taken - but for a book with impact, it pays to be selective. Choose only your best photos, and try to avoid too much repetition where possible.

2. Tell a story

When you're making a holiday photobook, it makes sense to organise your photos into chronological order. That way, every time you look back at your book you'll be transported to that special time. Try to include a beginning - which could be the journey itself, a middle (the main part of the trip), and an end.

3. Variety is key

Using different layouts throughout your book makes it look fresh and original. You'll soon get bored if every single page follows the same layout, so be sure to experiment with layouts for a more dynamic effect. Why not also try laying some pictures out across two pages to really show off your most stunning holiday landscapes.

4. Add some text

Although a picture paints a thousand words, a bit of context will really be appreciated in years to come. While you may remember the places and faces from your trip now, in ten years time you might not - and will those who weren't there? Imagine somebody who doesn't know you is reading your book and write explanatory captions as appropriate.

5. Choose a cover shot

This is the first picture that you, or anyone else looking at your book, will see. Make sure you pick your favourite or best shot - one that encapsulates your special trip and really invites people to flick through the rest of your book.

So, why not give a photobook a go? There's no better way to celebrate your special summer of memories - and with our range of brilliant books to choose from, you're sure to be pleased with the results. If you're not, we have a 100% satisfaction guarantee - get your money back or a full replacement for any reason you're not happy. At the moment, you can also enjoy £10 off your first book.

Are you planning to make your own photobook? Share your best travel shots and how they look in your CEWE photobook via our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages.