How to create a photo book: a step-by-step guide

Learn how to make a custom photo book online in simple steps. Discover photo curation frameworks, design layouts, and print specs with VistaPrint UK.

Your camera roll probably has hundreds, if not thousands, of photos. The good ones are mixed in with screenshots, duplicates, blurry shots and the 14 almost-identical photos you took trying to get everyone looking at the camera.

A photo book gives those pictures somewhere better to live. Use one to collect holiday highlights, tell the story of a wedding, document a baby’s first year or create a thoughtful gift.

To create a photo book, choose a theme, organise your photos, select your book specifications, design the pages, review your work and place your order.

Step 1: Choose your photo book theme and storyline

Start with one clear idea for your book. It will help you decide which photos belong.
Your theme could be:

• A summer holiday
• Your baby’s first year
• A wedding or anniversary
• A year in family photos
• A birthday or other celebration
• Favourite travel memories

Then decide on a rough beginning, middle and end. A holiday book might start with the journey, move through the places you visited and finish with your favourite moments. A wedding book could follow the day from getting ready through to the evening celebrations.
You don’t need to plan every page yet. A rough storyline will make choosing and arranging your photos easier.

Step 2: Select and organise your photos

Instead of uploading everything and sorting it out in the editor, narrow your selection first using this three-pass process.

Pass 1: Eliminate

Remove:

• Blurry photos
• Accidental shots
• Duplicates
• Poorly lit images
• Near-identical photosIf you’ve taken ten versions of the same group photo, pick the best one or two.

Pass 2: Group

Organise the photos you’ve kept by:

• Date
• Location
• Event
• Person
• Part of the story

For a travel book, group them by city or day. For a baby’s first-year book, organise them by month or milestone.

Pass 3: Sequence

Choose one or two standout “hero” images from each group. These could have a full page or larger space in your layout.
Then put the remaining photos into roughly the order you’d like them to appear. This will give you a more manageable collection and a clearer idea of how the book should flow.

Step 3: Select your photo book specifications

Before designing, choose the format that suits your photos and project.
Consider:

• Size
• Cover
• Binding

A larger format gives landscape shots, group photographs and detailed images more room. A smaller book can work well for everyday memories or a compact gift.

Choose layflat for panoramic images across two pages, or a traditional hardcover for a durable family album or gift.

Step 4: Pick your paper finish and weight

Paper affects how your photographs look and how the finished book feels.

Glossy paper suits bright landscapes, colourful food and sunny holiday photos. Matte paper can work well for portraits and minimal layouts.

Paper weight may be described in GSM, or grams per square meter. A higher GSM generally means heavier paper. Compare the available options to find the finish and feel that suit your project.

Step 5: Choose an editor and design your photo book

VistaPrint offers two ways to create a photo book online.

Downloadable (Offline) Editor

Install the editor on your computer and follow the guided process. Downloading takes less than three minutes. After choosing your book size, add photos from your computer and design offline. Your work is saved to your computer, then uploaded to our site when you’re ready to order.
This editor also includes extra design options if you want to add more custom details.

Online Editor

Design your photo book without downloading software. Upload photos from your computer, then place them on the pages using the available layouts and tools.

Whichever editor you choose, you don’t need to fill every space. Aim for around two to four photos on an average page to give your images room to stand out.
Try varying the layout:

• Give a favourite image a full page
• Pair two related photos side by side
• Use several images to show a sequence
• Add short captions for dates, places or memories
• Leave space around important photographs

Keep fonts, colours and layout styles consistent so the book feels connected. A date, place name or one-line memory can add context without overcrowding the page.

Step 6: Review your photo book before ordering

Review the whole book, including the photographs, cropping, placement and text.

Check image resolution

Low-resolution images can look fine on a phone but lose clarity in print. Aim for 300 DPI, with 150 DPI as the minimum print guideline, and check for quality warnings in the editor.

Replace any flagged image with the original, higher-resolution version where possible.

Check cropping and safety margins

Important details such as faces, text and logos should sit safely inside the indicated margins, away from the trim edge and centre gutter.

Check your text

Proofread every caption, date, place name and title. If your book includes spine text, check that it is centred correctly in the preview.

Preview the whole book

Check that:

• Photos appear in the right order
• Important faces haven’t been cropped
• Pages aren’t overcrowded
• Captions are correct
• Image quality warnings have been resolved
• Cover and spine text are positioned correctly

Once everything looks right, your photo book is ready to order.