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The 12 Best Travel Photo Book Makers of 2024

Create a forever keepsake and preserve your precious vacation memories with a photo book.

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We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more .

Travel + Leisure / Alli Waataja

The old cliché dictates that a picture is worth a thousand words, and certainly photos are one of the best souvenirs you can bring home when you travel. But, let’s be honest: how often do you really scroll back through your phone reel or revisit those online albums? A photo book is a much more tangible, attractive way to keep those memories safe and accessible forever. 

There are many photo book makers out there, all with slightly different offerings. Some specialize in simple, budget-friendly books that you can make for every trip while others excel at luxurious coffee table art books meant to commemorate once-in-a-lifetime adventures. We’ve researched the best options to help you choose the right photo book maker for your next vacation — and beyond.

Best Overall

Artifact Uprising

The gorgeous, high-quality products come in a range of styles and materials to suit all tastes and budgets. 

You won’t find themed layouts or same-day production here. 

Whether you’re looking for a budget-friendly softcover photo book to add to your travel collection or a premium layflat coffee table book to commemorate your destination wedding, Artifact Uprising has you covered. The company offers a full range of photo book sizes, shapes, and layouts including some more unusual options (board books for babies, for example, or Insta-friendly books designed especially for square images). Each book promises exceptional print quality and durable construction. 

You can customize every aspect of your photo book, although options vary depending on the product you choose. Examples include cover color and material (with possibilities including softcover, hardcover, linen, and leather), foil stamping, paper finish, the layout of your photos and text, and the page count. Most templates include 20 pages with an additional fee for each page thereafter. You won’t find colorful themes here; all products print on white paper for a clean, uncluttered look that puts your images front and center. 

For the most professional result possible, consider paying extra to collaborate with one of the company’s in-house design specialists. Production times vary from three to eight days depending on the complexity of your project. There are also four shipping options that range from standard to rush.

Best Budget

Their full range of customizable templates and colored backgrounds makes it easy to get the look you want. 

Expect additional fees for any project over 20 pages, upgraded paper, and finish choices. 

Although Snapfish also offers costlier products, their classic photo books are some of the most affordable out there. If you opt for a 7x5 or 6x8 softcover or hardcover book and stick to the included 20-page limit, you can easily spend under $20. Affordable upgrades include premium gloss pages and/or a matte cover; but bear in mind that extra pages can quickly add up. Making your photo book is simple. Choose the size and orientation, then design your own from scratch or use one of many premade templates.

Travel-themed templates include roadtrip, destination stamps, and tropical beach escape. After personalizing them with your photos and text. you can change the background color and add embellishments to each page. Optional layflat binding is worth the extra cost for seamless double-page spreads. If you find yourself with extra room in the budget, you can upgrade to a linen or leather cover. Production times vary, with the quickest delivery taking around three days with rushed shipping, but there are four total shipping options to cater to every budget.

Easiest to Use

Shutterfly’s in-house designers can create a photo book for you in 24 hours; all you have to do is provide your images. 

If you’re in a hurry, bear in mind that rush production and delivery is only available for certain products.

Most photo book makers require you to upload your images and then manually build each page or use an auto-uploader to add the pictures to a premade template. The first option is time consuming and the second often results in images being cropped or grouped in strange ways. Shutterfly offers a third option: upload your photos, then let an in-house designer create your book for you in 24 hours. Upon reviewing their design, you can order as-is or tweak it to suit your specifications. 

Best of all? This design service is offered free of charge. You can even use the Shutterfly app to upload photos directly from your phone. If you don’t want to use this service, no problem. You can still create photo books manually or use the faster autofill option. There are plenty of templates to choose from, with six square and rectangular size options and four cover types (softcover, matte or glossy hardcover, or premium leather). Production and delivery can take between one and 10 business days depending on the product and shipping option selected.

Best Themed Templates

Mixbook photo book.

With more than 700 themed templates to choose from, there’s an option for every kind of vacation. 

Not all templates offer the same number of free pages, so be sure to check before deciding. 

Mixbook photo books are divided into three main types: hardcover, softcover, and layflat for those seamless double-page spreads. Whichever you go for, there are more than 700 templates to choose from. These can be browsed by category with categories like year in review, seasonal, and, of course, templates for every major life event from weddings to baby’s first year. Travel-specific templates include options for photos only, or photos and text in a dizzying array of different layouts. 

Some are customizable to any trip while others are specific to certain adventures with themed graphics, text, and embellishments. There’s one for Disney trips, another for Royal Caribbean cruises, and another for national park adventures. You can also start with a completely blank canvas. Books can be landscape, portrait, or square and there are different paper and cover finishes to choose from. Production typically takes one to two business days with four shipping options available.

Best for Complex Designs

Canva photo books.

More than just a photo book maker, Canva lets you edit your photos and share your design with a team of collaborators. 

Some templates and features are only available with a paid Canva Pro account. 

For full creative freedom, choose Canva. Decide on a landscape or square book, then choose a hard or softcover. Next, browse thousands of templates (including a category dedicated to travel) and upload images from your phone, tablet, or desktop. All templates are fully customizable, which means you can change the font, the colors, and add icons and graphics. You can also edit your photos as you go with options to crop and rotate, adjust brightness, contrast, and saturation, and enhance with different filters and frames. 

All layouts can be adjusted to suit the number of photos you want on each page. If you upgrade to Canva Pro, you can remove backgrounds with a single click (kind of like cutting and pasting elements of real photos for a traditional scrapbook.) Canva autosaves as you go and creates an editing link that you can share to ask for input from friends and family. Recycled packaging and free standard shipping round out this company’s benefits.

Best for Simple Designs

Chatbooks is affordable and easy to use with the option to subscribe for repeat orders. 

Customization options are limited.  

If your photo book goals are a little less ambitious, opt for stackable, collectible designs from Chatbooks. The company’s classic photo books offer high quality printing at a price tag that’s reasonable enough to justify regular creations (if you like, you can even sign up for a monthly subscription.) How do they do this? By keeping things simple. You won’t find fancy templates or colored backgrounds, or an endless array of customizable graphics and fonts.

Instead, upload photos from your desktop or phone. Then, decide how many you want to appear on each page. If the answer is just one, choose whether you want it to cover the full page or have a white border around it. You can leave the layout text-free or add a simple location tag and/or caption. Other design choices include the book’s size, whether it has a hard or softcover, the color of the spine, and the cover. Books are made in the U.S. and include a generous 30 pages, with the option to buy more up to a total of 366. Standard shipping is free.

Best for Fast Printing

Walmart photo.

Walmart lets you design, order, and collect your photo book in-store, all on the same day. 

Most photo books must be no more than 40 pages to be eligible for same-day pickup. 

Walmart offers a solution for anyone who’s designing a photo book on a deadline, with more than 80 layouts that can be created online and then picked up in-store on the same day. You can choose from a variety of square and rectangular sizes in several different styles including softcover, matte and glossy hardcover; layflat; and premium layflat (with extra thick pages and a matte finish). Alternatively, upgrade to a linen or leather cover, or opt for a die-cut style that showcases your favorite image through a window. 

There are many themed templates to choose from, though most of them are fairly basic (don’t expect Canva-level creative flair.) Most templates include 20 pages with the option to buy more, but be aware that there’s usually a 40-page limit if you want to pick your book up the same day. If you have a little more time to work with and want extra pages, you can also opt for home delivery with free shipping on orders over $35.

Best Coffee Table Books

Once upon photo books.

Once Upon focuses on simple layouts that can be shared with and edited by multiple people. 

Designs may be a little too basic for fans of complex templates and embellishments. 

Once Upon offers three options for simple yet visually striking coffee table books. These include large and medium hardcover photo books with a sturdy build and a title of your choice printed on the spine, and medium softcover books for a flexible, lightweight feel that’s reminiscent of a luxury magazine. Choose whether you want silk matte or glossy pages, then create your book by uploading pictures directly from your phone, tablet, or desktop. 

Layouts are simple, with no themed templates, background colors, or fancy fonts. Instead, choose the number of photos you want featured on each page and let Once Upon create a collage automatically on the white background. You can edit the order in which they appear and add simple captions or separate text pages. Want to collaborate with your co-travelers? Share the editing link or QR code to get their input. The first 20 pages are included with a maximum of 200 available. Expect delivery in six to 12 business days.

Best Board Books

Pinhole Press

From their wipeable pages to their easy-turn binding, board books from Pinhole Press are designed especially with little kids in mind. 

The number of included pages varies from one template to the next, and not all templates allow you to add more. 

If you love the idea of making a photo book for the baby or toddler in your life but want it to last more than a few hours, check out Pinhole Press. Their board books are made especially for little people with rigid, high-gloss pages that can be wiped clean of errant crumbs or juice drops. A spiral binding makes for seamless page turning, while the 5.25 x 5.25 inch size is ideal for tiny hands. We love the clear, bright photos and just-right text size. 

There are lots of different templates to choose from, including a story board book that’s perfect for commemorating baby’s first vacation. The company also offers educational templates (think ABCs, colors, emotions, count with me, and my first cookbook options). Some have space for a fixed number of pages and photos while others let you pay to add more. For slightly older kids, consider Pinhole’s Itty Bitty books (miniature sized for long journeys) or their All About books with space for 10 photos alongside fill-in prompts your child can write on.

Best Mini Books

Nations photo lab albums.

Nations Photo Lab

Buzz Books are cost-effective and require minimal storage space, making them the perfect collector’s item.

Beyond choosing which photo appears on each page, customization options are very limited. 

Nations Photo Lab offers a full range of photo book products including templates for everything from travel to weddings and boudoir photography. Depending which one you choose, you can customize the binding, cover material, page thickness, and more. We particularly like their Buzz Books for those in search of something simple. At 6 x 6 inches, they’re both small enough and affordable enough to justify purchasing one for every trip. 

There are more than 120 pre-designed, soft-touch covers to choose from (you can also create your own) but the inside of each Buzz Book is the same: 40 pages, with one photo per page. The photos are printed on professional-quality Mohawk Matte paper against a white background for full visual effect. There are multiple shipping options available, including USPS First Class which delivers in two to six business days.

Best Sustainable

Paper Culture

Paper Culture photo books are made with recycled paper and every order placed equals a tree planted.  

Shipping rates are relatively expensive. 

Paper Culture is a certified Green Business that offsets its carbon footprint and has been recognized by the EPA as a Top 10 climate leader. All photo books use 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper and with a tree planted for every order, you can feel good about your purchase on multiple levels. Books are 8 x 8 or 8 x 10 inches and you can choose a hardcover, a layflat hardcover, or a layflat with a foil-embossed Kraft cover and personalized dust jacket. 

There are multiple templates divided into categories such as travel, holiday, or wedding. Whichever you go for, you’ll be able to create an end result that’s entirely unique since all elements are customizable. Choose the layout and order of your photos, add text in different fonts and colors, and change the background color of each page. Templates include 20 pages with the possibility of purchasing more. Shipping options range from standard to next-day express.

Best Video Books

Heirloom lets you add up to one hour of video to a physical book that plays original audio with crystal clear quality. 

Video books can show vertical or horizontal footage, but not both. 

For a slightly different approach to preserving your travel memories, consider Heirloom which adds your videos to a physical book so that they can be looked at and enjoyed over and over again. Each book includes a five-inch HD screen. You can choose for yours to be oriented horizontally or vertically (more appropriate for those that typically shoot footage on their phone.) There are three options: up to 10 minutes, 20 minutes, or one hour. 

Here’s how it works: purchase your video book online, then receive an email with instructions on how to add video using the online builder. Your book will then be created and mailed to you. You don’t have to limit yourself to video. The books can also display photos as a slideshow and even mix photos and videos together. Add a personal message. Then, choose from 16 premade covers or pay extra for a custom cover printed with your own design. All video books include a charger and expedited delivery is a possibility.

Tips for Choosing a Photo Book Website

Be turnaround time.

If you need your photo book in a hurry, make sure to take production and delivery times into consideration when choosing which company to use. A handful — usually more budget-friendly ones — offer same-day production and the option to collect in-store, which is ideal for last-minute gifts. Others take several days to produce your book, but then offer expedited or rushed shipping to cut delivery time down to a minimum. Others can take two or more weeks to deliver. Check product descriptions carefully, since turnaround times can differ within the same company depending on the size and complexity of the photo book you choose. 

Look closely at the templates offered

Think about your desired photo book aesthetic and then look for a company with templates to match. These can vary from the simplistic (your photos and perhaps some text on a plain white background) to the complex (different background colors and designs, optional filters and frames, the ability to create collages and add text bubbles or other graphics.) Some companies offer templates that have been pre-designed to suit a specific theme, whether that’s travel in general or a Disney trip, tropical cruise, or camping adventure. 

Prioritize ease of use

If you have a background in design or count scrapbooking among your hobbies, you may relish in the challenge of building a photo book from scratch. But if you’re pressed for time or simply don’t want to spend hours choosing which photos go where and how to make them look their best, look for a photo book maker that does the hard work for you. This can either be through an autofill service that arranges your photos on the page (usually, you can tweak this afterwards) or through a collaboration over email or live chat with one of the company’s in-house designers. The latter service often costs extra but sometimes, as with Shutterfly, is offered free of charge. 

Image quality is key

The most important thing when making a photo book is ensuring that the photos look as good as possible. This means choosing a professional, well-reviewed company that uses quality paper and printing methods. It also means submitting photos that are good quality. Most photo book companies will have guidelines for optimum image size and resolution, and others will come up with a warning message if the image you’ve selected is not of a sufficiently high quality. You can usually choose to use it anyway, but be prepared for it to look a little grainy or pixelated. Top tip: use your lowest resolution photos for the smallest spaces on collage pages. 

Yes, most photo book makers can be used on your tablet or smartphone, either via a mobile-friendly website or with a special app. Just bear in mind that complicated layouts or photo books with lots of collage pages are often much easier to view and organize on a larger screen. 

The cost of a photo book varies hugely from under $20 to over $200. The price depends on which company you use but also on the size of the photo book, how many pages you want, and the materials you choose. Most templates include some pages in their starting price (20-25 on average), with a per-page fee for longer books. Softcover books are typically the cheapest, followed by hardcover and then linen and leather options. Traditional binding is cheaper than layflat, but layflat looks much better if you’re planning on having photos extend across a double page spread. Other factors that could increase cost include custom covers, premium paper finishes, design assistance, and expedited shipping. 

You want to find a company that prints photos that look as close as possible to the original, whether it was taken on a professional DSLR camera or downloaded from Facebook or Instagram. Images shouldn’t look grainy, blurry, or over- or undersaturated. Choose a photo book maker that uses professional printers and high-quality paper, and be sure to check customer reviews for the best insight into the kind of results you can expect. Don’t forget, though, pictures can only ever look as good as they were to begin with. So choose the crispest, best resolution images you have and use a light hand when editing them for a natural look. 

Why Trust Travel + Leisure

Jessica Macdonald is a published photographer with a passion for finding new ways to preserve and display her travel photos. For this article, she drew on her own experience with photo book makers and also spent several hours researching the best options online. She compared services, prices, and reviews before choosing her category winners.

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9 Best Photo Book Maker Websites

Print your favorite photos and don't let them go to waste.

We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.

Best Overall Photo Book Maker

Shutterfly photo books.

Best Value Custom Photo Book Maker

Walmart photo custom photo books.

Most Aesthetic Photo Book Maker

Artifact uprising photo books.

Best Themed Photo Book Maker

Mixbook photo books.

Best Photo Book Maker for Beginners

Printique photo books.

Best Photo Book Maker for Amazon Prime Members

Amazon prints.

Best Photo Book Maker for Young Kids

Pinhole press photo books.

Best Photo Book Maker for Google Photos Users

Google photo books.

Best Photo Book Maker for Families

Chatbooks custom photo books & albums.

The product analysts and experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute Media & Tech Lab continuously test everything from photo book maker websites to the best wedding photo albums , printers and much more. When making our selections, we reviewed each product for factors like ease of use and intuitiveness of the website and app, if applicable, photo quality, speed of delivery and extra features like templates, cover options and style. These are the best photo book maker websites of 2024, according to our pros.

Shutterfly offers basic photo books at an affordable price. You can choose from a wide selection of themes, like birthday, travel or wedding, or neutral styles , such as modern or rustic. You can also create your own book and choose the book size, cover style and page style, then embellish it with Shutterfly's extensive library of stickers and ribbons to make your book extra special. We appreciate how easily users can edit within their chosen template and the brand's high-quality photo book paper, making Shutterfly a top pick.

You can also opt for one of its 6" x 6" Instant Books , which let you add photos from your phone, tablet or computer in minutes. These mini photo books have only 20 pages, but they're a great place to store goofy candids or Instagram posts you never want to forget. The possibilities are essentially limitless, though the vast array of options could be overwhelming for those getting started.

If you don't want the pressure of deciding on a layout, the brand offers a convenient Make My Book option, in which Shutterfly's professional designers curate your photos and design the book for free. Plus, you'll still have the opportunity to put finishing touches on it before it gets printed. Whether you opt for 50 or 800 photos (the maximum), you'll receive an email notification within 24 hours that your book is complete.

Crunched for time? Design your photo book online and pick up select styles at a Walmart store near you in as little as one hour. Photo books picked up in one hour can have 15 single-sided pages and a linen cover, while same-day pickups (ready in a few hours) can have up to 20 double-sided pages and the option of a hardcover.

On top of the speedy turnaround, Walmart has a great selection of styles : You can choose everything from the photo size and layout to the type of cover, including hardcover glossy or matte, linen, leather and lay-flat glossy or matte. If you need help narrowing down the choices, there's also the option to shop by occasion, whether you're looking for a one-year anniversary or 15th-year anniversary gift .

Despite the fast shipping and variety, our expert tester, Rachel Rothman , former chief technologist and executive technical director at the Good Housekeeping Institute, did note that the quality is not as high as the options offered by other photo book makers on this list — but that may be expected considering the bargain price tag. Regardless, these photo books still make a superb present that can cost under $10 without compromising on sentimentality.

No matter the occasion, you can't go wrong with one of Artifact Uprising's high-quality photo books. There are numerous design options, including preset books to celebrate the birth of a new baby or commemorating a marriage. You can choose from lay-flat albums, books with photo strips and even softcover Instagram Friendly Books for the influencer in your life. The company even has an iPhone app that lets you create a photo book right from your smartphone. However, Rothman found the app to be glitchy at times and noted there's room for improvement with the software. Still, the books come out on top for elegance and simplicity .

One online reviewer wrote, "The fabric cover is beautiful. The photos are amazing quality and look amazing even though the photos were taken on film and therefore are a bit grainy." The overall 4.6-star rating (out of 5) backs up that review. Quality and elevated designs come with a higher price tag, but there are options for $20 or less if you're shopping on a budget.

If you have a special project and a little more money to spend, Artifact Uprising offers Design Services , which allow you to work one-on-one with an expert to bring your special moments to life. Just note that the design fee is rather steep at $119 and requires an additional $100 album deposit.

When Mixbook says it has "custom photo books for every occasion," it really means it. There are 374 different themed templates to choose from, including everything f rom travel and sports to weddings and recipes. But that doesn't mean you have to give up creative control. You can still customize the look to your liking, from fun backgrounds to stickers to text using the Editor tool. Plus, there are plenty of paper varieties, from semigloss to ultra-thick matte.

Rothman appreciated the nice balance between good photo editing and price, but she did experience issues with the lay-flat option, in which the photos bled into the crease. You can also use the iPhone app to organize your photos with a tool that the brand calls "Automagic": Simply choose the images you want and select a theme. The goal of Automagic is to help arrange your camera roll so your photos are in order when it comes time to add them to your photo book.

If you're not sure where to start, our pros love Printique because it's super easy to use. You can select one of the many predesigned layouts or create an entire photo book from scratch. Choose among portrait, landscape and square orientations, as well as hardcover and softcover options. You can even store your memories in a genuine leather or vegan leather book or pick from five different fabric colors. Although you can't choose the color for a hard- or softcover photo book, you can still customize the shape, size and paper type.

Looking for something more advanced? There'sa tool for professional photographers to design and create their own photo books. But if you want to keep things simple, consider starting with one of Printique's 4" x 4" Mini Softcover photo books , which have a maximum of 40 pages and come in three sizes.

Is Amazon Photos already your preferred destination for uploading photos? Then creating a photo book through its interface is an easy solution. Similar to other photo book makers, you can create by occasion and size, or choose its 8" x 8" Premium Photo Book for a versatile option that has a laminated cover and lay-flat binding. There's also an option with standard binding at a lower cost, and all Amazon Prime members get free shipping . (Everyone else is eligible for free shipping with a minimum order of $15.)

In addition to photo books, you can shop large prints, calendars, cards and metal tabletops. There are fewer size and style options than most services when it comes to photo books, but the other photo product choices make up for the lack of available styles. After all, sometimes it's easier and quicker to have fewer options to choose from if you need to pull something together by a certain date, like a last-minute gift for your boyfriend .

RELATED: 37 Best Personalized Gifts You Can Find on Amazon

With Pinhole Press, you can choose from various photo book styles ranging from board pages to softcovers to accordion-style setups. Upload your photos and let the system do the work, or manually place the photos into the layout yourself. Rothman says her kids love the Custom Board Books , which have themes such as " Count With Me ," " Healthy Habits " and " I Can Be Anything ." These photo books aren't just visually stimulating, but they can also educate and entertain kids for years to come .

"I got my daughter the ' My First Photo Book ' as a toddler and made it all about her — like pictures with family, doing things she likes, her favorite toys, at the playground and beach, etc. — and she still is obsessed with it," says Lexie Sachs , executive director of strategy and operations at the Good Housekeeping Institute.

Rothman also notes the custom Photo Puzzle is a fun option for kids, and the Itty Bitty Books are easy to tote around in a work bag for on-hand entertainment. There's less variety in some categories, including Itty Bitty and hardcover books, but with so many additional photo categories other companies lack, there are still plenty of great options for kids.

RELATED: 12 Best Personalized Books for Kids

If you store your snaps in Google Photos, then Google's very own photo book maker might be the most convenient option for you. Even though there are no fancy designs, the process is seamless. Choose from two options: a 7" x 7" softcover photo book or a 9" x 9" hardcover photo book. You can include between 20 and 140 pages, and you have the option to add a spine title if you hit more than 48 pages for a softcover or any number of pages for a hardcover.

Another hallmark of Google Photos is that you can make one photo book and order multiple copies to give to family members and friends who are also pictured in the photos. Since they come at an affordable price point, you could give everyone on your gift list a copy, whether you decide to create a collection of candid photos for your closest friends or a tangible memento of a fun family trip. Though there may not be as many designs and styles to choose from, that can make the customization process less daunting.

RELATED: 50 Trendy and Most Popular Gifts of 2023

Chatbooks Custom Photo Books & Albums

"Set and forget it," Rothman says about the ease of using Chatbooks, which markets itself as "ridiculously easy." You can upload images from Instagram, Flickr, Dropbox, Facebook or your computer and edit them on your desktop or via the app . The service's Custom Photo Books & Albums option is great for families looking to personalize a family vacation , as you can choose colors, layouts, cover styles, collages, captions and more. Peruse its vast collection of more than 300 unique book covers, or shop the premium lay-flat and special occasion photo books.

You can also have fun with the Instagram and Facebook series — a 6" x 6" or 8" x 8" book with 60 pages — that lets you store your favorite social media posts in a tangible place to look back on for years to come.

Unique to Chatbooks is its subscription service, which allows you to receive a softcover, hardcover or mini photo book each month. If you and your family love taking photographs of walks in the park, weekend road trips or vacations, this service is ideal for getting your photos in your hands ASAP. One thing to note about the subscription option is that there are only two sizes available (5" x 7" and the monthly mini).

How we choose the best photo book makers

At the Good Housekeeping Institute , our pros in the Media & Tech Lab have been testing photo book makers for more than a decade . For this article, we referenced a robust test of photo book makers completed in 2009, examined updates to apps and ordered new products to test in 2023.

When choosing the best photo book makers, our Lab experts consider ease of use, performance and appearance . That means our pros take an in-depth look at a wide range of features, such as how easy it is to navigate the interface and add photos and text to the book; upload and delivery time; the number of styles, covers and templates offered; and the photo, paper and binding quality.

What to look for when shopping for the best custom photo book maker

Keep the following features in mind when choosing the right photo book maker website for your needs:

✔️ Size: Whether you're looking for a small photo book for kids or a much larger album to house snapshots from a long family vacation, there are regular, large and miniature photo book sizes available. It's best to think about how many photos you want to include and where you plan to store the album (i.e., will the book be too tall for your bookshelf or just right on top of your coffee table?).

✔️ Shape: Most photo books are rectangular or square in shape, but some companies also offer photo puzzles, calendars and tabletops to choose from too. The shape is really about aesthetic preference and the orientation you prefer for your photos.

✔️ Page count: Are you compiling 20 photos from your daughter's first-birthday party? Or are you putting together an anniversary album of pictures of you and your partner throughout the years? The number of pages determines the number of photos you can include in an album, so you have enough space to include everything.

✔️ Paper quality: This is probably a no-brainer, as the quality of material your photos are printed on is as important as the quality of the photos themselves. Although companies with higher-quality paper, like Artifact Uprising , may have a higher price tag, the extra money goes toward paper that won't lead to photos bleeding into the crease. But there are still services that are affordable and offer good-quality products, like our best value pick, Walmart Photo .

✔️ Binding quality: Some companies, like Google Photos , will add a binding to your photo album. This feature is especially important when considering the durability and longevity of your photo album. Whether it's a softcover, hardcover or lay-flat book, make sure the binding can withstand accidental drops and the wear and tear of passing the family album around at holiday parties.

✔️ Templates: If your photo album will have a certain theme or be centered around a specific occasion — or it's your first time using a photo book maker — choosing a service that has a variety of templates to choose from will let your creativity flow and also help you warm up to the design process.

✔️ Editing capabilities: When looking at beginner-level or more advanced designer tools, consider how robust or simple they are to use. Having lots of control over the interface is fun, but if you're looking for a more straightforward experience, opt for a service that does the majority of the decision-making for you or offers designer help, like Shutterfly .

What is the easiest way to make a custom photo book?

" It really depends upon the service and your preference ," Rothman says. Although some online custom photo book makers also have an app, it can have limited functionality, be buggy or not as easy to use as the desktop equivalent. "Often, an app makes it super simple to upload pictures from your phone (a major plus!) but doesn't allow as much flexibility for product assortment or editing once you've selected." That said, designing a photo book on your smartphone or tablet versus a desktop may come down to how many edits you intend to make .

"If you plan to do a lot of editing, the non-app version on a larger screen would likely be your best choice. If you want to quickly make a book with limited changes, an app on your mobile device may be the way to go," Rothman explains.

Why trust Good Housekeeping?

Elizabeth Berry is the updates editor at the Good Housekeeping Institute , where she ensures product reviews reflect accurate information. Prior to this role, she was an editorial assistant at Woman's Day , where she covered everything from gift guides to recipes.

To update this article, Elizabeth collaborated with former Good Housekeeping Institute Chief Technologist & Executive Technical Director Rachel Rothman to gather testing notes regarding current picks. Rachel, who has tested several of the best photo book makers on this list, has more than 15 years of experience evaluating thousands of products, including toys and cars for Good Housekeeping’s annual Best Toy Awards and Best New Family Cars programs.

Amina Lake Abdelrahman is a product review writer and editor who worked as an editorial assistant at the Good Housekeeping Institute from 2018 to 2020, writing original content based on GH Institute Lab experts' product testing and analysis.

Amina is a product review writer and editor who worked as an editorial assistant in the Good Housekeeping Institute from 2018 to 2020, writing original content based on GH Lab experts' product testing and analysis. Amina graduated from Montclair State University with a B.A. in communication studies and journalism.

Elizabeth Berry (she/her) is the Updates Editor at the Good Housekeeping Institute where she optimizes lifestyle content across verticals. Prior to this role, she was an Editorial Assistant for Woman’s Day where she covered everything from gift guides to recipes. She also has experience fact checking commerce articles and holds a B.A. in English and Italian Studies from Connecticut College.

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The best photo books in 2024: Mixbook, Shutterfly, Printique, Snapfish and more tested

What service should you use to make the best photo books and photo albums? We reviewed and compared five of the most popular services to find out

The quick list

Best overall, best image quality, other services we tested, how we test photo book services, when is the best time to buy a photo book.

• How to choose

1. Best overall 2. Best image quality 3. Best value 4. Other services we tested 5. How we test 6. Photo book test scores 7. The best time to buy a photo book 8. How to choose

Whatever the occasion, a personalized photo book always makes a great gift. But where do you begin if you want to turn your photos of a summer trip to Spain or a surprise birthday weekend in the mountains into a beautiful present?

We’ve been testing the best photo book services for more than five years by doing what you would do: creating a photo book. In the process, we looked at which service was the easiest to use, which offered the most options for things like clip art and binding, which had the best image quality, and which offered the best value. 

This year, we tested Mixbook, Printique, Shutterfly, Snapfish, and Vistaprint. We've also included shipping information where available, as photo books take time to make — and will cost more the longer you wait to order. 

And be sure to check out our picks for the best photo calendars , and best photo cards , and discover 9 tips to make the best holiday cards .

Great features, excellent image quality, the easiest-to-use software, and even online chat support make this our top pick overall.

Read more below .

If image quality is your number-one criteria when choosing the best photo book service, go with Printique, which also has powerful design software.

Read more below.  

While not the flashiest of services, Vistaprint had good-enough quality and affordable prices to make this a solid value pick among photo books.

Read more below.

The best photo book services

Why you can trust Tom's Guide Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what's best for you. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate.

Our expert review:

Specifications

Reasons to buy, reasons to avoid.

Mixbook was the best service overall for making photo books of the five we tested. Its combination of ease of use, top-notch image quality and good value should make it appealing to a broad range of users. Newbies will love Mixbook’s fun and easy-to-use software while more advanced users will appreciate the wide range of customization options to help you get creative. And the image quality of our 20-page, hardcover book came in a close second to Printique.

If you’re intimidated about designing a photo book, Mixbook takes out the stress with clear and fun-to-use software that helps make the process a breeze. At the same time, there are hundreds upon hundreds of ways to customize your book, including 644 design templates alone, if you want to take a deeper dive. Mixbook had among the best-looking and most user-friendly project editing software of the services we reviewed, matched only by Snapfish . The interface offers a myriad of options but isn’t cluttered and optimizes the space by providing a roomy preview of your project.

In terms of image quality, our finished book from Mixbook tied Printique for the best cover while coming in second place for its interior pages. For the photo books we created during testing, we used an image of a waterfall we shot at Yellowstone National Park. The photo was captured at sunset and Mixbook did a great job of reproducing detail in both the brighter light at the top of the waterfall and the shadow areas in the valley below. On the inside pages, Mixbook's default Everyday Semi-Gloss finish produced solid, pleasing contrast. Both light and dark skintones in our portraits were rendered true-to-life.

Other things we liked about Mixbook are its well-designed mobile app that lets you manage your projects on the site or create products from the photos on your phone. And finally, Mixbook’s handy 24/7 chat support is built right into the design interface, so it’s always available if you get stuck while making a book.

If you order a photo book from Mixbook, be sure to check out its shipping information and deadlines .

Read our full Mixbook review . 

2. Printique

If image quality is your main concern for photo books, Printique is the service for you. While some competing companies have caught up in other ways, Printique still makes the best-looking books around. Their overall stature, however, has slipped a bit, dropping them to second place behind Mixbook after being ranked first for books in years past. What’s changed? Printique’s software feels dated now and is a challenge to use, which could turn off less experienced users. Printique’s photo books are also significantly more expensive than the competition.

For serious photographers (including pros), though, the trade-offs may be worth it. The most distinctive thing about Printique’s books are their very thick, rigid pages, which are similar to what you’d find in a professional wedding photo album. Similarly, even the entry-level books come with a layflat binding that prevents a furrow in the seam between pages, making this design perfect for images that span spreads. The pages display really well with excellent color, skin tone, contrast and sharpness/detail. We also liked the results of a few black-and-white photos we included in our book, which looked dramatic without losing detail.

While Printique’s software offers the most control of the services we tested, we feel it’s better suited to the advanced user than newbies. Seasoned designers will appreciate the variety of rulers, gridlines, submenus, and toolbars offered in Printique’s feature-rich interface, but beginners might be intimidated. 

Another barrier for entry is price. Printique doesn’t really have an “entry-level” book that’s comparable to the other services since it only offers the premium layflat binding option with lavish, thick pages, which cost more. This level of quality doesn’t come cheap.

When ordering a photo book, be sure to check out Printique's shipping information and deadlines , so you know how long to expect before it arrives.

Read our full Printique review .

3. Vistaprint

If you think Vistaprint is only adept at making business cards and other marketing materials, think again. The company has expanded in recent years to include a wide range of personal print-on-demand services including photo books. While it’s difficult to find the book-making option on Vistaprint’s vast website, once you do, we think you’ll be pleased with the process and the results, as we were. Plus, the prices can’t be beat, making it the best value of all the services for books.

For testing purposes, we made hardcover books with all the services in approximately the 11 x 8.5-inch, landscape format since we felt that size would appeal to most users. At $30, Vistaprint’s book was the cheapest of the five companies; $5 less than Shutterfly, which was the second cheapest, and a whopping $45 less than Printique, which was the most expensive. As an added bonus, Vistaprint’s entry-level books come standard at 24 pages, while all the competition’s books start at 20 pages.

Given the affordable price, we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of our photo books from Vistaprint. Our wraparound matte cover shot of a waterfall had rich detail even in the highlight and shadow areas, showing good dynamic range. The white endpapers for the front and rear inside covers have a classy look and feel as does the well stitched binding. The image quality of the interior pages was inconsistent though, with some of our landscape and cityscape images looking vibrant and crisp, while portraits were flat and overexposed at times.

Vistaprint’s software isn’t snazzy, but it gets the job done. It may look basic and a bit dated but unlike Printique’s complicated and outmoded interface, Vistaprint’s rudimentary software provides a relatively stress-free experience for making photo books. Just don’t expect anything fancy or a vast assortment of editing tools and you won’t be disappointed.  

Read our full Vistaprint review .

4. Shutterfly

Shutterfly is an easy to use and reliable service that does a lot of things right. In particular, the paper quality was great overall, and it did a decent job with its photo printing. Mixbook remains the best photo book service overall for its higher quality and better software, but if you want a relatively stress-free experience in creating solid if not spectacular books from a seasoned brand, Shutterfly is the one for you. 

We thought Shutterfly’s software offered a good compromise between providing full control over a project and not overloading you with too much information. If you get stuck while making a product, just click the question mark icon in the lower left to bring up the help overlay. The only downside is we found the software somewhat slow to use; in particular, there was a noticeable lag of a few seconds before images displayed in a layout.

Despite its robust and intuitive software, the resulting photo books were a mixed bag. While the page quality was the best of all the photo books we reviewed, the color was just ok, with some pale skin tones in portraits getting washed out while darker skin appeared oversaturated with a loss of detail.

The default glossy hardcover was quite eye-catching though, and the color of our waterfall shot looked natural with ample detail. But the shiny cover surface is prone to glare. Inside, the pages have a good weight and the smooth matte finish produced minimal reflection. Some brighter images, however, appeared slightly washed out in print. We also weren’t so keen on the binding, which felt flimsy, and cut off the edges of the images in the center crease. So, while Shutterfly did a good job overall, there are enough misses to fall short of the top tier of Printique and Mixbook.

Before ordering, be sure to check out Shutterfly's shipping guidelines .

Read our full Shutterfly review .

5. Snapfish

With how easy and user-friendly Snapfish’s software was to use, we really wanted to like this service more than we did. The process of creating photo books, calendars, and cards with Snapfish was so pleasant, we expected the finished products to be equally satisfying. Unfortunately, its photo book came in last among the services we tested.

The bright glossy hardcover of our book didn’t look bad from a distance, but when inspected closer it lacked detail in the flowing waterfall shot. Not awful but not great either. The print quality of the inside pages is where Snapfish really stumbles. The floppy pages in our standard 8 x 11-inch book were the thinnest of all we created from the various companies. On the other hand, while the stitched perfect binding of the book looked cheap, the crease between pages cut off only a small portion of the images. Comparatively, most of the other books in our testing obscured noticeable portions of photos in the binding.     

We wish all of the photo printing brands would emulate Snapfish’s snazzy software. It’s not only simple to use and logically laid out, it turns the process of creating a photo book into a pleasure rather than like pulling teeth. When creating a book, you can scroll through an authentic looking visual representation of the entire book to see all of the pages more easily. Snapfish’s book builder also had the fastest load times of the various companies we tested, with virtually no lag when dragging and dropping images or scrolling through layouts. 

In the end, Snapfish is something of a conundrum. While we would recommend it for anyone who might be intimidated by the process of creating products, those with more discerning image quality taste for books should look elsewhere.

Read our full Snapfish review .

For testing purposes, we created similar custom-designed books from the five services in our evaluation, Mixbook, Printique, Shutterfly, Snapfish and Vistaprint, which we deemed to be the top companies on the market. We made 20 to 24-page hardcover books with all the services in approximately the 11 x 8.5-inch, landscape format since we felt that size would appeal to most users. The only major difference in the five books was the one created with Printique, which only offers a premium layflat binding and professional-quality, thick pages, even as an entry-level option. 

While creating our books, we picked layouts and designs that were similar across the five services as well. For photos, I used my own portraits, landscapes, and cityscapes, which were shot in both studio and natural light. For portraits, the subjects encompassed a variety of skin tones. The three main factors the services were judged on were software, image quality, and value. For the book-making software, we considered both the levels of customization offered and the ease-of-use. 

For image quality, we compared photos across the selection of books, as well as against the original digital images displayed on a MacBook Air retina display. Criteria for judging included cover quality, paper quality, color, skin tones, contrast, and sharpness/detail. For value, we took into account both the price of the photo books and the level of quality of the finished product. So, for instance, a good quality book that cost a low price would get a higher value score than a poor quality book at a similar price. The same value scale was used for more expensive books in our testing.

This year, we evaluated Mixbook, Shutterfly, Printique, Vistaprint, and Snapfish. However, in years past, we've also tested a number of other services, none of whom made it into our top tier. If you'd like to read those older reviews, they're listed below. Just bear in mind that the quality of some of these services may have changed since we last reviewed them.

  Motif review | Artifact Uprising review | Amazon Prints review | Mpix review | Picaboo review | Blurb Bookify review | CVS Photo review | Walmart Photos review | Mimeo review

Procrastination is a natural human instinct, but it will cost you when it comes to photo books. In particular, if the book is a gift for the holidays or if you just want it quickly for yourself, you’re going to be paying more for rush delivery services, which can increase the cost greatly. And in our experience, fast delivery is the one thing that is seldom discounted by book companies. 

So, try to order you books as early as possible. Not only does it save you time, it gives you the chance to look over the book and order a reprint in case there are any errors. Another reason to order as early as possible is that many of the best photo book services offer big discounts throughout the year — up to 50% off in some cases, or with other extras thrown in. 

How to choose the best photo book service for you

Image quality The most important factor for most people is that their book should look good. But what does this mean exactly? In simple terms, it means the quality of the photos should be great — skin tones should be accurate, lighting should be correct, and details should be crisp. In the best photo books, you should have good contrast, deep blacks, and an overall evenness in color gradation. 

Book construction A photo book should also be built well. You shouldn't see pages coming free from the binding, the paper itself should have a substantial weight and feel, and images and text should be aligned properly.

Book-creation software If a company has poor software, you’re likely to either not be able to create the photo book you want or grow frustrated with the process and give up. While ease-of-use is a key factor, customization is also important too and our favorite brands offered a good combination of both with their software. You should be able to fully edit the book templates, easily find background art and more, and make fine adjustments to your photos, too.

Cost Price is also an important factor. With the exception of the most and least expensive options, you won't find too much variation between photo book printing services. However, some services offer options like better paper, different-size books, and things like lay-flat binding, which means you can open the book flat on a table, and not worry about breaking the spine.

More from Tom's Guide

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Dan Havlik has worked in the photo industry for over decades and is currently editor-in chief of Wild Eye ( www.wildeyemagazine.com ), a new magazine devoted to the celebration of nature, wildlife, and underwater photography. He was previously the editor-in-chief of Outdoor Photographer and Shutterbug magazines. He has been an editor and writer for a variety of other publications and websites including Photo District News (PDN), Rangefinder, Wired, Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, Consumer Reports, Maxim, Men’s Journal, Imaging Resource, and LAPTOP. Dan is also an avid runner with three marathons under his belt and has written fitness reviews, including guides to the best running shoes and GPS watches, for Business Insider.

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• Travel books made easy Make a vacation or travel photo book with your images and your words using free book layout software that’s as easy as drag and drop.
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Make your adventures last a lifetime

When we step outside of our usual routines and find ourselves in an exotic and unfamiliar place, magical things can happen. Inspiration flows, energy abounds and new relationships spark. Whether your magical moments are from a weekend getaway, family holiday or that once-in-a-lifetime big adventure, capturing those stories in a beautiful MILK Travel Photo Book will let you relive them and inspire generations to come.

Travel Photo Books

Wherever you go, whatever you do, every trip or holiday is an unforgettable chapter in your life and nothing compares to seeing these moments preserved in a beautiful MILK Travel Photo Book . Our premium quality paper will bring your photos to life. Add custom text to create the perfect story of your adventure and share it with those you love.

Softcover Travel Photo Books

Softcover Travel Photo Books are perfect for every adventure big or small. Create a collection of your travels or preserve that special weekend away. The template designs will allow you to introduce your story with beautiful panoramic shots and fill the pages with memories from your travels.

Explore more >

Classic Travel Photo Books

Whether it’s your backpacking adventure or your child’s first steps in the ocean, a beautiful Classic Linen-covered Travel Photo Book, will bring any travel story to life.

Premium Travel Photo Books

Our timeless, Premium Travel Photo Books are the best way to preserve your most special travel memories with 4 archival paper options and premium cover fabric options. Our new Designer Cover templates add a unique start to your journey with subtly raised inks adding new depth to your books finish. Perfect for the romantic honeymoon or that trip of a lifetime.

Moleskine Travel Photo Books

When you travel, there are so many moments and stories you want to remember and a Moleskine Travel Photo Book is a stunning way to capture them. Loved by creatives the world over, Moleskine materials include the signature Ivory paper, rounded corners and elastic closure, stitched in a range of styles to match your adventure. Create a travel journal featuring your best travel shot on the cover and store any mementos in the classic Moleskine inner pocket.

Handcrafted using traditional book-making techniques and an iconic black hardcover, our Moleskine Photo Books are the perfect record-keeper of every adventure. Preserve your journey with the effortless high-quality Moleskine books are renown for.

You may also like...

Inspiring travel journal ideas  >

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Large Portrait Premium Photo Book

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9.5 x 12.7'' (24.1 x 32.3cm) 24-200 archival paper pages Premium printing Stitched binding Premium fabric hardcover

Medium Landscape Premium Photo Album

8.6 x 6.4'' (21.8 x 16.3cm) 24-64 thick board (1mm) pages* Lay-flat, flush-mount binding Premium printing Premium fabric hardcover

Frequently asked questions

How do you recommend i create a collection of my travels.

The perfect home for life's small or great adventures, our handcrafted travel photo books will allow you to relive the memories for generations to come. Our travel photo books are comprised of Softcover , Classic , Premium and Moleskine Photo Book ranges, as well as Classic and Premium Photo Albums .

See our tips below to help you get started on your travel photo book collection:

• Use the same product range and size for a cohesive display
• Change the cover fabric to distinguish different destinations
• Tell your travel story with accompanying text and photo captions
• Select templates that showcase your travel photos beautifully

Bring your travel adventures to life and start creating today either in the MILK Design Studio or via Apple Photos on your Mac. Plus, get inspired by the books other travellers are creating in the MILK Gallery .

What would you recommend for a small getaway?

We think our Softcover Photo Books , Classic Small Landscape Photo Books and Premium Medium Landscape Photo Books are perfectly suited to hold the memories of a small getaway. Featuring 24-200 archival quality paper pages, durable binding, plenty of customization options and vibrant printing, they're a great way to bring your travels to life. While both great, we recommend the Premium option if you can afford it. The center stitching means the book will open to lie near flat, meaning you can showcase sweeping vistas with double-page image templates. You also have more cover options with our Premium range; you can choose one of your favorite photos for the cover image; opt for simple text; or get creative with one of our stylish Designer Cover templates. Our Classic range is a great affordable option that still sits above many of the other high-end options you see other brands produce.

What format would you recommend to showcase my world trip?

Preserve your once-in-a-lifetime adventure in a format worthy of the occasion. We recommend a Large Premium Photo Book or Album . If you're confused about the difference between books and albums, see here . If you're able to select your top photos with ease, consider an album which offers 24-64 thick board pages. A superior format with lay-flat binding, your album can lay flat on a coffee table to beautifully display your travel memories. If you have hundreds of photos you want to preserve in print, our Premium Photo Books offer up to 200 paper pages and thousands of image templates.

Can I include descriptions to accompany my travel photos?

Yes, adding captions and descriptions are a great way to tell your travel story . Text templates or image and text templates are available across all our product ranges including MILK Photo Books , Moleskine Photo Books and all MILK Photo Albums . Once you've selected your format and started creating, you'll see a number of templates within the Design Studio that include text. Simply add a caption to an image or fill a full page with your travel highlights. Alternatively, use an uncoated paper option if you want to add handwritten captions once your book or album has arrived. Another pro-tip is you can leave a few spreads blank and add things like postcards or polaroids directly to the page. Also, our Moleskine Photo Books have a pocket on the inside cover that can be used to safely keep little travel mementos like ticket stubs and other souvenirs.

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The best photo albums in 2024

Showcase your favorite prints in style, with the best photo albums available today

The best photo albums ensure that those special images you want to treasure forever will always be with you rather than disappearing down a digital rabbit hole. Moreover, photo albums allow memories of a wedding, anniversary, or holiday to be displayed and shared in a beautiful way. They also make excellent gifts for friends and family.

In short, don't leave things to chance. Turn your images into prints using either the best photo printers or best photo printing online services, then store them in a photo album, and you'll be able to sleep better at night.

See also: Best wedding albums

To help you out, we've picked out the best photo albums in a variety of styles. Alternatively, see our guides to the best photo books for an all-print option, the best digital photo frames , or if you're feeling crafty, the best scrapbooks . 

Best photo albums in 2024

Why you can trust Digital Camera World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out how we test.

1. Pioneer Photo Albums 300-pocket European Bonded Leather Photo Album

Our expert review:

Specifications

Reasons to buy, reasons to avoid.

Want an air of sophistication and quality? This stylish Pioneer photo album, with a stylish leather cover, provides just that. There’s room for up to 300 photos in this album, with an easy-to-use, slip-in format with space next to the photos for captions.  We love the way that these line up in our bookshelf like old ledgers, with their ribbed leather spines. These albums are acid, lignin, and PVC-free, too, so you can rest assured your photos will stand the test of time.

Choose from three cover colors; a black is a classic option, while the red and brown versions also look great. You could pick up a few in different colors for different years or occasions, building up to a distinctive looking library on your shelf.

2. Leatherkind Capri Leather Photo Album

This gorgeous Leatherkind photo book has a real sense of luxury, thanks to its high-quality, handcrafted Italian leather cover - which feels great to the touch, like a beautiful handbag. The interior is a scrapbook in style, giving you maximum flexibility when it comes to layouts – but you will need to think about photo corners or photo mounts , which can be quite fiddly compared to self-adhesive or slip-in albums.

You can fit up to 300 6x4-inch photos in this album, though of course, you’ll fit fewer in if you want to include larger prints. What we loved about this beautiful-looking album is that you can mix and match print sizes to suit your own personal taste.

3. Hama Photo Album

If you like to get creative, a scrapbook-style photo album like this spiral-bound Hama book is the best idea. You can stick in photos in a variety of different sizes, as well as include ephemera such as tickets, postcards, and other mementos if you wish. You can also use embellishments for a further touch of creativity.

Since there are no adhesion or slip-in pockets, you’ll need to remember to also purchase mounting squares or photo corners, which although completely flexible can be a little fiddly to use. This is a great photo album choice for those who get a lot of enjoyment out of the creation of a photobook and have lots of patience.

4. ZeeYuan Leather Scrapbook

The stylish leather travelogue design of this ZeeYuan photo album makes it an ideal choice for gathering together all your best holiday and travel shots. With a scrapbook-style design, you’ll find space for up to 120 photos, but you can experiment with the layout to create a book that matches your own preference with ease. There's a range of embossed leather covers to choose from - we chose one with a family feel, but there are other designs that more obviously suggest globe-trotting adventures.

You’ll also have space for all your travel memorabilia, such as tickets and postcards. One nice touch is that it comes with a set of photo corners to get you started. Finally, the ring binder design means you can add extra pages should you fill it up quickly. 

5. ZeeYuan Photo Albums Leather Scrapbook

A self-adhesive album like this one from Pioneer is great for both flexibility and ease of use. You can create your own layouts and templates, without the bother and hassle of photo corners or photo mounts. However, note that captions can’t be written directly onto the pages, so you’ll need to create caption cards or inserts for those. 

With no restrictions on layout, you can also include tickets, postcards, menus, and other keepsakes. The traditional (faux) leather cover looks great on your bookshelf, and with several different colors to choose from, you should be able to find one to match your taste or the occasion.

6. Kiera Grace Photo Album

This Kiera Grace photo album is a great choice if you have lots of photos to store and want to get them sorted as quickly and as easily as possible. With space for 400 6x4-inch prints, you can cram lots of memories into this book, and for a very reasonable price too. 

There’s even a slot for a CD, where you can store your digital images for re-printing in the future. The downside of a book like this is the inflexibility of layout – you don’t get to choose how many images you include per page, plus there’s no space for nostalgic ephemera either.

7. Pearhead Baby Photo Album

A great choice for new parents, this sweet Pearhead Baby Photo Album has space for up to 200 photos – which should be enough to get you through at least the first few months. 

The album is super easy to use, which is great for busy mums and dads, and there's space next to each slot for a caption, note or memory. You can also choose a favorite photo to slot into the front of the album to really set off the overall look.

8. Hama Fine Art Bookbound Album

When it comes to displaying your photos in multiple albums, you'll want a design that allows you to see one album from the others. This neat and affordable design has a window cover, allowing you to customize each volume with a different picture that can help you tell which album is which. 

It's scrapbook in style, so remember to pick up something to attach your photos to each page – such as photo corners, or photo mounts. These can be a little bit fiddly, but a scrapbook does give you scope to include lots of different photo sizes, as well as other items, such as wedding menus, tickets, and so on.

How can I choose the best photo album?

The main thing to consider when comparing the best photo albums are the type of album, the quality and material, and the size.

1. Type: There are many formats for photo albums, including slot-in pockets and self-stick pages. Slot-in pockets are simple to put together, but they offer little layout flexibility. The best scrapbooks give you the most freedom for your layout, but you'll need additional materials to secure your images to the page, such as photo dots, photo corners, or the best scrapbooking glue .

2. Quality and material: No matter the price point you're looking at, make sure you buy an album that uses acid-free paper. This will ensure your photos have the best possible chance of surviving over time. If you're celebrating a special milestone or occasion, you also might want to splash out on a higher-end photo album with a quality cover. 

3. Size: There are a few questions you need to consider when selecting the right-sized photo album. For example, how many photos do you want to include in the finished album? And how many are you hoping to display per page? For slot-in albums, the choice is straightforward, but it’s a little trickier to calculate when using self-stick pages or scrapbooks. 

What sizes are standard for photo albums?

Common photo album sizes include 4x6 inches, 5x7 inches, 8x10 inches, and 12x12 inches. The right size for you will depend on the size of your photos, how many you have, and your personal aesthetic preferences.

How do I preserve my photos in a photo album?

To make sure your prints don't fade or get damaged over time, keep your photo album in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and humidity. Albums with acid-free pages will also help to prevent photos from fading or deteriorating over time.

Read more: The best scrapbooks The best scrapbooking glue The best Instax photo albums The best photo printing online The best digital photo frames The best picture frames The best photo books The best photo gifts  

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Amy Davies has been writing about photography since 2009, and used to be a colleague on Digital Camera magazine and Techradar.com. She now works as a freelance journalist writing for nclude Amateur Photographer, Stuff, Wired, T3, Digital Photographer, Digital Camera World, TechRadar, Trusted Reviews, ePhotozine and Photography Blog. She has an undergraduate degree in journalism and a postgraduate diploma in magazine journalism, both from Cardiff Journalism School.

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Travel Photo Books

201.5K Ratings

Easily print your custom travel photo books with Chatbooks. Our affordable, high-quality photo books are perfect for remembering vacations, weddings, birthdays, family photos, and more. We make creating a travel photo book simple, with unbeatable convenience, so you can enjoy your memories. Simply create Chatbooks custom travel photo book online and get your photos off your phone and into your home.

How It Works

Sign up for your Chatbooks account online on our website or download the Chatbooks app.

• Select book size and cover type
• Choose your photo source and photos
• Customize and send to print!

• Softcover : 6x6", 8x8" options
• Hardcover : 6x6", 8x8", or 10x10" options
• Easily print your vacation photo album straight from your phone
• Personalize with custom colors, layouts, cover styles, collages, captions, and more
• White, navy, or grey spines
• Gorgeous designer covers are available
• Your travel memory book is in great hands, Chatbooks only use the finest archival paper and premium quality inks
• Professional-grade print quality up to 600 DPI
• Perfect bound book binding using PUR adhesive for a stronger, long-lasting finish
• Upgrade to a Premium Layflat Photo Book for personalized travel layflat memory photo albums

What's Included

• Your travel photo album
• Additional pages available, up to 366
• Chatbooks Love It Guarantee
• Your travel and vacations memories photo album is always made in the USA
• Chatbooks Subscribers always get FREE standard shipping !

Chatbooks is on a mission to strengthen families with printed photos. Did you know families feel 88% more connected when they look at printed photos? Start your photo book collection today and find the best option for your needs. Get inexpensive photo albums to fit anyone's  budget .

Real Chatbookers, Real Reviews

VERIFIED CHATBOOKER

Y'all... I love it

These are some quality photo books, y'all. I love the page thickness and how minimal the spines are. I have a stack of these in the house and we regularly get compliments on how awesome they look.

High quality

Chatbooks is my favorite photo book service. I've printed thousands upon thousands of photos with great success.

Gorgeous Photo Books!

With the Chatbooks app, it’s so easy to add your photos and get your photo book sent right to your door. I can’t wait to keep collecting them.

Kiddo Approved

As much as I love getting photo books in the mail, my kiddos love them even more. They love looking through because they are filled with so many amazing memories!

My Fave Go-To Gift

Chatbooks photo books are my go-to gifts for any occasion, big or small. These memory books are seriously so easy to make. And the paper quality and color saturation is incredible!

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Travel Photo Albums

from €22.99

Beautiful Photo Books with collages full of memories and full-page photos that show off your favorite moments. Automatically designed for you by Journi, so that you only need to personalize it!

Auto-Generated Maps

Flights & passport stamps, quality assured, timelines designed for you in seconds, 6 million happy users, journi books are travel photo books.

We’re not called Journi by coincidence - we have travel photo albums in our DNA! Telling stories of our adventures is how Journi began, and that’s why our vacation photo albums are unrivalled.

Through technical wizardry, the Journi Print app automatically creates maps of your adventures for your travel photo album, showing off your route and the places you’ve explored. Tell your story to friends and family so clearly they’ll think they were there, whether it’s with a honeymoon photo album, a family vacation photo book, or a 6 month travel album.

When creating a vacation travel album for a tour of different states and countries, or a travel photo book covering many months and national borders, Journi adds stickers for the flights you’ve taken and collects passport stamps for all the countries you’ve visited. So your travel photo album can even tell the story of your adventure for you!

Zero Cropping

You wouldn’t want your once-in-a-lifetime memories to be cropped, would you? You can’t risk that the kangaroo’s head will be missing from the front cover of your Tour of Australia album! That’s why we only use the latest photo book printing technology, in order to ensure that your photos aren’t cropped and that the colours come out as expected.

Quality Photo Books

Journi stands for top quality travel photo books, because that’s what our memories deserve! Each Journi product is meticulously inspected against strict Quality Assurance standards before it leaves the production site to be delivered straight to your door.

Every product is independently selected by (obsessive) editors. Things you buy through our links may earn us a commission.

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10 Photo Albums, Vetted 10 Ways

Here at the Strategist, we know that finding the “best” product really depends on exactly whom you ask — which is why we’ve devoted this series to squeezing in as many informed, trustworthy opinions as possible. And we’ve come up with dozens of ways to do this, among them: surfacing  reader reviews  from across the internet, taking quick polls of our most  insane friends  and fellow shopping-obsessed  Strategist editors , and partaking in some advanced  internet snooping .

With that, we’ve rounded up the best photo albums out there. There’s nothing wrong with storing your favorite snapshots on Instagram or in the cloud, but digitally browsing through your memories will never feel as special as taking a photo album off the shelf and physically flipping through the pages. Recently, I went on a hunt for a great photo album to hold my massive collection of museum postcards. I wanted an album that looked modern — nothing like the sticky-paged photo albums that gathered dust in my parents’ house. My search both on the Strategist and beyond turned up some truly attractive photo albums for every kind of picture, from millennial-favorite Instax to treasured archival photos. These are the kind of albums that won’t gather dust, because you’ll find yourself flipping through them again and again.

People’s Choice: The best photo album, according to Amazon reviewers

Amazon reviewers have spoken and their favorite photo album — or albums, really — is this line of fabric-covered selections from Pioneer. With 21 colorways and the option to buy by the bundle, these simple and attractive photo albums are a no-brainer. “I went to Costco and printed out about 1,000 pictures and bought several of these and was able to catalogue our entire last 10 years in just a few hours,” writes one reviewer. “The plastic is durable and easy to get pictures in without bending/warping and the outside is a nice clean look that is uniform on the shelf.” This is also the album I settled on for my postcards, though I opted for the 5x7 version .

Strategist Pick: The best photo album for major milestones

Last Christmas, Strategist writer Lauren Ro explained that for the holiday season, she would be giving her family photo books featuring her young son from Artifact Uprising, the go-to service for wedding albums and preserving other special occasions. “We’ve heard a lot of good things about the company’s service and quality,” writes Ro. “You can also choose whether you want 30, 40, or 50 archival pages in your book. The interface was relatively straightforward to use, with preset templates that you can swap out if desired.”   With the holiday season now far behind us, I asked Ro for an update, and she confirms they were a hit.

Expert-Approved: The best photo album for Polaroids, according to a Polaroid specialist

If you or someone you know is obsessed with taking Polaroids, they’re going to need a photo album designed to protect their incredibly precious photographs. Kyle Depew, owner of Brooklyn Film Camera , highly recommends the photo albums from Boston-based producer Grimm Books. (He loves them so much that the two companies have their own photo album collaboration that consistently sells out.) “Each album is assembled and stitched by hand using well-made, archival materials and will last for generations if well cared for,” says Depew. “At the end of the day, though, their albums are simply the best we’ve seen. The quality speaks for itself.”

Snooping: The best photo album for Moleskine obsessives

We here at the Strategist are notebook fiends . So imagine our delight when we spotted these Moleskine photo books, produced in collaboration with Milk Handcrafted Photo Books on the Instagram of graphic designer and noted minimalist Liz Tamanaha . You can choose from a variety of formats from the classic notebook shape to a large nine-by-seven-inch monograph, and the whole thing can be designed while sitting at your computer.

Quick Pick: The best photo album we turned up with a five-minute Google search

Prior to my extended research into the world of photo albums, I did a cursory Google query, and the very first photo albums to catch my eye were these 100-photo albums from Seattle-based online shop MochiThings, which specializes in all things “cute and functional.” The albums are spiral-bound, available in eight beautiful colorways, and come with 50 memo papers for jotting down the time and place a certain photo was taken. And with “Album de photos pour ma mémoire” etched on the front, this is also the best photo album for anyone whose favorite film is Les Parapluies de Cherbourg .

People’s Choice: The best personalized photo album, according to Etsy reviewers

If you want to give someone a one-of-a-kind gift, grab a lovely leather-bound photo album from Heirloom Leathersmiths , one of the best-selling photo albums on Etsy, with more than 700 positive reviews. “The leather is buttery soft and the craftsmanship is spot on,” writes one reviewer, while another notes, “This is my 3rd order from them for a photo album and again, they did not disappoint!” This would also make an excellent 3rd anniversary gift .

Ask a Cool Person: The best photo album for digital natives

If printing out hundreds of photos is simply too much work for you, just let Mixbook do it. Strategist contributor Leah Bhahba highly recommends the stylish albums from this photo book company, which can be built entirely on your phone by simply downloading a single app. “Just select 20 photos from your camera roll and the app will transform them into an adorable keepsake book with a cool geometric cover,” Bhabha writes. “Four days later, a seven-by-seven-inch bound volume of your photos is in your hands.”

Snooping: The best Instax photo album

Fujifilm’s take on the instant camera is a perennial favorite of the younger generation (and photographers, in general), because not only is the camera cute as all get out but you can buy all kinds of accessories to go with it. After some light stalking, we spotted this adorable Instax photo album on the Instagram of Brazilian writer and photographer Carolina Altino. While we couldn’t find that exact album, we did come across a very similar one from Urban Outfitters that allows you to flip through your Instax at a moment’s notice. (UO happens to have quite a selection of Instax photo albums.)

Expert-Approved: The best photo album, according to a professional archivist

If you’re lucky enough to have photographs dating back several generations and are worried about preserving them (or just come across a treasure trove of old photos at your local antiques shop), you’ll need an album approved for archiving. Melissa Barker, a certified archives manager at the Houston County, Tennessee Archives — better known as The Archive Lady — recommends the box albums from Gaylord Archival, which are free of acid and lignin, a plant-based polymer that weakens photos. They’ve also passed the Photographic Activity Test, which determines how likely an album is to deteriorate or damage a photograph, and can hold up to 150 photos.

People’s Choice: The best digital photo album, according to Amazon reviewers

Those who like to have the photo flipping done for them will love this top-rated digital photo frame on Amazon. Reviewers say the WiFi-equipped touchscreen gadget is easy to set up, and many note that it’s user-friendly enough for the elderly relatives in their family. Best of all, it turns off when people aren’t around and even has a sleep timer, so you can make sure it’s up and running first thing in the morning.

The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments , rolling luggage , pillows for side sleepers , natural anxiety remedies , and bath towels . We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.

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How to Create a Travel Photo Album with Flytographer

Nov 10, 2023

Travel Photo Album

Travelling is one of the most magical, renewing, rewarding, and unforgettable experiences you can give yourself. You get to explore different sites, cultures, and cuisines—all with the people you love most in the world. But if you don’t take a picture, were you even there? 🤷🏼‍♀️ And if your photos just sit in your phone’s endless photo roll, will you or anyone else truly enjoy them? 🤷🏽 Don’t worry—it’s not a rhetorical question; of course you won’t let this happen! That’s why creating a travel photo album is a must!📘

A travel photo album is the perfect way to relive your treasured memories and adventures over and over again. Not only is it a creative keepsake, but it also makes sharing your photos with others even more exciting. 

At Flytographer, we easily connect people with trusted photographers for fun photo shoots and have captured over three million memories worldwide. The magic of Flytographer is both the experience and the photos. Explore the city with a fun, talented photographer and get wall-worthy photos to relive your trip forever. Today, we share the best ways to easily create a travel photo album.

• Choose your photo album type : Do you want plain photo sleeves, or would you prefer more of a scrapbook album?
• Choose your route : Keep your travel photo album creative and dynamic by including a variety of backgrounds and a route that suits you best!
• Pick the best shots : The best photos feel natural and fun. A static picture of your group all lined up isn’t as flattering as something more dynamic.
• Travel photo album : Our professional-grade photo books are shipped right to your door. 
• Travel scrapbook : You can use stickers, labels, borders, and other fun embellishments to make your album uniquely your own.
• Keep yourself organized : Clearly label your photos and photo albums with dates and important information you want to remember.

“Taena is brilliant! We felt comfortable right away when we met her. She made our shoot fun, playful & relaxing. I have a bit shy 7 yr old girl but she did capture awesome pictures of her and made her enjoy the whole session. Thank you for capturing our first ever Maui trip. It’s impossible to pick a favourite there is just too many. We can’t wait to share them with everyone. Taena you are a gem! Highly recommended!”

Ulua Beach (South Shore)

“Kari outdid herself! I took my son to NYC for his birthday and wanted us to have pictures to look back upon and to commemorate our mom and son trip. Kari was super friendly, accommodating and her passion for photography showed through the entire shoot. She took us to all the hot spots surrounding the iconic Brooklyn Bridge. We LOVE our pictures! So happy we made this part of our trip!”

Brooklyn Bridge & DUMBO

““ Krystal came highly recommended from a friend and she delivered on that endorsement! She captured many amazing memory-making shots of our family of 8 in beautiful Montmartre. She knew where to go away from the crowds to make it feel like we had the beauty of Sacre-Coeur to ourselves, as well as other highly coveted spots. Krystal was easy and fun to work with and made the hour fly by. Thank you for this wonderful gift with our 80 year old parents.”

Sacré Coeur & Montmartre

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Tips To Create a Travel Photo Album You'll Love

March 31, 2020

With the luxury of smartphones, nearly everyone walks around with a camera in their pocket at all times, snapping pics of everything that inspires them and collecting images of every important moment. Vacation pictures are high on the list of preservation priorities, but how do you display them in a perfect travel photo album if you’re not very experienced in photography?

Good photography can be tricky to master, and just because you have a phone in your pocket doesn’t necessarily mean you have the photography skills to capture the photos you want of your dream vacation. Although you’re sure to snap some of your own photos while on vacation, a great way to create a travel photo album is to hire a professional who can help you capture the essence of your trip and give you beautiful photographs for lasting memories.

Here are some great ideas for sharing your travel photos and tips on how you can create the perfect travel photo album.

Travel Photo Album Ideas

Aside from sharing your photos online, creating a travel photo album is the perfect way to take the photos you have and really share them with others. We all have photos on our phones or computer that we’ve taken and stored away—but how often do we pull them out and look at them? Will you even know where to find them 10 years from now? Creating a travel photo album is a great way to keep your most treasured vacation photos close at hand when you want to relive a good memory.

Your travel photo album can be anything you want it to be. A photo on your wall, a digital album to share online, or a traditional physical album you can open and share with friends and family. There are various sizes and materials you can choose from depending on the look you like best and how much time you want to put into the project. Here are some of the best travel album ideas for your vacation photos.

1. Create a Traditional Photo Album of Your Vacation

Photo albums come in many forms and sizes. You can use one meant only for inserting photos or create an album online and order a printed photo book version. Some vacation activity spots even have options available for professional photography, as well as packages available that include a travel photo album. This is particularly great for destination weddings and family photos taken on vacation because you don’t have to worry about anything except enjoying the moment.

At Adventure Photos, we make it easy to create a travel photo album that is fast and simple to put together—unlike traditional DIY scrapbooks or photo albums. We compile a travel photo album book that ships directly to your door so you have a physical keepsake of your vacation to share with family and friends as soon as you arrive home.

2. Make a Digital Photo Album

Another great travel photo album idea is to get a digital photo album. Digital photo albums make it easy to share your pictures with friends and family, no matter where they are. At Adventure Photos, we provide an online digital album of your professional vacation photos you can easily share to your social media accounts. This way you have long-term digital storage, as well as easy photo sharing online so you can tell people all about the fantastic time you had on your trip.

If you are taking photos at your destination wedding, Adventure Photos provides you with some sneak peek wedding highlight photos you can share before the wedding festivities are even over. This way you can be the first to post beautiful pictures of your big day to your social media feeds.

3. Display Your Vacation Memories on Canvas Prints

Sometimes you get a picture so perfect you just want to hang it on your wall. Getting a canvas print of your vacation is a great way to keep your vacation memories front and center in your home. Plus it’s something you can share with anyone who visits, and relive your vacation memories everyday.

Adventure Photos provides canvas print options and our professional destination photographers can help you get the perfect shot you’ll want to keep up on your wall.

Creative Ideas to Make the Perfect Travel Photo Book

If you’re more of a DIY person and enjoy compiling your vacation photos, vacation scrapbooks are a fun and creative way to design your travel photo book. Your local craft stores are jam-packed with patterned papers, stickers, and other fun embellishments you can use to make the perfect page for every vacation memory. Here are some scrapbooking ideas to make a travel photo book truly memorable.

1. Start with Professional Photos:

You’re ready to put time, effort, and money into making your scrapbook look amazing, start by getting the best vacation pictures possible for your travel scrapbook. Getting professional photos on your trip ensures you’ll have plenty of beautiful photos to work with, plus you’ll be more likely to remember where you were and what you were doing when you got your professional photos taken.

2. Plan Your Scrapbook Layout:

Start by laying out everything you need within easy reach and making a plan for how you want each page to look. If it helps, sketch out your ideas, or simply place everything where you plan to stick it before adding adhesive. This allows you to see the final product and make changes before committing to one design. It also helps you see how well everything will fit. For example, whether any photos need to be trimmed or any embellishments need to be added or taken away. If you have doubts about your design, look online for sample scrapbook page layouts that work for you.

3. Add Labels & Captions:

Your trip will most likely be an unforgettable occasion, especially if it involves a destination wedding, proposal, or other important events. However, you may not remember all the details in a few years. Add cute labels and captions wherever you can to preserve stories, dates, quotes, and anything else that is important to you.

4. Have Fun!:

Above all else, creating a travel scrapbook and getting travel photo book ideas should be fun.

How to Get Instagram Worthy Vacation Pictures

Instagram is the perfect platform to share your photos and videos with your friends and family. You might even have oogled over professional Instagram influencer profiles with stunning pictures and beautiful scenery. If you really want to step up your Instagram game and show off your vacation photos, your best bet isn’t to have a family member or stranger take your photos, but to hire a professional lifestyle photographer to get you the best vacation photos possible. 

Get the Best Vacation Pics with a Photo Shoot on the Beach

Even if you have the newest smartphone with the best camera, it still won’t give you the same results as a professional who knows how to use the functions of their camera to capture the perfect lighting, take flattering photos, and tell a story through your images.

If you aren’t a professional photographer yourself, beach photos and outdoor photos on vacation can be especially tricky to capture. They can end up too dark, or fail to capture the look of the radiant, clear blue water you wanted to remember. Professional Instagramers aren’t posting mediocre photos, why should you?

Create Your Vacation Photo Album with Adventure Photos

Adventure Photos is ready to help you get the most beautiful images of your next tropical getaway and preserve them with prints, canvas art, or custom travel photo albums .

Contact us to learn more about how to incorporate a family photo session into your next vacation, hire a pro to capture your destination wedding, or set up a special event like a proposal or pregnancy announcement. Our professional photographers know how to work with families of all ages and sizes to help you get amazing photos. 

Get the gorgeous beach photos you’ve been dreaming of and turn them into works of art with Adventure Photos. We offer a wide range of custom made photo products that we can ship directly to your home. 

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Photo Books

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Create Photo Books, Your Way

Whether you want to do it yourself or let us design it for you, we make it easy to create a book you’ll love.

Three Ways To Create Your Photo Book

Make it manually.

Personalize every detail of your photo book from start to finish with advanced editing tools.

Make It Fast

Create with simple, intuitive design tools, optional autofill and design suggestions.

Make It For Me

Let a Shutterfly designer create your photo book for you, for FREE. Order as-is or customize as much as you like.

See Why Everyone Is Loving Our Free Designer Service

Your Guide to Page Types

With standard, layflat and flush mount page type options, you can always display your memories exactly how you'd like to.

Your Guide to Cover Types & Materials

Matte hard cover, premium leather cover, eco-leather cover, genuine leather cover, photo cover, acrylic cover, more ways to fully customize your photo books, make it exceptional with professional 6-color printing.

Our advanced 6-color printing process creates smoother tones, subtle color blends and more ink coverage on every page so your photos print even more beautifully.

Metallic Accents

Add metallic accents to your matte-finish photo book for extra shine.

Glossy Pages

Upgrade to a glossy finish for an ultra-smooth sheen that makes photos pop.

Put the finishing touch on a book worth giving with our one-of-a-kind gift box.

Memorabilia Pocket

Add a clear pocket inside the front or back cover, ideal for safely storing keepsakes.

Logo Removal

Remove the Shutterfly logo from the back page for a clean, sophisticated look.

Rounded Corners

Opt for 1/8" rounded page corners for a refined look.

Foil Imprinting

Emboss up to two lines of silver or gold text on eco- or genuine leather covers.

Gilded Pages

Available in silver or gold edges to make your pages shine.

Shop Photo Books by Size

Shop photo books by style, compare photo book options & upgrades.

*Please note that not all upgrade options are available on all cover and page type combinations.

6 Color Printing

Back Logo Removal

Protective Box Included

Cloth Cover Included

Back Logo Removal Included

Expedited Shipping Included

Rounded Page Corners

Explore More Best-Selling Photo Book Types

Children's board books.

Made with durable, thick pages and rounded corners, perfect for little hands.

Instant Books

Easily upload photos and create your 6x6 hard cover Instant Book in just a few clicks.

Wedding Photo Books and Albums

Tell your love story in a professional quality book or album at a fraction of the price.

Flush Mount Albums

Enjoy ultra-thick, board-mounted pages and seamless spreads for a high-end finish.

Your Ultimate Destination for Capturing Travel Memories

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Create something memorable in moments with just a few taps.

*Free 24-Hour Photo Book Designer Service:  Submit your project request and our designers will create your photo book based on the information provided. Offer applies to the design services only, customers will be responsible for the cost of the final product. No promotion code needed.  Timing Exclusions  - Projects submitted to a designer between 11:59pm PT on Friday and 11:59pm PT on Sunday will be returned by Monday at 11:30am PT. Please expect a 3-day delay for projects submitted on Jan 8, Jan 11, Feb 9, Feb 20, Apr 17, May 22, Jul 9, Sep 14, Sep 21, Oct 11, Dec 16, 2024. Service availability subject to capacity limits; an unexpected delay may result in the event of overwhelming demand. Additional Details  - We reserve the right to refuse or cancel design requests for any reason at our sole discretion, including, but not limited to: duplicative requests, too many low-resolution images, technical errors with the images, or inappropriate content. Service not offered on 6x6 Instant Books or Children’s Board Books. We reserve the right to modify or replace any part of these terms and conditions without notice, at our sole discretion.  

Document Your Best Memories With Custom Photo Books

Create custom photo books with Shutterfly. Nothing is sweeter than reminiscing over photos from the past, reflecting on how your family has grown and the fun times you've shared together. If your phone camera is overflowing with new pictures and you want to help them see the light of day, design your very own custom photo book with Shutterfly. A stylish and high-quality photo book made just for you is the perfect way for displaying the pictures you've taken—of your loved ones, pets, family holidays, travels, special occasions, and the little life moments that make you smile. Shutterfly offers a variety of ways to make photo books that are perfect for you. Whether you're gifting one to a loved one or creating a coffee table photo book as a piece of decor, each one will turn into a treasured keepsake that you can look back on for years to come. Fill each one with your favorite photos to make a one-of-a-kind photo album online you'll love to flip through over and over again.

Design Softcover, Hardcover & Layflat Photo Books

With Shutterfly, you can make your own photo books as a beautiful way to relive your fondest memories. The best photo albums are customized to suit your style and fit the theme of photos you're showcasing. Choose a stylish design and start gathering those favorite captured moments all in one place. It's easy to find a template that suits your theme or style, and then customize the design down to every detail using our photo book maker . Choose your cover type, from hardcover photo books and softcover photo books to ones with a premium leather cover — each one is high-quality and made to last. For a seamless view of each of your photos, opt for a layflat photo book that beautifully displays each of your photos and favorite moments.

Choose from a variety of photo book sizes so you can display your images exactly how you want to. For added ease, use our free photo book design service — Make My Book™ — and let our designers make a beautiful photo album that complements your chosen photos. Get inspired by pre-designed Idea Pages that help you tell your story, your way. Once you upload photos and add them to the pages, it's easy to move and resize each one exactly as you want. Customize your layout when you add text and personalize the fonts and colors to make the greatest impact. Upgrade your photo book with matte, metallic, or leather cover options. Easily preserve your memories with extra durable pages or choose glossy pages for extra shine. You can even add a dust jacket to your album to keep it protected. With our easy-to-use personalization tools, it's easy to make the best photo books online with Shutterfly.

Make Photo Books Online for Any Occasion

Make a photo book online perfect for any occasion. From weddings to graduations to baby's 1st birthday, there are plenty of occasions that call for a keepsake album. With Shutterfly's online photo book maker, you can make a book for all of your special moments — big and small. Consider some of the unique photo book ideas below to get started on your custom creation. Whether you're giving your book as a personalized gift or adding it to your own photo album collection, it's an easy, stylish way to:

Document your little one's firsts.  From exciting milestones to first holidays to his or her 1st birthday, you can find a baby photo book with the perfect colors and designs to suit your baby's personality.

Celebrate your big day.  There's no better reason to make custom photo album book. Capture the romance and style of your wedding with a beautiful wedding album , so you can showcase your favorite pictures from the ceremony and reception. Your wedding photo books will live on as a cherished memento from your big day that you, your spouse, and family members can look back on as the years go by. 

Make it a year to remember. A custom year in review photo book that captures your child's school memories is the perfect graduation keepsake or gift for the grandparents. An end-of-the-year personalized photo album is a stylish way to organize your many back-to-school photos and show how much your little one has grown and learned throughout the years.

Relive your travels.  Make sure you never forget the sights and thrills of your adventures iwth travel photo books . Whether you want to commemorate family vacations or have a way to relive your most exciting trips, a personalized photo book is the perfect keepsake. Travel photo books make the best albums for your coffee table and will wow your guests as they flip through the pages.

Add the Finishing Touches to Your Personalized Photo Albums

There are so many ways to use our custom photo book creator to make your album perfect for you. Finalize your custom photo albums creation by choosing from finishing options including paper type, layflat pages, hardcover and softcover options, and gift boxes. Whether you prefer a simpler look or a premium photo book design, there are various options and details that will suit your pictures and bring it all together. With Shutterfly, you can make the best photo books that will last as a keepsake you cherish forever. For more ways to display your favorite moments, order photo prints or create custom wall art with Shutterfly. To keep in touch with loved ones, send one-of-a-kind photo cards that will bring your recipients joy. Photo gifts like canvas prints , custom blankets , photo coffee mugs , personalized puzzles , and more items made with your pictures are the best way to highlight each of your favorite moments on something special. For the best Shutterfly deals on photo books, check out our Special Offers page.

7 useful apps to organize and store travel photos

If you're stuck at home with no travel plans in the near future, you can guide all that bubbling wanderlust into something productive. If you're anything like us at TPG, you have thousands of travel photos on your phone and computer. These may or may not be organized, categorized, backed up or put into albums.

Here's a list of our favorite apps to store and organize your shots, making them easier to view, share and print — keeping those fabulous travel memories alive.

The Dropbox app is all-encompassing — you can use it to save all your photos and have certain folders and files available offline on your phone and synced to your computer. Sharing is easy -- just invite others to view your photos by sharing the folder via email. You can also set the app to automatically upload every photo you take. If you have a business account, you can connect your personal account with it. 2GB of space is offered for free, and paid plans are available for more space.

Download for free on Apple and Google Play .

Google Photos

Google Photos is ideal if you want to create specific albums for many different trips, places or events. It's similar to Dropbox in that you can set it to automatically upload all the photos you take and you can share specific albums with others. The app can be set to upload any shots you've snapped on your phone, or also use it to take photos from a camera you've put on a desktop or laptop computer. If you love using Google Docs, Google Drive, Gmail and Google Sheets, this app integrates seamlessly with all of them, making it easy to share photos (and documents) across the board. Rate plans through GoogleOne are available if you need more space (backing up photos, mail and drive) but if you're willing to limit the resolution of your photos (16mp) and videos (1080p HD) you'll get free unlimited storage.

If you're traveling in a group and want to share photos, or it's important that family and friends back home are updated on the play-by-plays of your adventures, Tripcast is the app for you. With an easy-to-use photo map feature, you can track your photos by place, and everyone on your trip can upload to the same album. Once you get home, you can easily download all of your (and everyone else's) photos for safekeeping and offline access. Although the app feels a bit like social media, it's private, sharing your memories only with the people that you allow to access.

Download for free for Apple and Google Play .

Amazon Photos

If you have an Amazon Prime account, you can get unlimited photo storage with Amazon Photos as a benefit of your yearly membership. Although you'll only get 5GB of space for videos, this isn't a bad deal, as the $119 annual fee (more if you pay month-to-month) comes with this as well as a variety of other benefits like movie streaming and free shipping. The app could also be worth it for serious photographers, as it allows you to store not only JPEG files but also raw images. Keep in mind, that if you cancel your membership, you'll lose this perk (and your photos), so this app is best for those who plan to have Amazon Prime indefinitely.

Download for free for Apple and Google Play and then enter your Prime login information to access your account.

Related: The best credit cards for Amazon purchases

Diehard Apple users should consider using iCloud, which automatically uploads and syncs your photos and files between all of your Apple devices -- iPhones, iPads and MacBooks. If you're someone who constantly upgrades to the newest iPhone, iCloud will make these transfers easy, backing up all your important files and transferring them to the new device. The first 5GB are free with iCloud, and paid plans start at 50GB, with options for 200GB or 2TB (these last two plans you can share with your family).

Look for iCloud on your iPhone, iPad or Mac under settings.

Microsoft OneDrive

With both business and personal/home plans, OneDrive syncs all of your documents and photos between your computer, tablet and phone. Those who love to use Microsoft Office in addition to organizing photos will find that OneDrive integrates well with all of the Office apps. Get 5GB of photo storage for free or 100GB for $1.99 per month. For those wanting Office, too, pricing starts at $69.99 for 1TB of space plus Office apps such as Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint, as well as Skype.

Download for free on Apple Store or Google Play .

Snapfish is best for those who want to also print their photos, offering 100 free prints per month (but plan to pay for shipping). You can also link your social media accounts to upload photos from them, as well as create photo gifts, books, calendars and more. Although the app offers unlimited storage (each image must be150MB or less), it's best for selective photo storage, since your photos must be manually uploaded, though you can upload several at a time. Automatic uploading isn't an option, and the app doesn't offer video storage.

Bottom line

With lots of time at home these days and likely over the coming weeks now is the ideal chance to get your photos in order -- imagine the sense of satisfaction!

(Featured photo by Brad Fickeisen/Unsplash)

7 Creative (& Affordable) Ways To Display Travel Photos

Posted on Published: May 19, 2023  - Last updated: March 25, 2024

Categories Photography , Travel , Travel Tips

I don’t know about you, but when I come back from vacation I have thousands of new pictures. The only question is, what to do with them !

Now that photos live in a digital world, and aren’t automatically printed, they can be easily forgotten which is such a shame.

So, here are 7 creative ways to display travel photos . Whether in a physical travel photo album, a no-frame gallery wall , or a high tech changing photo frame, you can make sure those memories are never lost.

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

1. Back To The Basics: Make A Travel Photo Album

Making a travel photo album from your digital photos can be done in one of two ways …

The Old School Method: Print & Add Photos Yourself!

Print up all your favourite travel photos the same as when they were taken on physical film. The only difference now is that you can choose to only print the good ones (and eve do some editing before!).

I use Shutterfly to print my photos on standard size prints ( 4×6, 5×7, and 8×10 ), but they also offer square and even large format prints.

You’ll also need to buy a physical photo album to place your photos in once they arrive. And yes, they still sell those!

You can pick up a simple one , like this one on Amazon , to add your photos!

Or, make it more of a scrapbooking project , and buy this album kit to make a truly one of a kind album!

The New School Method: Travel Photo Book

Instead of spending time printing individual photos and adding them to an album, you can do that all digitally. Again, I like to use Shutterfly to make my travel photo books.

It’s more like making a digital scrapbook that you print all at once on one page. You can add different sized images, borders, even stickers, and of course comments!

I make one for every each trip I like making mine 8×8 hardcover books. The lay flat option looks incredible too, but it will add cost of course!

Shutterfly gives you the option for full control over designing your travel photo album. I’ll admit, it’s a big time commitment, but it’s really interesting to see how my editing style has changed over the years!

But if you don’t have time to spend editing, they also give you the option to have them design it for you in 24 hours … free of charge.

Once your travel photo album arrives, leave it on display so you can pick up anytime you want to relive your trip. Or for guests to peruse at their leisure, just like an old school travel photo album!

P.S. Shutterfly often has discounts on their books as well, and now they’ve even partnered with Costco giving members 51%.

2. Display Travel Photos By Printing Them On Something Fun!

On Shutterfly, you can also make your photos into so many other fun creations !

So why not print your photos on a pillow, mug, a calendar for the following year, or even a customized luggage tag for your next trip .

I’ve printed my travel photos on a mousepad and fridge magnets, and it’s such a fun way to subtly display your favourite photos from your latest trip!

Check out all the creative options on Shutterfly !

Ideas To Display Photos On Wall

A very common way to display your favourite travel photos is to print them and hang them somewhere in your home.

But the question is, how do you display them on your wall once they’re printed!? Well there are a few options, with pictures frames and without !

3. Creative Ways To Display Photos Without A Picture Frame

There’s no denying, the most expensive part about hanging your photos on a wall is framing them!

So I came up with a creatives ways to display a lot of photos without the need for any frames at all: a growing travel photo wall!

I chose the biggest emptiest wall in my house and printed as many photos as I wanted in a square template. I simply tape as many photos that could fit on the wall.

Don’t worry, I have a full how to make a growing travel photo wall post here .

It’s an inexpensive way to display A LOT of travel photos all at once for everyone to see. I’m also able to easily add to it after every trip – the only real limit is the size of the wall! Plus, it’s a no brainer to mount the photos and even remove them, it doesn’t damage the wall at all!

I’ve added to, and even moved my photo wall now several times! It’s a real show stopper as well when ever anyone comes over. It’s a fun game to see what locations people can recognize.

Step It Up A Notch

If you aren’t sold on the no-frame idea, you can easily step up your photo wall by buying an extra large frame to add all your photos to.

This way, your photos are protected, and it looks a tad more professional! But, it will definitely cost you!

You might also be interested in reading…

• How To Make A Removable Photo Wall (Perfect For Travel Photos)

4. Make A Gallery Wall Or Photo Grid With Travel Photos

For a more traditional way to display your travel photos on your wall, you can also frame them.

For a fun look, create a travel gallery wall with different sized prints and frames. It’s easy to add new photos, and they don’t have to be measured perfectly, or even match!

For a more uniform look , print the same size photo and place them in the exact same frame. It’s a more serious way to display your photos but I find it works really well for themed photos.

For example I printed up all my lighthouse photos from Prince Edward Island and displayed them in my long – and otherwise empty -hallway.

You can also change the photos in the frames after every trip!

5. Make A Canvas Print (DIY Option)

One of the most creative ways to display photos without frames is to print them on a canvas.

Canvas prints are beautiful and really make a statement on your wall – without the need for any frame at all!

I love the look of photos printed on canvas, but I’ll admit they can definitely add up to a hefty bill (especially for the larger sizes). Several places offer photos prints on canvas, like Shutterfly , or you can attempt to make it yourself…

You can actually transfer a photo print to a canvas yourself. It will cut costs in half, and it makes a really neat rustic look too! Read the full DIY project here.

Non Print Ideas To Display Photos

You might not want to spend time, money, or even paper to print and display travel photos from your latest trip, so here are two no print ideas to display photos !

6. Invest In A Moving Picture Frame

A moving picture frame is a hassle free, no printing, way to display travel photos.

It’s a bit on the pricey side at the start, but you’ll save a lot of time, money, and paper in the long run .

It’s so easy to change the photos it displays, and add more after every trip! You have a constantly changing loop of photos.

I have a Google Nest Hub , and honestly I don’t use it for much else other than displaying my travel photos from my most recent trip.

7. Make A Personal Blog For A Non Print Option!

A blog is your own personal website where you can add your favourite travel photos.

It’s your own online space that’s easily accessible and you can even share the URL with friends and family to see (don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be a public blog).

Sign up for WordPress.com , it’s completely free to start adding your photos! You can even add comments to share your favourite stories from your trip with each photo!

The ultimate digital travel bundle: travel planner & daily travel journal

My digital travel planner template  has everything you need to plan your vacation. And keep track of your travels every day with my digital and printable travel journal .

See the bundle on Esty .

P.S. Learn How To Take Better Group Travel Photos

Stop taking selfies or asking someone to take a photo of you while you’re away. I have a few handy travel photo gear I always bring with me to take the best photos of myself and my travel partners – every time!

Although, if you learn how to take better photos, you might just have a harder time deciding which ones to display when you get back…

Anyway, it’s all about a remote shutter, a mini tripod, and a phone adapter… read more about how to take the best travel photos .

Travel Photo Gear

Read More Related Posts

• How To Take Group Travel Photos By Yourself: My Secret Hack

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Last update on 2024-04-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Liveshare Moment

Wednesday 30th of August 2023

These 7 tips you mentioned will be very helpful to travelers to create and display their travel albums. Nice information Thanks for sharing...

Friday 22nd of September 2023

Thanks! I hope so :D

How to Practice Travel Photography at Home

David Wilder  

Scroll through photographer Karthika Gupta ’s Instagram feed and you probably won’t notice anything out of the ordinary at first glance—there’s a photo of a man and a woman rock climbing and another of tourists looking at animals on safari .

But if you slow down and take a closer look, you’ll see that these “travel” photos are actually tiny scenes made using household materials, miniature figurines, and some very clever photography on Gupta’s part.

Gupta, like the rest of us, is spending more time indoors these days. As a travel photographer, it’s not an ideal setup, but Gupta is making the most of it by practicing her craft in new ways. She was inspired to take the clever indoor photos by the #OurGreatIndoors Instagram challenge, created by Los Angeles-based travel photographer and blogger Erin Sullivan .

Thanks to this and other photo challenges making the rounds online, amateur and professional photographers alike are staying active and honing their skills, even while respecting stay-at-home orders and social distancing guidelines.

“At the end of the day, it’s just getting out there and photographing, whether it’s in your backyard or from your balcony or patio,” Gupta said. “Anything to keep your creative juice flowing. It really doesn’t stop you from trying to perfect your art.”

Think you can’t practice your travel photography skills in quarantine? Think again. Even the pros are using this opportunity to stay inspired and work on their form.

“The last couple of days, I’ve been shooting these made-up scenes in my house with props and stuff,” said Stevin Tuchiwsky , an outdoor lifestyle photographer based in Calgary, Alberta. “It’s not the real thing, but it slows it down a bit to where you can understand some concepts better or understand why you might have framed it that way or why you focused on something a certain way.”

We checked in with a few travel, nature, and adventure photographers and asked them to share some useful tips for practicing travel photography at home.

Experiment, Experiment, Experiment

With so much time on your hands, now is the perfect time to experiment and get outside your comfort zone. If you love taking wide landscape shots, practice doing portraits of your family members instead ( if you live alone , practice with a pet or even a stuffed animal). If you typically photograph people you meet during your travels, mix it up and master the art of food photography. 

Even though you’re not taking travel photos, you’ll open yourself up to more diverse shots when you do get back out there. After all, travel encompasses so many things beyond the physical landscape or geography—food, culture, people, art, movement, and more. And no matter the subject, practicing the fundamentals will make you a better photographer overall.

“If all you have ever done is one genre of photography, branch out and learn a new one,” says David Wilder , a photographer based in Calgary, Alberta. “Food photography, product photography, or even fine art. Heck, get some incense, a flashlight and a dark room—now you can do some fine art smoke photography.”

Get to Know Your Camera

How many of us rushed to open the box when our new camera arrived, thumbed through the instruction manual for a few seconds, and simply started clicking? Sure, you can learn a lot about your camera on the go, but there’s no substitute for actually studying how it works and why. 

Take a deep dive into the manual (or watch the thousands of instructional YouTube videos out there) and figure out how to get the most out of all the buttons and settings on your camera. Practice shooting in different modes, then compare the results so you’ll be able to make quicker decisions when you’re on the move.

Now is also a good time to evaluate your travel photography gear and do some research on new technologies or tools for specific scenarios, like taking photos underwater or using a tripod to photograph animals and birds.

Return to the Basics

Even the most skilled photographers welcome an opportunity to revisit the basics—lighting, composition, depth of field, framing, and more. And you can practice these principles whether you have an iPhone or a fancy DSLR camera. The ideas are the same, even though the tools are different. 

In fact, now is the perfect time to practice taking better pictures with your phone camera so that you can spring to action when you’re out in the real world, even if you don’t have another camera with you. 

"It’s not just looking at something and clicking,” said Gupta. “Take your phone and turn on the grid view. Just kind of rotate it around to see different angles, different compositions, and see what catches your fancy. The goal right now is not perfection, but actually more so training your eyes to look at color, light, and composition in an aesthetically pleasing way."

Play With Lighting and Perspective

And while you’re at it, try experimenting a bit more with lighting and perspective, which can help you capture unique images in popular destinations. Getting up at sunset or shooting from the top of a building will come in handy whether you’re camping in a national park or wandering around a big city like Paris . 

Take pictures at different times of the day, or use lamps around your house to create different effects. Master changing the exposure on your iPhone camera quickly so that you can react to dark or fluid lighting situations. “Always pay attention to the light, where it is coming from, the quality of the light, and what it is doing to your subject,” said Wilder.

And be sure to move around. Stand (carefully) on a chair, take some photos looking down from your balcony, or get low to the ground and take pictures of your dog, for example.

“We all see the world from eye level,” said Wilder. “The moment you change up your perspective is when your image stands out from the crowd. My best example is we all look down at pets, but if you get onto the floor with them, everything changes.”

Practice Photographing Small Details

In the same vein as the #OurGreatIndoors challenge, practice photographing small scenes or focusing on one object in a group. This will help you consider new perspectives the next time you’re at a street market or wandering through a botanic garden , for example. You’ll want to capture the entire scene, yes, but you may also want to photograph a particularly colorful piece of fruit or a bee resting on a flower.

“Often, photographers get stuck shooting the same sweeping hero shot every time they go out,” Wilder said. “Small details that really show what it’s like to be in a place are often ignored, so spend some time finding those details and shooting them.”

Enroll in Online classes and Webinars

Now is a great time to level-up your travel photography skills with classes, workshops, and webinars. Tons of photographers are sharing tips and tricks with livestreams on Instagram, Facebook, and elsewhere right now. 

You can also check out sites like CreativeLive , Skillshare , Nikon School Online , Professional Photographers of America, and Sony’s Alpha Universe .

Become a Photo Editing Pro

If you’ve got folders and folders of unedited (and unshared) photos on your hard drive because you just hate editing, now is the time to get over that roadblock. 

Aside from working through your backlog of unedited photos, use this time to become more comfortable with whatever editing software you use. Practice really does make perfect in this case, and it can also make you a faster, more efficient photo editor down the line.

While you’re at it, try editing older photos in different ways, suggests Gupta. You might stumble across a technique or a style you like even better than what you’re used to doing. “Crop them differently, or if it’s black and white, make it color,” she said.

Research Your Next Trip

Although it may feel a bit premature, start thinking about where you want to go when travel becomes safer, and start doing some photo-related research for that destination, too. 

Consider the best time of day or year from a photography perspective for visiting certain locations. Read how other photographers tackle shooting super popular tourist destinations. Look into off-the-beaten path locations that could produce some surprising or interesting pictures.

If you do all the administrative legwork now, you’ll likely get better photos and have more fun on the trip. Plus, research has found that simply anticipating an upcoming vacation can make us happier .

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