Create & Win a Digital Photo Book in 7 Easy Steps

Yesterday I shared my exciting new photo book, A Girl in the Big City: Images from New York. Today, I'm sharing the seven easy steps for creating a book of your own. And as promised, I'm giving away a FREE photo book coupon so you can create your own masterpiece. Read on to find out how to win.

Here are the steps for creating a digital photo book…

Step 1: Select an event or trip you want to publish. Don't overthink it. Just choose an event that you'd like to be able to look at again and share with others. 

Step 2: Add any processing to the images, i.e. sharpen, black and white, etc. You can do this in Shutterfly or on your own program. I use Adobe Lightroom with free presets I picked up online.

Step 3: Upload your images to Shutterfly. I uploaded 57 high res images and it took about 8 minutes. You can actually start step 4 while you're waiting.

Step 4: Select the size and style of book you want. I chose 8.5 x 11 with a Portfolio theme to keep it simple. You know me and simplicity…gotta have it.

Step 5: Follow the basic instructions online as you walk through each step. I used the new Storyboard feature and loved how easy it was to choose pictures for each page and let the program select the arrangement. Again, don't spend too much time here. It's too easy to get bogged down and never finish. Just keep moving.

Step 6: Add captions or journaling, if you want. I chose not to because I wanted the images to speak for themselves. And because for me the images evoke the memories I would write about anyway.

Step 7: Preview. Order. Enjoy!

Here's how to win a FREE 5 x 7 photo book from Shutterfly…

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