Idea Center for Photo Book Success

The Idea Center will help you choose a theme or project idea for your photo book from a listing of several different types of books that many people have found to make successful books. Most idea centers will help you jumpstart your project, so that's the intent of this page. If you have a really good idea or a tip that you'd like to share, please contact us and we'll be sure to add it to this page. Paying it forward is our motto!

Work in Progress

As you gather your pix together you might find you don't have all the pictures you want in the book right now, but still want to share what you have. Making a Photo Show is one thing you can do. Visit our Photo Show DVD page to find out how to make your own photo show.

Photo Book Publisher Ideas

Many times individual photo book publishers will have created specific books that may be perfect for the project you want to create. We'll share them with you here in our idea center as we find and catalog the different publisher offerings.

Shutterfly and Creating Keepsakes have teamed up on their line of guided books. These special themed books bring together picture-ready designs while preserving the ability to personalize the books.

Adventure and Center Stage Books also from Shutterfly, help you create a story book that features your child on every page.

Idea Center Photo Book Topics

Everyone likes to highlight each year as it passes. A Year in Review Photo Book looks at one of my years and shows you how you can think about highlighting a year of your own.

Now if there isn't already enough ideas offered in the idea center, here are 100 Photo Book Ideas for you to choose for your own photo books!

Here are some topic ideas to make your own photo books. These ideas aren't featured on the navigation bar on the left, but are great photo book ideas for your own books.

	Travel Book This might be a bit like "what I did on my summer vacation" from our school days, but we all have had a great vacation that we'd like to remember with a photo book. All of my pictures from Bryce Canyon deserve to be in a book along with all the other National Parks we visited. Or, you might have made a lot of small trips and they can be combined into a book too. So the travel book can be from one trip, or the highlights from many trips. Besides, your friends will be more likely to look at your pictures if they are put into an attractive photo book!
	Family History Book A history book with a page for each relative will put some order to that old family tree. But, a family history book can be more than just a bunch of old pictures. When you are putting together the book it is the best time to ask relatives what they remember about certain pictures. For instance, if you asked the little boy in the picture at the left what he remembers about that day you'd probably get a few good comments that might really add a lot of feeling to the book you are making. You might need to scan some old pictures to create this book, so check out our scanning information.
	Cookbook There are many times that a cookbook is a great gift: A family cookbook is a perfect holiday or birthday gift. The cookbook can contain pictures of the prepared recipe, the cook, or the family enjoying the meal. It doesn't need to be limited to just the recipe! When a child moves into their first apartment a cookbook with all their favorites will be a favorite keepsake. If someone has special dietary requirements a cookbook with some of their favorite recipes for their needs will be a great help. It would also be a great gift if you meet someone else who has the same dietary limitations. This type of project where you need to store recipes and pictures in your personal idea center.
	A Few of My Favorite Things Book This is a great Idea Center project to start from scratch. Set the mood by playing "A Few of My Favorite Things" while creating your own personal list of favorite things. Then you can have fun with this and take pictures of all of these 'things". Add a bit of text on why these are your favorites and you have something that you will enjoy forever. You can also start this with the current pictures you have and create favorite categories such as trips, holidays, pictures, meals, outfits. You get the idea. Then put their pictures with the favorite and you can even add some text about why this is a favorite. I mentioned playing "favorite things" and that gives another favorite -- your could have a book with your favorite lyrics and pictures that goes with those lyrics.
	Sports Photo Books Parents spend a lot of time watching their children in various sports. These are wonderful times to take pictures to remember their glory days. Idea Center: Making a Sports Photo Book discusses how to Choose a Theme That Fits Your Child's Motivation if you have a child who participates in more than one sport and you want to combine the different sports into one book. Sports photography is a little different than everyday photography so there are some tips on Taking Better Sports Pictures. Snapping that pix of a moving target is a lot different than when everyone is standing still! If your child is into one sport and spends most of the year doing it you could also make a yearbook. Creating a Gymnastics Yearbook hits on several tips to use when making a yearbook for your own sport loving child.
	Kids' Projects Kids Projects are projects that are either put together for children or done with the help of the children. Kids' Projects to do With and For Children offers several different types of projects that will help jump start these ideas. Children's artwork, family books, and books that help your child learn and enjoy reading are all highlighted. A special book you can make for your child is based on the "Where's Waldo" books. Find the Photo Book is made from pictures highlighting your special child's favorite item. Children love stories. What could be better than a story book featuring them as the hero or heroine of the story?
	ABC Books There are two variations of the ABC type book. The first variation is where you create a page for each letter of the alphabet. The secret of using this type of caption is that all the words relate to the chosen theme. For instance, you wouldn't use the word "Ghoulish" for the letter "G" in a Christmas book. The second variation of the ABC book is to choose a word and create a theme for each letter. The most popular example would be using the word "Mother" as "M is for the million things she gave me...".

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