The people most interested in this PhotoWorks review are those that are looking to make a no-fuss, high-design photobook. Why? Because PhotoWorks focuses on the user who wants to make books that look like they took hours to design, but in fact all the design work is done.

This makes PhotoWorks a good choice for those who want something that looks nice, but don't have a lot of time and effort. It also means PhotWorks isn't the best choice for people looking for a more hands-on, scrapbooking type experience.

Read on for my in-depth PhotoWorks reivew. Or go to the bottom of this page to read user reviews or submit your own review of PhotoWorks photo books.

PhotoWorks Themed Photo Books

Their line of special themed books continues to increase and they now offer at least 70 different designed books that you can choose. These books are really great for the person who does not want to agonize over which background to use on each page. Every time I do a new PhotoWorks review, it seems like they continue to add to their themed book concept-- now it's with the introduction of Photoworks Studio Books.

PhotoWorks Studio Books: The Studio Books are books within 4 themes - Wedding, Travel, Baby, and Everyday. The bookmaking process is quite similar to the interface you use to create their other books. They do have a downloadable "How to Guide" as well as a helpful video.

My favorite themed book is the PhotoWorks family recipe photo book. The cover and pages have a great design and you just need to add your pictures and recipes. I was sad when they no longer offered the genealogy option, although they still offer a 4-generation chart as one of their page layouts (look under the 15 picture option). Some of their books are based on a particular design while some are based on a particular event or book reason.

Out of these newer books I love "Why You're Special" - it gives you a neatly designed book on the top ten reasons that you like or love the person.

Creating a Photo Book at PhotoWorks

When doing my PhotoWorks review, one of the first things I noticed was how different the design experience is at PhotoWorks. At most sites you decide which size book you want to make and then choose a theme and/or background. With PhotoWorks photo books, you have a book that is designed for a specific book-making purpose and you choose the purpose to start off rather than the size.

As far as organization goes, it seems as smart a way to make your own photo book as any, and I like the idea of picking my theme first.

PhotoWorks Photo Book Software

Editing Photos: If you are going to make a book with some pictures that need editing or touchups, you should upload them to the site and then edit the pictures before you upload them to the book you are designing. If you want to edit the photos you are taken to Picnik where you can use some moderately robust set of tools to fix your photo.

A Design Center is offered to give complete directions for anyone who is designing their own pages with software such as Photoshop or Photoshop Elements.

Your Photo Book Options

This photo book printer was one of the first to offer a 12x12 photo book, and were quick to adopt the custom cover photo books. They still have a linen and a metallic cut-out cover. The newest feature is a 4.25x4.25 photo book that offers an optional leather clutch to carry it. These books are meant for easy sharing by making them easy to carry in a purse.

What I Didn't Like: One of the few negative comments I'll make in this PhotoWorks review is that they have a rather large PhotoWorks logo displayed on the last page in the book. That was a little annoying to see in a wedding album I made for a friend although you might not notice it as much with a regular book. Still, as you PAY for the book, it seems like they could give you the option of opting out of the logo.

PhotoWorks Help and Customer Service

If you are having trouble with their photo book software, their help works well and is just a click away if you are having problems. They have "Live Chat" on their site where you can get an immediate reply to your questions, which is always a nice feature. However,this is only good during the day and early evening, and never on Sunday.

Visit our Coupon Page for current deals and promotions at PhotoWorks.

PhotoWorks Photo Book Specifications

Paper Weight	100# Glossy
Max. # of Pages	80
Mac Compatible?	Yes - Firefox or Safari

Updated: May 13, 2010

PhotoWorks Photo Book Review

Comparative Photo Book Software Review

Background Themes	Over 75 designed themes. Once a theme is chosen you cannot change the theme on one page in the book as it will apply that theme to the whole book.
Layout Variety	45 photo layout choices
JPG as a Background	No
Digi-Scrapbooking Friendly	Yes
In-book Editing	No
Text - variety and Full Page	9 different layouts. You also have the choice of choosing your own text fonts and sizes, or go with the designer choice.
Embellishments and Corners	A few corners.
Full-Page Bleed	Yes
Final Grade	B+

For an explanation of the Feature Set Review

Photo Book Sizes

The prices given are based on a 20 page book with printing on both sides of the pages. Additional pages are available for an extra charge. The price given is the lowest price for that size category.

Softcover
5 x 7	12.95
Hardcover
4 x 4	16.95
8 x 8	29.95
11 x 8.5	29.95
12 x 12	69.95

For a more detailed pricing, please visit Photo Book Covers and Sizes

When you're done with this PhotoWorks Review, go to this page to see other photo book printer reviews.