‘Tis the season for creating photo books, right? I’ve got to say, I’ve always been a little intimidated by the thought of creating a photo book. I tend to be a little picky about photographs basecase, and the thought of playing with a ton of them in an effort to create the perfect creative memory? Well, it’s just something I’ve shied away from, for the most part. When I make a photo book, I usually do it the old-fashioned way, with a regular photo album bought at the store, printed pictures, and some scrapbooking paper. You know, the old school way. Until now.
When the folks at SocialMoms asked if I would review the photo book product from Nero Kwik Media, I figured this was the perfect opportunity to dive right in. Here’s how it went:
You have to download the (free) software onto your computer to make these photo books, as opposed to being able to do it online a la Shutterfly, Costco, Kodak, and other similar establishments. I’m always a little bit leary of downloading new software. Once it was downloaded, the program itself is very easy to navigate and intuitive. Which is awesome because I try to avoid reading lengthy directions and manuals at all costs. I selected all the pictures I wanted to use, and then the program actually populated the pictures into the book I chose. That didn’t thrill me, because I would have rather inserted the pictures one by one, where I wanted them, by myself. That being said, it was easy to swap a few pictures out here and there.
There is a great variety of backgrounds, fonts, and colors that you can use, which made it easy to personalize the book as I went along. I also loved the feature that allowed me to blow up a picture to take up the whole page (becoming the background). You can choose soft or hard books, leather or not, and add in text wherever you want it, as you go along.
Beyond the photo books, you can also use your photos to make calendars, greeting cards, slide shows, and videos. The ordering process is fairly simple, although if you exit and go back, it can be a little tricky to figure out how to order a product you made before. I did have an issue with my book, and although it was difficult to figure out how to contact Customer Service, they were helpful once I reached them. Shipping is superfast, which is much appreciated this time of year, and the book was shipped to me less than 48 hours after ordering.
I haven’t received the book yet, but will update this post once it arrives. There are certainly a lot of vendors to consider when making photo books, but given how relatively easy my first time was, I will definitely be back. Would love to hear about the photo books you’ve ordered!
PS – I just noticed that they are currently offering 40% photo books as an introductory offer, and since you can get a completed book for under $15 normally, that’s quite the bargain if you need one for someone on your holiday gift list.
Disclosure: This post is part of a SocialMoms product evaluation, for which I’ve been selected. One free photo book was made available to me for review purposes, and I’ve been compensated for my time. All opinions are totally mine.
