Photo Book Software
Desktop applications that you can use to build photo books
Below is a list of several applications that you can use to create highly customized photo book layouts. Prices can vary on many of the products listed. If you need more assistance with choosing your creation software, Contact Us.
For non-commercial services with the same quality, visit our Presto Photo Photo Book Software page!
Careful When Creating
We see a lot of orders every day as an on-demand printer, and because of that we aren't able to review all parts of your file before we print (typo's, design errors, cropping issues, etc.). If you find concerns that were caused by the files you uploaded, we will not be able to reprint or refund those orders for free. This is why we try to provide you with as much information as we can to create your PDF right the first time.
These are some crucial settings to keep in mind when making your PDF file:
- Use the "Print" or "Press" settings for the maximum printing quality.
- Make sure all fonts are embedded
- Make sure you use sRGB colorspace
- Two page spreads should begin with page 2 since our pages start on the right
- Keep in mind the Cropping And Bleed for your project
Commonly Used Software
Book Designer
Platform: All (Online Web App)
Summary: Web app for creating photo books. Drag and Drop your photos into our user created templates!
Price: Free
Apple iPhoto Book Printing
Platform: Mac
Summary: Easy to use interface and customization options. Place images and text into custom pre-loaded templates!
Price: Free (Discontinued)
Apple Aperture
Platform: Mac
Summary: Full customization control while creating photo books. A great tool for advanced users.
Price: $299 (Discontinued)
Adobe InDesign
Platform: Mac and Windows
Summary: The premier desktop publishing software, customize every inch of you book with this software. High learning curve for very advanced book making.
Price: $20.99 a month with Adobe CC subscription
Apple Photos
Platform: Mac
Summary: Easy to use, gorgeous templates to place custom text and images from your Photos Library.Easy customization.
Price: Free (Photos Version 4 and up can no longer create photo books with the Photos book creation tool)
Other Software Options
Book Machine
Platform: All (Online Web App)
Summary: Ideal for compiling large amounts of images, or page layouts into a book. Limited layout capabilities.
Price: Free
Adobe Lightroom
Platform: Mac and Windows
Summary: Edit your photos in non-destructive environment, and make books in unique sizes with simple customization options.
Price: $9.99 with Adobe CC subscription
Adobe Photoshop Elements
Platform: Mac and Windows
Summary: Simplified photo editing and book creation. Software can still be purchased outright versus Photoshop CC Subscription based pricing.
Price: $99.99
Apple Pages
Platform: Mac
Summary: Word processor from Apple that comes with astounding desktop publishing and layout capabilities.
Price: Free
Adobe Photoshop
Platform: Mac and Windows
Summary: Ideal for Photo editing, but can be used for making photo books in a pinch.
Price: $9.99 a month with Adobe CC Subscription
Microsoft Office - Publisher, PowerPoint, and Word
Platform: Mac and Windows
Summary: Not optimal for project creation due to limitations in the programs PDF output and layout options, but can work for text based books with fewer photos.
Price: $69.99 a year or $6.99 a month
Scribus
Platform: Mac, Windows and Linux
Summary: Open source desktop publishing, not suggested due to high learning curve and limited PDF output capabilities.
Price: Free
MyPublisher
Platform: Mac and Windows
Summary: Support only for PDF files downloaded from their website.
Price: Free (Discontinued)
PDF Conversion
Have a file but it’s not saved as a PDF? Need help embedding the fonts in a PDF? The following list of programs will help you get your file print ready!
Adobe Acrobat Standard DC
Adobe Acrobat Standard DC is a easy way to make and share secure and dependable Adobe PDF documents. Create Adobe PDF files that correctly represent the original document, add pages, remove pages, combine individual files into one large PDF, do it all with the gold standard in PDF editing software.
Price: $12.99 a month
FoxIt PDF Creator
Over 300 million users for this lightweight, speedy, and feature rich PDF reader. Allows for pdf creation and conversion for free, and protects you against security vulnerabilities.
Price: Free
neevia docuPrinter LT
Fashioned as a PDF printer driver, use this software to make high quality and search-able PDF files from any Windows application. The program also features the ability to convert EPS files and PostScript files to PDF using their drag and drop feature, combine multiple documents into a single PDF file, and more.
Price: $19
Adobe Photoshop
Platform: Mac and Windows
Summary: Best for Photo editing, but can be used for combining separate pages into one PDF file.
Price: $9.99 with Adobe CC subscription
Microsoft Office - Publisher, PowerPoint, Word
Platform: Mac and Windows
Summary: Not ideal for project creation due to limitations of PDF output.
Price: $69.99 a year or $6.99 a month