What’s the best way to create customizable photo books from Lightroom?

Asked 6/1/2013

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I keep my photo library and edits in Lightroom, but I’m frustrated by the limitations of Lightroom 4’s Book module. It feels tied to Blurb and doesn’t give enough control over page layout—for example, placing images exactly where I want on the page.

I’d like a workflow for making photo books that starts from Lightroom, ideally with better layout flexibility and a smooth way to keep refining the book over time as I add and edit new photos. If Lightroom isn’t the best tool for this, what software or workflow works well?

photo-books book-design workflow lightroom blurb

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

13y ago

2 Answers

I don't know if you found an answer to this question, but in case others come across it:

I got a photo book done by Blurb, I was highly impressed by the quality, but I created it using Blurb's downloadable application called 'Booksmart'. It's like a self contained desktop publishing application, and seems to be quite reliable. From within it you can choose your complete layout. I would suggest that you decide from the start all the choices you want, particularly in terms of book size and cover options.

Originally by user24522. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user24522

12y ago

AI Answer

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If you need more layout control than Lightroom 4 offers, the two practical options mentioned are:

Blurb BookSmart – a separate desktop app with much more freedom for designing pages and choosing layouts. It’s a good choice if you’re happy using Blurb and want stronger book-design tools.
Lightroom 5 Book module – this improved on Lightroom 4 by allowing custom layouts and modification of existing layouts. Its main advantage is that your book stays tied to your Lightroom workflow, so you can keep adjusting photo edits while designing the book instead of re-exporting files.

So the best answer depends on your priority:

Best integration with your photo library/editing: Lightroom 5
Best standalone layout/design flexibility: Blurb BookSmart

If you stay outside Lightroom, exporting images and importing them into book software is the normal workflow. But if you want to keep adding photos over time and refine edits as the book evolves, upgrading to a newer Lightroom book workflow is the most convenient path.

What’s the best way to create customizable photo books from Lightroom?

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