Photo Book – Isn’t It Easier Than This?

After taking all those photos in Maine, I thought it might be nice to put them all together. In the past Helaine and I have had 4×6 inch prints spiral bound together. I wanted something a little more ‘produced.’

I’ve been playing around with Picasa (which doesn’t do anywhere near as much as Photoshop, but is perfect for most digital photographers… and free), which offers to upload your pics to a few photo finishers, some of whom produce photo books.

Hey, why not? I’ve seen Apple’s ads where Macs produce beautiful little books. Can’t my PC do it too?

I saw photo books offered on Winkflash, one of Picasa’s vendors, and uploaded my stuff. We’re talking hundreds of megabytes – a major undertaking.

Last night, and then again this morning, I began to put it together. Now I’m done.

I’m not finished. I’ve just had it! Frustration is the best word I can use without this becoming an adults only blog.

I suppose a downloaded software application, where I could do all the assembly on my PC and upload the files later, might be a good idea. Winkflash attempted to do all the manipulation online – a Web 2.0 application. The execution’s just not there.

The interface is slow. Sometimes photos don’t center up. Once I’ve moved a small photo, I can’t easily see it at its original larger size. That’s a necessary proofing tool.

I will try again, but elsewhere. I’m not saying Winkflash is bad or has poor quality. All I know is, for me, the user interface is awful.

I was hoping the picture book would be on its way to production by now. Instead, I’m back at square one.