Layout Software

[lally0724]

Hello, I am looking at making the "coffee Table" Books for weddings, and I'm just wondering what kind of design software people use? I know you can use photoshop, but I've been told there are programs that make life much simpler. Please let me know what you use to design your books, and collages, and why it is that you like this software.
Thanks,
Lally

[scotgasch]

I have used AutoCrop....
Do a google search for it.
Now I use a company that does the Design Printing and Binding...

[lizardbeth]

I've heard my publisher is pretty good:

http://mypublisher.com/newGetStarted.php

[tim]

Anyone know if you can use any of these with Asukabook? They say to use photoshop, which sucks for this type of thing.

[NGrinerPhoto]

photojunction.com has a standalone program <--- MY PICK
artleather.com has a program to be used with their books
pictobooks.com has a program to be used with their books
"top hat" is a good one if you can get your hands on it

asuka does not do leather ... most brides want leather. if you don't want leather, give it a try. in that case, you can also use iphoto from mac too. if you want to pay gary some of your hard earned cash, he has some software on his site.

edit: zookbinders.com has one too. i think you have to use their books and you get reimbursed after your first album purchase.

[tim]

I have PhotoJunction too, it's very good, but each manufacturer has to have their layouts set up so you can use it. For example I don't know how i'd design an AsukaBook in it.

[Zepher]

Anyone know if you can use any of these with Asukabook? They say to use photoshop, which sucks for this type of thing.

Photoshop is great for doing photo montage layouts.
If you are doing photos with text layouts, you'd use photoshop for the photos and then use Pagemaker or any other desktop puplishing program to incorporate the text layout and photos.
but just to do photo layouts, photoshop is the best and easiest to use, imho.

[tim]

Are there alignment tools in Photoshop? Say I want to have three images down the right hand side of a page, can photoshop align them? Can it space them out evenly? It'd be handy if it could. Photojunction does all that sort of thing with a couple of clicks.

[Zepher]

Are there alignment tools in Photoshop? Say I want to have three images down the right hand side of a page, can photoshop align them? Can it space them out evenly? It'd be handy if it could. Photojunction does all that sort of thing with a couple of clicks.

you can if you use the guides and rulers and have it snap to the guides.

[tim]

you can if you use the guides and rulers and have it snap to the guides.

I'll give it a go, ta :)

[Scottes]

Are there alignment tools in Photoshop? Say I want to have three images down the right hand side of a page, can photoshop align them?
I was recently getting some prints done using ElcoColor's 20x30 $10 deal, so I was laying out multiple images on a 20x30, each pic on a different layer. I was pleasantly surprised when PS started snapping pics to each other. They snapped to each other on any edge and the center points. Automatically, no guides or rulers.

http://www.itsanadventure.com/postimages/align.gif

http://www.itsanadventure.com/postimages/align2.gif

Guides will certainly help with other alignment scenarios.

[UncleDoug]

I second the recommendation of Photoshop for coffee table books, if this is what you know.
My business partner, the real photographer, has several "templates" set up with layer masks, etc. and they work quite well for him.

I pef. Indesign or Quark because I'm familliar with them from my newspaper days.

Any of the Adobe products, InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop and Quark will all do quite well, if you know them.

[dengli]

Have a look at http://www.wedding-photography.org/ . Its a forum like this but just for wedding photographers. Don't want to detract from this forum which is A1++++++!!! but the link is a more specialised forum.