More control over templates

In the future is it planned for the user to have more control over templates? Such as being able to move around photo boxes and texts boxes within a page and be able to resize them? The only problem I find with BookSmart is for the work I do I seem limited to my choices with templates and in my head I have lots of template ideas I’d like to use to make my books much better. Thanks. Dave

i just discovered booksmart and am thinking about using it rather than mpix. i like the software and many of the design options, but i am frustrated that i can’t resize photo boxes and text boxes, like i can in mpix.

i came on the forum to see if there was anything i was missing in terms of making this possible, but i guess not. it might be back to mpix for me…

Hey

I’d like to be able to link two pages together so if I added a page it wouldn’t separate them. (I know booksmart would have to add a page to make it even—but the tech can would on that part)

Keep Smiling

I also would like to create my own pages. We used Image Station last year and it was great. You could put a photo and text anywhere and any size on the page. But they have closed down their site. I know it can be done in Photoshop or other software but being able to edit on the fly was wonderful. And we could share the book amongst family and friends and if they wanted a copy could order it.

Hi Feja –

Just a note – You can easily share your completed books with friends and family using Blurb as well. Once your book is complete you can keep it private simply hit the Announce button or go ahead and make it public in the bookstore.

Cheers, Chad 

I am glad to hear that other people have experienced the same frustrations about limitations with the layouts. 

For me, it was the 4 picture per page layout on Booksmart that I wasn’t satisfied with.  For my pictures, the pictures that bleed together look messy.  I wanted a 4 picture layout with a narrow (1/8") gutter (space in between the photos) and a margin around the photos.  But I still wanted the photos to be relatively large on the page. 

I started to do my own layouts in Photoshop, but after a few pages, realized that it wasn’t necessarily the best program to use.  I recently discovered the program InDesign which is definitely the more appropriate way to crop your photos exactly how you want to. 

It would be great if BookSmart allowed users more flexibility with cropping/designing an entire page, like what InDesign allows you to do.

If you need more flexablitity…go into photoshop, create a new document that is the size of your b ook (8×10 for instance) at 300 or higher dpi, and lay everything out yourself. then import it into blurb as a full bleed page. it works much much better that way, now you have all the freedom int he world for your lay out designs. hey, its not like we are paying for the program blurb supplies anyways…use your imagination and come up with something.

I was just starting to make my first photo/poem book and noticed I couldn’t change the size or move them around. Pity, because I can’t use Blurb then. I’m very particular as it comes to lay outs and none of them really satisfy me.

The other day I made two books on Photo Tools and they have a beautiful program with free use of the lay outs, you can ajust anything per page and the print is beautiful, but you can’t sell your book through them, it’s just for personal use.

Oh well, seems I just have to wait till Blurb’s loosen up it’s templates.

Does anyone know what is that program Photo tools that Titia mentioned?

Sorry, only half of the response came through:

I believe the url for the Photo Tools site Titia was referring to is -

www.ononesoftware.com/detail.php?prodLine_id=29

Jack

Well it seems the link to my books isn’t working. One can only see them, when they have an account of their own (which is free). Sorry.

What frustrates me most is the pathetically small sizes of many text boxes which is quite unnecessary as they are surrounded by vast areas of blank space! Why can’t they be bigger please? I’d love greater control over them but in the meantime could some of those layouts be changed so the text box is bigger please? People who want a small amount of text there can still have it just by not putting so much in and using tab, space and return to move it to the desired location within the larger box. Also, I’d like more picture on picture layouts or ideally the ability to use my own picture as a background.

to be able to move and resize would be nice

Why aren’t there similar layouts in each book. I’d like to make an 11×13 book but am hesitant because 2 of my favorite layouts from the original 8×10 are missing. I’d really like to see the layouts with one large photo and 3-5 small photos in a row above. There are two options in the 8×10 format. Would it be that difficult to put the same basic template in the larger format book? I started my book 2 months ago and can’t seem to dedicate myself any further because I can’t decide if I want to do the smaller size again in order to have those layouts.

Blurb, please help!!

As I read through these comments regarding more control of templates I saw myself a few years ago when I became a member of Blurb. My first book was created using the templates provided with this "free" software and it was easy to use and provided for a nice book for my mother-in-law.  It was easy and fund – drag and drop. After my third book I wanted something a little different and desired more flexibility in the page layouts. That is when I found Photoshop Elements 3.0.  I ordered the book and began reading and trying things with the photos I had collected over the years. Now a few years later I’m using PS Elements 7.0 and have read all the books versions I could from my public library and just completed book number nine.  Ninety percent of all the pages are layouts I’ve created beginning with blank pages in PSE.  I’ve even created a couple of pages using PowerPoint – saved the page as a JPEG – pulled it up in PSE – changed the page size plus the resolution to 300 dpi (or is psi – I forget).  Anyway, what I trying to say is that if you really want control – go and get it. It’s out there for the taking but you have to go and apply yourself.  It seems to me that many times when a person is given everything a lot of creativity is lost because you become content or complain about being given more.. People have commented that my books are really unique because of my page layouts and they don’t look like other photo books.  I’m no expert but like many of you who wanted more but was afraid to go out and take the time to get it – I decided to do something about it and not wait on Blurb.  Today I’m rewarded with creating more satisfying books and having new editing skills under my belt that promotes more creativity.  Sometime I can’t go to sleep or wake up early thinking about new page layouts because of the skills I’ve obtained from reading books and other pieces about photo editing. I can’t wait to see if I can create what I’ve visualized.Lastly, I thank Blurb for providing this outlet and from what I’ve seen from the number of books published a lot of others have jumped in and let their creativity energy flow as well.  Again, don’t wait on Blurb – they have given you the BLANK canvas – go fill it the way you want by learning new skills – once you’ve got them they’re ours to use and keep. CJAYJR

I’m a Mac user and new to Blurb. I am creating whole pages in iWork’s Keynote, then exporting them to iPhoto as images. This way I can create the layouts I want, tilt photos and even shade them so they seem to be lifted off the page like a scrapbook. Then in Book Smart I choose the text and picture option, within the project I select full page photo, and then drag and drop the full page image from iPhoto.