Blurb Forums

If I understand it right you will be O.K. (If I don’t I’m sure someone on here will let me know!).

There are two ways of describing a JPEG, either 8-bit (implying 8bits per colour) or 24 bit. 24 is simply 8bits x three colours (Red, Green & Blue) = 24. The two are equivalent (if confusing!)

So your photos are fine.

The photos don’t have to be exactly 300dpi so you should be O.K. – look for the warning message when you place a photo on the page, no message and it’ll print fine.

You are most likely to hit problems if you try and stretch a small photo to fill a large space in a template. For instance a 6" x 4" stretched to fill a full bleed page on a 13" x 11" book will not print well.

If you stretch one to double the size you will halve the bits per inch. So that a 3" x 2" photo at 300 dpi stretched to fill a 6" x 4" space in a page template would be just 150dpi, right on the edge of acceptability.

Keep them roughly to the original size and you should have no problems.

I personally wouldn’t go via Flickr or Photobucket, it won’t add anything and the extra steps and extra accesses to the internet will just slow your book building down a lot.

If you want to make changes to your photos before putting them in the book there are some really good free photo editing applications out there you can download, GIMP being well spoken of.

........Tony

.......Tony

Boy, is this good news!!!!

Thank you so much Tony and Keith.

I will keep my photos just the way they are.  

~~ 

 Tony – you said, "You are most likely to hit problems if you try and stretch a small photo to fill a large space in a template. For instance a 6" x 4" stretched to fill a full bleed page on a 13" x 11" book will not print well."

 If I fill the image container completely, stretch the photo using the "zoom\crop tool" or "fill in the image area(crop image) will this have any effect on the print quality of the pictures?

Thanks again for all your help,

Chris 

Just to let you know, none of my photos have the warning icon. 

Hi Chris,

I highly commend Tony’s for his wonderful contribution along with his tips and suggestion at Blurb Forums.

I suggest that you might want to consider this venue of run a “test” or “proof” book with twenty (20) pages with your small images in question. I mean, I have done with all of my books with custom full-bleed design layout and import them into BookSmart. I have no idea how the “small” image will look by using BookSmart’s feature “zoom/crop”. To me, and in my opinion, it is too great to risk – if you go with many pages. Although, I do not know how many photos nor how many pages do you plan to work on your book project.

To save lot of time, money and effort, I think “proof” book with twenty pages will give you a better idea. Once you get the book arrived, you have a better idea how it looks like right there right before you eyes. Once you know and see on that proof book, then you’ll go ahead with stage two with more photos importing into BookSmart.

It is really, totally up to you. It is just a thought.

Enjoy the brilliantly, steel blue skies outside!
Cheers, Brian

Thanks again guys. You’re the Best! ! !

 I would love to do a test run with the book, but unfortunately this is a one shot deal.

It’s just a book with all my recipes, along with photos, for my daughter in honor of her up-n-coming wedding. Thought it would be cool doing it this way, instead writing them down on  plain recipe cards.

 ~ ~ Chris