If you’re anything like me, you probably tend to underestimate how long a project like a photobook might take. Well, you’re not likely to finish it in an evening, while watching a movie, but it doesn’t have to drag on for months either, especially if you start off with the right expectations and if you have a plan.
In my experience, making a photobook from start to finish tends to take 10-20 hours. This will of course vary depending on many factors: how many pages your book has, how long it takes to create your selection of pictures, which service you use, etc.
But I would argue that making the entire photobook takes 3 solid sessions:
- Making your pictures selection (3 to 10 hours)
- Doing the bulk of the photobook layout (2 to 5 hours)
- Perfecting each page and putting your finishing touches (3 to 5 hours)
1. Pictures selection
The first session is by far the most tedious and time-consuming, especially if your pictures are not very well organized in the first place. It also tends to determine how long everything else will take, but more on that later.
2. Layout
The second session is where the creative magic happens: this is your opportunity to turn a bag of pictures into a story teller. I like to think of each double page as its own little chapter and I personally find it very satisfying seeing it come to life. My recommendation is to do this whole session in one go, if possible, as it will motivate you, and make it much more likely that you will then finish your project.
3. Fine Tuning
The last session is very detail-oriented and focuses on making each page beautiful. This can take quite a while, but I personally like to give myself a fixed amount of time. By setting a timer, I limit my overwhelming – and unproductive – perfectionist tendencies, and focus on moving the project along. Once you start seeing finished pages line up one after the other, satisfaction and pride start to build, and your finished product is now in sight.
Finally, if you are planning to create the book for a special occasion, or if you have a deadline to get the book to someone, don’t forget to take into account the time required for printing and shipping. It is likely to take at least one week.
In future posts, we will go through each of these steps in detail, and get you on your way to making the perfect photobook!