Shutterfly | At Home with Tech

December 15, 2024

How to Create a Holiday Card with a Photo Collage at the Last Minute

If stores are closed, and you need to buy a holiday card before the party, why not print out one of your own? And if you add in a few of your own pictures, you’ve got the makings of a great card. Here are three ways I do it.

When I was a kid, my mother would spend hours shopping in different stores for the perfect holiday or birthday card for me. I think she equated all that effort to demonstrating her love (or she just enjoyed shopping for cards). For a time, I followed in my mom’s footsteps, but that eventually changed.

I stopped shopping for ‘greeting cards’ at pharmacies years ago. It’s so analog. Those generic cards are expensive, and the professionally written sentiments are hardly delightful. Sure, they’re adequate and serve a purpose, but there’s a better way…

Make your Cards Yourself
I’ve been generating my own holiday and birthday cards on my computer. Plus, I typically do it using my family pictures.

It just takes:

a home printer
some photo paper
and access to a card-design program

What Design Program Should You Use?
The key for me is to use a card-design program or app that allows you to quickly pop in your pictures and type your message into a photo template. Speed is everything, because I’m often creating the cards (cough) at the last minute. (And if you realize you need a card after the stores are closed, a digital DIY solution is really all you’ve got.)

I usually prefer to use a photo-collage template. The multiple pictures help to represent a body of time that I’m celebrating.

The bespoke nature of these cards makes them more personal, and I find them more impactful than choosing the generic-card-from-a-store route.

My recipients really like them! But believe it or not, there aren’t that many online options out there that will do the card-creation trick for you quickly and free.

That said, here are three options I’ve tried that are relatively easy to use.

Shutterfly
Like many websites, Shutterfly wants to sell you physical cards. The design piece is there to help complete your purchase. But before I click to ‘buy’ the designed card, I simply capture a screenshot of the card and use that file for my printer. Yes, it’s a MacGyver move, but it works. (You don’t need a high-res file for a 5″ x 7″ card housing a photo collage.)

The templates are easy to use, and yes, I do occasionally buy something from them.

Adobe Express
This Adobe software has a free version you can use, though many templates are unavailable. Still, it’s a good choice to consider. Even though this is a simplified ‘express’ solution, it requires a little more Adobe design/interface knowledge.

Its ‘Collage Maker’ has a 9-photo limit. Once you import your pictures, you then click through some preset layout options, which often don’t fit the photos. So, you’ve got some work to do. But then I found its photo-resizing function was surprisingly glitchy. Happily, with a little more effort, the interface eventually behaved.

And with practice, I’m sure Adobe Express would be easier to work with. (You’re using an Adobe product. So, I’d say that’s a good investment of your time.)

Canva
I’ve been using Canva for years. Its interface is easy to navigate, and its photo-grid templates are quite flexible and intuitive to move around.

Just like Adobe, the free Canva version shuts you out from many designs, but there are still plenty of options.

I must repeat that Canva is super simple to use, and it gives you solid results.

One more time… Easy.

It’s Never too Late
No, printing out a photo-collage card onto photo stock is nothing new. But it’s always a good reminder to occasionally flex the skills needed to spit one of these out.

Yes, there are any number of other solutions online to do this kind of creative work, but I prefer going with a brand or website I know and already have a relationship with.

Just set aside a little time (especially to compose a few heartfelt words), and I bet you’ll quickly create a beautiful card that will totally impress your recipient.

November 5, 2023

Is the Lifetouch Digital Package for your Child’s School Photo a Good Deal?

After your kid’s school picture day, it’s time to choose which photo package to buy. Here’s how to figure out what might be best for you.

I have a confession to make. I have dozens of unused Lifetouch school photos of our son still sitting in their original envelopes. They span back over a decade of my middle schooler’s life. What happened?

Quite simply, I ordered more photos than I needed. Each year, I’ve really tried to order to right package for my family. But the truth is the package configurations are supersized with options I don’t need. I’ve never wanted those little 2×3 wallet photos to give out. (Doesn’t a digital picture on a smartphone serve the exact same purpose?)

Sure, an 8×10 print is nice. Even a couple of 5×7’s. But really, it’s the digital file that’s most important to me. Then, I’ve got the keys to do exactly what I want with it. I don’t really need a photo factory churning out a high volume of prints for me. (Caveat: I’ve got a smaller family.)

But of course, Lifetouch wants you to buy prints. That’s their profit margin. So, the digital file is difficult to isolate.

Welcome to the Digital Landscape
Now, Lifetouch (owned by Shutterfly) offers their new Digital Only Package.
Yay! But wait…

It contains two digital versions of the exact same photo. One has the standard blue background. The other offers the background of your choice.

You also get the option to stamp your kid’s name and grade on the front, and the option to allow a Lifetouch artist to retouch your kid’s photo to ‘improve’ it.

Really?

Keep it Real
So, I don’t really want or need a buffed-out photo of my 13-year-old son. He’s perfect. And I say that every kid is perfect. There’s no need to change anything. Seriously. I understand why a parent might want to improve a photo, but that’s not the way your kid looked in that moment.

If you’re buying school portraits every year, like I’ve done, I think it’s best to think of them as a progression of a child’s life over time. That’s their ultimate value. We all have thousands of photos of our children that we’ve taken ourselves. We don’t really need another photo.

But taking the same photo year-over-year… and then putting them together in a montage… I find that’s a magic equation to help tell the story of a person’s early years.

The Basic Package
For $19.99, the Basic Package offers plenty for most needs (unless you have a large family). You get the digital photo file with the basic background (forwarded to your Shutterfly account). Plus. you receive a few prints:

2 – 5×7
2 – 3×5
4 – 2×3

The two 5×7’s are useful, and I can pop them in frames. The rest will sit in the envelope forever.

Still… spending twenty bucks for a portrait, the digital file and a couple usable prints is a good deal.

The Digital Only Package
For $36.99, the Digital Package still only gives you the one portrait. Sure, they say they give you a second digital file with a different background. And that’s true, but I don’t feel that almost doubling the price is worth it for the exact same picture of your child.

No, I don’t need the ‘premium’ touch up treatment, thank you very much.

And I absolutely don’t want his name and grade burned into the image of the digital file. That’s really limiting for future use in my own photo montages of him that I may create. (I just want the ‘clean’ photo.)

Basic is Best
If you compare the two packages and strip away the undesirable pieces, the Basic Package gives you more. You get the digital portrait plus a few hard copies.

The Digital Package effectively gives you the same digital portrait. And that’s it. For almost double the cost.

So, this year, I’m buying the Basic Package.
Click.

Barrett’s Suggestion for Lifetouch
If I were to design a Digital Only Package that I would want to purchase, it would contain four digital files.

2 digital files with the background of my choice
2 duplicate files with the name and grade burned into the image
Optional premium retouching service (if you insist)
$29.99

You’ve got to believe that eliminating the printing/packaging/delivery costs of physical prints is a huge savings for Lifetouch. Why not beef up the Digital Only Package a bit and bring the price down?

Food for thought, Lifetouch…

November 5, 2017

Why Forwarding Photos May Not Be a Welcome Gift

You should think twice before sharing lots of digital photos with your peeps. Sure, it may be fun for the recipient to take a quick look. But guess what happens after that…?

All of this time, I thought I was doing my family and friends a favor by emailing downloadable Dropbox links of photos I’ve snapped at group settings. I’ve been doing this for years. What’s not to like?

I know that people generally love to participate in digital photo sharing.
It’s immediate.
It’s free.
It’s easy.

It’s also a quick and simple gift.

But you’ve got to admit, it’s something of a sloppy art.

Even so, I figure that folks can be responsible for what they do with the pictures they receive.
Right?

Well, yes.
And… no.

I think the problem is many people today just don’t have the time to do anything with your photos once they take a quick look at them.

That requires organization.
And good organization takes time.
Organization that even I have a hard time maintaining.
In fact, I’m still years in the rear at creating those ‘annual’ family photo albums to proudly live on our book shelves.

Some Assembly Required
I suppose emailing one or two photos shouldn’t really be a problem to handle. Even several… if they’re good pics.
But when you just throw twenty or thirty photos at someone, because you just don’t have time to do anything else, that just shifts the burden of organization onto the recipient.

You might think that you’re still doing them a favor, because once they go through everything, they’ll certainly separate the creative wheat from the chaff.

But you’re essentially sending someone more work to do.
That’s not such a great gift, is it?

Now, this is not a universal declaration. Take me for example…
If family and friends want to send me lots of unfiltered pics… I feel that’s better than not receiving anything at all.
(But I readily admit… I probably don’t represent the norm.)

The bottom line is you should always know your audience before you click on ‘send.’

The Analog Advantage
If you want to give the true gift of photo sharing that doesn’t require anything else to do, then you may have to suck it up and put in a little more effort…

And do you know what that looks like?
(I think you do.)

It’s a physical photo album or a photo book that’s completely done!
(How analog)

Will that take more time than you’re willing to commit?
Well, of course… there’s the rub.

Case in Point…
I’m always appreciative when someone hands me a little photo book celebrating an event or activity.
Sure, I might think… “Huh… I might have done that a little differently.”
But the reality is… I probably would never have gotten around to doing it at all!

And there’s your opportunity…

So recently, when a family friend scoffed at receiving a bunch of photos I emailed over, I didn’t take it personally.
Instead of a “Thank you,” I got a “When am I going to have the time to do anything with these?”
(And I had even gone through the batch to pick out the best ones!)

It was clearly time to create a tangible photo book…
Not to mention that I also received a direct request for one of these as a birthday gift.
(Isn’t clarity a wonderful thing?)

The Inner Truth
And for those of you digital geeks out there who don’t own a printer or know what a piece of paper is anymore (let alone a physical photo album)…
Guess what?
Deep down…
…You know you’re craving the same thing.

Wouldn’t it be nice if someone made you a physical photo album or book?

It’s okay.
Your secret is safe with me.

What’s Old is New Again
It’s not so old school.
People love photo books.

And there are lots of companies out there serving that need… like Shutterfly.
Since I’m doing my photo management in Adobe Lightroom, there’s an integrated process to work with Blurb.

It’s time to stop taking the easy way out by throwing your photos to the digital wind and hoping for the best.
Roll up your sleeves and create a physical photo collection that’s actually complete upon arrival.

Now, I’d better take a bit of my own advice and get to work on the birthday gift… The party is next week!

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