Reliable Photo Book Softare

GoofBckt

Can someone recommend a decent photobook software compatible with Vista OS? I've tried Blurb and MyPublisher and wasn't happy with either of them (too many glitches or just plain inadequate). I prefer something on the less complicated side, but something I can tweak to my liking as well. I'm getting an early start on next year's Christmas presents.
Thank you!

sara505

GoofBckt wrote: »

Can someone recommend a decent photobook software compatible with Vista OS? I've tried Blurb and MyPublisher and wasn't happy with either of them (too many glitches or just plain inadequate). I prefer something on the less complicated side, but something I can tweak to my liking as well. I'm getting an early start on next year's Christmas presents.
Thank you!

I'd like to know, also.

I've been a big fan of Blurb - until today. TBH, I've only made one book through Blurb, but it came out very well.

Today I spent many hours at my Brookline computer making a book for a customer, only to realize there's no way to remotely share a preview with Blurb. Not only that, but the Export tool did not work.

I am now back on the Vineyard where I can meet with my customer - I told him I would show him the book on my computer tomorrow, but like a stupid ass, I somehow thought the book I saved in my Brookline computer would miraculously appear in the MV computer - I did not upload the book because I don't want to purchase it without my customer okaying it first.

Now I am faced with either taking a day and getting back on the ferry and driving the 80 miles to Boston or making a new book (and doing what? I still have no way of exporting the file). Oh well, I suppose the second time around will be faster, and at least I was smart enough to bring the image files back with me.

My question is - is there a good book publishing company that allows the sharing of an on-line preview with a customer?

I'm a little sour on Blurb at the moment (in case you couldn't tell).

rsquared

GoofBckt wrote: »

Can someone recommend a decent photobook software compatible with Vista OS? I've tried Blurb and MyPublisher and wasn't happy with either of them (too many glitches or just plain inadequate). I prefer something on the less complicated side, but something I can tweak to my liking as well. I'm getting an early start on next year's Christmas presents.
Thank you!

sara505 wrote: »

My question is - is there a good book publishing company that allows the sharing of an on-line preview with a customer?

The new Lightroom version 4 has a book module built in. I've never used the Blurb software (or any other book publisher's software) so I don't know if Lightroom's is any more complicated, but it certainly doesn't seem to be glitchy.

For Sara, you can create books to send directly to Blurb from the lightroom book module, or you can choose to output to PDF, and you can toggle back and forth between the two. Maybe that will work for sending to your customer as a preview?

sara505

rsquared wrote: »

The new Lightroom version 4 has a book module built in. I've never used the Blurb software (or any other book publisher's software) so I don't know if Lightroom's is any more complicated, but it certainly doesn't seem to be glitchy.

For Sara, you can create books to send directly to Blurb from the lightroom book module, or you can choose to output to PDF, and you can toggle back and forth between the two. Maybe that will work for sending to your customer as a preview?

I was very excited about LR 4's Book Module and marriage to Blurb.

A PDF of a good-sized book takes many, many, hours, if not days, to write, then there's the issue of sending it. Waay to cumbersome.

If Blurb's Export tool had worked, that would have helped (it just did not work - nothing happened when I clicked Export - there were forum threads with the same issue, but no answers)

In case you missed it - I would prefer to never use Blurb again. My question - to expand on the OP's - is, what book publishing software allows on-line previews?

arodney

GoofBckt wrote: »

Can someone recommend a decent photobook software compatible with Vista OS? I've tried Blurb and MyPublisher and wasn't happy with either of them (too many glitches or just plain inadequate).

I was underwhelmed by the test book of images I sent too (through Lightroom). Far better quality using the same images in Aperture but unfortunately that doesn’t help you out, it only runs on a Mac.

adbsgicom

Has anyone tried FotoFusion? It is supposed to be target-independent (or works with most if not all vendors).

Art Scott

adbsgicom wrote: »

Has anyone tried FotoFusion? It is supposed to be target-independent (or works with most if not all vendors).

LinK please ...

I have had no probs with Blurb ... but i am still looking for a book company that has basically a no page limit ... Blurb has a top limit of 440 pages and it goes down when you upgrade papers... that is really my only complaint.

rsquared

Art Scott wrote: »

LinK please ...

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=fotofusion&l=1

rsquared

sara505 wrote: »

In case you missed it - I would prefer to never use Blurb again. My question - to expand on the OP's - is, what book publishing software allows on-line previews?

I didn't miss that, but it sounded like it was just their software that you didn't like. I was just throwing the idea out there in case an alternative software for their service would work for you. I haven't actually used either, so I wasn't sure, but LR 4 is new, and not everyone knows about the book module yet...

adbsgicom

Direct link: http://site.lumapix.com

Since someone pointed out that blurb through other programs (like Aperture) worked well, perhaps this would allow Blurb. It certainly allows other book companies (sorry, Sara I don't have any recommendations based on direct experience).

arodney

GoofBckt wrote: »

Since someone pointed out that blurb through other programs (like Aperture) worked well, perhaps this would allow Blurb.

To be clear on my post about Aperture, the books were not printed by Blurb. The same images tested in the Lightroom to Blurb book were used in Aperture. Aperture sends the data to ??? but not Blurb. That gave me an apples to apples comparison on the book quality. The Blurb quality was nothing like what came back from Apple.

I placed an image inside the book and on the cover. This is a useful test because often, more than one print process is used. They should match closely in a prefect world. The Burb book cover and inside were a mile off. Not the case with the book from Aperture.

Art Scott

rsquared wrote: »

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=fotofusion&l=1

THANK YOU.

sara505

To update, I finished my second version of the book that I couldn't transport to my second computer; a pain, considering I am on deadline and had to do it while watching my 14 mo-old grandson, also a pain considering if the Export tool had worked properly (and maybe if I had uploaded the book and left it in cue), I would have been able to simply load it to the new location.

The good news is, it's probably a better version - we'll just call yesterday's Draft #1 - but it was slightly annoying having to recreate those page templates.

Anyway, Blurb ended up giving me a 25% discount off my order.

I actually like Blurb's UI, and the results. It was the Export tool's malfunctioning that ultimately sent me over the edge.

All's well that ends well (two days later. geesh)