I have often thought about making a photobook to show my photography and recently saw an advert by Saal a German photography company on Facebook. They were looking for people to test their professional line photobooks, I am applied and was successful, I received a voucher to spend on a photobook.
I then set about planning the book and what to include in it. I decided to base the book on a theme and include images from trips to cities I have visited in recent years. I spent some time organising the photos into the various cities I wanted to include. Once I had the pictures I wanted to use I started to edit and prepare them in Lightroom and Photoshop. I grouped the photos the cities and as most of my photos were taken after dark and this theme was carried through the book to give it a dramatic look.
I then set about planning the book and what to include in it. I decided to base the book on a theme and include images from trips to cities I have visited in recent years. I spent some time organising the photos into the various cities I wanted to include. Once I had the pictures I wanted to use I started to edit and prepare them in Lightroom and Photoshop. I grouped the photos the cities and as most of my photos were taken after dark and this theme was carried through the book to give it a dramatic look.
Colour profiles are available to download and install in Lightroom and Photoshop. These are based on the options you select for the book. I installed the matt photo finish and the acrylic cover profiles. This helped me when editing the images as it showed me what the finished prints would look like.
The next step was to download the software.
Saal Design Software
Once I had download and intalled the Saal design software, I was ready to get started. The first step is to decide what book to design. I chose a 30 x 30cm square professional line with matt photo paper and an acrylic glass cover. As you select the options the software builds up a price so you have an idea of the cost of the book. There are options to remove a barcode and they also offer a presentation box which can be bought to protect the book, I chose not to go for this.
Once I had download and intalled the Saal design software, I was ready to get started. The first step is to decide what book to design. I chose a 30 x 30cm square professional line with matt photo paper and an acrylic glass cover. As you select the options the software builds up a price so you have an idea of the cost of the book. There are options to remove a barcode and they also offer a presentation box which can be bought to protect the book, I chose not to go for this.
Next you select the images you want to include, Saal have options to create a layout automatically from you photos or create the pages yourself. There are several different layout options to choose including the double page panorama, this looks particularly good as the pages lay flat.
Adding the images to the page is easy and can be resized to fit. Text can be added to introduce the sections there is also the option to add clipart. Creating the pages was fun and the options allow you to get as creative as you want.
When you have finished the layout you are ready to upload the finished project to the website. You proceed to the checkout and fill in the details including payment. I had included extra pages to finish my project so it cost more than the voucher, but this was worth it to complete the book. Upload was easy to do, it can take a few minutes due to the size of the files. All in all it was a very easy process to create the book.
The Photobook
When I ordered the book the delivery time said 10 working days, but the book arrived a lot quicker than that, very impressive considering it came from Germany.
The book arrived packed in cardboard and had a foam sleeve to protect it. The glass cover had a plastic protective film over it and when removed the cover looked amazing.
I was very impressed in the quality of book it was well made the a nice touch having a glass cover which really made the design stand out.
The photos were printed on a high grade paper in a matt finish, this was my choice as I personally prefer this to a gloss finish.
I added the images to the pages in different layouts to fit the content and show the photos off to their best.
My favourite pages are the double page spreads. As the book lays flat this is especially good for panoramic photos, this is something I like to shoot and the photos i used as double pages looked great.
The printing was spot on and was very accurate to the original photos.
Conclusion
The Saal professional line of photobooks is certainly impressive, the book looks very professional and is a quality product and well made.
The glass cover is a really nice touch to make the book stand out, the printing is accurate to the original colours. This is a great way to display my photos and something I am really pleased with.
I wouldn't normally spend this sort of money on a photobook as it is very expensive but it was very kind of Saal to offer the voucher. Saying that you get what you pay for and it definitely looks a professional product.
If I have the opportunity I would use Saal again as it is a great way to display my photos.
