7 fun layout ideas for your next photo book

You’ve taken all these amazing photos, but what do you do with them now? Hoarding pictures in your camera roll often feels like a waste — especially when you have the tools to turn them into something beautiful.

Enter, photo books. When you have a large number of photos you want to print and don’t necessarily have room around your house to display them, a photo book is the perfect solution. It’ll sit discreetly on your coffee table, packed with all your favourite memories — and they make a fantastic gift as well.

First time making one? Follow this guide to designing your book and you’ll be raring to go. We’ve got plenty of photo book layout inspiration to get you started.

What is the best number of pages for a photo book?

This really depends on the purpose of your photo book, and the layout you end up with. If you intend for it to be the kind of photo book someone could flick through in one sitting, 30 to 50 pages is a good range to aim for.

There will be exceptions to this, however. If you’re going much lower than 30, just ask yourself if you’re missing out on any key moments. Or if you’re edging closer to 100, consider whether the photos work together cohesively, and check whether you’re including too many similar shots. These are the most common symptoms of photo books that are a lot longer or shorter than they need to be — but at the end of the day, it really is down to you.

At myFUJIFILM, we print photo books anywhere between 20 and 150 pages, so you’ll struggle to hit the limit on either side.

Our favourite photo book layout ideas

In need of some inspiration? Take a look at our favourite photo book layouts.

1. Minimalist chic

Sometimes simple is best. Your aim is to enjoy looking at your photos, and have others appreciate them too. Busy, overly cluttered pages can distract from this. 

Take things back to basics and allow your photos to speak for themselves. Place just one to four photos on each page with a white border and simple font for a clean, aesthetic look that never fails. And if you want to go ultra-minimalist, try editing your selected photos in black and white. This can produce a striking, emotive end result.

2. Full-page photos 

Maximise the space you have to play with by enlarging one photo to fit each full page. When you’re especially proud of your photos, this ensures they take centre stage.

Spread over a full page, the colours, shapes and textures within the photo really come to life. As you turn the page, the next image will practically jump out at you, captivating the viewer’s attention. This is a common choice amongst professional photographers who want to showcase the various elements of composition.

3. Split-page panoramas

Another photographer favourite. This is the perfect pick for dramatic landscape shots, whether it’s a surreal sunset or sweeping mountain views. A split-page panorama essentially spreads your photo across two full pages. 

To create a panorama, you’ll need wide-format, horizontally elongated images. Many cameras and phones have a panorama setting so you can move your camera and capture more of the landscape, although it’s also possible to cleverly edit a series of photos so they overlap. In the vast majority of cases, you’ll need to intend on the photo being a panorama at the point of taking it, as opposed to being an afterthought.

To achieve the intended effect, we recommend printing on a lay flat photo book.

4. Collage grids

Collage grids are one of the most popular photo book templates. These layouts have the charming mismatched feel of a homemade collage, with a more polished finish. It’s a definite winner if you’re creating a sentimental gift for a friend or creating a family history photobook.

They’re a good way to fit more photos into your book too, as the layout naturally accommodates more pictures per page. This is up to your personal preference, though — you can easily adjust the sizes of each image to fit more or less on, depending on your desired look.

5. A year in review

This is a beautiful way to document years of childhood. From the first days in their new class to their birthday, and any other milestones along the way, documenting the year chronologically will undoubtedly lead to lots of reminiscing in the future, and become more treasured as the years go by. 

But this layout is by no means limited to the kids. Maybe you want to include special moments for the whole family throughout the year or look back on a big travelling trip. Either way, photo books in this template prompt endless memories, even the ones that aren’t in the photos.

6. Themed pages

Rather than present them chronologically, it might make more sense to group photos by themes — and this can work beautifully too. 

A few ideas you could dedicate pages or full spreads to are ‘meals out together’, ‘the day we brought our new puppy home’ or even something completely niche, like sitting in a certain spot playing your favourite game. It can be as general or specific as you want, and will definitely give your creation a personalised feel.

7. Eclectic scrapbook

Instead of dedicating your book solely to photos, why not include some other keepsakes you’ve collected from the same trip or occasion? It could be tickets, invitations or any other bits and bobs — you knew they’d come in useful as some point. As long as they don’t stop the book from closing properly, go wild. 

Either leave gaps in your photo book layouts to add these in afterwards, or buy a book and prints separately so you can do all the scrapbooking yourself. Both methods are just as fun as the finished product.

Another option is to scan your memorabilia and add them to your photo book when you upload your other images. Whatever method you chose, you'll create a nostalgic photo album that'll never go out of fashion.

Top tips for finding the perfect photo book layout

It should be easier to narrow down your layout options if you pick out the photos you want to include first, and then figure out how you want to showcase them. During the selection process, themes will emerge, and you’ll have a better idea of how many will make the final cut. Of course, you can add and remove more later, but it’s a useful first step.

And another secret is, you don’t have to choose! The best photo books vary layouts from page to page. We’d advise picking a few layouts and using them more than once throughout the book. This will create a sense of cohesion throughout, and stop the viewer from getting bored.

Plus, by adapting and varying the page layouts, you can draw more focus to your favourite photos — after all, some will be better suited to full-page spreads than others. 

Design and print your photo book with myFUJIFILM

You tell us how you want your design to look, and myFUJIFILM will take it from there. 

Whether you opt for a Standard, Lay Flat, Mini or Square photo book, we’ll bring it to life in the finest quality, with clear, vibrant images in either a matte or glossy finish. Get inspired by the possibilities by taking a look at some of the creative ideas on our blog.