Thursday, September 15, 2016

Don't Keep Your Pictures in the Dark!

by Linda



Raise your hand if you scrapbook! Good for you! You are well schooled in the art of printing your pictures! Your hobby requires you to take it, print it, scrap it. I quite admire your creative talents and look with envy upon the pages you create! Such genius! Such imagination! Your books are amazing!

Sadly, I posses none of the talents that make a good scrapbooker.  I have always been pretty good at getting the pictures printed but then they were put in one of those generic nameless/faceless books. But I did (usually) put dates and events to each photo. (breaking my arm patting myself on the back here!)

But, oh you many scrapbookers, but what do you do with the pictures on your phone? Quick, go grab your phone and tell me how many pictures are in your camera roll. I'll wait.......
I currently have 2065.

what!

Yes, 2065 just in the past 2 years.

So, how many do you have? And how many have seen the light of day? Do they just reside quietly on your phone? Do you ever think "I should print that one"

Now, turning to Instagrammers, how many pictures are in your gallery? I have 1326. I started Instagramming in 2011. How many of your Instagram pictures have seen the light of day?

I am going to rock your world and tell you that you too can print ALL the photos hiding on your phone and/or Instagram. And you don't have to do anything! (well, not anything much)

One word- Chatbooks

It's an app, it's in the App Store and Google Play, and it's free. (my favorite thing!) Get it now! I'll wait...


You can set it up to create books from your photostream on your phone or Instagram. I choose Instagram. Each book has 60 pictures. I got 23 books, so far.



You can choose soft or hard cover. I chose hard cover for $2 more per book. My total for each book was $8.



Each spine will have the volume number with the date range. How fun is that!


But, Linda, I don't like EVERY picture in my stream! No problem! You can choose to skip any picture you don't like. Chatbooks keeps track up to 60 pictures and creates a book.


Each book is 6"x6" and your pictures are printed 4"x4". And BONUS! the date of each pictures is printed in the top left and if you added a description when you put it on Instagram, the description prints below the picture!

If you decide to print all your photostream/Instagram but don't feel like robbing a bank, Chatbooks will ship out however many you want at whatever interval you want. Once you are all caught up, Chatbooks will keep track of your pictures and when you hit the magic number-60-Chatbooks will ask you if you are ready for your next book. You can look at it and take out any photos you deem inappropriate.

If you take a vacay or go to an event and/or you have pictures from that, you can make a Chatbook with those pictures!

Chatbooks also offers beautiful 5"x5" prints on heavy cardstock.

Easy peasy! What are you waiting for? Get those pictures out of the dark! It's fun to look through the books!

...

you're welcome!

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disclaimer: the people at Chatbooks don't know me from Adam. I'm just a happy camper and wanted to share

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Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Jolt of Inspiration

by Leigh


Sometimes all it takes to jumpstart creativity again is a new app to play with!  I've been lucky enough to Beta test the Filmborn App from Mastin Labs.  I am so excited about this new app!  Film is something I would love to explore at some point, but until then I now have an app that allows my iphone to "shoot" film!


You've heard the saying "the best camera is the one you have with you".  And we all have those handy dandy smartphones in our pocket most of the time.  Filmborn has brought back the snapshot.  One of my favorite things is to go through photos from my childhood when I'm at my parents' house.  My kids love to hold prints in their hands and laugh at my 70's haircut (thanks mom!).  Now thanks to Filmborn when can get film quality photos again.  But we can't leave these photos sitting on our phones and hard drives.  We need to print them! YES I SAID PRINT!  Even if you don't have time to organize prints into nicely labeled and thought out albums, you can print them and put them in photo boxes.  I want my kids to have that experience of holding a print in their hand with my handwriting on the back of the photo.  I'm challenging myself (and all of you) to spend some time picking out your favorite photographs and print those suckers!  


I will be sure to let you all know when the Filmborn app becomes available.  But in the meantime....get to printing!



 
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