Because getting married is not something most of us do everyday, or even every year or decade, it is the kind of major life event that deserves to be recorded and documented in a special way. The Wedding Album has been the traditional document of the Marriage celebration for decades, but lately, it has undergone a dramatic transformation. In the past, Wedding Albums were usually of the matted variety, with pages of creatively cut paper mattes overlaying the couple's favourite images from the Wedding Photographer.
The rise of digital technology has made possible a transformation of this relatively simple, traditional style, into a true work of design: The Digital Album. Professional Wedding Photographers either employ the talents of Dedicated Album Designers, or they often have a background in the graphic arts themselves. Whether they do the layouts themselves or choose an Album Designer, they are able to take the significant capabilities of programs like Photoshop, and use them to create a myriad of design possibilities that never existed before.
Because the designs are created digitally, they can be easily and quickly proofed by the Newlyweds, and then edited to their specifications. Numerous artistic techniques are used to create eyecatching montages, with elaborate and complex arrangements of images, elevating the Album Design process to a new level.
Talented Brides with a keen eye, or actual training in the design field may wish to attempt to design their own album, and of course, their creation will be accompanied by a deep sense of pride and personal satisfaction. Be warned though; it may not sound like a lot to produce a book with 10 layouts, but once you get into it, you may discover it to be much more daunting a task than you expected. Not surprisingly, many Brides who choose a files-only Photography Package, with the intention of creating a DIY Album end up years later with still no album, and their image disk in a drawer collecting dust.
If you do decide to go the DIY route, first you need to choose a graphics program, then you need to figure out the ins and outs of the design program you are using. It goes without saying that the basic paint programs that come with Windows are not powerful enough to do a complex task like this. Some DIY Album companies offer an online design tool that on the surface, seems simple enough. However, paired with your computer, there may be discrepancies in the colour profiles that you might not be aware of, causing the finished product to look different than you expected. Additionally, these programs often work quite slowly, since they are cloud-based, and it can be frustrating to deal with their limitations. They lack a wide variety of Fonts, it may be a challenge to fit your images into their pre-designed templates, and they lack the "Bling Factor" that more complex design features can bring to your album layouts. Once these limitations are discovered, many do-it-yourselfers will no doubt throw up their hands and end up creating a simple design with the basic black templates provided in the online program. Even with this basic choice, it could take weeks to produce, and will probably save them a negligible amount of money. At this point, you need to consider whether your time is worth more than the savings.
Design Professionals, by contrast, are able to produce a beautiful book in just one day, because they work with Photoshop everyday, and most of them have done so for years, and are able to understand the more esoteric functions of the program that a layman would have no idea even existed. They are able to harness this knowledge to make very nuanced edits that can have a profound effect on the final image. The downside is the additional cost associated with Professional Album Design, but today there are payment options that can help alleviate and spread that cost out over time, or even amongst several payers, making it less painful, or even painless to the newlyweds. One such innovation is the ability to choose an album and include it on your Gift Registry. This allows you to provide the option to your guests to, as their wedding gift to you, contribute to the cost of your Wedding Album, thereby easing the cost burden on you.
While the DIY route is worth considering, if you have the time and inclination to face the learning curve, many newlywed couples would be better served to leave the Album to the person who can do it best; the Photographer. The design will be more sophisticated, unique to you, and it will take a fraction of the time ... more to the point, your album will be done while that beautiful day you put so much effort into creating is still fresh in your guests' minds!
 |
| Digital Albums present a myriad of design possibilities. |
Because the designs are created digitally, they can be easily and quickly proofed by the Newlyweds, and then edited to their specifications. Numerous artistic techniques are used to create eyecatching montages, with elaborate and complex arrangements of images, elevating the Album Design process to a new level.
Talented Brides with a keen eye, or actual training in the design field may wish to attempt to design their own album, and of course, their creation will be accompanied by a deep sense of pride and personal satisfaction. Be warned though; it may not sound like a lot to produce a book with 10 layouts, but once you get into it, you may discover it to be much more daunting a task than you expected. Not surprisingly, many Brides who choose a files-only Photography Package, with the intention of creating a DIY Album end up years later with still no album, and their image disk in a drawer collecting dust.
If you do decide to go the DIY route, first you need to choose a graphics program, then you need to figure out the ins and outs of the design program you are using. It goes without saying that the basic paint programs that come with Windows are not powerful enough to do a complex task like this. Some DIY Album companies offer an online design tool that on the surface, seems simple enough. However, paired with your computer, there may be discrepancies in the colour profiles that you might not be aware of, causing the finished product to look different than you expected. Additionally, these programs often work quite slowly, since they are cloud-based, and it can be frustrating to deal with their limitations. They lack a wide variety of Fonts, it may be a challenge to fit your images into their pre-designed templates, and they lack the "Bling Factor" that more complex design features can bring to your album layouts. Once these limitations are discovered, many do-it-yourselfers will no doubt throw up their hands and end up creating a simple design with the basic black templates provided in the online program. Even with this basic choice, it could take weeks to produce, and will probably save them a negligible amount of money. At this point, you need to consider whether your time is worth more than the savings.
Design Professionals, by contrast, are able to produce a beautiful book in just one day, because they work with Photoshop everyday, and most of them have done so for years, and are able to understand the more esoteric functions of the program that a layman would have no idea even existed. They are able to harness this knowledge to make very nuanced edits that can have a profound effect on the final image. The downside is the additional cost associated with Professional Album Design, but today there are payment options that can help alleviate and spread that cost out over time, or even amongst several payers, making it less painful, or even painless to the newlyweds. One such innovation is the ability to choose an album and include it on your Gift Registry. This allows you to provide the option to your guests to, as their wedding gift to you, contribute to the cost of your Wedding Album, thereby easing the cost burden on you.
While the DIY route is worth considering, if you have the time and inclination to face the learning curve, many newlywed couples would be better served to leave the Album to the person who can do it best; the Photographer. The design will be more sophisticated, unique to you, and it will take a fraction of the time ... more to the point, your album will be done while that beautiful day you put so much effort into creating is still fresh in your guests' minds!
No comments:
Post a Comment