5 Tips to Plan, Organize & Create a Photo Memory Book
Every January, like clockwork, I used to get the pit in my stomach. You know the one—the realization that another year has passed, and it’s time to tackle that yearly photo album. Suddenly, I’m staring down thousands of photos, wondering when I’ll find the hours (days? weeks? eternity?) needed to organize, edit, upload, and design a photo book to cover the past year's events.
Saving memories can be exhausting.
But after years of doing this (and let’s be real, learning the hard way), I’ve refined my process to make it easier, way less overwhelming, and—dare I say—actually fun. No more end-of-year panic!
Whether you're documenting a baby’s first year, putting together a family album, or creating a scrapbook full of heartfelt journaling, a checklist and simple plan can make all the difference.
In an effort to help save you from “the pit,” I thought I’d share my process. So here’s how to stay organized and easily create a photo memory book —without the stress.
Step 1: Make a Plan for Your Photo Book
Before you dive in, take a second to think about what you’re creating. A little organization and prep work now will save you hours (and frustration) later.
1. Choose a Theme
What’s the focus of your memory book? Here's a few ideas:
- Baby’s first year (because those tiny toes deserve to be remembered)
- Family year-in-review (holidays, milestones, everyday chaos)
- Travel adventures
- Wedding or anniversary (love, laughter, and cake photos)
- Tribute or memorial album
- Everyday life scrapbook (because the little moments matter most)
2. Pick Your Format
How do you want to save these memories? Some options include:
- A printed online photo book (Shutterfly, Canva, etc.)
- A scrapbook or photo journal (for the hands-on, memento-saving, journaling folks like we sell here)
- A video slideshow (for digital sharing & impressing your family at reunions - we won’t in depth on videos in this article, but it’s always an option!)
3. Choose Where to Purchase and/or Print Your Photo Book
Not all photo books are created equal. Compare:
- Page count & layout options (some have limits, others let you go wild)
- Paper quality (matte vs. glossy, thick vs. thin)
- Binding style (lay-flat vs. standard)
- Budget (because these things can get pricey)
My fave place for ordering online photo books? Canva! They make designing easy, and the final product quality is chef’s kiss. P.S. We sell Canva templates for family photo books and baby books that will help you get your book done in no time.
If you love scrapbooking or journaling, check out our Photo Journals, Baby Books, or Pregnancy Journals—they give you space for both photos and words and are a fill-as-go style of memory keeping.
4. Organize Your Photo Book
How do you want to structure your album? Once you decide, you might even create a quick outline to help you stay on track. You could try organizing one of these ways:
- Chronological (by month, year, or event)
- Thematic (holidays, vacations, milestones)
- Story-driven (a mix of photos + journaling to tell a full narrative)
5. Estimate How Many Photos You Need
Here’s a quick formula:
📸 Number of pages x 2.5 = your ideal photo count.
This keeps things clean, uncluttered, and allows for a mix of full-page spreads and smaller groupings. Love collages? Bump up the count. Prefer one stunning image per page? Scale it back.
Having a final number to aim for will really help in the editing and selection process.
🎯 Pro tip: If you’re feeling overwhelmed because you have years of photos to weed through and tons of books to make, just start with the previous year. Once you complete that, then work backwards year after year. Keeping your perspective small will help you not feel overwhelmed with all there is to do!
Step 2: Gather Supplies (For Scrapbookers & Journalers)
If you’re going the hands-on route, gather your supplies before you start (because nobody wants to hunt for a glue stick mid-project). I suggest grabbing:
✔️ Acid-free pens (these are our fave)
✔️ Adhesive photo corners (for a vintage feel that won’t damage photos - we sell some here)
✔️ Glue runners (mess-free & easy)
✔️ Stickers & washi tape
Want a list of my go-tos? See all my favorites and grab the downloadable checklist here.
Step 3: Select Your Photos
Here’s where things get real. We all take way too many photos, and now it’s time to actually choose the ones you’ll use. Here’s how:
- Take a first pass: Scroll through your camera roll and pull out favorites.
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Organize them:
- Yearly albums? Create folders for each month.
- Event-based albums? Sort by major moments (e.g., "Vacation," "Birthday Party").
- Scrapbooks? Think in themes ("Firsts," "Holidays," "Everyday Life").
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Edit ruthlessly! Keep only the best shots—the ones that spark emotion. If you’re struggling to narrow it down, ask yourself:
- Does this photo tell a story? Will you remember why it matters in 10 years?
- Is it visually clear & high quality? (Blurry but meaningful photos can also be totally worth keeping if they evoke a memory and emotion)
Keep adding and removing photos until you reach your target quantity from step one.
🎯 Pro tip: If you’ve got a lot of photos to get through, set a daily timer on your phone for a time when you have 10-15 minutes to spare (maybe right before bed, or first thing in the morning when you are drinking your cup of coffee). When it goes off, spend just 10 minutes going through photos, favoriting and deleting. This will help you break down your selection process into bite-sized chunks!
Step 4: Edit Your Photos
Even the best photos can use a little glow-up, and this small step will make all the difference in your final product. Take time to:
✔️ Brighten dark images
✔️ Boost contrast & saturation for vibrancy
✔️ Crop or erase distractions (random strangers? Gone.)
✔️ Convert bad lighting to black & white (our favorite trick to create an instant classic!)
My favorite editing tools:
- Lightroom – Professional-level adjustments in an easy-to-use program. Subscriptions are just $11.99/month
- A Color Story – Fun, clean, & bright edits in an easy-to-use app
- Your phone’s photo editor – Surprisingly effective in a pinch
Step 5: Design Your Book
Now the fun part—putting it all together!
- If you’re using an online photo book service: Upload your photos; I actually like to upload them a section at a time so I can immediately drop them into the book without getting lost. This is especially important on Canva, because you can’t organize your uploads.
- If you're using a scrapbook or Photo Journal: Print your photos out either at home, or with your favorite retailer. Here's a list of our favorite places to print photos in all sizes!
- Mix it up on the page: Full-page spreads + collages = visual variety.
- Leave white space: White space adds emotion and a breath of fresh air around important photos, whereas a cluttered book can feel overwhelming.
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Add captions & dates: Because future-you will forget details.
- 🔍 Don't Forget To Proofread! A quick check now will save you from spotting an unfortunate typo after you’ve ordered 10 copies (we’ve all been there).
Need a shortcut for online photo books? Our Canva templates make it ridiculously easy because all the hard layout work is done for you —just drag, drop, and add your text!
🎯 Pro tip: Now that you’ve gone through the process once, you know what it takes. Start a plan now for going through your phone every month to select your favorite photos and delete the duds (put it on your calendar and send yourself a notification!). That way, when you are ready to work on another photo book, the selection process is already complete! We posted this article a while back on helpful ways to organize your digital photos.
Our Favorite Memory-Keeping Resources
Need a little extra help? We’ve got you covered!
📚 Printed Photo Books:
Try our Canva templates for baby books and yearly albums (more designs coming soon!). Just upload your photos and order—easy peasy.
📔 Photo Journals & Memory Books for Scrapbookers & Writers:
- Love a mix of photos and words? Our Personalized Photo Journals fit up to 100 photos and have a personalized cover.
- Baby Books Help You Capture Childhood: Our fill-as-you-go Baby Books and Pregnancy Journals make updating easy with simple journaling prompts and the most important moments and milestones picked for you so you don’t have to choose later!
Final Thoughts
Memory-keeping should be fun, not a chore. Here’s the permission you needed to:
✔️ Start small. Pick one book to begin with—no need to do everything at once.
✔️ Embrace imperfection. Messy handwriting, smudges, and crossed-out words? They’re part of your story too.
✔️ Enjoy the process. Whether you’re pasting photos by hand or clicking “order,” this is your history in the making. Enjoy infusing your personality and personal recollections into every page.
I can’t wait to see what you create! 🎉
