Making your Blogbook Shine

A friend asked how I did the double page layout in my blog book, and how to make your own templates as well. I thought about just giving the link to the tutorial on blurb for how I did that double page, but then I remembered that I sat through 40 minutes of a tutorial to learn how to do a 2 minute page.  I'll spare you the extra 38 mins and explain it here.  But in case you want to see it visually THIS is the link. {I'm 98% sure that is the right link, I apologize if it isn't}  So, here's what you do:

1. In BookSmart pick your two pages that you want to add this type of layout to.  Make sure the left hand page is active.  {There will be a blue outline around it to indicate active.  The blue arrows on the picture below are pointing to that}

   2.  Go to the upper left hand corner where it says "apply page layout".  On the drop down menu choose picture layout, then choose full bleed.  Drag your picture to the page if it isn't already there.

  3.  Active the right hand page.  Go back up to picture layouts and select one that has a full bleed picture {top to bottom, and all the way to the edge} for the part of the page. There are several that you can use, they just all have different text box options.  It doesn't matter which one you choose, it just needs to have a full bleed picture on the left.  Now drag the same picture you used on the left hand side and drop it into the right hand side.

 

   4.  Now comes the hardest part.  Take the picture on the left hand page, and zoom in until it is large enough that some of the right hand sideof the picture is not visible anymore.  {Check the picture above to see how much I've zoomed in.}

5.   Take the picture on the right hand page, and zoom in until the right hand picture matches up in size with the left hand picture.  Also, move the picture on the right hand until it matches up with where the left hand page stopped.  You may need to resize both sides of your picture to get them to line up.  It really is something that you just need to play around with until the sizing is right.  Here is what mine looked like after completing it.

Be sure and send me a screen shot of your completed double pagers!  I can't wait to see them.
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Making templates is quite a bit easier.  Here's how you do it....

1. I always started with one of the provided templates in BookSmart.  But if you pick one of the blank text ones, you can create your own from scratch.  Activate the page you want to make your template on.
2. Go to the upper left hand corner of BookSmart {Just to the right of Apply Page layout} and click "Edit layout"  
3. Once in Edit mode create your template however you want.  
4. Save it
5. To access this layout later on go to the drop down "Apply Page Layout" menu.  Click on it to allow it to show the hidden items.  Then click on My Layouts.  There is your layouts!

I must warn you creating your own layouts becomes addicting.  I created 30+ in my last book.  Those are all lost since I am now using my laptop to create my book and had to reload the software.  I'm sure I'll make more of my own layouts this time around too :)

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Last thing, I don't know enough yet about how to make your blogbook using the pdf's.  Once I experiment enough and find out if it is worth my time, I'll let you all know!  Oh, and if you need clarification on any of the steps above, feel free to ask or go watch the 40 min video!