Photo book from phone photos: finding the full-size files
Make it from the full-size originals, not screenshots or copies saved from chats. Choose a month at a time on the phone, then check each pick on a computer at the size it will print.
A phone may hold an original, an edited version, a screenshot and a chat copy of the same scene. Keep the version whose edits you want at its largest available pixel dimensions.
Thousands of photos is a choosing problem before it is a printing one. Fix the dates the book covers and how many pages it has, then count how many photos that allows.
Make your photobook
Arrange your photos on A4 pages, check the proof and order a printed copy.
| Where it is | What you have | Print from it? |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone with Optimise Storage on | Apple says the phone keeps space-saving versions and iCloud keeps the originals | Yes, once the original has downloaded |
| Mac set to Download Originals | Full-size originals on the computer, per Apple | Yes |
| Google Photos, Original quality | Google stores photos at the resolution they were taken | Yes |
| Google Photos, Storage saver | Google resizes photos over 16 MP down to 16 MP | Check the downloaded crop and dimensions; the backup setting alone does not guarantee print quality |
| Screenshots | Only the pixels the screen showed, plus bars and icons | Only small, and only if nothing else exists |
| Photos saved from a chat | Can be a smaller copy than the one the sender took | Ask the sender for the original file |
| Live Photos | A still plus 1.5 seconds either side of it, per Apple | Print the still, after choosing the best key photo |
| Portrait mode photos | Background blur that Apple lets you adjust or turn off later | Yes, after checking hair and edges at full size |
| Edited photos on a Mac | Export Unmodified Original gives the file as imported, without edits | Use the ordinary export if you want the edits |
Check pixels, not how it looks on the phone
A phone screen shows a photo far smaller than a printed page does, so a soft copy can look sharp until it is on paper. The pixel count settles it.
At a target of 300 pixels per inch, divide the pixels remaining after cropping by 300 to get inches. A full A4 page is about 2,480 by 3,508 pixels before any bleed.
For example, a 4,032 by 3,024 file has about 12 megapixels. Blur, heavy edits and a tight crop can still make it unsuitable for a full page; inspect the exact version you export.
Get the originals onto a computer
With Optimise Storage on, an iPhone holds space-saving versions. On a Mac, Apple's Download Originals setting keeps full-size copies there too.
Apple says photos downloaded from iCloud.com come in the most compatible format for the device in use. More Download Options lets you choose another.
In Google Photos, select a photo, then More and Download. Google Takeout exports a whole library, which is more than a book needs.
Google notes that a computer can give a downloaded file a new timestamp. Sort the book folder by the date taken inside the photo, not by the file date.
Transfer five varied files first: a normal photo, an edited one, a portrait, a Live Photo still and a screenshot. Reopen them outside Photos and check orientation, edits and pixel dimensions.
Choosing from thousands without scrolling for weeks
Work out the number first. A 40 page book at an average of three photos a page holds 120, so a first pass should stop near 250.
Go month by month and mark favourites on the phone. Stop each month at a set number, say twenty, before moving to the next.
From a burst or a run of near-identical shots, keep one. Then look for gaps: a person who appears nowhere, or a month with only food in it.
Live Photos, Portrait mode and edited versions
A Live Photo records 1.5 seconds before and after the shutter. Apple lets you drag through it and choose Make Key Photo, which can rescue a blink.
Portrait mode blur can be raised, lowered or switched off in Photos. Look at hair, glasses and ear edges at full size, where the cut-out can go wrong.
On a Mac, Export Unmodified Original gives the file as it was imported, and a Live Photo comes out as two files: a still and a video.
Steps
Fix the span and the count
Choose the dates the book covers and its page count. Multiply pages by photos per page to get the number you are choosing towards.
Mark favourites month by month
On the phone, favourite or add to an album no more than twice the number you need. Leave screenshots and chat copies unmarked.
Download the marked originals
Put every chosen original in one folder on a computer. Open the largest and smallest files and check their pixel sizes against the page.
Lay out and read the proof
Place the photos, then check faces at 100 per cent. A book made in tbf scrapbook is ordered as an A4 portrait or landscape print after its proof.
Questions
Can I make a photo book on my phone?
You can mark and gather photos there. Laying out pages and checking faces at print size is easier on a computer screen, where you can zoom to 100 per cent.
Are phone photos good enough for a printed book?
Often, but inspect each exported file after cropping. Camera resolution cannot compensate for movement blur, poor focus or a much smaller copy saved from elsewhere.
Why are my downloaded photos in the wrong order?
The computer may have stamped them with the download date. Sort by date taken, which photo viewers read from inside the file rather than from the file system.