The short answer
A photo book here comes with an editor: upload the photographs and Claude sequences them like an exhibition — full-bleed plates against framed pairs, facing images that actually face each other — writes what few words the book wants, and typesets a premium-color square hardcover (or 9×7 landscape) you proof page by page before printing a single copy.
The physical book
Photo books print in the premium-ink tier — the richest color the print line runs — on coated paper, in the square trim photography sits best in, or landscape for wide work.
Every option below is a real, printer-validated product — files are checked against the printer's own rules (trim, bleed, spine width computed from the actual page count) before anything prints, and Lulu prints on demand and ships to your door.
| Option | Trim | Pages | Ink & paper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardcover · premium color | 8.5×8.5 in | 24–800 | Premium ink on coated — the photo-book spec |
| Hardcover · landscape | 9×7 in | 24–800 | Full color case wrap — for wide/landscape work |
| Hardcover · full color | 8.5×8.5 in | 24–800 | Standard full color — the budget-kind option |
Sequencing is the authorship
A pile of good photographs is not a photo book any more than a pile of good sentences is an essay. The book form adds the two things a feed can't: sequence (what follows what — the argument) and pacing (a full-bleed immersion, then a framed pair with white air to breathe; a loud image released by a quiet one). Claude works these decisions like an exhibition editor: it looks at each image, proposes an order grouped by moment, place, or light, sets full-bleed plates against framed spreads deliberately, and lands facing pairs verso-then-recto so related images actually face each other — then you argue with it in the proof, which is the fun part.
Words are optional but powerful in small doses: a one-page introduction, sparse captions (or none — back-of-book plate notes keep pages clean), a closing note. If the photographs have a story — the trip, the year, the project — telling Claude the story shapes the sequence more than any layout instruction.
Print-truth: photos need resolution. Upload originals, not app-compressed copies; the proof will show you honestly what a stretched file looks like at full-page size before you've paid to print it.
- Choose 60–120 images and let the book be the edit — a 400-photo book is a hard drive with a spine
- Open with your strongest image and close with a real closer; the middle forgives, the ends don't
How it works
1. Upload the edit Bring your chosen images at full resolution — and tell Claude the story they come from; the story shapes the sequence.
2. Shape it with Claude Claude proposes the book's structure and drafts it with you — with everything in context, so nothing gets lost between sessions.
3. Watch the proof assemble A live typeset proof builds as you work: real pages, a designed cover, a spine sized from the true page count. The watermarked proof is always free.
4. Print and share it Pick the format, see the per-copy price and shipping options, and Lulu prints on demand and ships to your door — one copy or a boxful. Publishing to a free storefront is optional, never required.
What it costs
Free to start — no account needed to try, no credit card, and a monthly allowance of AI credits on the free tier. The typeset, watermarked proof is always free, and metered work (like image generation or narration) quotes its price in credits before you confirm. Clean press-ready files are a $49 one-time per book unlock or free with Bindery Pro ($39/month (or $390/year)); printed copies are priced per copy at order time and shipped by Lulu — no minimum run.
Start free, see the proof
Bindery — the book studio inside Infinite Library — designs, writes, and typesets the whole thing with you, then prints it for real. Free to start, no account needed to try, and the watermarked proof of your actual book costs nothing. The fastest way to know is to bring what you have and watch the first pages appear.
Frequently Asked Questions
What resolution do photos need for print?
Upload the originals — for a full-page 8.5×8.5 image, files around 2500px on the short side print cleanly. The live proof shows every page rendered, so a too-soft image is visible before printing rather than after.
Full-bleed or bordered pages?
Both, deliberately mixed — that's the design. Full-bleed for images that can afford to lose their edges to the trim, framed with even white air for the ones that can't. Claude proposes per image and you overrule freely in the proof.
Do I keep the rights?
Yes — authors keep ownership of their work. Print it, sell it from your free Infinite Library storefront (author-set print royalty, about 95% on ebooks, 80% on audiobooks), or keep it entirely private.