With Canva, you can create digital and physical photo albums. We will show you how to do it.

If you used to visit your grandparents often, you may be familiar with the following scenario: your grandmother points out that you have grown up and you look like your parents, and then the old photo album comes out to prove her point.

Since most of the pictures are now digital, people rarely have physical photo albums at home. However, if you miss the feel of flipping through albums, or want your grandmother to have a new album, you can easily create one with Canva. We will show you how to do it.

First of all, you should decide what this album is about. It can cover a certain period of time, show photos of you and your friends or partner, or be more like a scrapbook of memories. No matter what decision you make, it can help you with future design and layout.

Next, you should collect all the images you want to include, preferably in one folder-this will save you time. The most important thing is to ensure that the image is of high resolution. If you want to print a photo album, 2048 x 1536 pixels or larger is ideal.

If you plan to digitize old photos, make sure you also scan them at high resolution. Photos taken with a good mobile phone or digital camera may remain the same. However, if you have some small images that you want to use, there are some ways to enlarge the image without reducing the quality.

Now we can get into the details. Canva Photobook Maker is an excellent tool that can help you design unique custom photo albums. You can add one picture at a time or as a collage, using background and text to supplement each memory.

If you haven't registered yet, please start with that (don't worry, the free version is enough). Then, on the homepage, click the "Create Design" button at the top, enter Photobook, and select the desired size. If you want to use other sizes, you can also choose a custom design.

One of Canva's most attractive features is its templates. For those without any design experience, it is difficult to figure out which colors, fonts, and elements can work well together. Since professional designers have created Canva templates, please rest assured that you will get good results.

You can see the album template on the left side of the work screen (if you don't see it, please enter "album" in the template search bar). They are divided into categories to simplify browsing, and each contains 22 pages, so you can get a different design on each page.

Double-click the template you like, and then click Apply to all 22 pages to use it in your document. You can also apply it to one or more individual pages. To do this, use the plus icon (+) at the bottom of the screen to add more pages to your book, then click on a different template page for each page.

Some templates may have watermarks, which means you have to pay to use them. However, if only certain pictures have a watermark, you can always replace them with your own pictures or pictures from the Cava free library.

Now it's time to insert your image into the page and determine the final appearance of the album. To do this, you need to upload them to the Canva cloud.

Go to the Upload tab on the left side of the screen and click Upload Media. You can also drag and drop from folders on your computer.

To put them in the album, select a page and drag the image into it. Once it fills the frame, put it down.

If there is already text on the template, just double-click it to change it. If you want to add text, go to the "Text" tab on the left and double-click the type you want. You can use the tools in the top bar to zoom in, change colors, and change fonts.

Please note that the default font of the text box is Open Sans, but if you open the font window, the first one will be the font used by the template. If you want to maintain cohesion, it's best to stick to it.

Another thing that can help you maintain design consistency is the color picker. Usually, when you click on it, you can see the colors that appear in the image. This will help you with color coordination.

This is the part where you can be creative. Although the template is helpful, it is not always what you want. Fortunately, Canva allows you to customize it at will. You can delete some pages or use the bar at the bottom of the screen to move them.

You can delete grids and frames from the "Elements" tab and add new grids and frames. This tab also has stickers, lines, and shapes to further help customize your album.

Want to ask others' opinions before printing the album? You can email it to them using the "Share" button at the top of the screen. If you want to collaborate with them, you can even share a link to edit the album.

When you are done, click Preview at the top of the screen to see how it looks. You can then use the download icon (down arrow) at the top to save the album as a PDF file or share it on social media.

Related: The best portable photo printer

If you have read all of these and want to print a real album, don't worry. For a reasonable fee, Canva will print a physical copy of your album.

It allows you to choose print size, hard cover or soft cover, and glossy or matte finish. Then, before you enter the payment and shipping details, it will give you an overview image to ensure that everything is as you wish and will not be cut during the printing process.

You have it! This guide will help you make beautiful photo albums that you can cherish for many years. If you print out a physical copy, you can even give it to family and friends.

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Don't know how to deal with old photos? Here are some ideas that can be turned into gifts for family and friends.

Tal Imago has been a freelance journalist and content writer for more than 10 years, writing anything from newsletters to in-depth feature articles. She is passionate about writing articles about promoting sustainability, diversity and inclusion, especially in the technological environment.

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