Tips for Fun Photo Christmas Cards
For many people, the sending Christmas cards to friends, family and acquaintances is as much a part of getting into the holiday routine as it is a tradition. But it's hard to get into the swing if all the Christmas card options are boring or ho-hum. It seems as though the same designs come out at the card shops every year. Well, if you're craving inspiration and want to get those creative juices flowing, why not try photo Christmas cards for a change.
Photo cards, ordered online from web retailers like Shutterfly.com, have plenty of benefits over more traditional Christmas cards you can buy in the shops. Firstly, you are guaranteed to have something unique
For example, did your house get covered in snow last year? Do you have a great picture of your other half clearing the drive? What about a picture of the family pet seeing snow for the first time? The possibilities are endless and no one else will have a Christmas card quite like it!
Secondly, if you choose your photo wisely, your card will stand out and be kept long after the holiday season is over. Instead of the bin (the final resting place of most holiday cards), YOUR card might even make it into a scrapbook or a frame.
Ideas for the perfect shot
If you are short of time, take a look through the pictures you have taken on previous years to see whether there is something that really stands out. Do you have a good photo of the kids ripping into their presents on Christmas morning? How about the dog enjoying his new Christmas chew toy? Perhaps you managed to take a photo of the whole family sitting down to Christmas brunch?
Candid shots like these make wonderful family cards to send to everyone. They bring back memories of great times, and get people talking about the story behind the photo.
You can also go for a staged scene, like a family portrait of everyone together or each person individually. If you're handy with Photoshop or some other graphic editing software, you can add "special effects" and make a comic card.
One person I know took pictures of normal sized Christmas crackers and then added a picture of their youngest child wearing a Santa hat popping out of the middle of one of them. It worked very well and we still have the card now, several years later.
Create a studio card or art card by converting your image to black and white. This can be done with Shutterfly's online tools, for example, so you don't need any special software or expertise. Just point and click.
If you start thinking about cards far enough in advance you will have plenty of time to try out different ideas. The best advice to get the best photo is to take lots of photos (and I mean LOTS) with your digital camera.
Ask the family to come up with ideas as well; they'll want this card to get just the right response from everyone who receives it as well, so the more potential ideas you have to choose from the better.
Ordering photo cards
Once you have the perfect shot, ordering your cards is a piece of cake. There are plenty of web sites that offer Christmas photo cards but my personal faves are Shutterfly.com, TinyPrints.com, and Photoworks.com. I've ordered cards from all these sites and you can't go wrong. Shutterfly has lots of styles with great prices, Tiny Prints has the most modern designs and color palette, and Photoworks has some funky cards you won't find anywhere else.
The process itself is really simple. Just create a free account with the photo printing service of your choice, upload your photos to the web site. Select a card style, and then drag and drop a photo into the design. Add a personalized message, and that's it!
So, with a little planning and some fun, this year you can create photo Christmas cards that celebrate the season, provide comic relief, or express your personality. Once you try it, you'll never go back to those boring consumer cards again!
Leanne Tremblay is a successful internet publisher who was amazed at how easy it was to create coffee table photo books from digital family photos.
In no time at all, she was hooked. The result was Photo Printing To Go, an idea portal for transforming digital photos into Christmas photo cards, all-occasion photo greeting cards, photo books, and gifts.
Tips for Fun Photo Christmas Cards
Last modified:
September 2, 2008, 11:01 AM
Contributed By:
Leanne Tremblay
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