Mixbook Studio Deep Dive: Layouts

One of the Mixbook Studio's most useful features is its wide range of layout options. Whether you’re featuring a single showstopping photo or creating a collage of a dozen or more images, layouts define the overall look of a photo book page or two-page spread. Varying and customizing those layouts adds visual interest to your photo book, helping you tell a cohesive, compelling story in pictures.

Mixbook Studio™ layouts are one of the most essential elements of any photo book design, and they have never been easier to master. AI-powered tools are now available to generate expert layouts in an instant. You can customize these layouts, or manually create your own from scratch.

Read on for a deep dive into the wonderful world of layouts.

Layouts 101

Layouts are so important when it comes to designing a photo book. But what does this design term mean? The term “layouts” simply refers to how photos (and other design elements like captions and stickers) are arranged across a single-page or two-page spread. In Mixbook Studio, the layout options are almost limitless.

A layout leads the viewer's eye across the pages of the photo book. An effective layout tells your unique story in a way that makes sense and is visually appealing. Layouts should fit your photos and ensure the best ones are focal points for the eye. The best layouts appear harmonious and balanced both across individual pages and spreads, and throughout the whole photo book.

Using Mixbook’s AI tools for layouts

Mixbook’s AI-powered Auto-Create and Auto-Layout tools have similar functions, both making it easy to create a beautiful photo book in seconds. These are the key things to know about the tools:

• Auto-Create generates an entire photo book (including the front cover if you so choose), all the pages inside, and leverages all the design elements if you chose a theme.
• Auto-Layout automatically adjusts to the photos on the individual page or two-page spread.
• While using these tools, everything in your photo book is still 100% customizable.

Behind the scenes, the AI tools analyze your photos, factoring in size, orientation, resolution, aspect ratio, and other characteristics. They understand the groupings of photos on your individual page or spread and the aesthetics and parameters of the Mixbook theme you chose.

Note that when you start with a theme, both Auto-Create and Auto-Layout tools will configure your photos to fit the theme and all its design assets.

How to use Auto-Create

Auto-Create makes photo organization and layouts a cinch, along with every other design element throughout your photo book. Using this powerful tool, you can start with only the spark of an idea for a photo book, and have the intelligent layout generator do all the rest.

Find the Auto-Create button at the top of the “Photos” panel to the left of the studio space. Upload photos, click the button, and see a complete photo book creation appear in seconds.

If you love the book Mixbook Studio creates for you instantly, it's ready to print. However, you can also customize every detail. Think of it as a creative collaboration between you and the studio.

How to use Auto-Layout

To get started, choose the photos for a photo book, upload them if they're not already in "My Photos," and opt for a blank book or one of hundreds of design themes.

Find the Auto-Layout option under the “Layouts” panel to the left of the Mixbook Studio™ space. The Auto-Layout option is toggled on by default. (You can toggle it off if you prefer.) So, when you select photos for an individual page or spread, they will automatically be placed in recommended spots. You can then flip through alternative layout options, if desired.

Instantly, you can preview the layout recommended by the studio, which is automatically filled with your photos. Decide if you're happy with the recommended layouts or want to preview some other layout options. Repeat this process for the other pages and spreads of your book.

Related: Selecting the Perfect Photo Book Theme: A Comprehensive Guide

The “Layouts” panel

In the Mixbook Studio™, the “Layouts” panel to the left is where you can customize all layouts at the individual page or two-page spread level. Select “Pages” at the top of the panel to see all the layouts available for a single page, or “Spreads” for options spanning two pages. Filter the layout options presented by selecting the number of photos on that page or spread.

The bigger picture: spread layouts

A spread means the two-page view you get when opening the book. A two-page spread should be viewed as a single design space rather than two individual ones side by side. Spreads aim for a harmonious aesthetic across both pages, making sure the story makes visual sense as the eye moves from left to right.

Tip: The two-page span effect looks bestwith a flat-lay binding.

Recommended layouts

The enormous variety of Mixbook Studio layouts is a photo book design treasure trove. However, you might not have the time or desire to try them all out. Look first to the “Recommended” section in the “Layouts” panel for expert layout suggestions that suit your unique collection of photos.

Explore alternative layouts

Mixbookers always have total creative control over every aspect of a photo book. Select alternative layouts under “Theme” or “Basic” sections of the “Layouts” panel and get an instant preview. There are no limits on how many different layouts you can explore. (The same is true for changing themes.)

Ready to explore photo book layouts?

All the layout options mentioned above are available in both the desktop studio and mobile app, so you have many ways to access the innovative technology.

Ready to make an incredible photo book? Why not start with some inspiration from these Mixbookers' stories?