Today, we rescue your much-loved Instagram photos from digital obscurity. Starting right now, you can make a Blurb book with your Instagram photos. It’s easy — honestly, just a few clicks, no download necessary. And it’s also inexpensive: Just $10.95 for a 20-page book, that’s 40 photos.
It’s pretty cool, and we’d totally forgive you for not reading the rest of this post and making a book right now. But if you want to know more about Instagram and why we’re in love with these books, read on.
Instagram is a popular iPhone® app that allows you to apply fantastic retro filters to your photographs and share them on your own Instagram feed and other social networks. And now, you can share your photos in a more permanent way: by just connecting Blurb to your Instagram account.
We know how much people love their Instagram photos, with their wonderful lost-in-time effects. And we really think you’ll love these books (particularly with our ProLine Uncoated paper — it’s a match made in vintage heaven). Make the ultimate urban diary, the best party favor, a time capsule, a thank you, a yearbook, a portfolio, a souvenir, a love letter — the irrevocable proof that you’re a great photographer.
Make your Instagram book and share your photos in a whole new, permanent way. Oh, and don’t forget to follow blurb_books on Instagram.
44 Comments
Is there a way to add captions? I didn’t see a layout option for a square photo plus a caption.
So excited about this feature — thanks Blurb!
Hey Lidia,
Glad you like the new Blurb Instagram books. As you’ve probably discovered, there are a couple of layouts that offer captions, but they all use a slightly smaller or cropped photo (though you can adjust this a bit by clicking on the photo and dragging the zoom).
Best,
Kent
What an awesome idea! I was really excited about this when I read the press release. Being a wedding photographer, this opportunity gives me a whole bunch of creative ideas for unique weddings gifts and albums :)
Is there any way, once we have logged into our instagram account, to just log out and log in with another one of our accounts? (I’m the local manager for Instagramers Canada and I would need to log on that account instead of my own personal one, but couldn’t find how)
Thanks!
Nice, next is Hipstamatic I hope
Hey Victoria,
You can. In fact, I did it myself with two Instagram accounts. Once you log in and select your photos they’ll be pulled in to Bookify. Then, simply click “Get Photos” on the top of the page and select “From Instagram.” You’ll then see the photo selection page and it will tell you which account you’re logged in for. Click “change” to log in to another account, and then those photos will be pulled in to the same book.
best,
Kent
Thanks for chiming in, Henk. We’re always working away on new products. I’ll pass your suggestion on to the team.
best,
Eileen H.
Hey Henk,
You can pull in Hipstamatic photos, but you need to get them on to your hard drive first. Still, you’ll find it’s pretty easy to do with our Bookify online tool: http://bit.ly/j10Vyk
Best,
Kent
Thanks, we worked it out very soon I hope, got some ideas for my books.
Hello!!!
I´ve just received my first instagram book from Blurb and I really love it…
But… Is there a way to create a new book from instagram with all the new photos not adding the old ones that i have in the book i´ve already received?
I have a lot of new pics!!!
Thank you :)
Hey Tamara,
We’re glad you’re pleased with your Instagram book and you’re already on to making your second one. Here’s how you can edit down your photos:
1) Go to our Instagram book page and connect to your Instagram account just like you did before
2) After your images are loaded click “Edit Book” instead of “Place My Order”
3) You’re now in the Book editor — Click “arrange pages” below the book panel.
4) You can now click and delete any unwanted pages by hitting the little “X” button.
While you’re in the editor you can change backgrounds, layouts, your cover, and more. Check out our post on customizing your Instagram books for more.
best
Kent
Hi there ! Ive been trying to get the instagram book started but for some reason it won’t even let me log onto instagram… As soon as I press the GET STARTED button it takes me to a site that tells me something about a flash player which apple restricts … And that’s that… Got an iPhone 3GS … What am I doing wrong? Can somebody help please… I really need to get started coz my mums birthday is just around the corner and a great present is needed ;-)
Thank you
Arrrrrgghhhhhh it’s still not working :-(( I’m getting a little frustrated now as I really don’t know what the problem is … Is it my phone? Heeeeeeelllppppppp please :-)
Hey Jana,
You should try contacting our Customer Support team. They can help you out: http://bit.ly/jr06Fj
Best
Kent
Is there a way to pull in other peoples photos so I can produce a gift book?
It’s a bit hard keeping it a surprise if I ask them to enter their login details!
Hey Jeremy,
No, we can’t do this. Facebook wouldn’t allow it, as it’s a privacy issue. We can only let you access photos in accounts you have the credentials for. A gift card is always an option.
best
Kent
Hello,
When creating an instagram book it automatically takes me to the 60 page book – I only want to make a 20 page one. How do I make that choice?
Thanks
Suzanne
Hey Suzanne,
Check out the blog post we did on how to customize your Instagram book. Check out item #4:
http://blog.blurb.com/index.php/2011/08/03/four-more-ways-to-make-your-blurb-instagram-book-great/
best,
Kent
Hey, I saved on my camera roll a larger version of every instagram photo, can I upload those to enhance the quality of the book? Will I notice any difference?
Thanks
Hey Luciano,
Great question! In short, the answer is “yes.” Since Instagram 2.0, the app has allowed you to save higher resolution images on your phone. While the image enhancement we use is pretty good, you’ll probably see higher quality images if you use the originals. Not only that, but you can use larger image containers too.
Just get your photos on to your computer (iPhoto is one option), and use Blurb BookSmart or Blurb Bookify to start creating your book.
best
Kent
Thank you Kent.
should I lighten up the images somehow to make sure they don’t come up too dark, or is this taken care of somehow? most of the instagram filters will darken the image and I am concerned that it may lose all details in darker areas if left unchanged. Thank you,
Dan
Hey Dan,
Most people do not do any editing on the images for their Instagram books. However, for many the darkness is part of the Instagram aesthetic. I would say if most of your images were shot in good daylight, they should be fine. If you did a lot of indoor, non-flash photography, you might need to lighten them.
best
Kent
thanks
I just received my book. I can confirm that there’s no issue with photos coming out too dark. I did lighten up some of the photos that were taken at night, but now I think that was not really necessary – I think you can safely leave the photos unchanged, just like instagram made them.
I like the book a lot.
Hey Dan,
I’m really happy to hear it! Thanks for following up with your experiences. If you’d like, feel free to share your book with us by posting a link here.
best
Kent
Hi,
I’m thinking of making my first Instagram book using Blurb, but most of my images were made with a CANON EOS, then imported on my Android phone, and Instagrammed…
This means that the images vary in size from about 350 K to 500 K. The average original was about 5-6 MB.
I am worried that the quality is too low for a decent print… Am I right to be worried? And, if so, can anyone tell me how I could increase the resolution of my Instagram photos – without buying an IPhone, and taking all my pictures with the phone camera?
Thanks,
Nicole
Hey Nicole, Our Instagram books are printed in our 7×7 books and at the default size the quality is really quite nice (we do some image enhancement on our side). But you’re right, it won’t be quite the same as if you pulled the original images right off your phone or your camera and used Blurb BookSmart or Blurb Bookify to make your book. Still, most everyone we’ve talked to has been really satisfied with how the books look.
best
Kent
Thanks, Kent, in that case I’ll just have to try it out… ;-)
Hi there,
I am interested in making an Instagram book but when I login to Instagram it only uploads the current pictures it seems. Is there are way to upload pictures from way earlier this year?
Thanks!
Liz
Hey Liz,
We actually wrote a blog post about this. Check it out here: http://blog.blurb.com/?p=7659
KENT, Help!
I’d like to make a larger instagram book, more than 440+ images, but I dont’ see where BookSmart has the ability to download the images from Instagram. Is that even possible? Not all my instagram images are saved on my computer, they are only available on the Instagram website and I don’t really want to make 2 separate books.
Thanks in advance
Hey Casey,
Unfortunately, BookSmart doesn’t have Instagram as an import source at the moment. If your images were saved to your phone, you can forward them to your computer. If not, there are ways to download your images. You can, for instance, use a service like Statigram, which is a web-viewer for Instagram (you can right-click and download individual photos as they’re displayed). I’ve also heard there are applications that let you download your photos (though I have not used any, so I can’t recommend any particular ones).
Just keep an eye on BookSmart’s image resolution warnings – since the images are only 612 x 612, they can’t be blown up too large.
best
Kent
Don’t suppose a similar option is available to make a book from pictures on Moblog.net. I’d love to capture them in a blurb tome
Hey Helen,
No, I’m sorry, we don’t have that right now. I’ll take your feedback to our team, however.
best
Kent
I also would really love to be able to import Instagram photos into the Booksmart software to make a larger book. I have hundreds of Instagram photos and would love to make a book of the whole year, but definitely need more pages. Please let us know when this is a possibility!
Hey Megan,
Thanks for the feedback. It’s something we’ll definitely look into.
best
Kent
I really want to make some Instagram books by year but when I select just the photos from the year I want, it makes the book with ALL my Instagram photos. Glitch?
I am looking to make a book of all my 2012 pictures in my iPhone 4S and am not sure how to go about it. I do not have Instagram so I can’t go that rout, any suggestions ???
Hey Lisa Marie,
You just need to get your photos on to your computer. One way to do it is to email your photos from your phone to your computer. Also, most computer operating systems have a program for viewing and downloading photos from your phone or camera when you connect it via USB.
best
Kent
Hey Elaine,
Unfortunately there is a glitch with ordering by date. We’re working on a fix though. In the meantime, the best way to do it is to load up Blurb Bookify and choose Instagram as an import source. You’ll then be able to choose from all your photos. If you have any trouble, contact our Support Team, and they can help you out.
best
kent
but Bookify will not put the photos in “oldest first ” order. I have been having this problem for months and still no resolution from Support team.
And why did they remove the option for a square photo with a line of text under it. I made my first book using this layout then they removed it.
It could be so good but but Bookify/Instagram just dont work together like they say!
I am trying to get the captions from my Instagram photos (the ones I wrote when I originally posted them into my feed) into my Blurb boo. Is there a way to do that automatically, or do I have to re-type (or c&p) them in one by one?
Hey Judean,
I’m sorry, our Instagram Instant Books only pull in the images. But I’ll pass along your feedback to our team.
best
Kent
Hey Diane,
We’ve heard your feedback on this. And I’m sorry it’s not working the way you want it to. I hope it’s something we can fix.
best,
Kent