Charlotte North Carolina Artistic Wedding Album Design, originally uploaded by Neil Cowley.

In this simple two image page layout, I added a dynamic element to the interplay of the two images by using two elements:

1. A full page texture, which I call a ‘lighting overlay’ placed in Overlay Blend Mode
2. The second, horizontal image is placed on the dark brown background in Lighten Blend Mode.

The Overlay texture has the effect of a full page vignette and makes those lightening markings between the photos. The Lighting Overlay Textures are available for purchase at MakeLightReal.com. The Texture pulls the two images together on the page, whereas the washed out effect of the photo in lighten blend mode might otherwise stick out.

The storyline in the album design is finished with this spread, as here is the previous page in the design for you to see the elements collide in the last spread.

Transparency and background texture overlays create a sense of depth on the page, originally uploaded by Neil Cowley.

Transparency and background texture overlays create a sense of depth on the page. The main key-line box forms the frame for the main ground of the page design. A mildly transparent image of the brides dress lying on a couch forms an arc across the page background, the arc blends with the design of the opaque images, and the transparent image in the center of the page breaks the bounding box and opens up the page with a sense of depth and adventure, combined with the receding gesture of the bride. The contemplative opaque images, contrast with the active and mysterious image for a good balance of content and design.

Wedding Guestbook design personalized with engagement photos, originally uploaded by Neil Cowley.

Simple storytelling in wedding album design, originally uploaded by Neil Cowley.

Simple storytelling in wedding album design accomplished by expanding horizontal width of the photo across three image story set in this photojournalistic album design.

Wedding Album Design 29.jpg, originally uploaded by Neil Cowley.

Vertical portrait photographs in wedding album layout using Adobe InDesign software templates. These four vertically oriented portrait images which have been uniquely sized in their horizontal dimension to bring variety of pace and prominence in the layout design.

mountain_album_02.jpg, originally uploaded by Neil Cowley.

Good design should be so subtle it’s obvious

Adirondacks upstate NY Wedding Photographer – Photojournalist style

Originally uploaded by Neil Cowley

Do you have page layouts that deal with continuation, connection or assumed lines? Join the album design wiki and share your designs!

These are mac, but I’m sure if you’re on a PC you’re smart enough to change them:

2 = Fill Frame Proportionally – with the frame selected safely expand or shrink your photo to fill+fit

3 = Fit Content Proportionally – fits complete content inside frame

4 = Edit contents in photoshop – select your frame and pop it into photoshop to retouch, do a custom B+W conversion or vignette to better fit your design

option+T = scale transform – place 5 pictures then transform them to 40% to fit on the page, great for balance and spacing, used often enough it needs a shortcut

Default shortcuts you should know:

1 = 100% view – I always like to snap back to it, it’s actually a default

+SHIFT+E = Center content – this is default, but it’s handy to know cause you don’t need to mouse everything…

And pretty much anything in the object menu you can pull out to make you life easier – like object editing, scale up 5% and down 5%….sometime I’ll get Nostromo setup for InDesign and then I’ll be able to reach more keys.  Till then it’s free and actually a big time saver.

Just launched today!  Bring a speedy workflow and modern style to your wedding album designs.

Adobe InDesign Photo Album Templates

Over 200 spreads of album layouts, based on a square page album size – perfect to speed your album design workflow.