If you’ve recently updated your macOS to version 3.7, you’ll notice a couple differences when you use the Motif app. 

As you may be aware, Motif was recently acquired by Mimeo Photos. That means Motif and Mimeo are working together to integrate our systems, and in doing so we’ve made some enhancements we think you’ll enjoy.

The first is that our checkout process is now even more streamlined than it previously was. Now, it takes far fewer clicks to go from project completion to order confirmation. 

The next improvement is that you can ship to many more countries than you could with the previous version of the Motif macOS app! It’s time to send that far-flung cousin the gorgeous family photo project you put so much love into.

That’s it for now, but if you have questions or comments, we welcome your feedback. Drop us a note by clicking here.

The post What’s New for Motif on macOS Version 3.7 appeared first on The Motif Blog.

Photo books are where treasured memories become keepsakes. They’re a lovely addition to a home library to look back on favorite holidays, events, and milestones. They also make excellent gifts. There are endless ways to create a personalized, custom Apple photo book with Motif. Here are five reasons why Motif is Apple’s premier photo book service:

Mac Compatibility

The Motif Photos App is available in the iPhone App Store as well as the Mac App Store. On the Mac, Motif serves as a native extension for Photos, meaning you can use the app from within the Photos app itself. Once Motif is downloaded, it’s automatically plugged into the Photos app and ready to use. The advantage of this is that you don’t have to export and import, download and upload your existing photos into another app. 

To access and launch Motif on a Mac:

• Select any album under My Albums.
• Right-click the album you have selected.
• Select Create, and in the drop-down menu, select Motif.
• Or go to the top navigation bar, click File, select Create, and then select Motif. 
• Motif opens within the Photos app and allows you to choose and launch the type of photo project you want to work on, including photo books.

On the iPhone, the Motif app opens to the “Products” section. You can immediately start a new project under the “My Projects” tab, too. On a Mac, Motif photo projects are automatically saved safely under “My Projects.” Projects are saved for as long as you like to keep them in Photos on your Mac or iPhone.

Photo Book Customization

Start customizing a photo book by selecting a book size and choosing hardcover or softcover. Motif offers two options for rectangular photo books that allow longer perspectives and two options for square books for a more modern feel. Adjust the length of a photo book by adding pages. The minimum number of pages for a photo book is 20, but you can expand up to 100. Books with 100 pages can accommodate anywhere from 100 to 900 photos. An average photo book includes between 50 and 400 images.

After choosing the photo book size, play around with the number of photos per page and layout. You can spread a single image across two pages and add text-only pages to accompany pictures. You can also change the number of pictures on each page of the photo project you’re creating. Page count, number of images, and the price adjust as changes are made while using the app.

Autoflow

Motif makes it easy to create attractive pages, even if designing isn’t in your wheelhouse. Motif’s Autoflow function seamlessly creates a photo book, choosing only the best images and placing them in beautiful layouts. Motif’s smart technology analyzes every photo in your photo project. It automatically removes blurry images, low-quality shots that won’t print well, and duplicates. It also calculates a recommended number of pages, images used, and a price. You can adjust any of those figures, and Motif will analyze again, saving you the time of having to redo parts of the project.

Motif also makes customization easy with drag and drop editing. It’s helpful when you want to see how a few photos look within a photo book without importing a lot of them at once.

Easy Photo Editing 

After choosing the photos to add, you can edit the photos directly within Motif. Built-in editing tools let you adjust hues, saturations, filters, and more. It saves time and steps often required with editing and reuploading photos. Resize photos, add images, and rearrange page order exactly how you’d like. Motif’s intelligent software will even automatically re-zoom and size your image to fit the layout properly.

Superior Print Quality 

Only premium paper is used for Motif’s custom photo books. Thick, high-quality paper provides bright colors and no image bleed on the reverse side. The paper runs smoothly through the fingertips, perfect for years of comfortable page-turning. A printed premium matte sleeve stylishly covers while also protecting your custom photo book. 

Whether it’s for a wedding album, graduation celebration, a birthday or milestone, or to celebrate friends and family for any reason, Motif has you covered. Over 80 personalized layouts, with various themes and sizes, create the perfect photo book for your needs. Photo books are the perfect way to celebrate and share your favorite photographs with family and friends. Download our free app today and give your stories a home with Motif.

The post 5 Reasons Motif Is Apple’s Premier Photo Book Service appeared first on The Motif Blog.

If you have an iPad you’re probably well aware of its excellent photo taking capabilities. That large screen gives you greater vision when capturing special moments. It’s also way easier to edit those photos on the larger screen. It may not fit in a pocket like an iPhone does, but it’s a powerful tool for capturing exceptional photos.   

The Apple Photos app is built into the iPad’s operating system. Within this award-winning app you’ll find all the photos you’ve taken. This best photo album app for iPad is the simplest way to organize and edit all your photos. It helps you manage the hundreds and thousands of photos you take. 

If you’re looking to know more about organizing photos in an iPad photo album, read on.

How to Organize Photo Albums on Ipad 

The number of photos we take is only limited by the storage space on our devices. Without some basic organizing in an iPad photo album, photos of one event can easily get lost amongst all the rest. Organizing your photos is much like organizing anything in your life. An organized garage usually contains a car or two. If you need anything from an organized garage, it’s easily retrieved. The same can be achieved by organizing photos on iPad albums. 

How to Make Photo Albums on Ipad 

And sometimes, organizing involves some basic deleting. To delete an album from iPad photos, swipe from the left edge of the screen or tap to show the sidebar. Tap Edit, then you have the option of renaming, rearranging or deleting any album. Tap Delete in this case, then tap Done. Play around with the Edit feature on your iPad on how to move photos between albums.  

After just a few snap-happy photo sessions, photos can and will quickly accumulate in your Photos app. When you open your Photos app, all the thumbnails appear in the gallery window. Here’s how to create Ipad Photo albums to organize them. Swipe from the left edge of the screen or tap to show the sidebar, then tap New Album below My Albums. You can then name the album to better identify the photos in it. Then, tap Save. Once you’re created the album here’s how to move photos to albums on iPad. Choose the photos you want to add, then tap Done. This basically lets you email a photo album from your iPad. 

Share Photo Albums on Your Ipad 

Another amazing feature of Apple Photos is the ability to create shared albums. This lets you invite anyone to have access to the photos in that folder. To create one, click the Add button next to Shared Albums. Type the email addresses of those you’d like to share the album with. Click the Add button to select contacts from iCloud. Then click Create. Fill the shared iPad photo album with the photos you want to share. 

Turn Your iPad Photo Album Into a Real Photo Album 

After organizing your photos, you might find some you really like. They might represent a special moment or memory in your life. Maybe they make you smile or bring a tear to your eye. 

Turn those photos into something special and cherished. By downloading Motif to your Mac, iPhone and iPad, you can transform these special moments into printed photo projects. Motif works natively with Apple Photos to make the process seamless. 

Create a photo book in just a few minutes. From your iPad and iPhone, simply download and open the Motif Photos app and choose the size photo book you want to create. On your Mac in the Photos app, choose File then select Create then choose either Book, Calendar, or Card then select Motif. Motif magically places your best photos into stylish layouts. Add your own personal touches, then sit back and relax. Motif prints and ships your project to your door. 

The post How to Create and Share an iPad Photo Album With Your Loved Ones appeared first on The Motif Blog.

The 2020 holiday season has officially arrived. If you haven’t dug out, untangled, and put up those Christmas and Hanukkah decorations, what are you waiting for? As your thoughts drift to boxes and stepladders, here’s a subtle reminder Boxing Day is December 26th. Some great photo printing deals are still to be had for Christmas and Boxing Day gifts.

It’s also good to know the most thoughtful gifts are the ones you make. Using your very own photos, create custom photo books, calendars, and cards. In the wee hours of December 26th, 12:01 a.m. to be exact, create thoughtful gifts at 25% off until 11:59 p.m. December 27th.  Use code Take25 for 25% off.

Boxing Day Coupon Codes & Deals

Giving a gift unlike anything found on a store shelf is gift giving magic. Find that magic in your photos of special people, places, moments, and memories. Use those photos to create personalised photo projects easily with Motif. Remember that trip of a lifetime? Assemble all those photos in one convenient place with photo book deals from Motif. A customized photo calendar for 2021 is a great way to welcome the New Year. Make one while enjoying Motif’s photo calendar deals. Skip that trip to the store and enjoy photo card deals when you customize yours with Motif. Send to friends and family wherever they may be. Images have the power to close any distance that may separate you. High-quality holiday gifts that get saved are easy with Motif. Learn more about Motif’s products.

The Motif Boxing Day Sale 2020

The past year has been challenging to say the very least. It’s dramatically affected the time we’re able to spend with our friends and family. Yet, scrolling through the photos we have of them can be surprisingly therapeutic. In just a few simple steps, those photos could find their way into a custom photo project complete with your personal sentiments and style. Print one for yourself or several to give as heartfelt gifts this holiday season. Relive those special moments with whomever you share them with, wherever they may be. 

Downloading the Motif app to your Mac, iPhone, and iPad is free. It doesn’t cost anything to experience how easily the app can transform your photos into a book, calendar, or card. Once the images, the design, the personal touches are all in place, you can click a blue button to buy. 

Photo book coupons and a Motif Boxing Day sale make thoughtful gift giving easier. Photo book printing deals put sharing special memories in everyone’s budget.        

What makes Motif the #1 Rated Apple Photo Book App on the Market?

If you’re looking for 25% off photo calendars, 25% off photo cards, or just some Boxing Day photo book deals, you’ve found it. To make this even easier, Motif works seamlessly with Apple Photos. It transforms your very best memories into high-quality photo books, cards, and calendars. Its smart technology looks for your best photos based on a set of aesthetic criteria. It even weeds out all those duplicates. Then, the app magically flows them into whatever size project you choose. You select the theme, layout, colors, fonts, and text. In just a few clicks, you’re well on your way to one thoughtful, personalized gift. Once you’ve finished, your photo project is professionally printed by the same capable provider Apple trusted for years. Motif and Apple go way back. 

How do I use the Motif Boxing Day promo codes?

If you haven’t already downloaded Motif to your Mac, iPhone and iPad, it’s easy to do. And, it’s free. Once you’re happy with all the details of your project, select the blue Checkout button. Before your Order Summary appears, Motif checks for errors to ensure your project is printed correctly. Motif strives to deliver quality with every photo project. After resolving any issues, a log-in screen appears. Logging in lets us complete your transaction via your personal, secure account. It’s also an opportunity to receive future promotional offers as well as tips on photo project storytelling.  
After logging in, you’ll see the Order Summary screen. You can adjust the quantity of your order and also enter any photo coupon codes. Use code Take25 for 25% off.   Tap Apply Code and your savings will reflect in the Order Total. Take advantage of the Motif Boxing Day sale 2020.

The post 25% Off Boxing Day Photo Deals & Coupon Codes 2020 appeared first on The Motif Blog.

January is the month when we celebrate a fresh start, honor Martin Luther King, Jr., and his dreams…and it’s also when we can celebrate our own dreams. The official Make Your Dream Come True Day holiday is January 13, but we believe that any day is the perfect time to embrace the idea of turning your own dreams into reality. 

What Is Make Your Dream Come True Day?

As the name suggests, Make Your Dream Come True Day is a January holiday that centers around doing things that you’ve always wanted to do or achieve, but never actually have. 

There are a lot of reasons why those dreams might fall by the wayside, and sometimes in life, we find ourselves regretting the things that we never managed to do. By taking advantage of this holiday and trying to make at least some of those dreams come true, you can help ensure that you will have no regrets down the road when you look back on your life.

What Are Your Dreams?

So what are your dreams, anyway? 

You’d be surprised at how difficult this question can be to answer at times. A lot of people don’t fully define the things that they would like to do or accomplish, leaving them with somewhat vague goals and no plan for achieving them. If you really want to make your dreams come true, the first thing you need to do is define them.

One good way to do this is to write them down in a list. By writing down each of your aspirations, you essentially capture your dreams by describing them. Even if the initial description is vague, you are naming what you want, and that’s half the battle. From there, you can add specific details until you have a list of well-defined things that you want to do or accomplish. Making a list might not sound like much of an accomplishment, but you’d be surprised at how far ahead that list can put you.

Making Dreams a Reality

Once you have a list of your dreams, you can start mapping out your future. 

Look at each item on your list and think about what it would realistically take to accomplish it. Would you need to save money? Would you need to go back to school or take a certification test? Is travel required? Think about as many specific things that you’ll need to make each of your dreams come true and write them down.

As you develop your plans to accomplish different dreams, you may realize that some are closer to becoming reality than you’d initially assumed. Others might take a lot of work, but have aspects that overlap with different dreams. All of this is part of the process of seeing your dreams coming true. The various milestones in your plans can become achievable goals, and you can start working toward achieving those things that started out as little more than vague notions of things you’d like to do.

Documenting the Process

If you gravitate towards photography, you might be a visual learner, and if that’s true, consider making a vision board of your dreams for inspiration. Once you start taking the steps to achieve your goals, though, you should celebrate your success visually as well.  You have multiple photo opportunities at each step of the way as you work toward your dreams. 

The dreams you work on now can become treasured memories in their own right; photos will give you something to look back on in the future as you reflect on your journey.  Perhaps more importantly, the pictures can give you a sense of accountability. They remind you that you’re actively trying to make your dreams come true and serve as proof of how far you’ve come. You can even post them on social media as part of your celebration of #MakeYourDreamComeTrueDay so others can see just what you’ve been up to.

Keep Dreaming

One more thing to keep in mind is how important it is to keep dreaming. 

Sometimes, setbacks and negative feelings will make you want to give up on your dreams. You might convince yourself that the goals you’ve set aren’t achievable or that the things you thought you wanted aren’t worth the hassle. This is natural, but it’s also misguided. Your dreams are worth it.

That’s all part of the reason that Make Your Dream Come True Day is important. It’s more than just one of the fun January holidays; it’s also a reminder that dreams are always worth working toward. 

Take the time to dream, and take the time to try and make those dreams real. Take pictures, share them with others and remember to have fun doing it all. Once you’ve reached your dream, collect the photos in a Motif photo book so others can enjoy seeing your journey–and so you can flip through it yourself when you want to celebrate how far you’ve come, or remind yourself of the grit and determination you summoned to succeed. 

The post How to Celebrate Make Your Dream Come True Day appeared first on The Motif Blog.

Truth is, a great self-portrait involves many elements: light, angle, background, composition, post-process editing, and a fair amount of luck. Great selfie photographers simply refine these factors to their benefit. All it takes are a few simple tips and an eye to learn how to take the best selfies.

Sometimes it feels like selfies are the exclusive sovereignty of celebrities and Instagram influencers. They raise their arm, smartphone in hand, and snap the perfect shot. Every time. Without fail. How do they do it?

Lighting is key

Lighting is the most important element of any selfie. Good lighting adorns the scene, illuminates your personality, and compliments your skin tone.

The best selfie light is natural, so try to bathe yourself in soft, diffused sunlight. If you’re inside, capture light streaming through windows or bouncing off light-colored surfaces. If you’re outside, snap selfies in the warm hues of the golden hour.

A good practice is to face the light to brighten your smiling face. Backlit selfies can be tricky, but if done right, they create a wonderful sunburst or silhouette effect, so don’t fear experimentation.

Avoid harsh lights

If soft, natural light is best, the opposite is also true. Harsh light bleaches skin and paints shadows across the image. The midday sun and high-temperature artificial lights ruin good selfies.

If you’re indoors, turn off overhead lights and fluorescents. Instead, use lamps that spread warm, low-temperature light throughout the room. This light can be very complimentary when paired with the correct angle.

We recommend avoiding your flash, too. The sudden, harsh light produces a lot of image noise. If you’re like 99.3 percent of people, grainy doesn’t make for the most flattering filter.

With that said, night selfies may require a flash to prevent the image from being a study in black. If this is the case, keep your hand steady and give it a try. If you’re using a smartphone that doesn’t feature a front-facing flash, there are add-ons and apps that utilize the screen to illuminate the scene.

Find your angle

Straight-on selfies flatten features and make the subject (i.e., you) look like a cardboard cutout. By utilizing angles, you zest up the image.

Start by holding the camera up or to the side. Then tilt your head slightly and tuck your chin. The result is a sharper jawline and an interesting take on your profile. Conversely, shooting a selfie from below tends to widen your features.

For most people, the higher angle is very becoming, but everyone is different. Experiment to find your angle, and use it for most of your selfies.

Give a genuine smile

People are hardwired to spot counterfeit smiles, so prepare a genuine one for all your selfie needs. When it’s time to take the shot, think of something that makes you happy. It can be a great joke, a fond memory, or a pleasant image. Your facial features will reflexively match your state of mind. Think of this as a mental hack to produce a natural, pleasing smile.

Strike a pose

Again, straight-on selfies result in flat compositions. Give yourself dimensions by striking a pose. Turn your body. Place your arm on your hip or over your head. Have your hand touch your face slightly. Straighten your back for good posture. Angles entice and add a sense of dynamism.

Yes, some poses look silly in real life—who relaxes on a couch like that?—but they translate well to photos. If you learn to have fun with them, that sense of joy will translate too.

Try eye-catching compositions

You can get great shots by placing yourself center frame. No doubt. But don’t forget your many other selfie options.

Try using the rule of thirds. Imagine your image has two vertical lines and two horizontal lines running across it. Frame yourself at one of the intersections, and let the background fill the rest of the frame. This adds negative space to make for a more interesting composition.

Your selfies don’t have to be all about faces, either. Try compositions featuring your feet, your hands, or your eyes. It’s still you, so it technically counts.

Be conscious of your environment

Nothing ruins a selfie like a cluttered, messy background. You want people to notice you, not the piles of laundry behind you.

Be conscious of your surroundings and how they enhance or hinder your composition. Simple backgrounds (think the ocean) and complex backgrounds (a whole harbor) work well for selfies. If you need to remove an element, the cropping tool is your BFF.

Take lots of selfies

And by lots of selfies, we mean a lot of selfies. Things can go wrong, and you don’t want that one shot ruined by a stray hair, unnoticed photobomber, or poorly timed itch. By shooting a lot of selfies, you’ll have options for your photo book or when it comes time to post your favorites.

Use filters

Filters make good selfies great by helping the colors pop. If you’re on Instagram, Clarendon will brighten highlights while darkening those shadows, making it a good all-around choice for selfies. Meanwhile, Valencia increases exposures and warms colors to enhance those golden-hour selfies. Lark adds vibrancy to landscapes for those rule-of-third shots. And of course, there’s always the classic black and white.

Start by experimenting with all the available filters to get a feel for them. Soon you’ll recognize your favorites based on how you selfie your selfies.

Post-process editing

Edit with a deft hand. You want to brighten colors and warm skin tones, but don’t go overboard and accidentally over or underexpose your shots.

Any exceptions? Of course! If you have an artistic goal in mind, edit as needed. There’s no rule saying you can’t edit for a comic book or Andy Warhol-inspired color scheme.

Try the timer

Holding the camera at the perfect angle can be difficult, especially if you have to extend your arm fully. Add to this smiling, posing, and hitting the shutter button, and a great selfie can feel like a contortionist act.

Try using the timer. Not having to hit the shutter button means one less thing to focus on. It also helps you keep your camera or phone steady, which will reduce blur.

Selfie stick: useful or useless?

It’s up to you. A selfie stick’s purpose is to add distance between you and the lens. This allows you to get angles and compositions that you won’t be able to otherwise—for example, allowing you to include more negative space.

They do not, however, help with stabilizing the camera. If you need help reducing shake, consider a tripod or adding grips to your phone’s case instead.

Share your selfies

Learning to snap great selfies can enrich your photography experience and open up many composition options. But don’t just leave your selfies on your hard drive or Instagram feed. Share them with the people you love.

With Motif, you can use your selfies to make personalized invitations to your next big event. Create a calendar to remember the great times. Or have all your friends send you their selfies and craft a yearbook of all the events you attended this year. 

With more than 20,000 people snapping selfies, just imagine the memories being created alongside the drive to save lives. It was truly inspiring.

Such as the AVON The Walks for breast cancer awareness in Prague. Motif attended the event this June and joined an urban tide of pink shirts marching from the Old Town Square toward the island of Štvanice. There we revelled in the city’s spirit and took some wonderful photographs at the afternoon program. We met survivors sharing their experiences, mothers and daughters supporting each other, and many others who just wanted to be there for their community.

Like the AVON The Walks for breast cancer awareness, selfies are about far more than the self.

The post Tips on How to Take the Best Selfies appeared first on The Motif Blog.