It’s said that homemade gifts bring more joy than any others. So photographers have it easy when it comes to thinking up Christmas gifts. They just have to turn their photos into photo gifts. For example a calendar with pictures of the grandkids for Grandma, a book of family photos for Mom, or a canvas with a photo from your first date for your girlfriend. And you can create them all in just a few clicks…

Before you get started creating your photo gifts, select the pictures you want to use and decide about what kind of gift you’ll be creating. Then just start up Zoner Photo Studio, go to the Create module, and choose the type of photo product you want.

Delight With a Different Photo Each Month—Photo Calendars

A photo calendar is a practical and popular gift. Some photographers have made these a personal tradition, and they share travel pictures or family photos with their loved ones every year.

To create a calendar like this in Zoner Photo Studio, just

• open the folder with the photos you want,
• switch to the Create module,
• and click Calendar.

The folder’s photos are then automatically assigned to individual pages.

You have several templates available, in two sizes. And you can also create your own. For example, you could customize a template for portrait or landscape orientation.

You can also replace the calendar’s photos at any time. Just switch to the page with the photo you want to replace, then drag the new photo you want up from the Filmstrip (the strip at the bottom) onto the old photo. To change a photo’s size or position, first double-click the page it’s on—this takes you to Preview mode.

Then all that’s left to do is to adjust the remaining settings such as text color, the background, and special days. Then click the Order button to have your calendar professionally printed.

Canvas Prints—Your Photos on a Canvas

You can also create a canvas print for your loved ones. Creating one of these is similar to creating a photo calendar. Here again just open the folder with the photo or photos you want and use “Canvas Print” in the Create module.

There are several templates available; use these to set how many photos are on the canvas, and where they are. There’s even a template that fits nine photos on your canvas. You can then replace the individual pictures by dragging their replacements up from the Filmstrip. To adjust an individual photo’s precise size and location, click on that photo.

Be careful, meanwhile, to keep all the important parts of your pictures within the print’s marked guidelines. Everything outside of these will be folded around the canvas frame.

To add text and colored frames to the print if you wish, use the controls on the right. Then just order the gift you’ve prepared.

Photo Books: Better Than Ordinary Albums

You can of course print out individual pictures and turn them into a photo album that you then give to someone. But the more elegant solution is to create a photo book directly.

It will generally look better, photos won’t fall out of it, and you can set the number of pages yourself. Choose a template that suits you, then add pictures to it. Then just adjust the settings if needed—for example the paper color or the individual photos’ captions.

Once you’re satisfied with your photo book, you can easily order it right from inside of Zoner Photo Studio.

Gifts Are More Original With Your Own Photos

In just a few minutes on your own computer, you can create gifts for your whole family. Just choose the pictures and lay them out. Voila! You’ve got Christmas gifts for your family handled in just a few minutes.