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How to turn your favorite moments into a mini polaroid-style book

Whether or not you were around for the heyday of Polaroid instant cameras, you’re certainly familiar with the distinct aesthetic of those self-developing prints. The look is unmistakable—small, square photo prints with a white border that’s wider along the bottom edge, perfect for an optional hand-written caption. The format is so iconic, it’s even copied by other brands of instant camera, as well as being reinvented in Polaroid’s newer mini models.

Polaroid-style photos continue to be a popular way to capture and keep our fondest memories. The nostalgic vibe evokes spontaneous, lighthearted fun with friends and family. A photo book or classic album filled with Polaroid-style pics promises to be cute, giftable, and heart-warming.

Mixbook has options for creating a mini Polaroid-style photo book either with digitized prints or regular digital photos. Find step-by-step instructions for both methods below, plus tips for creating a mini Polaroid book you’ll adore.

How to make a mini polaroid book with prints

If you have a collection of instant photo prints from a Polaroid camera or other instant camera, showcase them in a mini photo book that matches their style. Here’s how:

1. Digitize your photo collection using a flat-bed scanner, multi-function printer, or smartphone scanner app. Configure the settings to ensure the white border is retained in the digitized photos.
2. Log in to your Mixbook account.
3. Browse photo book themes and pick your favorite, or opt for a Blank Canvas. Select your preferred format, cover type, and size. For a mini book, we suggest a softcover and 6 x 6 square or 8 x 6 landscape sizes.
4. In the Photos panel on the left, click “Choose a file” and upload your digitized Polaroid-style prints.
5. Drag and drop your photos into the blank frames on the pages of your theme. If you started with a Blank Canvas, use the Layouts panel to add your preferred layouts to each page and spread, then drag and drop your photos into place.
6. Customize your mini Polaroid book using Mixbook Studio™ tools including text, backgrounds, stickers, and maps. Use the pop-up menu to edit individual photos and design elements.

Need help? Read our guide: How To Digitize Photos: 6 Simple Scanning Steps

How to make a mini polaroid-style book with any photos

You don’t need to own a Polaroid or other instant camera to make a Polaroid-inspired photo book. In Mixbook Studio™, it’s easy to replicate the look of Polaroid prints with regular digital photos. Follow these steps:

Configure a theme or blank canvas

1. Log in to your Mixbook account.
2. Browse photo book themes and pick your favorite. Note that a Polaroid-style book features square photo frames. This means the standard photo frames in any theme will need to be customized, but other design details can stay as-is. You can also opt for a Blank Canvas.
3. Select your preferred format, cover type, and size. For a mini book, we suggest a softcover and 6 x 6 square or 8 x 6 landscape sizes.
4. In the Photos panel on the left, click “Choose a file” and upload the photos you want to include in your book. They can be square, landscape, or portrait photos, but will ultimately be cropped into square frames.

Customize the layouts

1. Scroll to the first page or spread of your book and open the Layouts panel. Browse the layouts—check the “Recommended,” “Theme,” and “Basic” options—and choose a layout with one or more square photos. Click the chosen icon to change the layout of the working page.
2. Drag your photo(s) into the square frames. If the original photos are not square, they will be automatically cropped. Click, hold, and drag the photo to reposition the cropping effect, if needed.

Create a polaroid-style frame

There is an easy way to create a Polaroid-style photo frame in Mixbook Studio™. Classic Polaroid prints have a white frame, which is wider on the bottom edge. Use a rectangular white sticker layered behind a square photo to create the same look.

Tip: If your photo book pages are white, a white Polaroid-style frame will not be visible. Either use the Backgrounds panel to add a solid-colored or patterned background behind your Polaroid-style photos, or adjust the frame to be an off-white shade that’s visible against a white background.

1.Open the Stickers panel on the left of the workspace.

2. Click the yellow square under “Shapes” at the top of the panel, and drag it onto your page.

3. Click and drag the corners of the square sticker until it’s slightly larger than the square photo you’re framing.

4. Click on the sticker to open the pop-up menu. Click “Color” and select white. (For an off-white shade, click the color menu and use the color picker tool.) Click “Done.”

5. In the same sticker pop-up menu, click the “Back” button until the white square is behind the photo, but in front of the background. Depending on how many different design elements are on the page, you might have to click several times.

6. Adjust the positions and sizes of the photo and frame (the white sticker behind it) until you achieve the Polaroid-style look. Use the yellow guidelines to help you keep the elements straight and balanced.

7. Click on the white frame sticker to open the pop-up menu. Click “Shadow” and try the different drop-shadow options to find one you like. A drop shadow gives the appearance of a Polaroid-style print sitting on the page.

Tips for making a mini polaroid photo album

Here are some handy tips for making a mini Polaroid book:

• Right click on a Polaroid-style photo frame to copy it, then paste it onto a new page or spread.
• Give your photos a fitting vintage look using the filters in Mixbook Studio™, such as “80s” and “B&W” (find them in the pop-up menu). Or, apply your favorite filters in another photo editing program before uploading to Mixbook.
• Choose photos with a spontaneous vibe that suits the Polaroid aesthetic. Suggestions include memories of a fun day trip, party snapshots, sneaky candid pictures of loved ones, and silly selfies with friends.
• Add a caption to the wide border at the bottom of your Polaroid-style frames using tools in the Text panel. Add a text box with a transparent background and handwriting-style font. Change the text color to dark blue to resemble ballpoint pen ink.
• Experiment with positioning your Polaroid-style photos and frames at an angle. Drag the cursor over both photo and frame to select them both, then use the round arrow icon at the top to adjust the angle on the page.
• Layer multiple Polaroid-style photos and frames over each other with the “forward” and “back” tools to create a collage resembling a scattered array of prints.
• Mini booklets filled with Polaroid-style pictures make great gifts! Browse your parents’ or grandparents’ old photos for a genuine vintage picture project to give to them on Mother’s Day, Father’s Day or birthdays.

Show us your mini books!

Mini photo books are always a fun project. They’re quick and easy to make, budget-friendly, and great for preserving the more lighthearted pictures in your photo collection. If you’re making a mini Polaroid-style photo book, we’d love to see it—share your customer story or tag us on social @Mixbook.