Category Archives: Gift Ideas

Our Guide to Giving Mom a More Memorable Gift This Year

Spring has sprung and Mother’s Day is right around the corner. It’s time to find a thoughtful gift for Mom, and Photobucket is here to the rescue!

What better way to honor Mom than by sharing your favorite memories together? With just a bit of planning, you can easily create a fun photo gift that she’ll cherish for years to come. magazine

Below are a few tips for creating – and giving – an unexpected gift for Mother’s Day that will allow her to relive happy moments…and put a smile on her face every single day.

From photo books to mobile phone covers to wine openers and more, there are all sorts of gifts you can personalize for Mom. First is to decide what type of gift you’re creating and how many photos you’ll need to use (see our ideas at the end for inspiration), then comes selecting the best shots to showcase in your gifts.

phone

Create a collage of baby pictures, a remembrance of a favorite day or even a collection of shots of her whole brood. Whichever you choose, you can upload your mobile phone pictures and photos onto your PC with ease to create a new Mother’s Day-themed album on Photobucket in which to store these shots for safekeeping. You can always edit them down later, but having them all in one place will give you easy access and will make the project go much more smoothly.

mug

Finally, print your gift by visiting our handy photo gifts page to design your project and have it delivered to your doorstep. It doesn’t get any easier than that!

Stumped on what to make to make Moms’ day? Here are a few of our favorite ideas:

  1. Family Photo Slideshow: Make a slideshow with family photos from throughout the past year. Place it on a digital photo frame, iPad or burn it to DVD for a gift that keeps on giving year-round
  2. DIY Photo Jewelry: Try a cool, DIY project that turns ordinary necklaces, bracelets, key chains and charms into these gorgeous photo keepsakes
  3. Hand-Picked Photo Book: A sweet album allows you to combine your favorite photos and quotes into a personalized album for mom. It’s so easy to create, and you can even view our video about getting started or learn more about our photo book types for added inspiration
  4. Custom Mobile & Tablet Cases: Check out our chic cases, where you can add your own photos and showcase her personality. Score some bonus points by putting the case on her phone Mother’s Day morning
  5. Stainless Steel Travel Mug: One of our most popular items, you can warm Mom’s heart (and her belly!) on those chilly morning commutes with this sleek, modern mug. Add your favorite photos to ensure she’s got miles of smiles ahead of her!

We hope this post has brought you some Momspiration for the May 12, 2012 celebration, and don’t forget that these ideas can apply to Dad’s and grads in the coming months, too!

 

Embracing SLR Cameras

by Tom Munro, CEO

With the holidays just around the corner, many of us will be eager to capture special moments by taking photos of friends and family. And with the popularity of SLR cameras on the rise, I thought I would provide a few tips to help you get started. Even though most SLRs feature preset shooting modes, transitioning from a point-and-shoot can still be quite overwhelming. Despite this learning curve, the results can be very rewarding, so just take it slow and be patient. You will love the pictures you can take!  

First, read your instructions. It may seem simple, but this is often something we overlook when buying new electronic ‘toys.’ Sure, some gadgets are self-explanatory, but your camera’s instruction booklet is an important one to read. It will walk you through all the features of your camera so you’ll be able to make the most of your investment.

Next – start exploring the menus and settings. Bloggers Kevin and Amanda say you should prioritize learning the concepts of Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority. This will go a long way in helping you understand lighting, depth of field and where to focus. And then you’ll be able to get those great, dramatic photos where one object is in focus and the background is blurred. Lifehacker also has some great tips to check out as you’re exploring, too.

Then, practice! Don’t wait until you are at the family Christmas party or the New Year’s Eve party you are hosting or you may miss those fleeting moments you want to capture on film. Instead, set up a time to try your hand at different techniques at home with your dogs, kids, friends, significant other – basically, anyone and anything you can use as a subject. The point of this is to just get comfortable with your SLR.

Finally, take off the auto mode training wheels and put your camera into manual mode – this is, in fact, why you decided to get an SLR in the first place. In part two of Lifehacker’s look at SLR cameras, they break down how to use your camera in full manual mode. The possibilities are limitless, so don’t be afraid to try new things here – you never know, you might stumble upon something amazing!

Don’t have a SLR or are hoping to get a one for Christmas? Here are the top SLR cameras of 2011 according to ZDNet. Good luck, and happy snapping this season.

-Tom

Tell Your Summer Story!

You took tons of summer photos, and want to make them look their best before showing off, so today we're going to show you cool ways to Share, Print and Edit your photos with those you care about the most!

Editing:

With a few clicks, you can turn your summer photos into creative projects.  Here's how:

  1. Log in to Photobucket and click "edit photos" at the top of the page. Select the image you want to edit, which will then launch the image editor:Effects
  2. From here, you can make your summer photos pop with the "Color Splash" effect, or add a cool summery look with the "Cross Process" effect on the Retro Tab.  Don't forget to take a look at the other tabs on the page, as there are tons of sweet ways to edit your photo!
  3. To watch a short tutorial on editing ideas, click here!

Sharing:

Sharing your summer photos or even a whole album is fast and easy with Photobucket! Here's a quick way to share a photo:

  1. Log in to your Photobucket account and hover over the image you want to share.
  2. Click the "Share" button. You'll see some options like these: Shareyourphoto 
  3. Click the option that fits your need. You can share using Facebook, Twitter, email and more.   Add a message and tell your friends and family what your photo or video is about! 
  4. Watch a short tutorial showing you how easy it is to share! 

Printing:

Printing photos is a great way to always have your stories with you. From simple prints to fun collages, we offer great options for you to print your summer moments. It's easy:

  1. Log in and click "My Home" at the top of the screen.
  2. Click "Order Prints & More".
  3. We have partnered with the leading printing service, Lifepics, for all your printings needs.  You can order prints, make cards, calendars, photo books, and gifts of all sorts!
  4. Click here to get some fun ideas on print projects and learn more! 

We hope you enjoyed learning about the easy and fun ways to share your summer memories with friends and family! Keep an eye out for further features we're bringing you at Photobucket!

Mother’s Day Gift Idea

With Mother’s Day around the corner, get a head start on
giving Mom a unique gift with a scrapbook. We have partnered with Scrapblog to
enhance photos by including personalized backgrounds, stickers, text and more.
Try the new QuickMix feature that easily lets you select photos and automatically
builds your pictures on the background and style of your choosing. 

Take advantage of free ground shipping for all print orders
through Monday, May 10. Order your prints today to guarantee an arrival for
Mother’s Day!

Try a Mother's Day Scrapblog kit! If you are in your album, click “Scrapbooks” to check out more themes!

 

Boutique Chic kit