10.1. Phase 1: Pick the Pix

10. Publishing a Photo Book

At first, gift-giving is fun. During those first 20, 30, or 40 birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, Valentine's Days, Christmases, and so on, you might actually enjoy picking out a present, buying it, wrapping it, and delivering it.

After a certain point, however, gift-giving becomes exhausting. What the heck do you get your dad after you've already given him birthday and holiday presents for 15 or 35 years ?

If you have iPhoto, you've got an ironclad, perennial answer. The program's Book feature lets you design and order (via the Internet) a gorgeous, professionally bound photo book, printed at a real bindery and shipped to the recipient in a slipcover. Your photos are printed on glossy, acid-free, single-sided pages, complete with captions, if you like.

A 20-page book costs $10 to $30, depending on the page size and whether you choose soft cover or hardback. When you think about it, that's about the least you could hope to pay for a handsome, emotionally powerful gift guaranteed never to wind up in an attic, at a garage sale, or on eBay. In short, it's a home-run gift every time.

You should also consider ordering them for yourself ”one each for your vacation, wedding , child, or whatever. These books are amazing keepsakes to leave out on your coffee table ”the same idea as most families'photo albums, but infinitely classier and longer lasting (and not much more expensive).

In iPhoto 5, Apple's engineers gave the photo-book feature a massive overhaul . They did more than update this feature; they gutted it, stripped it, and rebuilt it from scratch.

On one hand, the result is a wealth of new book-layout options (paperback or hardback, single-or double-sided pages, a choice of three sizes). On the other hand, the new book-layout mode bears little resemblance to the one in previous versions of iPhoto. If you'd grown used to the old way of doing things, you're in for some relearning.