How to achieve a few different page layouts for a photobook?

Question

I'm considering designing a photobook in LaTeX but am concerned that I will run into unanticipated problems, so wanted to give some details and see how these might be achievable. My idea for this book:

square pages, e.g. 8.5 x 8.5, with bleed area
a few different layouts
- page-width landscape image, with text below
- page-length portrait image, with text on the outside
- dual-page landscape image, spans page length, fills the left and a portion of the right page, with text on the right page
- above, but with dual-page landscape image flush to the right instead of left
About a paragraph of text per image, but will not overflow onto next page

I've already read here some concerns for using floats. How might I approach such a LaTeX project, e.g. what class should I start with and how do I go about wrangling LaTeX into these layouts? Or, is LaTeX not really the right tool for this job and I'm better off going to something like Scribus? I would prefer LaTeX.

mickep · Answer 1 · 2022-05-05T06:51:48.870

I'm not sure TeX is the right tool for this. If you will print the book, then there might be specific photo book creating "applications" at the website you buy from. I haven't tried them out, but I think they are just meant to do the kind of setup you want.

Nevertheless, if you want to do it with LaTeX, I think that you might go for using tikz with some background mechanism. I don't know the details, but I'm sure someone will point you in the right direction.

Meanwhile, I did more or less what you wanted, but using layers in ConTeXt. I used photos having proportion 2:3 (or 3:2). The \dontleavehmode are just there not to have "empty pages" except for the layers. In the first version I placed the text with layers, but after sleeping, I think I prefer to put the text on an ordinary page. Perhaps less flexible, but probably simpler.

Code and (two) images of the output follows. The file was compiled with context. I hope it will help somehow. Good luck!

\definepapersize[photobook][
    width=8.5in,
    height=8.5in,
]
\setuppapersize[photobook]
\setupalign[flushleft,verytolerant]
\setupbodyfont[ebgaramond]
\setuppagenumbering[
    alternative=doublesided,
    state=stop,
]
\setuplayout[
    backspace=0.5in,
    topspace=0.5in,
    margin=0in,
    width=fit,
    height=fit,
    header=0in,
    footer=0in,
    alternative=middle,
]
\definelayout[photopage][
    backspace=6in,
    width=2in,
]
\definelayer[portrait][
    width=\paperwidth,
    height=\paperheight,
    doublesided=yes,
]
\definelayer[landscape][
    width=\paperwidth,
    height=\paperheight,
    doublesided=yes,
]
\definelayer[doublebackground][
    width=\paperwidth,
    height=\paperheight,
    doublesided=yes,
]
\setupbackgrounds[page][background={doublebackground,portrait,landscape}]
\starttexdefinition LeftPoirtrait #1
\setlayer[portrait][left][
    corner={right,top},
    location={left,bottom},
    ]{#1}
\stoptexdefinition
\starttexdefinition RightPoirtrait #1
\setlayer[portrait][right]{#1}
\stoptexdefinition
\starttexdefinition LandScape #1
\setlayer[landscape]{#1}
\stoptexdefinition
\starttexdefinition LeftDouble #1
\setlayer[doublebackground][left]{\externalfigure[#1][width=1.5\paperwidth]}
\setlayer[doublebackground][right][
    x=0.5\paperwidth,
    y=0in,
    corner={right,top},
    location={left,bottom},
    ]{\externalfigure[#1][width=1.5\paperwidth]}
\stoptexdefinition
\starttexdefinition RightDouble #1
\setlayer[doublebackground][left][
    x=0.5\paperwidth,y=0in,
    location={right,bottom},
    corner={left,top},
    ]{\externalfigure[#1][width=1.5\paperwidth]}
\setlayer[doublebackground][right][
    x=\paperwidth,
    y=0in,
    location={left,bottom},
    corner={left,top},
    ]{\externalfigure[#1][width=1.5\paperwidth]}
\stoptexdefinition
\starttext
\start
\switchtobodyfont[130pt]
\leftaligned{The}
\midaligned{Photo}
\rightaligned{Book}
\stop
\page[even]
\setuplayout[photopage]
\LeftPoirtrait{\externalfigure[MX033-30.jpg][height=\paperheight]}
\samplefile{ward}
\page[yes]
\RightPoirtrait{\externalfigure[MX023-20.jpg][height=\paperheight]}
\dontleavehmode
\vfill
\samplefile{ward}
\page[even]
\LandScape{\externalfigure[autumn.jpg][width=\paperwidth]}
\dontleavehmode
\vfill
\samplefile{ward}
\page[yes]
\LandScape{\externalfigure[matematiker.jpg][width=\paperwidth]}
\dontleavehmode
\vfill
\samplefile{ward}
\page[even]
\LeftDouble{shark.jpg}
\dontleavehmode
\page[yes]
\dontleavehmode
\samplefile{knuth}
\page[even]
\RightDouble{hund.jpg}
\samplefile{knuth}
\page[even]
\setuplayout[reset]
\start
\switchtobodyfont[130pt]
\leftaligned{This is}
\rightaligned{the end}
\stop
\stoptext

How to achieve a few different page layouts for a photobook?

1 Answers1