How to Favorite Photos on Your Phone to Make an Easy Online Album

photo tips

Sep 11

By now, you've probably come across various apps that advertise monthly photo albums that are SO easy and made automatically and sent right to your door! If it's so easy, then why aren't more of us diving in? Well, because we don't really need EVERY photo we take to be part of an album! The fuzzy ones, the ones where our kids turned around right when we hit the button, and then the ones of our kids mooning the camera (anyone else?). We don't need those to be our forever memories.

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But that doesn't mean we don't have a bunch in there that are totally worthy of being on our shelves. We just have to pluck them out, and the best way to do that is to regularly go in and FAVORITE (or heart or star, depending on your phone) your favorites. That way, when you go to make an album, you just tell the app to only use the photos found in your FAVORITES folder!

So, once a week or so, next time you're scrolling Facebook or Instagram looking at everyone ELSE'S photos, open up your photo app instead, scroll through your photos from that week, and hit the little heart next to the ones you super heart.

Ok, if you don't already know how to favorite a photo, here's how to do it on an iPhone. It's pretty much the same on Android except there's a star at the top of the screen (I believe) and not a heart at the bottom.

1. Go to photos app (super simple)

If you have a group of photos that you want to narrow down, simply scroll to that group and start on one end!

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2. Choose Your Favorites. Be Selective!

See that heart down below? You simply click that and your photo has been deemed a FAVORITE of yours! Change your mind? Just click it again.

Now, this is where we can tend to go nuts and think OH, I NEED ALL OF THESE!! No. You don't. If I can take 1546 photos from my Disney trip and narrow it down to 289 for a photo book, YOU CAN, TOO. Now, lean in for the secret whisper: no one misses the other 1257 photos. They were either bad (fuzzy, sneezing, eyes closed, blocked by a billion other tourists with strollers) or I just didn't need them to accurately tell the story of my Disney trip.

When deciding, really think if this image ADDS to your family's story. Is it an important part of the beginning/middle/end? Does it showcase your kiddo's personality perfectly? Does it document something new? Something that's about to go away (a tooth? an almost-walking toddler?)?

In my first photo you can see four photos toward the end of my youngest nut and her bestie. I'd skip the first two and I'd favorite the second two. Why? The first favorite is a good, cute smile shot and they were so happy at her party. In the second, they both look ridiculous and I know we'll all get a good laugh when we look back at it!

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3. Solid Heart. See?

This is what the heart will look like when you have successfully favorited an image. To un-favorite, click the heart again so it goes back to being an outline.

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4. Go to Your Favorites Folder

Now, when you open up your photo app, click on the folder icon on the bottom right and you'll see all the folders that your iPhone has. You should see "Favorites" up near the top!

Remember to pop into your Favorites folder every once in a while to make sure that little hands haven't accidentally favorited photos you don't care about! Like mooning photos. Or photos from princess apps. Or snapchat photos. ET AL.