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Scrapbook

The scrapbook in LifeWell is a free-form drag-drop visual editor for arranging photos, text, stickers, shapes, and frames onto a page. It's the layout layer above memories — useful when you want to take a memory's photos and turn them into a printable scrapbook page rather than just a chronological list. Templates give you a starting point; the editor lets you reposition, resize, rotate, layer, and style each element until the page looks right.

Each scrapbook page exports as a PDF or image for printing or sharing.

What you can drop on a page​

ElementProperties
PhotoSource photo + fit (cover / contain / fill) + border radius / width / colour + shadow + filter (none / grayscale / sepia / vintage / bright / contrast)
TextContent + font family + size + weight + style + alignment + colour + background + line height
StickerPre-curated decorative graphics (hearts, stars, frames, ribbons, seasonal)
ShapeRectangles, circles, lines (with stroke + fill controls)
FrameDecorative borders that wrap a photo or empty area

Every element has shared properties:

  • x / y — position.
  • width / height — size.
  • rotation — degrees.
  • zIndex — layer order (front to back).
  • opacity — 0–100%.
  • locked — pin in place so you don't accidentally move it.

Editor UX​

The editor canvas works like a lightweight desktop publishing app:

  • Drag an element to move; constrained-drag with Shift for straight lines.
  • Resize via corner handles.
  • Rotate via the dedicated handle above the element.
  • Layer up/down with bring-forward / send-back controls.
  • Lock an element to prevent accidental moves.
  • Group selected elements (planned).
  • Snap to grid toggle and snap to elements toggle.
  • Undo / redo stack.

Templates​

A starter set of templates covers common use cases:

  • Single-photo poster — one large photo + title + caption.
  • Photo grid — 2x2, 3x3, mixed sizes.
  • Travel-page — map element + photos + journey notes.
  • Birthday — frame + birthday-themed stickers + photos.
  • Wedding — elegant frame + couple photo + date + names.
  • Year-in-review — large header + monthly photo strip.
  • Baby memory — photo + milestone caption + date.
  • Blank — start from nothing.

Pick a template, then customise. Templates are starting points, not constraints — change anything, replace everything.

Photos source​

Photos in the scrapbook can come from:

  • Your existing memory media (linked from any memory's photos).
  • Direct upload (goes to your Google Drive via the Drive sync).
  • URL paste (rare but supported).

Linking from a memory keeps the source-of-truth in the memory; the scrapbook references the photo rather than duplicating it.

Filters​

Per-photo filters apply visually but don't modify the source file:

FilterEffect
NoneOriginal
GrayscaleBlack & white
SepiaWarm vintage tone
VintageFaded retro look
BrightLifted exposure
ContrastPunched contrast

Filters are CSS-based for the on-screen preview and applied via image processing for export.

Export​

FormatUse
PDFPrintable, vector text, full-fidelity. The main export format.
PNG imageWeb-shareable, raster. Good for Instagram or message attachments.
High-res image300 DPI for printing.

A4 and Letter paper sizes are supported; custom sizes are configurable.

What this is​

  • A free-form visual layout tool for memories.
  • A way to turn photos into something more than a chronological gallery.
  • An export pipeline (PDF / image) for printing.

What this is not​

  • Not Photoshop. Real photo editing (crop / colour-correct / heal / clone) belongs in a dedicated editor.
  • Not Canva. A general design tool with thousands of templates and a brand kit is a much bigger product.
  • Not collaborative. Scrapbooks are single-user — you can't co-edit with your partner in real time. (Planned for a future release.)
  • Not auto-laid-out. AI-generated scrapbook layouts ("make me a 12-photo wedding page") aren't built yet.

Performance​

The editor renders in the browser:

  • Up to ~50 elements per page — smooth.
  • 50–200 elements — usable but interactions may lag on lower-end devices.
  • 200+ — split into multiple pages.

Photos are loaded at preview resolution for the editor, then re-fetched at full resolution for export — so the editor stays responsive even when the export will be a 50 MB PDF.

Privacy​

Scrapbooks live in your account:

  • Layout metadata in Firestore, per-account, rule-protected.
  • Photo references point to your Google Drive (same as memories).
  • Stickers / shapes / frames are app assets — shared resources, no privacy concern.
  • Exports go to your device; nothing is uploaded for export rendering.

Worked example​

You want a scrapbook page from your wedding memory.

  1. New scrapbook → pick Wedding template.
  2. Click the placeholder photo, replace it with your wedding memory's main photo.
  3. Edit the title text from the default "Wedding" to your names + date.
  4. Drop in 3 more photos along the bottom — drag them from your memory's media tray.
  5. Apply Vintage filter to all four.
  6. Add a small heart sticker between the names.
  7. Tweak positions and rotations until the layout reads.
  8. Save → Export PDF → print.

Frequently asked​

Can I print directly from the app? The export is PDF / image — open in your OS's print dialog or send to a print service (Snapfish, Shutterfly, local print shop).

Can I make a multi-page scrapbook (a book)? Multi-page scrapbooks are in progress; for now each scrapbook is one page. Workaround: create multiple scrapbooks and merge the PDFs externally.

Can my partner contribute photos to a shared scrapbook? Not yet — scrapbooks are single-user. Your partner can contribute by sharing photos to you (memory-level sharing) and you place them.

What if I want to print on Etsy / Shutterfly / Snapfish? Export PNG / high-res image, upload there. Their templates will overlay.

Can I save my own templates? Custom templates is a planned feature. For now, save the scrapbook as a draft and duplicate it as a starting point.

Last updated: 2026-05-11 Author: Ahsan Mahmood