How to make a Google Photos photo book in New Zealand

With Google Takeout, Google's own export tool. Setting it up takes about two minutes, then Google emails you a link when the export is ready.

1. Go to takeout.google.com and sign in to the Google account the photos are in.
2. Under Select data to include, tap Deselect all, then tick Google Photos only.
3. Wait a couple of seconds for the All photo albums included button to appear under Google Photos, then tap it. It is not there straight away, and this is where most people get stuck.
4. In the dialog, tap Deselect all, tick only the years you want in the book, then confirm.
5. Tap Next step, leave the destination as a download link by email, and tap Create export.
6. When Google emails the link, download the file and upload it to Photouria.

Minutes for one year, and several hours for a big library. Google decides that, not us. The export arrives as one or more zip files, and you can start uploading the first as soon as it lands. One year of photos is usually more than enough for a book of 24 to 100 photos.

Photouria reads the photos out of the export and keeps the dates and places that came with them. It organises them automatically and groups the people who appear in them, so you can choose who the book is about. The book is laid out for you, in the order things happened, and you can change any photo, page, caption or the title on the spine before you order. There is more on how Photouria works on the homepage.

Google changed what apps like ours may do with data from the Google Photos API, and Photouria removed the direct connection in 2026 rather than work outside those terms. Takeout is Google's own export route, and it gives you the original files, which is what a printed book wants. The full walkthrough, written for every country, is on making a photo book from Google Photos.

NZ$149 covers up to 30 photos, then NZ$10 for every 10 more, capped at NZ$219 from 91 photos up. Prices are in New Zealand dollars wherever the book is going, and shipping is included. Every book is printed to order by Lulu, a print company based in the United States, and delivery to a New Zealand address usually takes 4 to 13 business days.

Every Photouria book is the same object: a Lulu linen hardcover, woven linen over hardcover boards, your title foil stamped on the spine, and a printed dust jacket over the top. There are six sizes, from 14 × 22 cm up to A4 at 21 × 30 cm, and six linen colours. Inside, photos print on 80lb coated paper with a matte finish, and a book can run from 24 pages up to 800.