Best for Gifts
Pinhole Press
The sophisticated, clean design of this site’s photo books, day planners, note cards, and other gift items puts the “keep” in “keepsake.” You can also upload a photo of the kids and let Pinhole Press mat it, frame it, and ship it to Grandma.
Cost: One 9¾-by-7¾-inch image, matted, in an 11-by-14-inch frame, $40; accordion book with eight photos, $25; cloth-bound diary with 10 photos, $40; personalized day planner with 13 photos, $79.
Website: pinholepress.com.
Tip: Read the fine print. Some sites can use your photos to advertise or promote themselves. (You give them permission when you register.)
Easiest to Navigate
Shutterfly
A breeze for you and the people you share photos with (no matter how technologically challenged). The express uploader can be made accessible from your desktop or browser and lets you easily drag and drop pictures. All the tools you need to organize, share, and order prints and cards are on one page; create or edit albums by dragging and dropping into familiar “folder” icons. When you’re ready to share, friends will get an e-mail with a link they can click to see your shots—no password required. Bonus: Far-flung family members can order prints online, then pick them up at their local CVS, Target, or Walgreens.
Cost: Free membership, with unlimited storage space.
Apps: iPad, iPhone.
Website: shutterfly.com.
Friendliest with Facebook
Flickr
Furious Facebookers who like to comment on photos (“OMG cuuute!”) and tag the people in them will feel right at home on Flickr, which lets you do both. Sign in at the site using your Facebook log-on—there’s no need to create a new password. You can have the images you upload to Flickr automatically posted as Facebook updates, which leaves you more time to gawk at everyone else’s pictures.
Cost: Free membership, with limited storage space. One year of unlimited uploads costs $25.
Apps: iPad, iPhone, Windows 7, Windows Phone 7.
Website: flickr.com.
Best for Albums
jAlbum
If you want to show off the dance-recital snaps with cinematic drama, this is the place for you; it turns your photos into a professional-looking online album. Download the jAlbum software with a few clicks, then get busy building and sharing albums you can personalize from dozens of templates, called “skins.” (Don’t miss the “family” version, which mimics an old-school three-ring album.)
Cost: A 30-day trial with two gigabytes of storage space is free. After that, it’s $2.50 a month for two gigabytes of space or $10 a month for 20 gigabytes.
Apps: iPad, iPhone.
Website: jalbum.net.
Best for Photo Printing
Snapfish
Hewlett Packard's photo sharing service makes uploading, editing, and printing pictures a no-fuss task. With unlimited storage capabilities, users can easily share photos online. Easy-to-use editing tools make it a cinch to fix red eye and add creative touches such as borders, captions, and more. Once pictures are edited to your perfection, inexpensive prints can be ordered in a variety of sizes and delivered straight to your doorstep or picked up at over 10,000 store-front locations nationwide.
Cost: Free membership, with unlimited storage space. Four wallet prints, $1; one 4-by-6-inch image, $0.09; one 5-by-7-inch image, $0.79; one 8-by-10-inch image, $3.
Apps: iPhone.
Website: snapfish.com.
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