How to make a Flipbook? ᐅ This software is easy to use and free

The age of paper media is quickly coming to an end. The materials involved are expensive, costly to ship, and inefficient to manufacture. The static images lack any audiovisual elements to really capture the attention of the reader. Flipbooks are quickly becoming an effective substitute for the traditional magazine or brochure. The digital formats make high-quality images easy to distribute and reproduce; some flipbooks can even have audio or animations embedded into them. Many flipbook animation platforms optimize your magazine for display on mobile devices. This article will help you master how to make a flipbook animation.

Starting from Scratch

The first steps of a flipbook are almost identical to the ways that a traditional new paper magazine would be produced. Articles and images must still be tailored to your audience. The paper articles, images, and ads must still be given to your graphical designer to be laid out properly.

The differences start once the product is ready to print; the first major step in how to make a flipbook animation is to export the PDF file. If you designed the publication paper, you should already have this, but if you use a contracted graphic designer, they should be able to provide you with the file.

Why does this matter?

If all you want to do is learn how to make a PDF flipbook then your journey is almost over. Whatever platform your company chooses to use will have a tool to upload the PDF file and then convert it into an optimized flipbook animation instead of create and print a paper magazine. From there simply publish the flipbook animation to the website. Your platform should have a feature to generate a sharable link. Some will optimize the link to make it short enough to fit into things such as tweets.

How to make a flipbook – Choosing a Platform

There are dozens of web-based apps that are designed to publish flipbooks. The standard question is how to know which one will be the most effective for your business needs. Ultimately it comes down to two things: readability and features. Each website presents its flipbooks in slightly different ways; an identity which one will be the most appealing for your readers. Platforms also come with extra features that, while technically unnecessary, can be very helpful for some businesses to create a magazine.

Readability is hard to quantity aspect of how to make a flipbook. Ultimately, it comes down to how your readers react to the page in front of them. Often it helps to publish the same small brochure on multiple platforms and let users compare them. There are some factors that can be considered though. Senior citizens are likely to enjoy websites with large displays or strong zoom features, but more millennial readers will want extra immersion from audiovisual elements.

The best part?

One of the most useful features for a company looking to get into flipbook animation production is free services. Flipsnack is a viable option for a free flipbook animation platform. AnyFlip is also a useful free flipbook program. The other feature AnyFlip brings to the table is that it has a mobile app for Apple devices. Developing on a tablet can be critical for ventures that lack an office in a traditional sense. The extra portability means that you can publish the latest issue of your magazine wherever your desk is that day.

Other features for Flipbooks include reader subscription models; some platforms, such as Joomag, allow publishers to sell their flipbooks to readers. Readers can even set up subscriptions to automatically bill whenever a new flipbook is published. This is less useful for company newsletters but can be valid for news outlets.

The digital format of a flipbook means that audiovisual elements can be incorporated without much difficulty. YUMPU Publishing offers the ability to add audio tracks that play throughout the whole book or on certain pages. Audio should be used to enhance the quality of a flipbook. Simply reading the book for a customer will often be seen as unneeded noise. Also, it is possible to embed a video to your flipbook or embed a link to a youtube video.

The last major PDF flipbook features tend to be more advanced; they go well beyond the scope of this how to make a flipbook guide. These features make use of the Application Programming Interface (API) of the website.

This gives the publisher access to in-depth commands that can customize almost every aspect of every page of a publication they did create. In the right hands, a good API can turn a readable flipbook animation into a memorable one. Some platforms even give you access to the ad API allowing you to determine how many ads are displayed on a given page.

Compared to the cost and effort of traditional print media, a flipbook animation almost seems like an inevitable choice. The publications are just as easy to develop, they can be prepared for release in a matter of minutes, and they can be sent globally in an instant. With so many easy, free apps available for flipbook promotion, there is no reason not to get involved in this paperless revolution. Regardless of the platform you choose to deploy your flipbook on, one thing is clear, this is the promotional publication way of the future!