fotobuch
fotobuch turns one (or more) folder of photos into a print-ready PDF photo book, in a highly automated way.
Point it at your photos and fotobuch figures out the layout automatically:
- aspect ratios stay intact
- reading order flows naturally from top-left to bottom-right
- photos from the same event stay together on the same page
- more important photos get more space (you decide)
- optionally add titles and an appendix with metadata for each photo, automatically generated from your images’ EXIF data
Start fully automatic, then fine-tune individual pages by hand as needed.
How fotobuch works
fotobuch has a very simple data model. It stores each photo book as a pair of two files: a YAML file (.yaml) and a Typst template (.typ) tracked by Git inside a vault folder. The photo book can be read and modified through:
- the GUI — a visual, interactive interface for browsing and adjusting pages
- the CLI — scriptable commands for batch operations and automation
Both tools operate on exactly the same project data. You can mix and match: import photos with the CLI, review and tweak in the GUI, then kick off the release build from either side.
Your original photos are never modified. fotobuch only reads your source files to create cached copies at the configured DPI. Commands like
removedelete photos from the project YAML — your originals on disk are untouched.
Example project
The repository ships with a complete example in docs/examples/ — a ready-made
project with sample images and both preview and release PDFs. A good way to
explore the YAML, the Typst template, and the output without creating your own
project first.