Finally! We launched our first recipe book – Fall In Love With Salads – on Amazon. Yay. And the response we are getting is unimaginable. We sold 100+ copies on the launch day itself. Waaaooo!
Also, our book was in the Top 100 in the Food and Drinks category and No. 37 in Lifestyle and Personal Style Guides on Amazon. This all happened organically within 2 weeks of the launch because of the careful planning and execution of the book launch activities.
I am extremely excited and happy since my book is already published (in 2024). It is out worldwide for people to try our recipes. But when I started writing a recipe book, I was very nervous, clueless, scared, and confused. I had no idea where to start, how to write a book, how to design a recipe book, etc. Even when I looked online, I could not find much information. I felt alone. That is why, I decided to write about my journey and the book writing process so that you don’t feel what I felt.
Check out the Instagram Reel for a quick summary of this blog.
Recipe Book Designing Software (FREE)
In today’s digital age, sharing your culinary creations has never been easier. Whether you’re a seasoned chef, a passionate home cook, or an aspiring food blogger, you can take your visually stunning creations to the next level using FREE SOFTWARE.
You are lucky my friend! There are numerous free software options available that make your life much easier by providing powerful tools and techniques to design your recipe book. You will find plenty of design options that you can customize with ease. In this blog, we will explore the best software that I used to design my recipe book. I will also share other available options that will make your readers hungry for more.
Canva
First on our list is Canva – a desktop software using which I designed my recipe book “Fall In Love With Salads“.
It is one of the most versatile and user-friendly graphic design platforms. The Free version of Canva offers a wide range of templates, photos, elements, fonts, and other tools to help you design a stunning recipe book. It offers a Resize option too in its paid subscription but I created a squared-shaped recipe book (8”x8”) that was available for free. Whether you prefer a minimalist aesthetic or a vibrant, colorful design, Canva provides the tools to bring your culinary vision to life.
Canva Subscription
The free version of Canva offers a wide range of features and tools to design a recipe book, specifically an e-book. For e-books, you do not need to spend a penny on designing unless you want some paid elements and features in your book.
One-Month Free Trial
If you want a physical copy of your book, you will need a CMYK file for printing. CMYK download is only available in paid subscriptions. But, I have a hack for you. Once your book design is complete and ready for printing, take a 1-Month Free Trial. In a 1-Month trial, you can utilize all the paid features for FREE! You may even need to resize the cover page of your book because the cover page size needs to be different from the inside pages. Your publisher or printer will take care of that but according to my experience, you should know about it.
I even designed all the marketing materials I needed during the book launch using Canva. I am thankful to the creators of Canva for providing such amazing software for free.
Other FREE designing software available are:
- Adobe Spark
- Scribus
- Booksmart
FREE Photo Editing Software
Captivating visuals are essential for making your recipe book stand out. Whether you’re a seasoned chef or a culinary enthusiast, presenting your dishes with professional-looking photos can elevate your recipe book to the next level. Luckily. you don’t need to buy expensive software to achieve stunning results. Let’s explore the best free photo editing software options to help you create mouthwatering images for your recipe book.
Snapseed App
Most of the photos in my recipe book have been edited using the Snapneed App (Free). It is versatile, user-friendly, effortless, and offers a wide range of features to edit your photos. It is available for both – iOS and Android devices. Launched by Google, it has quickly gained popularity among photography enthusiasts and professionals for its intuitive interface and robust editing capabilities. From basic adjustments to advanced enhancements, Snapseed has it all.
Darktable Software
Darktable is a free photo editing desktop software, renowned for its robust capabilities in editing and managing digital images. This free version of this software offers all the tools and features that are available in the paid version of Lightroom or Photoshop. Moreover, it offers many unique features like masking to help you create stunning photos for FREE.
It provides amazing tools for color management, advanced noise reduction and sharpening tools, precise control over exposure and contrast, etc. Using this software, you can take your photo to the next level.
Other Free Photo Editing Software are:
- GIMP
- Canva
- Pixlr
- PhotoScape
- Fotor
Some Photos from my recipe book – Fall In Love With Salads
Conclusion
Designing a recipe book is a creative and rewarding process that allows you to share your passion for cooking with others. With the free software options mentioned in this blog, you have everything you need to create a visually stunning cookbook that showcases your culinary talents. All you need is your creativity and the will to go.
So why wait? Fire up your computer, unleash your creativity, and start crafting your culinary masterpiece today!
Love,
Richa
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