How to Put Videos in Photo-Storybooks and Digital Scrap Pages

Lately, I've been revisiting a cool trick I learned a few years ago for putting videos in printed pages such as photo-storybooks and digital scrap pages.  It's really fun, not very hard, and a pretty impressive addition to preserving photos and memories on pages.  

It's so cool that you should know about it, too.  

I just made a photo-storybook for my son and my niece who together went on a humanitarian service trip.  It was part hard work and part amazing play, so I wanted to save not only the pictures (like I always do) but the videos from the trip as well.  

To do this, you just need 3 things--but don't worry because I'll tell you how to get or use all of them if you don't already know.  You'll need:

1. a YouTube account (free; already comes with a Gmail account--and I've got you covered on privacy issues) OR a Forever Video Streaming plan
2. a QR code (You can make one in about 5 seconds with a free website.)
3. an awesome, high-quality method for preserving photos and memories on pages (and I've got you covered here, too)

So let's get going and show you the goods!  This really is the coolest thing ever.  And I'll walk you right through, step by step.

STEP 1:  YouTube or Forever Video Streaming

All you need to do here is upload your videos to a place where you can watch your videos online.  It's easy, and I'll tell you about 2 options.  I haven't tried Vimeo, but that may be a good (free) alternative to YouTube.

YouTube:  A YouTube channel is free, and if you've got a Gmail account, you can click the grid in the upper right next to your profile picture and then click the YouTube icon.  That's your YouTube channel, even if you've never used it before.

If you worry about random people being able to find and view your videos (which I do), just be sure to publish them as "unlisted."  The "unlisted" option means nobody can search and find your video (or find it by accident)--they have to actually have the link to it in order to have access to it.  Don't use the "private" setting (counterintuitive though it might be) because people have to be invited individually to see your video and it gets complicated.  "Unlisted" should do it.

Word to the wise on this--YouTube currently only lets you upload 10 videos per 24 hour period.  If you have a lot of little video clips (like my son did on this trip), you won't be able to do it all at once.  

Forever Video Streaming:  For a truly private home for your videos, devoid of ads and other distracting annoyances, choose Forever Video Streaming.  It's basically like having your own private YouTube channel that you OWN!  This service is offered in a monthly subscription, or for the best price, you can pay for a whole year.  (Note that all Forever accounts allow you to save videos!  To be able to use a QR code like we're doing here and have it lead to a playable video, though, you need Forever Video Streaming.  Otherwise, it's just a downloadable link, not a playable video.) 

(If you haven't tried Forever before, open your new account right here and you'll get a $20 coupon toward any product!)

One last word to the wise--You do get what you pay for.  Because YouTube is free, there's always a possibility that they will change their terms of service or something will happen where you won't have access to your videos there.  Forever Video Streaming is different because you're paying for the rights to that service.  It's almost like you own it.  And Forever is a public-benefit company:

Now you're ready for the fun part!  Let's learn how to make a QR code for your video!

NOTE:  I am a Forever affiliate (a decision I made because I love it so much), so you will find several affiliate links in this post, from which I earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you.

STEP 2: QR Code

If you know nothing about making QR codes, then you're just where I was when I first started doing this a few years ago.  Luckily, it's both easy to do and free.  

If you're not familiar with QR codes, here are the basics.  QR stands for Quick Response, and it's a type of matrix barcode that can store a lot of information (like a website link).  QR codes are square and need to be read (scanned) with a QR code reader on your phone.  You'll need to download a QR code reader app on your phone.

You can try scanning this QR code to see how it works.  And you can like my Facebook page that way, too!

You can also scroll back up and scan the QR code in the picture I took of the photo-storybook page.  The video is less than a minute, but keep watching to see dolphins jumping out in the open ocean!

To make your own QR codes (if your videos are on YouTube) you need to find a QR code generator.  I only use free ones.  I think I've used all four of these in the past, and I'm sure there are others.

• https://www.qr-code-generator.com/
• https://www.qrcode-monkey.com/
• https://goqr.me/
• A nice reader, Emma, contacted me to let me know about https://www.websiteplanet.com/webtools/free-qr-code-generator/ where you can customize the color of your QR code and even add a logo--I used it for the Facebook page above.  You can add frames to your QR codes and more.  It's my new favorite.  :)  

Whatever you choose, you'll need to make sure you can save your QR code as a JPG or PNG file.  When your QR code is a JPG or PNG file, your photo-storybook system or digital scrapbooking system just thinks it's a picture!  

You get to skip this step if you're using Forever Video Streaming, your video will already have a QR code attached to it--the code will lead right to the video saved in your private Forever account!

STEP 3:  An Awesome, High-Quality Method for Preserving Photos and Memories

Quality is really important to me if I'm going to spend my limited time preserving my photos and memories.  Putting in the time, not to mention the money, is something I want to do only once!  I don't want my efforts to fall apart in a year or two because I went with a discount option.

I do preserve my photos, by the way, instead of just counting on them to be on my phone.  First, you never know what can happen to a phone, and phones aren't exactly heirlooms, either, so I don't count on the digital versions of my pictures being around forever.  Second, when you have the photos just by themselves, you have no details--no memories--to go with them.  

Memories fade so much faster than we think they will.  Photos without recorded memories are the 21st century version of a shoebox full of pictures.  If I'm going to really remember all the moments I take pictures of, I know I have to record the memories with the photos.

I highly recommend Forever for high-quality memory-keeping and photo preservation.  

When you create your digital pages, you just treat the QR codes like a picture!  Put them onto your pages just like you would a picture.  

And that's it!  You'll submit your digital book or scrapbook page for printing, and then when you and your loved ones look through your photo-storybook or digital scrap pages, you'll be able to just pull out your phone, scan the QR code, and see your videos, too!

How much fun is this idea?!  I hope you love doing this in your memory-keeping like I have in mine!

Share this post with someone you know who would love it, too.

Pin this image to save and share this article to Pinterest, or
use the social media share buttons at the left to share on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more.

Follow Photo & Story Treasures on social media here: