How It Works
Creating your Once Upon a Memory storybook is simple and magical. You share your photos and details — and our AI turns them into a beautifully written and illustrated keepsake.
1. Upload Your Photos
Start by uploading 3–8 clear photos from your special day or event.
Each main person should appear in at least one well-lit photo.
The AI uses these photos to understand faces, hairstyles, and clothing — so your family looks recognizable in every illustration.
These original uploads become your Photos, which the AI references to keep everyone consistent across pages.
Tip: Choose clear, front-facing photos with natural light for best results.
2. Describe Your Story
Instead of writing your own story, you’ll provide details and descriptions — the AI will write it for you.
Include:
What was happening: “A family trip to the aquarium on Ella’s birthday.”
Who was there: “Mom and Dad, Ella (5), Liam (3), and Grandma.”
Ages help the AI capture your children’s size, posture, and playfulness correctly.
Personality traits or quirks: “Ella is shy but loves sea animals. Liam can’t stop giggling.”
Mood or tone: “Curious and full of wonder.”
Special moments: “Ella fed the dolphins while Dad took photos.”
These details help the AI tell your story authentically — with warmth, personality, and emotion.
3. Choose a Story Style
Pick the tone you want for the writing:
Classic: warm and timeless narration.
Rhyming: playful and poetic for younger readers.
The AI uses your chosen style to shape how the story sounds — gentle or lyrical, calm or energetic.
4. Choose an Illustration Style
Select the artistic look that fits your story best:
Anime Magic: Classic anime cel style with vivid colors, clean black line art, hard cel shading, and expressive features.
Cartoon Adventure: Bright flat cartoon style with bold outlines, solid colors, and a playful, energetic feel.
Polar Express: Cozy cinematic Christmas storybook style with painterly realism, glowing lights, and snowy nostalgia.
Superhero Comic: Bold four-color comic style with heavy black inks, punchy primaries, dramatic shadows, motion lines, and explosive action.
Whiteboard Crayon: Waxy crayon drawings with rough textured strokes, layered scribble shading, vibrant imperfect color, and nostalgic playfulness.
Color Paper Cutouts: Layered watercolor cutout style with soft edges, warm earthy tones, visible paper texture, and whimsical storybook charm.
Studio Ghibli: Fine-line anime illustration with lush atmospheric colors, soft cel shading, expressive motion, and dreamy emotional fantasy.
Sketch Magic: Light colored-pencil sketchbook style with soft pastels, visible hatching, paper grain, and gentle hand-drawn warmth.
Whimsy Watercolor: Loose watercolor storybook style with airy washes, soft sunlight tones, gentle shadows, and joyful magical whimsy.
This illustration style carries through your entire storybook for a cohesive, magical look.
5. See Your Free 2-Page Preview
Once you’ve uploaded photos and shared your story details, the AI creates your first 2 story pages with illustrations — for free.
See how your family and story come to life in your chosen style.
You can edit, regenerate, or rewrite any page until you’re happy.
Examples:
“Make the dolphins brighter, keep everything else the same.”
“Regenerate this page using my photo of Ella, match the tone of the selected style guide image.”
6. Purchase to Unlock the Full Book
When you’re happy with your preview, purchase your book to unlock the rest.
The AI completes your story and illustrations using your original photos, descriptions, and chosen styles.
Each spread pairs your story text (left page) with a matching illustration (right page).
Your final book includes 8 full spreads (16 pages) printed as an 8.5 x 8.5-inch hardcover with premium paper and rich, vibrant color.
7. How the AI Creates Your Book
Each page combines three key elements:
Story Text – written by the AI from your descriptions.
Photo (one of your original uploads) – helps match faces, clothing, and features.
Style Guide Image (one of your generated pages) – keeps the tone, lighting, and color consistent across all pages.
This ensures your story looks cohesive — your family stays recognizable, and every page feels like part of the same beautiful world.
Example:
If your description says “Ella pressed her face to the glass to see the dolphins,” the AI will:
Use your photo of Ella to get her likeness,
Write story text describing that moment,
Match the tone and color of the selected style guide image for visual consistency.
8. Edit, Regenerate, or Rewrite Anytime
Once your book is generated, you can refine any page:
Edit: Make small fixes like changing colors or details.
Regenerate: Redraw an entire page if it doesn’t fit the story.
Rewrite: Have the AI adjust or rewrite the text for clarity or tone.
You can also reselect your Photo or Style Guide Image to keep consistency throughout.
9. Printing and Delivery
Your finished book is printed by Lulu Direct, our professional print partner.
Size: 8.5 x 8.5 inches
Format: Hardcover, premium paper
Processing: ~7 business days
Shipping: ~3 days (with tracking emailed directly by Lulu)
In Short
✨ Upload your photos.
✨ Describe who was there and what happened.
✨ The AI writes and illustrates your story in your chosen style.
✨ Review, refine, and order your keepsake.
Your family memories — beautifully told, safely illustrated, and printed to last a lifetime.