Basics

Getting started with Milestis

Everything you need to create your first photobook from scratch — from signing up to sharing the final result.

5 min readUpdated January 2026

Create an account

Go to milestis.com and click Get started free. You can sign up with your Google account, Apple ID, or an email address and password. No credit card is required for the free plan.

After signing in you will land on your Dashboard — the central place for all your projects.

Start a new project

Click the + New project button on the Dashboard. You will be asked to choose a project type:

  • Photobook — a paginated book layout, great for events and holidays.
  • Portfolio — a public website showcasing your photography or artwork.
  • Memory book — a personal timeline combining photos, notes, and music.

Select a size (A4, square, or custom), give your project a name, and click Create. The editor opens automatically.

Add photos

In the editor, click the Photos panel on the left sidebar. You can:

  • Drag and drop files from your computer directly onto the canvas.
  • Click Upload photos and select files from your device.
  • Connect Google Photos or Dropbox for instant access to your library.

Supported formats are JPEG, PNG, and HEIC. We recommend photos of at least 1500 × 1500 px for best print quality.

Photos are stored securely and never shared publicly unless you explicitly publish the project.

Arrange layouts

Each page can hold one or more photos in a grid, collage, or full-bleed layout. To change a page layout, click the page and select a template from the Layouts panel.

You can drag photos between slots to rearrange them, resize individual slots by dragging their handles, and rotate or crop any photo with a double-click.

Add text & captions

Click any text placeholder to start typing, or add a new text block via Insert → Text. You can choose from a set of curated font pairings in the Style panel to keep your typography consistent.

Want AI help? Click Write with AI inside any text block to generate a caption automatically based on the photos on that page. This uses credits.

Preview & publish

Click Preview in the top bar at any time to see how your project looks in its final form. When you are happy with the result, click Publish. You will get a shareable link you can send to anyone — no account required to view.

To download a PDF for printing, go to File → Export → PDF. High-resolution export is available on Pro and Family plans.

Next steps

Now that your first project is live, here are some things to explore: