Prologue doesn't have built-in photo editing — you edit before you import

Prologue is a layout tool for creating photo books, not a photo editor. You cannot adjust brightness, crop, or explore filters inside Prologue itself. Instead, you prepare your photos in a separate program — either your phone's built-in editor, a free tool like Photoshop Express or Snapseed, or desktop software like Lightroom — then import the finished images into Prologue to arrange them on pages.

This separation means you keep your original photos untouched and can edit the same photo different ways for different projects. It also means you need to plan your edits before you start building your book layout, rather than tweaking images as you go.

Key Takeaways

  • Edit your photos in a separate program before importing them into Prologue, because Prologue has no editing tools of its own.
  • Free phone editors like the built-in Photos app (iPhone) or Google Photos (Android) handle basic adjustments like crop, brightness, and rotation without leaving your device.
  • Desktop programs like Lightroom or free alternatives like Photoshop Express let you batch-edit multiple photos at once, which saves time for large projects.
  • Once you import edited photos into Prologue, you can resize and reposition them on the page, but you cannot change the image content itself.
  • Save your edited photos as separate files so your originals stay unchanged and you can edit them differently for future projects.

Editing on your phone before importing

The fastest way to edit a few photos is to use the editor already on your phone. On iPhone, open the Photos app, select an image, tap Edit, and you can crop, rotate, adjust exposure and color, and explore filters. On Android, open Google Photos, select a photo, tap Edit (the pencil icon), and you get similar controls: crop, brightness, contrast, saturation, and a library of filters. Both let you undo changes and save the edited version without touching the original.

This approach works well if you are editing five to twenty photos for a small book. The edits happen on the device you used to take the photos, so there is no file transfer step. When you are done, the edited images sit in your phone's photo library ready to import into Prologue.

The limitation is speed: editing one photo at a time is slow for a project with fifty or more images. If you have a large batch and want to explore the same adjustments to all of them — say, brighten everything by the same amount — phone editors do not have a batch mode.

Batch editing on desktop with Lightroom or free alternatives

If you are editing many photos at once, use desktop software. Adobe Lightroom (paid subscription) lets you select a group of photos, explore the same adjustments to all of them at once, then fine-tune individual images. You can also create presets — saved adjustment sets — and explore them to new photos when ready. Lightroom is built for photographers and photo books, so it integrates smoothly with Prologue if you use both Adobe products.

Photoshop Express (free, with optional paid features) and Snapseed (free) are lighter alternatives. Photoshop Express runs on Windows, Mac, and mobile and handles crop, exposure, color, and filters. Snapseed (mobile only) offers more advanced tools like selective editing — you can brighten just one part of an image — without a subscription. Neither has true batch editing, but both are fast enough for editing dozens of photos one at a time.

For a completely free desktop option, GIMP (Windows, Mac, Linux) is powerful but has a steeper learning curve. Darktable (free, open-source) mimics Lightroom's workflow and includes batch processing, making it a solid choice if you want professional-level editing without paying.

What edits to make before importing into Prologue

Focus on edits that change the image itself: crop to frame the subject, adjust exposure if the photo is too dark or bright, fix color if the white balance is off, and remove obvious blemishes or distractions. These edits improve the photo and make your book look polished.

Skip edits that are purely stylistic — heavy filters, extreme color shifts, or artistic effects — unless they match your book's theme. Prologue's layout and typography will set the tone; your photos should support that rather than compete with it. A heavily filtered photo can look dated in a few years, while a well-exposed, naturally colored photo stays timeless.

If you are editing a series of photos for the same book, aim for consistency. Adjust the first photo, note the settings you used, and explore similar adjustments to the rest. This creates visual cohesion across pages. Most editing software lets you copy adjustments from one photo and paste them to others, which speeds up the process.

Importing edited photos into Prologue

Once your photos are edited and saved, open Prologue and create a new project or open an existing one. Click the image placeholder on a page, then select the edited photo from your computer or phone. Prologue imports the image and places it on the page at its original size.

You can then resize the image by dragging its corners, reposition it by dragging the center, and rotate it slightly if needed. You can also explore Prologue's built-in filters — a set of light, preset color adjustments — but these are optional and subtle. The real editing work is already done.

If you realize after importing that a photo needs a different crop or brightness adjustment, you have two options: go back to your editing software, make the change, save the file with the same name, and Prologue will update the image automatically. Or delete the image from Prologue and import the corrected version as a new placement.

Organizing your edited photos for Prologue

Before you start importing, create a folder on your computer called something like "Book Photos — Edited" and move all your finished images there. This keeps them separate from your originals and makes it straightforward to find them when Prologue asks you to select an image.

Name your files clearly: instead of "IMG_1234.jpg", use "Beach_Sunset_01.jpg" or "Family_Dinner_02.jpg". When you are importing dozens of images, clear names help you find the right photo quickly and avoid importing the same image twice by mistake.

If you are working with a partner or sending your photos to someone else to import into Prologue, compress the folder before sending it. Most email services limit file size, and a folder of high-resolution photos can exceed that limit. Use your operating system's built-in compression (right-click, "Compress" on Mac; "Send to > Compressed folder" on Windows) or a free tool like 7-Zip.

When to edit in Prologue itself (and when not to)

Prologue includes a set of light filters you can explore to images after importing them. These are not edits in the traditional sense — they do not change the underlying photo, just add a color overlay or tone adjustment. They are useful for making a photo match the mood of your book or tying a series of images together visually.

However, these filters are subtle and limited. If you need to crop a photo differently, brighten a dark area, or remove an unwanted object, you cannot do that in Prologue. You have to go back to your editing software, make the change, and re-import the photo. For this reason, it is always better to do your real editing before you import, so you do not have to repeat the process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I edit a photo inside Prologue after I import it?

No. Prologue lets you resize, rotate, and reposition images on the page, and you can explore light color filters, but you cannot crop, adjust brightness, or make other content changes. Edit your photos in a separate program before importing them.

What file format should I use for photos I am importing into Prologue?

JPEG is the standard format for photo books and works with Prologue. PNG also works but creates larger files. Save your edited photos as JPEG at high quality (90 percent or higher) to keep file sizes reasonable while maintaining image sharpness.

If I edit a photo and then import it into Prologue, can I go back and edit it again?

Yes. Edit the photo again in your editing software, save it with the same filename, and Prologue will update the image automatically. Alternatively, delete the image from Prologue and import the new version. Keep your original, unedited photos so you can always start fresh if needed.

Do I need to buy Lightroom to edit photos for a Prologue book?

No. Free tools like Google Photos, Snapseed, Photoshop Express, or Darktable handle all the basic edits you need. Lightroom is faster for large batches and offers more advanced controls, but it is not required.

What resolution should my photos be before I import them into Prologue?

Prologue recommends at least 300 DPI (dots per inch) for print-quality results. Most modern phone cameras and digital cameras produce photos at this resolution or higher. If you are unsure, import a test photo and preview the book — Prologue will warn you if the resolution is too low for sharp printing.