Editorial photo illustration style
Natural-light, magazine-quality photography for guides and lifestyle books (never real people).
- Family
- Photo-real
- Color
- Color and black & white
- Audiences
- Teens (young adult), Adults, Professionals, Seniors (large print)
- Book types
- 4 recommended
Books that suit editorial photo
Non-fiction guide
How-to, self-help, business or hobby guide
Ages 13+ · 80–400 pages · 6 × 9 in
Cookbook
Recipes with a hero photo, ingredients and steps
Ages 13+ · 72–300 pages · 8 × 10 in
Guided journal
A unique prompt on every page, with decorative art
Ages 5+ · 60–240 pages · 6 × 9 in
Kids' fact book
Dinosaurs, space, animals: big pictures, short facts
Ages 3–12 · 24–120 pages · 8.5 × 11 in
How it prints on KDP
In color, it prints on KDP's premium or standard color interiors, on white paper. On black & white interiors it is rendered without color, which KDP prints for much less per page. Compare what each interior costs with the printing cost calculator, and read how to choose the trim size and paper.
Print noteFor B&W interiors convert to grayscale with a +10% contrast curve: midtones darken on uncoated paper.
Same characters, every page
Before the pages are painted, each main character gets a reference sheet in this style. Every illustration is drawn with those sheets as references, so faces, clothes and colors stay the same from the cover to the last page. Text is never painted into the art: titles, captions and speech bubbles are typeset on top. See community books illustrated in editorial photo.
More photo-real styles
About this style
Which books suit the Editorial photo style?
Editorial photo is offered for non-fiction guide, cookbook, guided journal, kids' fact book. You can still pick it for any other book type, or describe your own style.
Can Editorial photo be printed in black and white?
Yes. Editorial photo has a black-and-white rendering for B&W interiors, which KDP prints for less than color.
Will my characters look the same on every page?
Yes. Main characters get a reference sheet before the pages are drawn, and every illustration is painted with it as a reference, in the same style from the cover to the last page.
Can I sell books illustrated in this style?
Yes, on a paid plan: paid plans include a commercial license for the books you make. KDP asks you to declare AI-generated images, including the cover, when you publish.
Illustrate your book in editorial photo.
Describe your book, keep this style, and watch every page get painted with the same characters.
600 free credits · no card required