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PROVO, Utah, Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- From the first click of a camera shutter to producing a beautiful keepsake of favorite shots, avid and amateur photographers alike can take advantage of a new partnership between new digital storytelling service MyCanvas.com and photo sharing service SmugMug.com, which allows users to produce one-of-a-kind photo books and posters that reflect their own unique personality. Found at http://smugmug.mycanvas.com/, MyCanvas offers users virtually unlimited creative freedom by using advanced online photo book software, which includes a powerful combination of templates and editing tools. SmugMug users can easily import their photos directly into MyCanvas to create a variety of photo books, posters and calendars.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081118/LATU038LOGO)

"Until I made a MyCanvas book, I thought this level of creative control was years away," said Chris MacAskill, co-founder of SmugMug. "It's simple to drag photos anywhere on the page and to rotate, add borders, make custom backgrounds -- just about anything you can imagine."

MyCanvas.com offers new features and products including a custom cover photo book and an exclusive line of premium photo books for special occasions. While most photo book sites provide fixed templates and static backgrounds, MyCanvas lets users customize their pages and even design pages from scratch. Users can choose from dozens of themes and hundreds of page backgrounds or turn their own photos into custom backgrounds, as well as easily import their photos into MyCanvas and apply special effects, such as adding borders and drop-shadows. For even more personalization, MyCanvas offers a wide array of embellishments, frames and text tools that can be used on each page.

"SmugMug members are passionate about sharing and preserving their photos and MyCanvas allows them take the next step of transforming their photos and making something tangible in an environment of complete creative freedom," said John Pereira, senior director of MyCanvas. "This partnership between SmugMug and MyCanvas will offer a full spectrum of photo services to share pictures both online and as memories for generations to come."

MyCanvas offers a wide variety of photo book options in three sizes, starting at $29.95. For weddings or special occasions, premium books start at $199. Cover options include nuba ("leatherette"), bonded leather, padded leather, Japanese silk, two-tone velvet, genuine leather and nubuck. Customers can also design their own custom photo cover. Photo collage posters start at $14.95 and come in four sizes.

About SmugMug
SmugMug is an online photo sharing service for people who want to showcase their photos in a creative, flexible, ad-free environment. The site is designed for people who are passionate about photography and are willing to pay a few dollars a month to avoid spam and have more options for displaying and sharing their photos. Since CEO Don MacAskill founded the company in 2002, more than 300,000 subscribers have joined, uploading nearly 300 million photos. SmugMug.com, Inc., is a private, family-owned business based in Mountain View, CA. More information is available at http://www.smugmug.com/.

About MyCanvas.com
MyCanvas.com is a digital storytelling service for people who want to express their creativity and produce high-quality, one-of-a-kind gifts and keepsakes. An earlier version of the service was released to Ancestry.com customers in 2007 under the name AncestryPress. To date more than 300,000 customers have used it to publish and share their family stories. In October 2008, the service was relaunched with additional photo book features under the name MyCanvas. MyCanvas is owned and operated by The Generations Network, Inc., a privately-held company based in Provo, UT. More information is available at http://www.mycanvas.com/.

Contact:
Sara Black
PainePR for MyCanvas
213.996.3812
sblack@painepr.com

Markham Bennett
SmugMug
650.265.0405
markham@smugmug.com 
 

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081118/LATU038LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
SOURCE: Ancestry.com