Changelog

June 2026

1.2.0: Proofing, rebuilt for real client work

June 29, 2026

This is the big one.

Client proofing has been completely redesigned around the real back-and-forth of album approval: clearer review flow, sharper visual requests, faster replies, and a calmer place to turn feedback into finished spreads.

We also shipped the new image edit bar, so photo adjustments feel closer to the canvas and easier to trust while you work.

Along the way we cleaned up a long list of editor, proofing, and reliability details. Less friction, fewer surprises, faster decisions. Spreadu 1.2.0 is a much stronger album workflow from first draft to final yes.

1.1.3: Arrange a layflat page without touching the mouse

June 22, 2026

You know the reflex. You tap an arrow key to nudge a photo on a layflat page, and nothing happens. In Per Page mode the arrow keys did nothing at all, so the only way to shape a single page was to reach for the mouse. Now the keyboard handles it, one page at a time.

Select a photo in Per Page mode, then:

• Arrow key moves that photo one step within its own page, toward the edge you pressed. The opposite arrow walks it back. The other page does not budge, and nothing ever crosses the spine.
• Shift + Arrow rearranges only the page that holds your selected photo into a fuller layout, with that photo anchored to the side you pressed. Press the same direction again to cycle through layouts.

Your photo stays selected, and each press is one clean undo, so backing out is painless. These gestures already worked across the whole spread in Spread mode. Now Per Page has the same feel, scoped to a single page, in the main Spreadu editor and in hosted lab editors.

We also fixed a preview hiccup in the same release. After a drag and drop, using Shift + Arrow could make the on-screen spread show overlapping photos until you refreshed. Your saved album and thumbnail were always correct. Now the live preview stays clean and matches what gets saved.

See the full keyboard map: Arrange your album from the keyboard.

1.1.2: Custom albums, proofing, and editor reliability

June 21, 2026

We fixed how custom album specifications are saved. When you enter a custom page size, Spreadu now builds the full double-page spread correctly, including bound-album spine width where needed, so the editor no longer treats a spread like a single page.

We also fixed a date-formatting crash that could make proofing and the editor fail right after a proofing link was created. Proofing links, expiry details, and the editor proofing drawer now render reliably across browsers and locales.

Proofing is more flexible now too: you can create additional proofing links, even after an export, so client review can keep moving.

Thanks to Maë and Michael for spotting the bugs and reporting them clearly.

1.1.1: Safer print edges, smarter albums on deck

June 16, 2026

We added Print Bleed Guard to the editor. When a photo reaches the trim area without enough bleed, Spreadu now marks the risky edge before export and explains what needs attention. Red means fix it before print. Amber means you still have some tolerance, but the edge deserves a look.

Read the guide: Print Bleed Guard.

We are also preparing the beta of our AI Album Builder. The goal is simple: help photographers move from a full shoot to a thoughtful album draft much faster, while keeping the story and the frame intact. Beta access will start rolling out soon for users on the Annual plan.

1.0.9: Bulk drops that behave

June 10, 2026

This one is for everyone who grabs a handful of photos and drops them onto a spread all at once.

What's better in 1.0.9:

• Multi-photo drops are much more dependable. Dropping a batch onto a spread that already has photos no longer scrambles the layout or leaves empty slots behind. Photos land exactly where the preview said they would.
• No accidental duplicates. If some photos in your selection are already on the spread, we quietly skip them and place only the new ones, with a small note so you know what happened.
• You can finally see what you're dragging. The drag preview now shows up for multi-photo drags too, so bulk drops feel as guided as single ones.
• Fewer "modified by another user" surprises. We fixed cases where the editor wrongly thought someone else touched your spread while you were just switching spreads or adjusting spacing. Your saves now go through quietly, the way they always should have.
• Smoother photo placement. The editor does less unnecessary recalculating when photos land on a spread, so bigger drops feel lighter.

Most of this is invisible plumbing. That's the point. You drop photos, they land, the album saves. No drama.

1.0.8: Your photo metadata finally comes through

June 8, 2026

This release makes photo uploads feel much smarter from the first drop.

Spreadu now reads and keeps the metadata photographers actually care about: capture date, camera, lens, ISO, shutter speed, aperture, focal length, orientation, aspect ratio, and star ratings when they're already in the file. That means your photos arrive with more of their real context intact instead of feeling stripped down the moment they hit the album.

It also sets us up for better sorting, filtering, and review tools across the photo workflow. Not flashy in the marketing sense. Very flashy in the "finally, this app respects my files" sense.

One important note: this release is about EXIF and metadata handling. AI photo analysis is not live yet. That's still on the roadmap and we'll call it out clearly when it ships.

1.0.7: Faster, calmer editing

June 8, 2026

This release makes the editor feel much more in sync with you. Saving is steadier, spread switching feels snappier, thumbnails catch up faster, and replacing a photo feels more confident from the first drag. A lot of behind-the-scenes work, but the result is simple: editing feels faster, calmer, and more trustworthy.

The clearest example is the new layflat alignment snap. Read the full story in Even pages, without the squint.

1.0.6: Editor reliability, proofing polish, and cleaner spreads

June 5, 2026

This release is mostly about trust.

We spent the cycle tightening the parts of Spreadu that have to feel invisible when you're deep in a real album: saving, switching spreads, reviewing proofing comments, and making quick image adjustments without second-guessing whether the app actually kept up.

What's better in 1.0.6:

• More reliable spread saving. Zoom, pan, rotate, spacing, layout, and per-page changes are now much more consistent when you move quickly between spreads.
• Spread thumbnails stay closer to reality. Filmstrip thumbnails refresh faster and do a better job reflecting the actual spread you just edited, instead of lagging behind with an older preview.
• Undo and redo feel safer during image edits. Photo edit changes now behave more predictably when you bounce between tweaking an image and stepping backward or forward through history.
• Hosted lab editor got the same save-and-preview attention. The hosted editing flow now matches the core editor more closely, especially around spread switching and spread thumbnails.
• Cleaner visual alignment on spreads. We also tightened some layout presentation details, including more balanced left/right page line-ups for image blocks.

Nothing flashy. Just a calmer, more dependable editing flow.

May 2026

Spreadu is here. The doors are open.

May 2026

We did it. Spreadu is officially out of beta, the waitlist is gone, and registration is open to every photographer who wants in. If you're reading this, you're early. Welcome.

A year ago this was a hunch. Today it's a real product with photographers shipping real albums to real clients. Thank you to everyone who tested, broke things, sent screenshots at 1 AM, and told us exactly what was missing. You built this with us.

Here's what 1.0 means, in plain language:

• Open registration. No waitlist. No invite codes. Sign up, design an album, decide for yourself.
• Real print lab specs, built in. Pick your lab, pick a product, and the canvas matches exactly what your lab will print. What you design is what gets pressed. Jump to the lab list →
• The Smart Layout Engine, all grown up. Here's the story. We took an algorithm originally built for logistics, the same class of math that assigns workers to jobs and routes packages across a city, and taught it to read photo aspect ratios. Then we pointed it at your spreads. It lays out a 20-photo spread in under 5 milliseconds, never picks from a template library, and never crops your frame to make the math easier. No auto-crop. No templates. Two rules we've held since day one. Hundreds of edge cases shipped during beta, including the gnarly ones: vertical groups, mixed aspect ratios, panoramas, the awkward portrait next to two landscapes. It just works now.
• Designing with other humans beta. Bring your second shooter, your business partner, or your culling assistant into the same album at the same time. Watch their drags happen live, see what they have selected, feel the spreads shift as they move things around. Edits land for everyone the moment they happen, no "who saved last?" standoff and no two-people-fighting-over-the-same-photo panic. The connection self-heals when your wifi taps out, picks up exactly where you left off, and quietly catches you up on everything you missed. We're still battle-testing it with multi-designer studios. Want a seat? Tell us and we'll set you up.
• Henry, your design co-pilot. Built-in AI that can see your album, your scenes, and your photos. Ask Henry to group photos into scenes, surface what you haven't placed yet, or talk through a tough album with you.
• Client proofing, in real time. Share a link, your client sees the album. They tap a photo, leave a comment, and you see it the second it lands. The bride in London can comment on Tuesday morning, the maid of honor in Sydney can chime in on Tuesday night, your reply syncs to both of them the moment you type it. No app to download, no account on their side, no "did you get my notes?" emails. Comments and your photographer feedback sync live across every device. Password protection and expiring links for the sensitive shoots.
• Print-ready, first try. No more "can you re-export with bleed?" emails from your lab. The file lands the way they want it. Plus a JPG export for proofing and socials.
• Pay how you design. Start free with one album, then pay $15 per album when you design occasionally, $35/mo for 5 albums a month, or $295/yr for unlimited (saves you $125 vs paying monthly).

About those print labs

Designing in generic dimensions and praying your lab forgives you has always been the worst part of this job. One lab wants 12x12, another wants 10x10 with 3mm bleed, another wants a specific color profile. Get it wrong, your album comes back wrong.

Spreadu now ships with real lab catalogs. Pick your lab, pick your product, design to their exact spec. The file lands the way they want it, the first time. A couple of things worth knowing:

• You order with your lab directly. Spreadu doesn't sit between you and your lab. Your relationship, your account, your pricing. We just make sure the file is right.
• Run a print lab? If you care about photographers and color the way we do, get in touch. We onboard your products, your specs, and your file requirements so every photographer designing for you gets it right the first time.

Your favorite lab not on the list? Tell us who they are and we'll reach out.

One more thing

This is 1.0, not "we're done." It's the version we're proud to put our name on and ask you to put yours on too. The roadmap is full and we ship every week. Keep telling us what's missing.

If you've been holding out for the right moment, this is it. Full wedding album in 20 minutes. Zero crops. Layouts computed in under 5 milliseconds, your frame never touched, your Saturday nights handed back to you. Your first album can start free, and your photos already deserve this.

Your clients are about to send you the "WOW, I'm crying" reply instead of a spreadsheet of revision notes. We'll handle the boring parts. You handle the art.

Design Your First Album Free → · See what's coming next →

March 2026

Closed Beta Launch

March 2026

Spreadu is officially in closed beta. We're inviting photographers in waves and building alongside them. Here's what's in the box:

• Smart Layout Engine. Drop photos onto a spread and get a gorgeous layout in milliseconds. No cropping. Your photos, your aspect ratios, respected.
• Spread Editor. Visual canvas with drag-and-drop photo placement, auto-layout, and manual adjustments. Zoom, pan, rotate, resize. All the controls you need.
• Scenes. Organize your photos into collections. Ceremony, portraits, reception. Whatever makes sense for the shoot.
• Client Proofing. Share a link. Your client views and comments on the album. No account needed on their end. Password protection and expiring links for sensitive work.
• Export Pipeline. Print-ready PDF/X-4 with trim marks, bleed, and ICC profiles. JPG export for proofing and social. Parallel rendering for fast output.
• Photo Grid. Lasso select, bulk operations, and virtualized scrolling. 2,000 photos without lag.
• Real-Time Collaboration. Multiple people in the same album at once. Live cursors, instant sync, no conflicts.
• Dark Mode. Because 11 PM album sessions shouldn't blind you.

This is just the beginning. Your feedback shapes what comes next.

Start designing →