Patent ID: 8289561

Claim:
An album creating system for creating an album using an image provided from an album orderer, comprising: a layout information generating apparatus for receiving only a low-quality image from an album orderer terminal via network and generating layout information on the album; and an album creating apparatus for creating the album according to the layout information generated by the layout information generating apparatus, wherein the layout information generating apparatus including: a low-quality image receiving section for receiving the low-quality image obtained by reducing the quality of a high-quality image by the album orderer from the album orderer terminal; a layout information generating section for generating layout information of a low-quality image album in which the low-quality image received by the low-quality image receiving section is laid out; a layout information storage section for storing therein the layout information generated by the layout information generating section in association with order identification information to identify an order of the album; and an order identification information transmitting section for transmitting the order identification information stored in the layout information storage section to the album orderer terminal, the album creating apparatus including: an order identification information acquiring section for acquiring a high-quality image corresponding to the low-quality image laid out in the low-quality image album by the layout information generating section along with the order identification information transmitted by the order identification information transmitting section; a layout information acquiring section for acquiring the layout information stored in the layout information storage section in association with the order identification information acquired by the order identification information acquiring section; and an album creating section for creating a high-quality image album by laying out the high-quality image acquired by the order identification information acquiring section according to the layout information acquired by the layout information acquiring section, wherein the low-quality image receiving section and the order identification information acquiring section are configured as two separate units.