Keep in mind that if this is the same process as the Photopass Photobook in WDW you have to create the book yourself, and only have a limited amount of time. I’ve purchased two books over the years, spent many hours creating pages, paid fees to extend my time, and have never completed my book before my offer expired.
I’m a tech person, and there is a learning curve to get up to speed with the app. I think my problem is that I’m very critical, and tried to include too many pictures. I just didn’t have the time or commitment to complete the 20+ pages. If you aren’t overly critical, and stick to just one or two pictures to a page, you can probably knock it out.
I've never made a book at Shutters, but I've done several WDW photopass books with as many as 60 pages in them, which is the max. The trick is to get all your photos planned out before you begin making your book. Why pay more for the extended time on the photos, if you've bought and downloaded the photos? Disney allows you to upload your own photos, which means you can upload your expired photopass photos again, when you are ready to make a project.
Take the pages one at a time. You have a month to get them done. So before you ever upload and start your project, decide how many photos you want on your pages. Once you have that planned, putting the pages together isn't hard. If you're creative, you can build your own using Disney papers, or even your own creations (as a photo to fill the page). If you're not creative and just want a nice album, use the pages Disney has designed for you. There's even a cruise theme of pages, so it's quite easy.
I do agree, however, that if you want to do your own thing, there is a learning curve, as there are limitations to the software and available embellishments. If you have the time, do practice pages in a "test" book/project (and why not do a practice book to see if you like the software? It doesn't cost anything.) to figure out what things you can customize and which you are stuck with. For example, I have some favourite frames I use, but I get tired of the same ones, so I create frames and shadows in Powerpoint or Elements, save as a jpg and upload as a full photo. In the software, I select the "no frame" (because I've added the frame before I ever saved my photo). It does help if you play around with the software a bit before you start your real project.
One hint, don't get too close to any of the edges of the page, as their printing of the photopass books isn't always as accurate as they should be for that price. I usually have a background that's larger than the displayed page and bring any elements in about a quarter of an inch from the edges to be sure everything looks right in print.
Oh yeah, and save periodically, like after every page you're happy with, especially if you have a flaky browser that likes to crash on your from time to time.