History and Development Pixellu, a company known for photography software such as SmartAlbums and SmartSlides, developed SmartAlbums to address a common pain point for professional photographers: creating client-ready, print-ready album layouts quickly without sacrificing design quality. SmartAlbums 2 (often referenced by photographers and forums around 2019–2021) refined the algorithmic layout engine, added greater template flexibility, improved export options, and tightened integration with major album print labs.