Scrapbooking is the creative art of preserving pictures and memories in beautiful and artistic ways. As most avid "scrappers" who have already dabbled in the digital form of the wildly popular pastime know, the possibilities to create scrapbook pages you'll cherish for years to come are virtually endless.
But how does one go about beginning this exciting way of capturing and sharing memories? Here is all the information you'll need to know to get started and on your way to creating fabulous pages of your own to print, share, and save forever.
What You'll Need to Begin Digital Scrapbooking
- Photos: The very first thing you must have to begin your digital scrapbooking adventures are, of course, photos. The three methods most often used for getting pictures onto the computer are using a digital camera or scanner, or using the services of a photo lab, either online or off. If you absolutely love taking pictures and using them for scrapbooking, a digital camera is a must have. For digitizing older pictures, a scanner is another essential tool. You'll also have the ability to "correct" photos and even restoring those you may have thought were unusable.
- Photo Editing Software: There are several types of photo editing software to choose from for your digital scrapbooking needs, including Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Photoshop Elements, as well as Paint Shop Pro, Corel Photo Paint, and many others. There are also layout programs specifically designed for creating scrapbook pages, or you can rely on your own artistic talents to make your pages.
- The Means to Share and Save Your Masterpiece: Thanks to all the advances in technology, today there are numerous ways of sharing your pictures and scrapbook pages. Besides email and uploading them to websites, you can also share your pictures by printing them, or saving to a CD or DVD. Always be sure to save your pages in a location you'll remember, possibly in specific folders set up and organized just for scrapbooking.
The Benefits of Digital Scrapbooking vs. Traditional
With digital scrapbooking, you're only limited by your imagination as you'll now have the ability to modify and enhance your pictures like you never thought possible. Also, with digital scrapbooking, there's no paper cuttings to pick up, no supplies to reorganize and put away, and no glue to worry about. The only clean-up or organizing you'll have to do requires a few clicks of your computer's mouse.
Also, if you're like most scrappers, you're all too familiar with the frustration of running out of supplies just as you're about to finish a project. The internet is a great resource for digital scrapbooking kits that contain countless types of digital embellishments for your projects. Besides a dizzying array of colorful background papers, there are also overlay transparencies, "stickers," frames, and many other scrapbooking elements that can all easily be resized and used anywhere on your virtual page.
The undo button is another invaluable asset in the world of digital scrapbooking. Instead of wasting piece after piece of paper if something doesn't turn out the way you envisioned, as is the case with traditional scrapbooking, this method allows you to simply click the undo button and quickly move on to the next step.
This type of creative scrapbooking offers the unique benefit of being able to combine both mediums, digital and the traditional paper, to create one-of-a-kind keepsakes that can be tailored to your tastes and completely personalized.
Digital Scrapbooking How To
If you are anything like me you have been to the stores and seen scrapbooking supplies. They are just so cute and charming. Almost irrestible! The only trouble....it seems you may need a second job just to enjoy this hobby! I was at a bookstore and saw a ready made album that came complete with elements and cutouts all you needed to do was open get some glue and some photos. Well this book was completely sealed and outside of the fancy cover you really had no idea what was in it.
Well after plunking down a hefty $35 I was gravely dissapointed with what i found inside. Yes fine it served it's purpose but i felt cheated. The contents inside were lack luster and didn't offer much variety. To get what you really want you are going to need to be more selective and also purchase items seperately in order to get unique elements and papers. You could spend hours browsing the craft stores gathering ideas, filling your cart and emptying your wallet.
One thing scrappers have found is that after the purchase of these scrap items they have boxes full of scrapbooking supplies. Because of the time consumed sorting thru these items, cutting and pasting and cleaning up all the mess afterwards they begin to lose the zest for scrapping they once had.
So then what's the answer? What are you going to do with all of those photos? You still want to display them in a way will leave viewers gazing in awe. Well I'm glad you've asked this question! The answer? It's simple, go Digital!
Digital scrapbooking offers so much versality with so much affordability. There are so many reasons to give digital a try. Even if you want to switch between digital and paper. Digital scrapbooking takes scrapping to new heights. Here are some of the main reasons many are going digital.
* Say hello to digital and goodbye to the mess of paper scrapbooking. Digital scrapbooking is done on your computer and thats where all the cutting and pasting takes place. So thats where all the mess stays. Once you are done completing your layout hit save, print and you are done! Nothing to clean up and no need to keep the kids away!
* The versatility of Digital. Unlike traditional scrapbooking the elements in digital scrapbooking can be recolored, resized, combined, cut, and anything else you can possibly think of. You can truly make these your own. Ever seen a scrapbooking paper and said gosh i wish this came in mauve. well with digital scrapbooking it can! Make your digital products suit your needs. Unlike traditional scrapping with digital scrapbooking if you should make a mistake simply press undo and start over again. Didn't cut that line as straight as you'd like, glued that element in the wrong spot? With digital none of these things apply. As you have as many chances as you need to get it just the way you want it.
* The affordability of Digital. The average digital scrapbook kit can be had for around $5-$7. Thats a far cry cheaper than the 35 bux I paid. And now lets consider this.....Once I added my photos to that album it was a done deal. Not the case with Digital.
* The longevity of Digital. Once you've completed your layout or album with a digital scrapkit you simply save the kit on cd and be ready to use it again for your neices birthday. Thats the beauty. For a $7 investment the kit can be used over and over again. No longer will you elements left over without matching papers. And not only that but once you've completed an album or layout you can print it out as many times as you'd like to share with friends and family. Print layouts to give as gifts, make cards, craft items, the skys' the limit.
* The Beauty of Digital. Take a moment to browse some of the Digital Scrapbook items. You will be amazed. Sometimes you can't tell the difference between Digital and the real thing. Don't feel you will be giving up anything by giving Digital Scrapbooking a try because digital scrapbook kits and elements are just as beautiful as some that you'd find in traditional scrapbooking shops.
Both Elizabeth Gillett & Michelleyiap are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Elizabeth Gillett has sinced written about articles on various topics from Ideas for Scrapbooking. Scrapbooking is a great way to capture your family's precious memories. For more information about. Elizabeth Gillett's top article generates over 1600 views. Bookmark Elizabeth Gillett to your Favourites.
Michelleyiap has sinced written about articles on various topics from Ideas for Scrapbooking. This article written by Veronica Spriggs co-owner of Digiscrap Boutique. Michelleyiap's top article generates over 1600 views. Bookmark Michelleyiap to your Favourites.
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