Digital Scrapbooking Now

Digital Scrapbooks – When Do We Start?

There are many good reasons to make digital scrapbooks, memory books and journals. You might be totally new to scrapbooking and are trying to decide whether you want to buy traditional scrapbook papers, embellishments and attempt some layouts – or thinking of trying to make digital layouts on a computer. So, before you become a scrappin’ addict of any kind, some of the features that are catapulting the digital creation method of making scrapbooks into a popular hobby (or even a home based business) are discussed below. 

Here is a list of the top ten reasons to get into digital scrapbooking:

• It’s a way to be more creative, create the most unique scrapbooks, and have more creative control over your projects. The sources for imagery are unlimited since there are free sources, CDs with all kinds of clip art to use, or images can be scanned and edited.
  
• The actual materials cost little since most are created using a computer – expensive patterned paper or paper with pre printed designs are not needed.
  
• Free software is available to start using quickly, and many software options are available in all price ranges.
  
• The time to create a scrapbook is usually less than with traditional methods. The assembly time is shorter. You won’t be waiting for shipments from online purchases. No need to drive to stores to buy supplies, either.
  
• *Here’s a great reason* You could create an entire memory book and print an exact duplicate of it as many times as you’d like to give to family members or friends. Nice for gifts!
  
• Using a scanner, you can reproduce your old photos and use them in a background or as a highlighted image with out the worries the potential for their being damaged by the use of adhesives or by being in an album.
  
• You can find tons of freebies to download and use for your creations or make your own page designs and share those with others. And any element that is used in traditional scrapbook layouts has a digital version or counterpart, such as patterned paper, stickers, chipboard, cardstock, and metal embellishments.
  
• Use your digital photos right off your camera or flash card, saving you money because they are only printed out with the entire page for your book (no printing and cutting out separate photos or using expensive photo printing papers). You can, however, use photos that have been processed from a photo lab or printed on a photo printer (though you’ll have to add those with glue manually).
  
• Your layouts can be shared easily with the online scrapbooking community, as well as to “show off” your work to other digital scrapbookers!

I’m sure there are other great  reasons for digital scrapbooking that could have been listed here, but as a start, these are pretty compelling on their own. Though it won’t replace traditional scrapbook making, computer scrapbooks are here to stay.

Is Digital Scrapbooking for You?

For those who are involved in digital scrapbooking, it’s no secret that it’s an addicting hobby. The numbers of people making traditional scrapbooks is growing every day. Now there are options to have more design control by making digital scrapbooks.

Digital scrapbooking is the best way to make your memory books if you want to create your own page designs and layouts usng your computer. They allow you to get creative and make custom scrapbooks or memory books.

What’s so great about it? Well, you don’t need to buy expensive paper or cardstock. And, you don’t have to use scissors and glue to paste in your photos. Another plus is that you’ll need far less materials and less storage space. There are very inexpensive digital scrapbook downloads you can buy and many people offer stuff for free, too. Using your digital photos (taken directly from your camera to your computer) you can place them on your digital pagees, crop them, re-size them, create collages and even change the colors. Then you can print them out and insert them into an album.

There are times when you may still want to use the traditional paper products or embellishments, stickers, ribbons, buttons, etc. and add them to your pages. This is called hybrid scrapbooking (when you use computerized images along with traditional (store-bought) elements. Be sure to use archival quality glue or adhesives when doing this.

What holds people back from doing digital scrapbooks or hybrid scrapbooking? Besides the time it takes to create your own backgrounds, the number one reason more people don’t do it is the technology learning curve involved with using scrapbooking or photo editing software.

If you think you are ready to take the plunge into making scrapbooks this way, here is what you need to start:

1 - A decent computer (desktop or laptop)

2 - Digital scrapbook software (page layout or photo editing software)

3 - Digital photos on your computer

4 - A color printer (an inkjet printer will work fine) and the appropriate paper and toner inks.

5 - Time and creativity!

Some recommendations for software: Page layout software used by digital scrappers: Creating Keepsakes Scrapbook Designer Deluxe, and LumaPix FotoFusion. Memory Mixer, Bazzill Basics, and other software is made just for scrapbooks. Some photo editing software used by scrapbookers:  Adobe Photoshop Elements is really, really good. It isn’t too expensive, either. The full Adobe Photoshop is also used, as is Corel Photo Paint. ACADSee makes scrapbook and photo editing software, As I type this, there are probably some new ones. There will be more, you can bet on it, due to the popularity of this new way to create great looking scrapbooks.