Just Telling Our Story

FAQs: Digital Scrapbooking

Yesterday I was responding to an e-mail from someone about getting started with digital scrapbooking when I accidentally navigated away from the page and LOST the whole thing. I about cried. It was a long e-mail, and it was suddenly floating out in Cyberspace. The thought of starting over left me dreary even before I began again. Then it hit me that this wasn't the first time I had written all of this out, and it might not be the last. Light-bulb moment! Blog it! Then I can just link people back to this page if the opportunity presents itself again. (And if you know anyone who might be thinking about digiscrapping, you can send her/him this way, too!)

Q: Is digital scrapbooking the same as doing photo books on Snapfish or Shutterfly?

A: Well, not exactly. There are similarities, of course: combining photos and journaling to tell your story, and printing your stories into hardbound books. But there are plenty of differences, too.

The first and biggest difference is that with photo books, you're limited to the layouts and design options by the publisher. There are usually set layouts from which to choose, set frame sizes and orientations for photos, set colors of backgrounds, set fonts and limited areas for journaling. There is very little room for creative flexibility. With digital scrapbooking, there is a world of unlimited opportunity. You can use photos any size or orientation that pleases you. You can use text where and how (and how large) you'd like. You can use a seemingly unlimited number of papers and colors on your pages and you can use them as large or small as you'd like. You can add extra embellishments like stitching, flowers, stars, buttons, tags, journaling boxes, brads, staples, frames...and the list goes on. And the best part is, you can combine everything in a way that makes you happy. There are no limits.

Another big difference is that you can print your layouts by the page, without the restrictions of needing an entire album -- chronologically or otherwise in order -- ready to go. This is huge for me. I scrapbook out of order. I could scrap a page from 2006 today and 2010 tomorrow. I might never be done with 2008. With digital scrapbooking, it doesn't matter. I can print as I go and still have the ability to go back later and fill in the gaps.

I will say that there are a few services, like Creative Memories' digital program, that can print individual pages, too. But there are still a vast number of limitations. That said, these programs meet the needs and desires of lots of people, and the full exploration of digital scrapbooking might not be necessary or desirable for some. If you like the idea of total creative freedom, however, it's worth considering the individual creative route.

Q: What do I need to get started?

A: In very simplest terms, you need a photo program you're happy with. The industry standards are Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Photoshop Elements, but you can use any program that can output a JPG into a size you want to use in your albums. You also need photos -- either native digital files or scanned from prints -- and, if desired, some digital scrapbooking kits of products like papers and embellishments. You can use simple solid colors for backgrounds, journaling and frames, however (no kit required) and produce lovely layouts. (Here's an example of a simple, no-kit-necessary layout.)

Q: What if I don't have a photo program?

A: I'd recommend taking Adobe Photoshop Elements for a test-drive. You can try it for free for 30 days and then decide if you want to buy it. The regular cost hovers around $100, and you can buy it online at adobe.com or even at Best Buy or some office supply stores. 

Q: How can I learn how to use Photoshop or Photoshop Elements for digital scrapbooking?

A: There are a hundred different ways. Some of my favorite tutorials can be found online at Digital Scrapbooking Magazine (no longer in print, but the site still exists), in the book(s) Digital Designs for Scrapbooking (at least two versions) by Renee Pearson (I believe this is/these are no longer in print, but check out Renee's Web site), and my all-time favorite place to refer people to, JessicaSprague.com. I have only taken a journaling class from Jessica's Web site, but I have forwarded several people to her site, and I know three have taken and loved her introductory class for digital scrapbookers. In fact, I'm dying to take her third digital class, as well as a couple of others of hers. There's a lot I could learn from this chick! Her classes are reasonable, and she walks you through everything along the way. Excellent! (I'll put money on Renee's classes being awesome, too. I just haven't experienced them yet!)

You can always Google "digital scrapbooking tutorials" and explore the vast world of other sites out there, too. Many offer free tutorials. I have visited many...too many to list individually...and have learned a ton from these talented designers!

The key with learning Photoshop or Photoshop Elements is patience. Have lots of it. They're not super-intuitive programs to learn, although I'd say Elements is significantly more logical for the person who's never had a reason to learn Photoshop in the first place. Just pack your patience. You might not be creating awesome layouts in your first week, but you will with time. Just take it a step at a time. There's a lot to learn!

Q: How do you print your pages?

A: There are two options: By the page and by the book.

By the book. I have printed two hardbound books, and they were vastly different! I printed one 12x12 through Heritage Makers and absolutely love it. It's high-quality, has a custom hard cover with my own design and made a beautiful gift for six family members and friends of my grandmother, whose life I was documenting.

On the other hand, I printed one 8x8 book of my sister's wedding through Blurb, and I have to say that it wasn't the quality I was hoping for. There were issues with the color (skin tones looked really red), the quality of ink on the page and the cover (there was glue stuck to the back). And I didn't have the option of creating a custom hard cover. I got a dust jacket custom made, though. Blurb was significantly more affordable (somewhere in the neighborhood of $35, compared with $80 from Heritage Makers - but size and # of pages were different, too), but I learned that you get what you pay for when it comes to these kinds of things. So I'd recommend going with a printer you know will be high quality and fork out whatever is necessary. You'll be MUCH happier with the finished product.

All that said about Blurb...and I need to note that I just visited the Blurb Web site, and they now offer hardcover custom covers and the 12x12 size. Might be worth revisiting sometime. If anyone else has used it and had a great experience, I'd really love to know about it!

By the page. This is the way I have gone for all of my individual (not part of a theme album) pages. I love that I can slip them into my books where and when I'd like. Basically, when you build your page in Photoshop or Elements or any other program, you will eventually save each page as a JPG image. Then you just upload that image like you would any other photo to an online photo developer (or if you live near a Costco or Sam's Club, I believe they offer 12x12 photo printing, too). You will receive a 12x12 photo for your album.

I have loved using ScrapbookPictures.com for my printing. They offer a ton of sizes, and each 12x12 page is just $2 to print. They used to charge a flat $2 for shipping, but I will warn you to check out their newer shipping rates (bottom of that page) before you order. You might be taken aback by the total shipping and handling costs. Keep that in mind when you order. Still, their quality has been awesome, and their turn-around isn't terrible (usually about a week). I still highly recommend them.

I have also heard good things about ScrappingSimply.com, although I admit I have never used them. I think I might go that route with my next order and give them a shot!

Q: How does the cost compare with traditional scrapbooking?

A: I have found digital scrapbooking to be significantly less expensive than traditional scrapbooking. There are several reasons:

1. There are tons of free elements and kits to be found online. Just Google "digital scrapbooking freebies."
2. You can reuse your page elements -- papers, embellishments, alphabets, etc. -- over and over and over again.
3. You can change the color of your page elements to multiply your stash.
4. You don't have to pay for individual photo printing. (In fact, this way, you could theoretically never have to pay for traditional photo printing. I wouldn't recommend that, though!)
5. You don't have to pay for individual albums, pages and page protectors (assuming you go the hardbound route).
6. You don't need fancy, expensive tools to create amazing pages.
7. You can add as many free elements to a page as you want, and it's still free to create and only a couple bucks to print!
8. Even the kits that cost money (and there are plenty of benefits to buying full kits) are so ridiculously inexpensive if you compare them to what they'd cost if they were traditional supplies.
9. Printing an 80-page, 12x12 hardbound book through Heritage Makers (granted, this was a few years ago) only cost me about $75. If you add the costs of the album, pages and page protectors I would normally use, even before you pay for photos or paper or embellishments or stamps or paints or ribbon or flowers or anything else, you've already spent $75 for a 50-page book (one album @ $25, two sets of pages and page protectors @ $50).

*****

Well, that's a good start. I'll answer more questions -- like where to find kits and some blogs I'd recommend following -- in another post. (If you have any additional questions, just post a comment!)

(Update: Here's a recent post about blogs I follow/sources of inspiration.)

The bottom line is, if you love your photos, love your stories, have a little patience or know-how when it comes to photo programs, this is a hobby you're sure to love! Have fun! :o)

*****

And because every picture-less post feels naked, here's a layout for you.

Journaling:

We had gone fishing twice during this trip -- once in this exact spot at Cornerstone, Papa's development -- before this day, but with no luck. But this morning was different. Using live worms, you threw your line into the water, the first time without a nibble. The second cast, however, turned out to be your lucky line! You brought in your first-ever fish -- and it was a doozie! It was a trout that your dad guesses was about 18 inches long. Thankfully Papa helped you reel it in! Congratulations, Bud! Aug. 6, 2009.

Sources:

• Elements: A Mojito Kind of Day kit by Eva Kipler, EvaK Designs.
• Fonts: 2Peas Tiger Tails (title). I honestly don't remember what the journaling font is.

Digital Scrapbooking How-to: A simple layout

If you're here for some digital scrapbooking know-how, how about walking through a simple layout today? There are lots of tips and tricks in here that can help you understand Photoshop. Sometimes walking through the process yourself is the best way to learn. So take a little time and join me!

 

Here's what to do.

(I am using the full version of Photoshop and will be walking through the steps based on that menu. However, Photoshop Elements will do the exact same thing...only, sometimes, you might have to look for a similar phrase in your menu items. If you can't figure out how to do something in Photoshop Elements, post a comment here, and I'll find out from my good friend Michele, who works in Photoshop Elements! :o) )

1. Choose a size for your album or page. 12x12 is the most common, but there are also albums out there for 8x8, 6x6, 5x7 and many other sizes, as well. It's always best to figure out how you're going to print and store your photos before you dive in and create something. For starters, visit a site like scrapbookpictures.com to see available sizes, and then pick out an album you like. You can be sure you'll find a million 12x12 albums to choose from—and some online printers of photo books and individual pages—but you might not find a 6x6 album you like, and you might not find any vendor who will print hardbound custom books that size, for example. So always know what you want before you get started. You'll save yourself some headaches later!

2. Create a new document. In Photoshop, go to File > New (or hit Command+N on a Mac or Ctrl+N on a PC). (In PS Elements, go to New > Blank File.) In the dimensions box, set your dimensions. I chose 12 x 12. Set your resolution to 300 pixels per inch. This is the standard for high-quality prints. You don't want anything smaller than 300 ppi. Choosing a smaller number will result in a blurry photo/print when you get your finished page back from the printer. That's a frustrating thing to figure out by accident, so trust me on this one!

Your color mode should be RGB for all photo developers. If you're like me and are used to the commercial printing world, which used CMYK for everything, this is a hard habit to break! But if you print in CMYK, you'll get back an image with very funky colors, almost like you're looking through a negative. Don't ask me to explain why!

If you'd prefer to work with a white canvas from the get-go, you can set your background contents to white. I like to use transparent.

3. Choose your photo(s). Open one or more that you like. I almost always do layouts with multiple photos, but for the sake of simplicity for this post, I'm choosing just one.

4. Open your photo in Photoshop. Choose File > Open. Browse to your photo and click OK. Your photo will open in a new document. Depending on how you have set your preferences (under File > Preferences on a PC or Photoshop > Preferences on a Mac, or under Edit > Preferences in PS Elements), your photo might open as a new window or as a tab at the top of the Photoshop workspace. Your workspace should now look something like this. (My photo opened as a new window. My blank layout window is in the background.)

5. Move your photo onto your 12x12 layout document. With the Move tool (top left corner of the toolbar, a black arrow with what looks like a compass marker next to it) selected, click anywhere in your photo, hold down the mouse button and drag the photo over the blank layout. If you cannot see your layout because it is a tab instead of an open document, drag the mouse over the file name, and wait for Photoshop to switch to your layout document. (If you're in Photoshop Elements, I know that at this point, you just drag your photo file down into the Project Bin on top of the image of the blank layout and let go of the mouse to drop the photo into the layout.) Your window should now look like this:

Depending on how large you have your digital camera set to record images, your photo might appear larger or smaller than this on your screen. The way your photo drops into your layout is the largest I would make it. While you can easily resize your photo to something smaller without losing quality, if you enlarge a photo from its default size, you will be risking a potentially significant reduction in quality when you print. You always want to maintain that 300 dpi at all times. So if your photo now appears very small on your layout, you might consider adjusting the image quality of the files your camera records by setting the quality to Extra Fine, Large or something to that effect. I always recommend shooting at the best/largest resolution possible. And yes, this will reduce the number of images you can fit onto your memory card, but trust me, it's worth it! (Go for a bigger memory card!)

6. Choose a kit of digital scrapbook supplies. I am using the Happy Go Lucky kit from Shabby Princess. It's an awesome free kit. I LOVE it. You might want to choose your kit before you choose your photos, depending on your preferences. Sometimes I do that, too, especially if I have just purchased or found a free kit I just love. It's a good source of inspiration.

7. Choose a background paper from the kit to use on your layout. I find that simpler papers (those with a solid color or very soft/small patterns or embellishments) tend to work best as background papers. Busy prints, when used at 12x12 size, are often way too distracting. Ultimately, we want our photos to take center stage, not out papers, so be careful in choosing your background paper.

I chose to use the SP_HappyGoLucky_Paper_Cream.jpg file for my background image.

8. Drag your background paper onto your layout, using the same process you did in step 5. You can see that your background paper is now on TOP of your photo. Because we want it to be below our photo in our layout, we need to adjust the order of our layers.

9. Move the background paper to the layer below your photo in the Layers palette. At the bottom right of your screen, you should see the Layers palette (in PS and PSE). You should have three layers currently. The top layer is the paper you chose to eventually be your background paper. The second layer is your photo. The third layer is your original background layer, which is either all white or transparent. Using your Move tool (top left corner of your main toolbox, the arrow), click on the name of the top-most layer, hold and drag the layer downward until you see a dark line appear under your photo layer. (See bottom right of this image, below.)

A closer look:

When you see that black line as you hover your mouse between the layers, let go of your mouse. You will now see that your intended background paper appears below your photo as intended.

Take a moment now to rename your layers. It's a good idea to name layers as you go, so you don't get confused what items are on which layer as you build the number of elements in a single layout. You'll be thankful you did this later. To rename a layer, just click twice on the name of the layer. Be careful to click on the name and not the icon; otherwise you will open a new dialog box of options for the layer.

I renamed my layers Photo, Background Layer and Trash. That last one will make sense in a minute.

10. Move your background layer into place. If you can see any of the bottom-most layer (either pure white or transparent) in your project window, you need to move your background layer into its proper position, making it cover the background from edge to edge. Select the Move tool, then click once on your layer named Background Layer in the Layers Palette. Using your mouse, click on the background layer in the document and move it into place. It should "click" into position when it meets the edge of the document. If not, you can use your arrow keys on your keyboard to nudge it into place as it gets close to the edges.

11. Get rid of the default background layer, now named Trash. It's a good idea to clean up your workspace as you go, getting rid of extra layers when you don't need them. Extra layers will only make your file size larger and add to the confusion that is possible when you start building a document that has multiple layers. To get rid of that initial layer, click once on the layer named Trash, hold down the mouse and drag it to the small icon of a trashcan located at the bottom right of the Layers Palette.

 
It's that bottom-right icon you're looking for. Drag it there. Let go of your mouse. Voila!

12. Save your document. Layered Photoshop files get HUGE very quickly and can crash moody computers if you're not careful. Save often!

13. Resize your photo. If you don't want a ginormous photo stretching across your layout, you can resize it to make it more appealing. To do so, select your Move tool and then click once on the layer named Photo. This will make this layer active. If you haven't picked up on it yet, your Layers Palette is your most important tool in Photoshop. It is where your software decides what on earth you're trying to do and what part of these multiple-layer images you want to adjust.

To resize your photo, choose Edit > Transform (or Image > Transform, I believe, in PSE) > Scale. This will put a set of squares and dotted lines around your image.

The black lines indicate the edges of the photo. As you can see in my image, my photo is larger than my background paper. What falls off of the image canvas as we have it set (what's larger than 12 inches wide, in this case) isn't visible in the final project, but the data is still stored in the document, so I can move this photo wherever I please without worrying about data being lost outside of the boundaries of my page.

To scale this photo, I am going to choose a corner square of this new border, click on it and drag it inward to make the photo the size I want it to be in the finished document.

** Don't miss this! ** To resize a photo, get into the habit of ALWAYS holding down the shift key as you drag a corner inward or outward so that you do not mistakenly skew the proportions of height and width. In other words, this will keep you from stretching a photo out horizontally (making your people look fatter than normal) or vertically (making your people look taller than normal). This is very important and will save you the trouble of someone looking at your photo and saying, "I don't remember her being that tall..."

Anyway, your photo should now look like this.

Double-click with your mouse in the middle of the photo to commit the transformation (resizing).

14. Add a border to your photo. To give the photo a nice grounding, let's add a border to it. In your Layers Palette, click on the icon right next to the trash can at the bottom of the palette, Create a New Layer. This will add a new layer to your palette that will be automatically active. We want the stroke to be on a new layer instead of directly on the photo, because this will give us the freedom to change, delete or hide the stroke later if we change our mind about its color, width or other features.

With the Move tool selected and the new layer you just created still active, hold down the Command key (Mac) or Control Key (PC) and click on the small image icon (not the name) of the Photo layer. This will give you "marching ants" all the way around your photo border.

Go to Edit > Stroke.

 

Choose a stroke width of somewhere between 40 and 100 pixels, depending on your liking. The larger the number here, the thicker the stroke.

In the Color box, click once on the color shown (this is the color you have currently selected as your foreground color). This will open up a dialog box that will give you the chance to choose one of a million colors. I like to choose a color from my photo or background paper.  To do this, drag your mouse to your layout. Your cursor will change to an eyedropper tool. Position the eyedropper on top of the color you want to use for your stroke and click down. Click OK in the color dialog box.

The location selection gives you the option of your stroke appearing on the inside or outside of the selection you just created (the marching ants), or having it centered (half of the stroke on the inside and half on the outside) along the selection. Choosing Inside will give you nice, sharp corners. Choosing center or outside will give you more rounded corners on the stroke. I always choose Inside because I like the sharp corners. I also like keeping things lined up when I have several photos in a document, and this helps maintain alignment. 

Leave Blending Mode set to Normal and Opacity at 100%. Click OK.

Rename your layer Photo Stroke, using the process you used in step 9.

15. Link your photo and stroke layers. You can link two layers together so that if you move or alter one layer, the other layer will move or be altered (for example, scaled) with it. This comes in very handy when you have a photo layer and stroke layer that need to stay perfectly aligned at all times. To link your layers, select the Move tool, then select the Stroke layer. Holding down the shift key, click on the Photo layer below it. Both layers should now be selected. In the bottom of the Layers Palette, you will see the icon of what looks like a link to a chain. It is at the far left of the icons at the bottom of the palette. Click on that link icon to link the two selected layers together. You should end up with small link icons at the right of the names of each layer in the Layers Palette.

16. Move your photo and stroke layers to wherever you please in your layout. With the Move tool active, and either the Photo or Stroke layer active, click in your document window and drag your photo and stroke layers to your desired location. You might choose to center it or put it more toward the bottom of your document, depending on the layout you have in mind. Putting it toward the top might result in a visually "heavy" upper half of your layout when you're done, making you wonder what doesn't look quite right in the final layout. For the sake of getting started with digital scrapbooking, you might be happier choosing to put it toward the bottom or in the middle. 

17. Find a spot to put your journaling. Most scrapbookers like to include some form of journaling in a layout, and we need a "home" for our writing. In the Happy Go Lucky kit, I like the SP_HappyGoLucky_JournalingBlock.png file for this purpose. If you have another kit that has a journaling block, great! If you don't, you can just type directly onto the background layer or create your own little rectangle of paper or solid color to use as your backdrop. For this tutorial, we'll use the supplied journaling block. We'll position it above and to the right of the photo.

18. Open your journaling block (if you have one). Drag it into your workspace using the process you used in step 5. You'll notice that this graphic has a transparent background (rather than square, white edges like most clip art images you might download online have). This file is in PNG format, a special format that preserves transparency for just this reason. It allows you to layer graphic files on top of other graphic files, seeing through to the lower layers. It's a beautiful thing!

Position your journaling block wherever you please using the process you used in Step 16.

19. Create your journaling text block. Click on your Horizontal Text tool in the toolbar at the far left of your screen. It is the tool that has a capital T. With that tool selected, click in your Photoshop document in the top left corner of the journaling block (that layer should still be active), hold down the mouse, and drag the cursor to the bottom right of the journaling box. You are creating the location where your text will flow, from corner to corner. So if you don't want your text butting up right next to the edge of your space, you can draw your text box inward a little bit from corner to corner. You can also adjust the edges of the text box after you have journaled in it if you would prefer.

20. Type your text. After you have drawn your text box by clicking and dragging to form its borders, your text layer should be active in your Layers Palette, and your text tool should still be active. At the top of your screen, you will see the options bar for your text. you can choose your font and its size here. Alternatively, you can choose to open the Character Palette by going to Window > Character and choosing your font and size there. This option also gives you the chance to control the space between lines (called leading, highlighted in the photo below in purple). It's the option to the right of the font size option. You want this number to be at least as big as (and preferably a little bigger than) your text size. Once those choices are made, you can just start typing your journaling.

21. Edit your text to fit your block. If you have finished typing your text, and your journaling block isn't filled how you like it, open your Character Palette (see step 20), and bump up the text size and leading until it fits how you like it. You can also adjust the sides of your text box by clicking on the little squares on the corners and in the middle of the edges of your text block when the Text tool and your text layer are active. Play with it until it fits.

Hint: You can adjust the font size with your mouse by clicking on the small graphics to the left of the font size and font leading numbers and dragging to the right or left. You will see a double-arrow graphic pointing left and right, indicating the "scrubbers" are active. Click on those (the two Ts to the left of the font size choice and the stacked As to the left of the leading choice) and drag your mouse left to reduce the size or right to increase the size.

I used Avenir font at 12 pt type with 12.5 pt leading.

22. Link your journaling block graphic and your text block layer together using the process you used in Step 15.

23. Create your title. Determine where you want your title to be located, and draw a text block using the process you used in Steps 19, 20 and 21. You might break your title up into two different text blocks so you can make some text smaller than others and arrange them separately to make them fit your space.

I used fonts AL Serenade for the "so thankful" and Abadi MT Condensed Bold for "for our self-entertainer."

24. Change the color of your font. To change the color of text, with the text layer and text tool still active, find the two color blocks at the bottom of the toolbar at the left side of your screen. The two boxes overlap each other. They represent your foreground color (the top left one) and the background color (lower right). Your text will by default be the color in the top left block. To change that, highlight your text (click and drag to highlight the text in your text block), the click once in the foreground color box in the toolbar. This will open the color dialog box. Change the color here by picking a color from your photo or paper (see Step 14) or choose a color at random using the color picker in the dialog box. Click OK. Your text color will be changed.

25. Save the file as a PSD file. You have officially completed a digital scrapbook page! (Pat yourself on the back!) To save it with the ability to come back to it later and make changes, make sure you save it as a PSD (Photoshop document) file in the File format box. 

26. Save the file in a format you can share. PSD files that contain many layers, like the one we just created, tend to get very large. They also cannot easily be opened by anyone who does not have Photoshop or Photoshop Elements available. To save your file in a format that others can see, you must save it as a flattened JPG. You can do this by simply going to File > Save As and then choosing JPG as your file format (see above image and just choose JPG instead of PSD). This will automatically save a flattened version of the file that will be smaller and easier to transmit by e-mail to friends, family and photo printers. (To print your image, you will need this full-size, flattened JPG.)

To be sure fonts are transmitted the same on your friend's computer as you see them on yours, you are safer to rasterize (or simplify, in PSE) all layers before flattening and saving. To do this:

• Choose: Layers (in the menu at top) > Rasterize > All Layers.
• Choose: Layers > Flatten.
• Choose: File > Save As > (name it and choose) JPG.

To make the file even smaller (to speed up transmission electronically but NOT to print at high quality), before saving, go to File > Image Size > and change the dimensions to 4x4 or 6x6.

Your resolution should still be 300 pixels/inch. If it is not, check the "Resample Image" box and type in 300 in the pixels/inch box.

** CAUTION! ** Make SURE you are saving this reduced-size version as a file that is DIFFERENT from your high-resolution image. You will need the full-size version for printing later.

In the end, I always have three versions of every layout:

• The full-size, 12x12 at 300 ppi, layered PSD file (for changing later if needed)
• The full-size, 12x12 at 300 ppi, JPG file (for printing)
• The small-size, 4x4 at 300 ppi, JPG file (for sharing online only)

All done? CONGRATULATIONS!! You have completed a digital scrapbook layout! Woo hoo! See...you CAN do it!

(We'll work on dressing up our simple layout in future blog entries. Stay tuned!)

Have questions? Post a comment below (click on Comments if you're in my standard view of the blog, or just enter your comment in the form below if you're seeing only this one entry). I'll try to address them!

Digital scrapbooking: Getting started

Ever thought about giving digital scrapbooking a try but didn't know where to start? I hope that my new series of posts here will help! I absolutely love digital scrapbooking, and I'm so excited about the idea of getting other people (in addition to my friend Michele, who is already) hooked, as well! So let's dig in.

And, for the record, consider this fair warning: This is not a craft that you'll pick up in an hour or a day or even a week. It's amazing how much there is to learn about Photoshop and Photoshop Elements (and any image editor, I imagine). I have been using the full version of Photoshop for years (only heavily and beyond basic photo editing, though, for the past three or so, since I started digital scrapbooking) and learn something new all the time! I love it!

All that said, you CAN pick up enough simple skills and tips to complete beautiful pages in a relatively short amount of time. :o) So don't give up before you get started!

WHY SCRAPBOOK DIGITALLY?

If you have an interest in capturing the stories that make up your life, then you probably already understand the value of scrapbooking. And if you've given paper scrapbooking a try, you probably already understand the amount of time—and money—that can be funneled into this hobby in a hurry. You also probably have a good sense of what a scrapbooking mess looks like—and maybe even dread cleaning it up when you're done creating. And maybe you have had the daunting task of creating multiple copies of the same layout, maybe for multiple kids' books or for family members who have lost a grandparent/parent/friend, for example.

Sound familiar?

Digital scrapbooking is a fantastic option if you...

• want to be able to curl up on the couch and scrapbook instead of gathering all of your supplies, clearing off a table and cleaning up when you're done.
• don't like messes.
• want to be able to go to crops with one simple bag, and that's it. (Although, I will admit, I still prefer paper scrapping for crops. There's something about creating with your hands that provides a different kind of satisfaction in a group setting.)
• want to be able to reuse products over and over and over again—even a single sheet of paper.
• want a seemingly endless supply of free scrapbooking goodies.
• want to print multiple copies of a layout or multiple copies of a complete book without any extra hassle, supplies or time.
• want to scrapbook a little faster than you can with paper scrapping. (This, though, is dependent on your comfort level with your editing program and gets better the more you practice!)
• want to easily share your finished pages with friends and family through e-mail and social media like Facebook and MySpace.

Can you identify with one or more of those? Good!

Now that you know you might be interested in digital scrapbooking, what will you need to get started?

STUFF YOU'LL NEED TO GET STARTED

As with starting any new craft or project, you will need to have a few items before you get started. Here's a basic list:

• Software. This is the most essential element, of course! You can't create computer-generated scrapbook pages without some form of software. You'll want a high-quality photo editing program that offers lots of flexibility. While I'm sure there are additional programs out there that might have some functionality that would work for digital scrapbooking, by far the most widely used are Photoshop Elements ($139 from Adobe.com, may be less expensive elsewhere; test drive with a free download) and the full version of Photoshop ($699; test drive with a free download). I know this is expensive, and I can't twist your arm to make you pay for it. But I can tell you that if you think you'll enjoy digital scrapbooking, it's worth every single cent. Just think, you can spend that much (not the $700, I'd hope!) in just a few trips to the scrapbook store for paper and supplies! Anyway, give it some thought. PSE will do the majority of things for digital scrapbooking that Photoshop will do. So don't spring for the full version if you don't need it for another reason. Whew. That's enough about that subject!
• A large-format printer or an online photo-printing service you trust. While I would love to have a printer that prints 12x12 layouts, I don't want to spend the money. Instead, I opt for www.scrapbookpictures.com for printing my loose pages and www.heritagemakers.com for printing my books. I have tried other sites, and for me, these are my preferred services. Check out all of the fantastic sizes scrapbookpictures.com offers. And 12x12s are only $3.50 each. Shipping is only $2, no matter how many layouts you order! Can't beat that! And the quality is fantastic! Now, if you will be doing ONLY digital pages, and you scrapbook chronologically or by themes, you might consider printing a book of pages all at once, rather than individual pages. You'll come out better financially in the end, and you can design your own hardbound cover! :o) Fun stuff!
• Kits and/or loose elements. You can absolutely do the digital scrapbooking thing without any embellishments. (Cathy Zielske has some good examples on her blog. She's a minimalist when it comes to embellishments. I LOVE her style.) But if you want to add some zest to your layouts, there are tons of digital scrapbooking kits out there for the taking for free or purchasing. Do a Google search for "digital scrapbooking" or check out some of my favorite sites: www.designerdigitals.com • www.theshabbyshoppe.com • www.scrapbook-bytes.com • www.shabbyprincess.com • www.twopeasinabucket.com. If you do nothing else, go to Shabby Princess and download her kits. There are a BUNCH of really GOOD, full kits that she offers for free! :o)
• Photos. Digital photos are obviously the easiest way to go, but if you have old photos, just scan them in, and they're ready for you to use! Make sure, though, that you're shooting your photos on the highest resolution setting possible on your camera (Fine or Extra Large setting), and that you're scanning at at least 600 dpi (1200 preferred if possible). The quality of your photos will drive the quality of your layouts. Don't skimp on quality to squeeze more photos on that memory card! Go for the bigger memory card! :o)
• Fonts. You'll probably want some fun fonts to choose from on some or all of your layouts. If you're feeling a little skimpy in that department, check out www.dafont.com (lots of free fonts) or my favorite, www.MyFonts.com. Just remember that fonts can quickly bog down your computer system, so you don't want tons of fonts active at all times. If at all possible, use a font management program to turn fonts on or off when you need or don't need them, or consider storing some infrequently used fonts somewhere other than your active fonts folder. If you're on a Mac, FontBook is a beautiful thing! Use it!
• Other stuff. These are just icing on the cake. (Sorry, TypePad won't let me indent the next set of bullets.)
• Scanner for memorabilia. I personally don't have one at the moment. I often just take pictures of my memorabilia or photos I need to scan! :o)
• Tutorials. Just Google "Photoshop tutorials."
• Ideas. Check out digital scrapbookers' blogs, Web sites dedicated to scrapbook sketches or scrapbook magazines. Sometime I'll list my favorites here, but because there are MANY, I'd suggest doing an Internet search for "digital scrapbooking," "scrapbook sketches" or "scrapbook magazines" to get you started. There should be enough results to keep you busy for quite some time!

OK, it looks like a lot, but it's really not! You truly can create stunning pages with nothing more than the colors built into your software, your photos and a simple font like Times New Roman. Anything else is just eye candy! (I'm pretty sure, though, that you'll find something you like out there on those free kit sites!)

Are you excited to get started?! :o)

A wild hair: Getting others hooked on digital scrapbooking!

Well, I somehow managed to get a wild hair today, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.

I have posted several of my digital scrapbook layouts to my Facebook page, and almost every time I do, I get comments from friends saying they want to get started digital scrapbooking, too. I always try to sum up in a very short amount of space what would be involved in getting started, but it just doesn't do it justice. It's a complex topic! (I think that's why I like it so much!)

So it occurred to me today that I could use my blog to help some friends get started without having to spend hours upon hours in front of individual computers or make them spend some cash at an online scrapbook teaching site (although I love jessicasprague.com). Granted, it will take some time to learn much from my blog, and I can't guarantee that I'll have time to make detailed posts every day (for sure) or sometimes even every week. But if you're like me, you might not have that kind of time to sit and learn stuff anyway. A little is better than nothing, right?

Anyway, so that's my plan. I'll start off basic and get a little more complex as time goes on. Please be warned up front that I don't know how often I will be updating. But I'll do it as much as I can!

Before I get started, please let me know if you have any ideas for things you'd want to know as you get started with digital scrapbooking. Feel free to leave a comment below or send me an e-mail with your ideas for topics. And then stay tuned!