Basics of Digital Scrapbooking

A digital scrapbook is a digital layout of photos, embellishments and journaling that is created by manipulating and layering computer graphics. Digital scrapbooking elements can be in the form of .jpg, .png or .tiff files to use freely among digital image editing programs.

Organization is a very important part of digi-scrapping. Keeping your files organized will allow you to create layouts quickly. You can start by scanning or uploading your digital pictures onto your computer. When you scan a picture in, be sure to give it a relevant name and date such as Year_Month_Day_EventorPerson. This will help you find the pictures you need and also eliminates the need to open up numerous files to find an exact event/person you are looking for. Save the original copy of the photo as a .tiff file. You will also want to scan your files in at 200-300 dpi. This is the resolution of the picture and the higher you have the dpi set the better quality the picture will be. If you are planning to print your pictures, 300 dpi is the correct resolution. It will ensure superb quality when printed. If you are only making layouts to share online then you can lower the resolution to 72 dpi. This lower resolution is fine for web graphics that you post to a website or forum to share.

Different file types will allow you to manipulate the elements or photographs in certain ways. A .png file has a transparent background so you can layer it on top of other files. A .tiff file is the easiest way to save original photographs without compromising quality of the photograph. A .jpg is the final format that layouts are typically saved in. A .jpg file cannot be resized without losing quality of the image though. Use the .jpg format when you are done creating your layout.

One of the great benefits of digital scrapbooks is that they can be saved onto your computer. You then have a few choices as to what you would like to do with the layouts you have created. You can burn them to cd and either save them to view on your computer or have them printed out and inserted into traditional albums. Burning them to cd will save you the space on your computer since the finished layouts tend to have large file sizes.

Assembling and laying out your pages will require an image editing program. These programs allow you to copy and paste layers onto a background and manipulate where and how you would like your page to look. There are endless possibilities.

Some of the programs are designed specifically for scrapbooking. You can find these programs in any place where software is sold. The scrapbook programs have custom elements built in to the software so your backgrounds, frames, embellishments, journaling, etc are already made for you and can be layered in the program itself. They also tend to require a lot of memory on your computer. Double check that you have the space needed on your pc before you purchase or try to use one of these programs.

Digital image editing software also requires a lot of memory. Before investing in any software, always be sure that your computer can handle the program and shut down any other programs that may be running (such as Internet Explorer, Quicken, etc). These software programs will allow you to do just about anything you wish and most of them will require some kind of learning process.

Corel Paint Shop Pro is a great program that allows you to manipulate and fix photos, elements, create and save layouts. It has many functions and runs about $99. You can download a free trial of the software here. It is very user friendly but will still require some learning on your part. If you search online for Paint Shop Pro tutorials you will find they are very abundant and most users will testify that the program is very user friendly.

Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements are also wonderful programs for the digital scrapbooker. Photoshop is very expensive and requires a bit more experience than Photoshop Elements. Learning these programs may be more difficult for the beginner but are definitely worth it if you have a passion for graphics.

There are many other programs that you can use such as Ulead Photo Impact, Microsoft Picture It, Printshop, and Printmaster to name a few. All of these programs will require memory. Take the time to delete your temporary internet files, cookies and cache daily as well as empty your recycle bin to keep your computer in ideal condition to run these programs.

Digital scrapbooking is a wonderful and easy hobby that allows you to assemble layouts quickly and with no mess. You do not need crop totes or paper organizers or die cut tools (so it is a great money-saver) but you will need some organized files to save all of the elements that are available to download on the internet. Check out the freebies section at www.thescrapprincess.com/freebies.html for some basic elements.

Article courtesy of Lisa Miller, Owner & Digital Designer, www.TheScrapPrincess.com

2006

Lisa Miller, a graphic designer, has been creating digital scrapbook layouts for 5 years and is the owner of http://www.thescrapprincess.com which offers digital scrapbook elements, freebies, tutorials, web graphics and contests. Join the mailing list for her monthly newsletter with tips and articles to help organize, create and inspire!

Scrapbooking And The Use Of Digital Photography
Digital photography has made scrapbooking easier than ever before. Digital cameras allow you to view your pictures immediately instead ofwaiting hours or days for film to be developed. You will also know if you have captured the perfect shot as s...

Free Digital Scrapbooking
The world of computers has opened up new and easier ways of doing all different kinds of things. From paying bills to playing games to shopping to engaging in hobbies like scrapbooking, the computer world has made new ways and methods of doing our e...

Traditional vs Digital Scrapbooking - The Pro and Cons
Even if you are new to scrapbooking, you have probably seen the trend towards digital page layouts. Scrapbooking has been a popular hobby for hundreds of years. While it has continued to change over the years, the most significant change is the add...

Digital Scrapbooking: Thinking Outside the Box
Most people when thinking of scrapbooking, think of cutting pictures, using paper and borders to enhance the pictures, and adding stickers and journaling to make the perfect scrapbooking project. With advances in computer technology you no longer hav...

Digital Scrapbooking
With digital technology taking over our lives more and more these days it comes as no surprise that most traditional hobbies, arts and interests are turning digital. And scrapbooking is no different. With most families having access to personal compu...

Preserve All The Memories With Online Scrapbooking
Imagine the excitement of retaining and preserving a family legacy of photographs, printed media and memorabilia, as online scrapbooking is becoming the rave of the 21st century. Creating scrapbooks online with a strong editing tool and plenty of tem...

What Are Digital Scrapbook Kits?
You have no doubt heard of digital scrapbooking, but you may not understand exactly what it is and how it is done. Digital scrapbooking is becoming the new form of scrapbooking for many different reasons. The number one reason is how easy it is to cr...

Free Scrapbooking Stuff at Your Fingertips
Online is the best place to gain access to free scrapbooking stuff. All types of sites can be used for online scrapbook or can be even printed out on a high-quality computer and used on typical scrapbook pages. Several websites to check out for free ...

Digital Scrapbooking: Using Digital Collages
Digital scrapbooking is gaining popularity and there is so much available online now to fill the demand. The benefits of going digital include saving time and money on supplies. You can quickly find everything you need for little or even free online ...

Digital Photography is to Scrapbooking as Peanut Butter is to Jelly
If ever two hobbies were made for each other, its digital photography and scrapbooking.In case you havent discovered this wonderful hobby yet, scrapbooking has no similarity to the scrapbooks you made in school .. how many years ago?Todays scrapbook...