With
scrapbooking as popular as ever, more people are looking for ways
to use their computers’ capabilities in this exciting craft.
Improved scanning and printing options, and a proliferation of
software devoted to creating superb one-of-a-kind scrapbook pages
has put this innovation within the reach of any computer owning
scrapbooker – and you don’t have to be an expert to use them!
Using Image Editing & Scrapbooking Software
(Software titles are linked to pages where they can
be purchased online)
You can begin creating your own digital scrapbook pages with
image editing software like
Photoshop or
Paint Shop Pro. The
software allows you to create pages that will print out to the
size you want, whether it’s for a mini album, an 8 1/2x11 or 12x12
album.
You can edit your scanned photos to make them more interesting,
such as turning them into sepia, bluetone or black and white, crop
out unwanted elements, or render them to resemble oil paintings,
pencil sketches or charcoal drawings. With other tools such as the
picture tubes in
Paint Shop Pro, you can add a variety of
embellishments.
If you want to save money, choose software that is dedicated to
scrapbooking. There are several on the market, such as the
inexpensive
Ulead My Scrapbook 2 and
Creating Keepsakes
Scrapbook Designer Deluxe.
Using Free Online Resources
But even if you don’t want to purchase new software at all,
there are other ways you can get into digital scrapbooking without
having to spend another cent.
The Internet abounds with free digital scrapbooking sites that
offer ready designed pages, embellishments and free downloads.
First check the make of your printer. If all you want to do is
print your own pages, Canon, HP and Epson all offer free
scrapbooking pages you can download at their website activity
centers.
But if you want to create the page on the computer,
Cottage
Arts offers free design kit downloads with a range of
backgrounds and embellishments such as tags, lettering and buttons
and bows. These images are compatible with most major image
editors. Page kits are also available from websites such as
Digital Scrapbook Place.
Making Your Scrapbook
Once you have started creating beautiful pages on your
computer, comes the next question – what to do with them? First of
all, you can print them out and place them in albums just as you
would any other scrapbook page.
You can also frame your scrapbook page or upload it to a
digital album. If you choose an image hosting service, you can
make the albums available to be viewed by friends and relatives
anywhere in the world – no more having to pack bulky albums on
visits!
Advantages of Digital Scrapbooking
Digital scrapbooking has many advantages – if you save your
pages to an Internet hosting service, then you will always know
that no matter what happens, your albums are safe and can be
reprinted. You can create effects that are only possible on a
computer and then have a hard copy printout in your album.
Best of all, many of the elements you will use are free on the
Internet, or available in bulk on inexpensive CD-ROMS – think what
a difference that will make to your storage problems and your
pocketbook!
by Gail Kavanagh
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Frugal Scrapbooking - Getting
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