Digital Scrapbooking - What is it all about anyway?

Part I: Article by Michelle Shefveland For CottageArts.Net email: info@cottagearts.net

It seems digital scrapbooking is getting a great deal of attention lately, especially with the major scrapbook publications putting out special issues devoted to digital arts.  A large majority of traditional scrapbookers are having fun creating word art and journaling for their traditional pages with computer software, which is really a form of digital scrapbooking.  Some just take it a level further and create their entire pages on the computer.  It’s exciting when new tools are introduced to help artists with their craft, but at the same time, it can also be overwhelming.

Many scrapbookers are digital photographers and are storing photographs on computer hard drives instead of photo albums and boxes.  Being able to use photos archived on your computer is one of the main reasons digital scrapbooking is increasing in popularity so rapidly. 

If you’re a digital photographer and need to do any type of photo editing tasks, you most likely already own one of the fabulous image editing packages on the market, such as Adobe® Photoshop® or Photoshop® Elements, Jasc Paint Shop Pro®, Ulead PhotoImpact®, or Microsoft® Digital Image Pro, just to name a few. They all have incredible photo editing features, but did you know you can also create entire scrapbook layouts from scratch using these tools? 

Your Photos - Your Style

In creating a digital layout from scratch, there are the same basic steps: design background paper, add photos, create photo mats or accent papers, add effects such as drop shadowing, create embellishments (if desired), and finish with titles and journaling.  It’s up to you how you use those steps to define your own unique style.  Some like clean graphic lines giving the look of a magazine ad, while others like the look of traditional paper-pieced layouts, with “paper,” embellishments, and the illusion of three-dimensions.  The beauty of digital is that either is possible with the same photographs.  Using the same digital photo, I will show you multiple looks you can create showing the power of digital imaging software.  Ready-made templates, like our Simply Digital™ product line, are also available for those who like the look of traditional scrapbooking, but want beautiful results in little time. 

This article is just a general overview of what's involved in creating a digital layout, so you can see the possibilities of scrapbooking the digital way.  For detailed step-by-step instructions with specific software, see our other tutorials. 

Equipment/Software needed for Digital Scrapbooking:

• Computer with at least 256 KB RAM; Mac or Windows operating system.

• Digital Imaging Software that supports layers, such as Jasc Paint Shop Pro or Adobe Photoshop/ Photoshop Elements

• Photos available on your computer system, either by scanning or by importing digital photographs

• Optional:  Simply Digital™ Scrapbooking Template CDs

• Optional: Photo quality printer and photo paper, if you want to print your layouts (see our tutorial on printing layouts for more information)

One Photo Three Ways
We'll first take a look at three different looks you can achieve with the same photograph.  Each of these are completely digital layouts.

1. CLEAN LINES
Use a precious photo as your background.  This is a very popular design choice in the world of digital, as it’s a unique look that cannot be created in the traditional world.  You resize the focal photo to the size of your finished layout and then create a misty effect by adding a layer of white on top of it, in which you decrease the opacity.

Supplies:
Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8, free 30-day trial available from www.jasc.com
Font: Garamond, Microsoft; Monterey BT available for purchase at www.MyFonts.com

2. TRADITIONAL FUN
Using standard features available in most digital imaging packages, you can create the layout below that mimics the look of a traditional paper layout.  An awesome feature of digital scrapbooking is the ability to duplicate photos with the click of a button and then cut small focus photos as fun accents. 

Supplies:
Adobe Photoshop Elements
Font: Peach Fuzz, available for purchase at www.MyFonts.com

3. SHABBY IN AN INSTANT
Using a scrapbook template is a great way to start learning digital scrapbooking without the time-consuming task of making all the individual elements.  Simply add your photos and journaling, and change the colors of the papers to match your photos (if necessary) for instant beautiful pages. All the papers, torn edges, mats, titles, and embellishments are already there! CottageArts.net’s Simply Digital™ Template CDs come with background papers, embellishments, and fully-layered templates in PSD format, which are compatible with many image editing packages.  The layouts are also in .jpg format for those of you who would rather print them and just adhere photos and traditional embellishments. 

Supplies:
Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8
Layout template from Simply Shabby CD, available from CottageArts.net
Journaling included on template…can change its colors, re-size, move, and rotate it.  Can make it invisible if you want to add your own. 

Continue to Part II: The Makings of a Digital Layout