5 Tips for Creating a Focal Point on Your Scrapbook Pages

Great scrapbook pages tell a story. That story comes through more clearly when the page has a defined focal point, a place where the eye naturally rests as you look at the scrapbook page layout. These five tips will help you create pages with a clear focal point.

1. Enlarge a Photo – The easiest and probably most often seen way to create a focal point on your scrapbook page is to enlarge the main photo. Choose the photo that tells the story of the scrapbook layout and make that one the focus of the page.
2. Reduce or Crop the Accompanying Photos – Instead of enlarging one photo, you can reduce the size of all of the others. Many photo printers allow you to print wallet size photos; these smaller pictures are perfect accents that keep the attention on the full size, 4x6 inch, focal point photo.
3. Mat, Double Mat, or even Triple Mat the Focal Point – Matting a photo draws attention to that photo. Therefore, double matting and even triple matting can be used to bring even more focus to your main photograph on your layout.
4. Horizontal or Vertical – Remember to turn your camera at least once at every occasion. Creating balanced scrapbook pages is so much easier when you have the option of both horizontal and vertical photos. Use a vertical close up photo as your focal point and then accent it with horizontal supporting photos.
5. Get in Close – A close up shot makes a great focal point photo. A close up photo will usually be the strongest photo on the scrapbook page. Therefore, a close-up makes a great focal point photograph. Use supporting photos that are taken from a wider angle to finish off the page and complete the story.


You can see these tips in action in Scrapbook Redesign before and after photos of a scrapbook page layout.