Scrapbooking In The Digital Age

by Alden Smith

Our parents and grandparents did their scrapbooking with boxes of photographs, ribbons and bows, and a little ingenuity. Mostly they were old photo albums with the triangular black photo holders, and comments written in white ink on the black page. Some of the better baby books were a little more realistic with a lot of effort put into them. Today, in the digital age of computers and digital images, scrapbooking couldn't be easier. We discuss digital scrapbooking and design here.

How To Get Started

Some computer skills are of course necessary. The ability to learn a program or two that might have a steep learning curve is also essential. Like any worthwhile hobby, you can't learn it over night. If you have an artistic bent, however, you are two steps ahead of everyone.
To master digital scrapbooking, you need a very powerful photo application. Two of the most popular are Photoshop CS3 and Gimp. Photoshop CS3 is currently priced at $649.00, and it is an incredible value for anyone really serious about image manipulation. For the beginner, however, Gimp, which is an open source application, is free. They both do basically the same - you can manipulate, enhance, and add many different effects to your choice of image.
If you get the impression that learning to scrapbook digitally is just too overwhelming for you, don't be. A search online using the keyword phrase “how to learn digital scrapbooking” returned 390 results using quotation marks. “How to learn Gimp” returned 1,400,000 results without quotation marks. “How to learn Photoshop CS3” returned 274,000 results without quotation marks. The information is out there. Use these search terms to find what you need to learn the different applications.

The Value In Going Digital

In a previous article on scrapbooking, we listed the many tools that are readily available for scrapbooking. Although many of them apply here, be aware that doing things digitally can mean savings for you. Many embellishments, from border, layouts and templates and themes can be found online. One such site, Scrap Girls, has offers for digital enhancements that are very affordable. Many of their embellishments run just $3.95. These include Photoshop “brushes” that are used for digital enhancement. On this site you will find tutorials, tips and tricks, and a very active community.

Scrapbooking Communities

Regarding communities, you will find that if you search for scrapbooking forums, you will find them very active and helpful. Some members have thousands of posts, and the ideas you can gain from them is excellent. Search using the term “digital scrapbooking + forums” to find them. There are currently over one million forums online.

Scrapbooking is a very popular hobby, and there are millions of enthusiasts. Taking the time to learn digital scrapbooking will make the hobby more enjoyable for you because of the many resources available. Support and online communities means you are only a click away from finding any help needed. Give digital scrapbooking a try.

Alden Smith is an award winning author and regular contributor to DoItYourself.com. He writes on a variety of subjects and excels in research.