Digital Scrapbooking

I use Adobe Elements 7. I purchase it at Costco each year before Christmas when they offer a coupon that lets me purchase the program for around $40. I would recommend this photoshop to anyone, even at the usual $80 price. It isn't necessary to update Adobe every year but it makes for a good birthday gift so I'll take the upgrades.My mom HATES Adobe Elements but let me tell you why...she doesn't know how to use it so she claims it is not user friendly. But really it is so user friendly if you get a few pointers. My sister Alison hadn't ever used it before and after a 45 minute tutorial she was ready to go. It really is easy to learn.
I would highly recommend any class offered by Jessica Sprague. I had used Elements for years and after even her first class I had learned enough to make it worth the cost of the class. Her beginning class is great for both those who have never used Adobe photoshop and people like me who have used it forever but still have tons to learn. Basically if you have purchased Adobe and you take her class...you will be set. I really don't mind giving tutorials either...just so long as you bring me a Diet Cherry Coke.
I don't pay anything for my digital scrapbooking materials. There are so many freebies available on line that I haven't needed to spend any money. I have several places that I go regularly to find the free stuff but my favorite is Scrappin with Ikeagoddess. Everyday she posts tons of freebies on her blog. It's seriously like a huge treasure hunt and you are always the winner.

You can get everything on line...paper (both solids and pattern), buttons, ribbons, overlays, word art, templates, quickpages and so much more. Any of these items can be manipulated in Adobe to match the photos you are working with. Have the perfect polka dots paper but it's not the right color...simple adjust it until the color is just what you need.
For those of you who are familiar with Becky Higgins sketches, that is what a template is like. It is so versatile. You simply add your photos and papers and anything else you want to complete the page. If you don't like the size, shape or number of photos on the template you can add or remove any of the elements you want. (Jessica Sprague's class will guide you through easy steps toward using templates.)

A quickpage is just what it says. Someone else has created a completed scrapbook page and left an opening for you to throw your photo in. It's that easy. But I tend to also manipulate these pages to fit my needs.

You can create pages with one photo or 100...it's totally up to you. Your options are endless and it is so much fun.

I use ACDSee to organize my digital supplies. What I love about ACDSee is that it doesn't actually store the items in the program but it simply tags my materials and then when I click on the tag it will find the materials for me in my external hard drive. They offer a 30 day free trial and then a discount if you choose to purchase it if you mention Jessica Sprague's class.
As for printing pages...well, I haven't yet. I'm not sure which route I will take. I don't have a 12x12 printer so printing at home is out of the question. At Costco you can print out a 12x12 photo for $2.99 or you can print out a 12x18 for $2.99. The option with the 12x18 is that for the same price as the 12x12 you can print one 12x12 and two 6x6's. You can either print 3 of the same layout on one sheet and use the 6x6 size for gifts or small albums for your children. Or you can print out 3 different layouts on one sheet and have several different sizes of albums in your home.

My other thought is to print them out in a book. At Christmas I printed out a 33 page 8x8 hardback book for $30 total. Like I mentioned in my earlier post I used the company Viovio.
While this may sound spendy my thoughts are this. When I created my scrapbooks non digitally I had to pay for the following...developing or printing of the photos, paper and all embellishments, adhesive, album to put them in, magazines for ideas on scrapbooking and as you know the list goes on and on.


Well, if you have any other questions just let me know. I think I am most loving that there is NO MESS!!! It's all here, right in my computer, ready to go!!!