DE paper crafter

[umasykes]

I'm still enjoying paper crafting my scrapbooks but realized after spending hundreds of dollars printing pictures that digital scrapbooking might be worth a try. Just need to learn how to go about doing them - what programs do I use and how will I print them once I do them so they fit in with the shelves of 12x12 books I've already done. The designs on here are awesome and can't wait to try some of them. Although I've had access to computers since high school and used design programs way back when I can honestly say I'm feeling decidedly unsavy now.

Tanya

 

[Kristi Martin]

Most people use some form of Photoshop to create pages but another popular program is the Affinity Suite. It is similar to Photoshop but more affordable. Affinity is also available on an iPad which is a huge bonus for those who like to scrap on the go. My iPad is ancient so won't support the app so I scrapbook on my laptop and love the Affinity Suite. https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/
Affinity Photo is the one you want to start with.

As far as printing you want to do pages and not books, Persnickety Prints is a popular option. https://www.persnicketyprints.com/

Personally I have chosen to no longer print my pages. I have loads of paper scrapbook pages and no one looks at them. My boys are grown and moved out and if family comes over they don't want to sit for hours and look through scrapbook pages. Instead I share them digitally which allows family and friends to see them one at a time and can go back and look at them later if they want to and always have access to them. I upload nearly all of my layouts to Instagram and on my iPhone I have created a Scrapbook shared album so my family who has iPhones can see them there. I am sure you could do the same thing through something like Google Photos. Not printing saves me money as well as space.

 

[scrapcrazy]

I really like Photoshop elements. It is cheaper and easier to use than regular Photoshop and you can do so many things with it. There is a learning curve though and I would recommend a class. You can find them online. Once you get the hang of it, there is no stopping what you can do. And if I am printing them I use Persnickety prints as mentioned in Kristi's post.

Kristi...great idea about how you share your digital pages vs. making them into books. Also solves the double page problem if they are not going to be sitting side by side in a book...

 

[snickels]

I also use Photoshop Elements, but there are other programs out there that are more geared towards creating scrapbooks. I have a friend who uses Artisan and prints her pages in a book...but she is super organized and does each year as it happens so can print the book at the end of the year.
I like to print pages because I scrap so randomly. I use Persnickety Prints when I do print. But like Kristi mentioned, no one wants the albums so I've been thinking of keeping them digital...just make sure you have them posted or backed up in a few places.

 

[breoni]

Great questions! I use the full-blown version of PhotoShop Creative Cloud, but I also use that for work so I can justify the expense. It has a steep learning curve to the program, but there are tons of tutorials. And once you learn the program, your imagination is the limit of what you can create.

I use Shutterfly to print one book each year of my favorite layouts. I will put a book together and then wait for their sales of free extra pages and free shipping. LOL. Their quality is awesome. You can also share a link to books if family members also want to purchase a copy for themselves.