A friend of mine is trying to get me to go digital. She doesn’t see how I could possibly want to stick with traditional scrapbooking when I could be embracing the wave of the future—-digital scrapbook kits.
The other day she walked me through her Adobe Photoshop program to show me how she creates her stunning layouts. To be honest, I am not a tech-nut. I like simple and clean. Photoshop seems like it is better suited for sophisticated and elaborate spreads given the almost endless amount of effects you can create on a single page design.
Even the most basic digital scrapbook kit comes with graphics that mimic the look of traditional scrapbook cardstock, patterned paper, and embellishments. Some kits also have pre-designed templates, which allow you to further customize your layouts. In addition, some kits let you to drop shadows, layer paper, add texture and modify your photos by turning color photos into black and white images.
If you don’t have a friend who is willing to walk you through the steps, then consider watching an online tutorial. Digital Scrapbook Place has a number of Photoshop and Photoshop Elements videos that show you how to create digital scrapbook pages. Two Peas in a Bucket also has a slew of tutorials and articles for beginning digital scrappers. They also have a message board where you can swap ideas with other digital scrapbookers. Other helpful websites for digital scrappers include: Cottage Arts, which offers detailed illustrations and step-by-step instructions, Scrapbook Bytes and Web Work Site, which has information and suggestions for experienced digital scrapbook fans.
If you are an experienced digital designer, and you are quite good at creating digital kits, then you might consider selling them to other scrapbookers to make some extra money. Some of the aforementioned websites offer tips on how to sell your original kits on your own website. It’s a relatively simple business idea, though you will need to know a bit about advertising.
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