Let's talk software

Digital Scrapbooking Software

Now let's talk software!

Digital Scrapbooking doesn't necessarily require any fancy software to get started. It doesn't. It doesn't even completely require graphic editing software as many desktop publishing packages are quite capable of handling the digital scrapbook layouts. You aren't limited to just a few pieces of software. You can use one, two, or a combination of any that you like. This is in no way a complete listing of software available or even usable.

Graphic editing software that can be used for digital scrapbooking:

» Adobe Photoshop
» Adobe Photoshop Elements
» Jasc Paint Shop Pro
» Corel Draw
» Microsoft Digital Image Pro
» Microsoft Picture It
» Macromedia Fireworks
» The Gimp
» Ulead Photo Impact

Like I said, this is not an all inclusive list, but it is one that is simply intended to get you started.

The most important things about selecting the software you will use to do your digital scrapbooking are:

» will run adequately on your computer
» supports PNG, JPG, and GIF formats
» supports transparency
» works in layers (or the similation of layers)
» has the ability to drop shadows
» and you are comfortable using it.

I don't recommend trying to run Adobe Photoshop CS2 on a computer more than a couple of years old, but the older version 7 would still run relatively efficiently on a computer of that age. So you need to make sure you know what your computer can and/or will handle first and foremost. You will be happier in the long run if you do that.

You do not even need the most recent version of these software packages, but there is a point where it is time to draw a line above the Titanic and work up. Adobe Photoshop Version 7 is still a very ample program, but Photoshop version 5 will yield some problems. Photoshop Elements 3 is perfectly acceptable. Photoshop Elements 2 has some problems rendering transparency on certain files.

The point is, you do not have to sell the family farm to get the software needed to scrapbook digitally. There are so many options. With the options come a variety of prices as well. That is the beauty of it all.

Keep in mind that Adobe and Macromedia are now the same company – Adobe. Jasc and Corel are now the same company – Corel.

It is important that the software supports PNG, JPG, and GIF formats. PNG and JPG are the most common digital scrapbook formats available on the web today. Any kits that you download for free or buy will contain files in the PNG or JPG formats. PNG and GIF formats support transparency. JPG are high quality, compressed files.

Transparency is important in that you don't want your embellishments to be on white (or any color for that matter), unless your page is white. You want realistic embellishments on the page colors and patterns of your choice. Transparency is important!

Drop shadows give your digital layouts a sense of realism. While a montage style layout may not require drop shadows, if you want to duplicate the realistic paper like scrapbook pages, drop shadows are key to your success.

Layers allow you to put things behind others. You layer things on a traditional paper scrapbook layout, you'll do the same digitally.

It is also important that you are comfortable using the program of your choice. Whatever you chose to use, learn how to do the basic things. Go to the library and get books. Go to the bookstore and get books. Go online and do web searches. Read the help files that came with your program. Take a class if one is available. Learning the program and and its techniques and terminology is essential to completing a digital scrapbook page without extreme levels of frustration. Think of it this way, it is one more piece of software you would be able to put on a resume if you ever needed to, so take the time to learn it. Enjoy learning it.

Software Overview

I want to give a brief overview of the software options in the list above. Please keep in mind that this in no way will be a comprehensive list. It is not intended to be. It is what my understanding about these programs are, nothing more. This is to simply raise awareness of what some of your options are.

Many of these programs offer “free trials” for a period. If you are not certain what program is best for you and your learning style, feel free to try a few out and see what suits you best.

» Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is probably the most expensive of the software packages available. It is the leading image editing software on the market in many aspects. It is quite pricey. Street price is approximately $650 for the most recent version. That isn't to say that you cannot get it cheaper, but that's the retail price. If you are a student and/or teacher, check academic pricing. Photoshop is a professional grade program. There is a learning curve, but with patience and practice the general user can learn the basics of Photoshop in a short time. There are a ton of books that can help guide you in your learning endeavors. Online tutorials are readily available.

» Adobe Photoshop Elements
Adobe Photoshop Elements is the stripped down version of Photoshop. It holds its own for digital scrapbooking and is totally ample for the general user who does not need or what the bells and whistles that Photoshop has to offer. It also has the added benefit that it is affordable for the general consumer. Retail price is approximately $90-100 for Version 4 (current version for PC) or $80-90 for Version 3 (current version for Mac). There are plenty of books to read up on how to use this program. Online tutorials are readily available. From what I have read, Elements 4 is digital scrapbook friendly. Photoshop Elements is more user friendly than Photoshop. It is an excellent program to test your feet out in the world of digital scrapbooking.

» Jasc Paint Shop Pro
Paint Shop Pro is a very user friendly program. It is also very affordable. Retail price for the most recent version X is approximately $130. In the Paint Shop family, there is Paint Shop Xtras – Scrapbooking Editions. Retail price is approximately $20. But how neat is it that a major software producer has taken scrapbookers under their wings and provided them tools to use specifically for scrapbooking? There are 7 different editions of the Xtras for scrapbooking to fit a variety of scrapbooking styles. Online tutorials are readily available for Paint Shop Pro. Many of the digital scrapbooking specific tutorials found online are for Paint Shop Pro. It is a great program to test your feet out in the world of digital scrapbooking and beyond.

» Corel Draw
I believe the most recent version of Corel Draw is Corel Draw Graphics Suite 12. Retail price is approximately $400. Or, there is the Corel Creative Collection that is only $130. Like Adobe, Corel has different levels of programs to suit different users. There are some tutorials available online. However, Corel has put some digital scrapbooking relevant tutorials on their own website.

» Microsoft Digital Image Pro

» Microsoft Picture It

» Macromedia Fireworks
Retail price is approximately $300 for Fireworks 8 (most recent version). The one benefit to Fireworks is that its native file format is PNG. Makes it easy in the sense that most kit elements are going to be PNG. It is my understanding that Fireworks was intended for the “web graphics” industry more so than photo editing, but I personally think that it could hold its own in the industry. I used it exclusively with no problems until I made the switch to Photoshop.

» The Gimp
The Gimp is an open source software package. It is free. It is similar to Adobe Photoshop, that was their intentions anyway. There is a learning curve. In some ways, I would say that it is worse than Photoshop, but in other ways I wouldn't say it is any worse. The major drawback to this is that documentation and tutorials are typically limited. However, doing a Google search did yield online tutorials that could easily be used for digital scrapbooking purposes.

» Ulead Photo Impact
Retail price is approximately $90 for version 10, or approximately $100 for PhotoImpact Pro 10.