chapter 1
GET STA S C R A P B O O RT E D DIGIT KING U S I N G T H AL ESE TIPS hether you’ve been scrapbooking for
most important things in common with the paper
years or have recently discovered how
scrapbooks you know and love. It gives you a
rewarding scrapbooking can be, you’ve
way to express your creativity and, most impor-
most likely heard of digital scrapbooking.
tantly, it’s a safe way to preserve your memories,
Digital scrapbooking differs from traditional
images, and stories for future generations.
scrapbooking in more profound ways than
We invite you to start scrapbooking digitally,
just the replacement of paper with pixels. It
and we hope that by using the basic infor-
draws heavily from graphic design, featuring
mation in this chapter you’ll find the process
exact measurements, precise color matching,
of creating your first digital scrapbooks a
and clean lines. Yet it has, at its core, all the
simple and enjoyable one.
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Olympus PEN E-PL1, olympusamerica.com
Since the Victorian era, scrapbooks have been created using paper, scissors, and glue. But digital scrapbooking requires a new set of equipment: a digital camera (which you probably already own), a scanner, a printer, and photo-editing software.
Stylus NX420 All-in-One Printer, epson.com
Read on to discover the top features you should consider in order to find the high-tech equipment that will work best for you.
Cameras: Top Features to Consider
1. The number of megapixels 2. How fast the camera is 3. What features its lenses offer 4. How much time you want to spend learning the camera Scanners: Top Features to Consider
1. The maximum resolution 2. How accurately it scans color
Epson WorkForce 1100 Wide-format Printer, epson.com
3. The formats it scans to 4. The speed at which it scans Printers: Top Features to Consider
1. The quality of the print 2. The sizes of prints you need 3. The kind of ink it uses Photo-Editing Software: Top Features to Consider
1. Flexibility to save work in different formats, such as JPEG or TIFF 2. The level of experience you need to get started 3. The size of photo collection it can help you manage 10
creatingkeepsakes.com
Adobe Photoshop Elements 8, adobe.com
chapter 3
TAKE AND D IGI B E ST P H TALLY SCRAPB OOK YOUR OTO S THESE ID E AS very great scrapbook layout, digital or
But whether you’ve been a photographer for
traditional, starts with great photos. But
two weeks or twenty years, you can take better
far too often, we’re compelled to work with
shots now and improve the photos you already
what we have rather than what we’d like.
have. Read on to learn simple techniques for
Colorful fireworks displays, joyous birthday
getting great results with your camera, photo-
celebrations, solemn moments at weddings—
editing software, and scanner. We’ll also share
when we review our photos later, they
our top ideas for getting the best images you
just don’t seem to reflect our memories
can as well as a few cool ideas for perking up
of the occasion.
your layouts with neat photo tricks.
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[ before ]
Original photo: muddy colors and odd shadows distract from the subject.
[ after ]
After five-minute fix: bright colors and sharp details make the image pop.
Pop Your Photo’s Color
Run the photo through a noise reduction filter.
Bump up the Levels to brighten, increase the Contrast to make the colors pop, and adjust the overall color to warm up the winter blues or cool down the summer yellows.
Use the Dodge tool with a light touch to emphasize the eyes.
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chapter 2
MAKE DIGIT AL T H I S O R S C RA P B O O K I N G GA N I Z A E AS I E R TIONAL SY S T E M hen you began scrapbooking digitally,
heirloom photos you scanned. And as your
you probably relished the thought of how
collection of digital kits and elements has
much tidier working with a computer would be
grown, you’re finding it tougher by the day
compared to paper and adhesive. Organization
to find anything.
would be in your grasp at last! Now, if you’ve been working digitally for any
Fortunately, we’ve devised a system for you that’s simple, flexible, and fun to use.
length of time, you most likely have so many
Equipped with our findings and tips, you
photos that it’s nearly impossible to find snap-
can get organized in less time than you ever
shots from your last family picnic, let alone the
dreamed possible.
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You don’t need a fistful of tags to keep your digital elements neatly filed. Pick just two standard tags (three, if you download kits or brushes with specific themes) and you’ll always have the element you need at your fingertips. When tagging an element, first specify its color (each color of the rainbow, plus black, brown, white, and pink), then its type (paper, ribbon, button, brad, overlay, and so on). Searching for “blue button” is much faster—and produces much more useful results—than scrolling through page after page of kit previews! Don’t forget to tag your templates too. To make the element-labeling process easier for you, we’ve created a list of super-handy categories that you can download from our website at creatingkeepsakes.com. Print out the PDF version and add them to your system yourself, or for maximum convenience, just download our sample image (for Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, and Picasa users) or importable database with tags included for ACDSee users. Open the file in your photo-organizing software, and you’ll find each tag automatically added and ready for you to use. Could it get any easier? We don’t think so! Check out the pre-tagged image and importable database, plus instructions for use, at creatingkeepsakes.com.
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