Digital scrapbooking vs. traditional scrapbooking...talk to me

[Sue G in PA]

Digital scrapbooking is becoming more and more popular and some would say the "norm" these days. I'm curious b/c I have so many photos and not a ton of time or space to scrapbook the traditional way. If you digital scrapbook, how do you like it? Do you feel it is 'creative' enough for you? Do the albums turn out just as nice? And, how about the cost comparison? Is it comparable to traditional scrapbooks? Cheaper, more expensive? How about software? Can you recommend a good program? Are there some that are free online? Sorry so many questions. Just trying to get some info before I take the plunge. I still have a ton of trad. scrapbook supplies and tons of printed photos so I can't go totally digital yet. But for the future...and all the photos I have still on memory cards. Thinking it would be my best bet since space is not plentiful and time isn't either. Thanks!

[mrs.m]

I love it! The creativity is different than paper but it satisifies my need because there is less mess to clean up in the end and I don't have stuff everywhere.

 

The albums turn out great. I love them! Again it's different. The page is flat but doesn't look flat with proper shadowing, etc. Something you can learn as you go.

 

The cost can be cheaper but starting out can be expensive because of the cost of the program. I suggest that you get a good photo editing program such as Photoshop Elements. You can download a 30 day trial to try it out. After that it is CHEAP!

 

There's a lot of freebies out there but I no longer collect freebies. The best freebies are at http://www.shabbyprincess.com. I shop the $1 sales at stores. Today http://www.scrapartist.com is having a sale.

 

I want to add that printing can be expensive. I print on 8x8 from my Kodak Easy Share at home. I haven't found this to be too cost prohibitive. You can send your layouts to some places that print for $1-2 per page.

 

Check out http://www.digishoptalk.com for more information on digi scrapping. You can ask questions there!

 

HTH!

Edited February 5, 2010 by jannylynn
adding more thoughts

[FriedClams]

I like paper. Scrapbooking to me Is art and fun. I like the process of paper

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

I like the look of digital scrapbooking. I think you can be creative with the options provided. I've tried a couple different programs, and I like the Creative Memories one best. I don't use CM scrapbooks, but their program was pretty cool.

 

That said, I prefer traditional scrapbooking for myself. I like the feel of cutting the photos and papers myself, of searching for the perfect embellishment, of texturing pages, etc.

 

Try digital scrapbooking. You may like it.

Edited February 5, 2010 by thescrappyhomeschooler
typo

[mysticamethyst]

For me its digital all the way. I do not have the ability to sit down and do all that cutting and pasting. I agree with everythign JannyLynn said, I cannot stand the mess of tradional scrapbooking but love the look of all the great pages. I use Photoshop but only because it was handy when I started learning, there are a few other more affordable programs out there though. There are many great sites out there, lots with freebie downloads from others learning how to make their own. Most sites that sell downloads also have tutorial on how to make your own, thats where is starts getting addictive.:001_smile: Some of my favorite sites are http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/ and http://scrapbook-bytes.com/ and Janny also gave you one that's great shabbyprincess, I love her pages. Have fun and share your first page, I would love to see it.:001_smile::001_smile:

[Pink Fairy]

I've only done digital, but that's due to space and time constraints. I love that I can work on my laptop in between school stuff, and it's easy to stop and start with no clean up. There are certain things that you can do with digital--blending, for example--that look cool. It gives me a chance to be creative in a way that really feeds my soul, IYKWIM.

 

Even so, if I had the time, space, and money, I know I'd enjoy paper scrapping. For one thing, I think the finished product would be more satisfying. A page that actually HAS something to touch is appealing in a way that a flat page just isn't.

 

Still, you can make your digital scrapping look just like paper scrapping, or you can try things like this that probably wouldn't work with paper.

 

[Rosy]

A couple years ago I would have said paper without thinking twice. I enjoy the process of paper scrapbooking way more, and the last thing I need is more time on the computer! But lately, I NEVER scrap anymore. Never. DH keeps asking me when I'm going to box up my supplies and move them to the basement. I just can't. The nice thing about digi is you can easily do 5-10 min. when you have down time. It takes me twice that long at least to drag all my stuff out and then more time to stare at my supplies and decide which ones I want to use...so half an hour before I do *anything* at all. And the only time I have time is at night, when I'm not exactly at my most creative. The printing cost of digi has always bugged me too--I can make a paper layout for under $2 most of the time, and I already have all the supplies, so paying that much or more for printing...I can't wrap my mind around it. lol

 

So I don't know. If I were you, I'd try getting as much free digi stuff as possible and give it a shot (no pun intended!). If you can get Elements, I think that would be sufficient (we have PS full version for DS's work). If not I'd do a search for free programs online. They have cheap ones in the stores that are more limited in scope.

 

I'll be watching this thread...I miss scrapping! And I hate to give up on all my supplies, they've been so good to me in the past! ;) But they're becoming a less and less viable option all the time, unfortunately. :(

[Shelly in IL]

that you do on the computer. Then you can print whatever you did off and put it in the album. That sounds like a good compromise.

[lcelmer]

I like both, but for right now digi-scrapping is better... No one can crumple the page or spill glue on it... (I still have littles)

 

Also, no mess to clean up, and you can always reprint the page, unlike the 2 albums I lost to a broken pipe a couple years ago..... :crying: ... My baby albums are pretty much ruined.... all the ultrasounds everything...

 

Even page protectors don't stop an overhead water leak. In fact, they only made it worse, my pages were FULL of water....

 

I am so glad there were a couple pages that I still have on the computer, I will reprint them. Too bad all the baby pics weren't done that way.

[Ginevra]

I've been using the digital photo books at Shutterfly and I love it. This is free, but not as extensive as what is possible. It's not as amazingly artistic as traditional scrapbooking, but at least at this time in my life, it meets my needs far better. I like that I can spend 3 or 4 hours and have a completed book from, say, our Disney trip. I like that the book is very slim compared with traditional scrapping. I like that I can add pages with a click of the mouse instead of opening up those confounded scrapbook bindings. I like that I can add text simply, instead of "telling myself" that I'll fill in the journalling later (which has often meant...never.) I like that the pictures automatically fit to the size needed for the layout - no more wondering which pictures I need in 5x7 or 8x10. I can decide that as I go.

 

By using the Shutterfly tools, it is less expensive. There is no "junk" lying around waiting for the right pictures, no wasted stickers or letter that are unusable or become dated. It can still be fairly expensive, but there is no waste. My Disney book was a little over $100, but holds something like 150 photos and there are no leftover papers, stickers, gizmos and whatsits sitting around wasting.

 

I have not worked up the courage to get rid of all my scrapping stuff, but I feel it likely in the next year or two.

[mrs.m]

Still, you can make your digital scrapping look just like paper scrapping, or you can try things like this that probably wouldn't work with paper.

 

 

 

WOW!!! This is so cool! I'm more on the traditional side of my Digiscrapping but I enjoy looking at these very artful layouts!

[cougarmom4]

My plan is to finish the photos that I have already printed with traditional paper scrapbooking (also using up all of the cute papers, stickers, etc. that I have been hoarding for years). So...in my case, I have 2005, 2006, and 2007 left to go.

 

Then starting with the photos in 2008 I will digital scrapbook. I got a color printer for Christmas with the idea to print out my own pages, but I haven't figured out which software program to use yet. I didn't know about the Photoshop Elements free trial--I think I'll try that out and see if it would be what I'm looking for. I *love* the scrapbooking/creative experience...and need to have the 'cutesy' type of pages not just slapping them in.

 

What I found a few months ago, that kind of introduced me to this whole idea of digital, was Smilebox. It is SO much fun to just pop my pictures into cute, themed scrapbook pages and see a finished product. You can use it for free--and email pages/scrapbook/slide show to anyone or post on facebook. But in order to print an album or pages out, you have to pay (iirc it was $30-40 for a year).

 

But there are things I don't necessarily like about smilebox--you can only make slight changes on the layout and I'm not sure about printing them out. The 8 x 11 pages are mostly in a landscape layout rather than portrait (which is what I'd like, so I can put in page protectors & a binder). They also have the 12 x 12 square format...but my printer doesn't go that large (it was a lot more money to be able to do so). I've heard you can print out 8 x 8 size and just cut off the top of the page, but again, then I'd have to buy a separate type of album, I guess.

 

So, I'd love to hear any ideas or opinions on software & printing at home, if any of you have experience.

 

Thanks for posting about this topic! Good luck figuring out what you're going to do!

[mrs.m]

I've heard you can print out 8 x 8 size and just cut off the top of the page, but again, then I'd have to buy a separate type of album, I guess.

 

So, I'd love to hear any ideas or opinions on software & printing at home, if any of you have experience.

 

Thanks for posting about this topic! Good luck figuring out what you're going to do!

 

I use 8x8 albums. I print on letter photopaper and crop to fit the album. I used to print at Sam's for about $1 and they would crop for me.

 

You can create your own cutesy pages. Digital scrapbook kits come with a lot of really cute elements. Here's some of my pages: http://www.elementalscraps.com/photopost/showgallery.php/cat/500/ppuser/584

I've scrapped more since Nov. but I don't have the time to post in a gallery any longer. ;)

 

A couple great places to learn how to use PSE for digiscrapping:

http://hummiesworld.com/

http://www.digiscrappingtutorials.com/

 

have fun learning!

[cougarmom4]

I use 8x8 albums. I print on letter photopaper and crop to fit the album. I used to print at Sam's for about $1 and they would crop for me.

 

You can create your own cutesy pages. Digital scrapbook kits come with a lot of really cute elements. Here's some of my pages: http://www.elementalscraps.com/photopost/showgallery.php/cat/500/ppuser/584

I've scrapped more since Nov. but I don't have the time to post in a gallery any longer. ;)

 

A couple great places to learn how to use PSE for digiscrapping:

http://hummiesworld.com/

http://www.digiscrappingtutorials.com/

 

have fun learning!

 

Okay, let me see if I'm understanding correctly--you use Photoshop Elements as your software and then get the cutesy pages & elements from various places around the internet (some are free, some you pay for--but once you download you have them to use as much as you want, right?)--then use them within Photoshop Elements to create your cute pages. Then you print them off at home. Can you print them in 8 1/2 by 11 or just the square pages?

 

Sorry for the hijack...just trying to learn the whole process!

[mrs.m]

Okay, let me see if I'm understanding correctly--you use Photoshop Elements as your software and then get the cutesy pages & elements from various places around the internet (some are free, some you pay for--but once you download you have them to use as much as you want, right?)--then use them within Photoshop Elements to create your cute pages. Then you print them off at home. Can you print them in 8 1/2 by 11 or just the square pages?

 

Sorry for the hijack...just trying to learn the whole process!

 

Yes to everything!

 

You can do your scrapbook in 8.5 by 11. I create it as 8x8 and print on 8.5 by 11 and crop it to fit in my 8x8 albums.

[RanchGirl]

I love both digital and paper scrapbooking! For digital I use photoshop elements and download most of my supplies online via the former digi free blog, now called craft cave, and I also have purchased things from a few sites. Stuff to scrap is my current favorite. I print out the pages in 12x12 at either scrapbookpictures.com or scrappingsimply.com and slide them into toploading page protectors. So in one album I might have a paper page next to a digital page. scrappingsimply.com is only $2 per 12x12 page so as long as I use free or low cost elements, it's not expensive. It's especially cost effective if I am doing a layout with a lot of photos on one page - $2.00 for the whole page versus printing 10-15 picturesout plus paying for paper supplies.

 

I'll never give up paper scrapping but I really do like both. Digi takes longer to learn unless you are comfortable in a program already but once you get it you can get pretty fast. There are also lots of free quick pages out there where you just add photos and text and boom, page complete. If you want to learn to digital scrap with PS or PSE, Jessica Sprague has some great free classes to get you started. This website also has some great basic tutorials.

[Photo Ninja]

I love digital scrapping. I started out paper scrapping over 15 years ago, and several years ago moved to digital. I use Photshop Elements. Digi scrapping allows me to do all sorts of things that are not possible with paper scrapping, like blending and other effects. I love that I can decide what size I want my photo and crop and enlarge as I scrap, instead of sitting down to do a paper scrap page and realize that I really need a 5x7 instead of a 4x6, so I have to get the right size photo before I can even start. With digital I always have the colors I want and I never run out of paper or elements. I can print whatever size page I want to. I have printed a 12x12 size that had 4 6x6 layouts on it. I can make a 12x12 page for me, then print the identical page as 8x8 for grandparents. I love the flexibility.

 

Digi scrapping is not more expensive than paper scrapping, but it can sometimes seem like it because you print the entire page or album at once. I print at Costco and slip the pages into a binder. I can spend 2.00 printing a 12x12 page, which seems like a lot of money. But, if I spent .80 for a piece of cardstock, then used a couple other colors of .80 paper for mats, then add cost of embellishments and adhesive, and then add in the cost of the photos, including enlargements, that paper page could cost a lot more than $2.00. Plus, with digital paper and embellishments, I can reuse it as many times as I want to, and change the color to be whatever I need. With paper, I buy it, use it, and it's gone.

 

I use a lot of free items that I get weekly from http://www.designerdigitals.com. They have 3 free items per week, then other weekly specials with items from .25 - .99. I do buy from them, too. These are the nicest kits and embellishments that I have seen online, and they work with Photoshop Elements.

[Guest CartersCrew]

I used to sell Creative Memories and spent hours crafting and journaling in my books. The storage space for all of my "stuff" took up an entire closet. I was very hesitant to move into the world of digital scrapbooking. Now I am hooked. I started taking free tutorials on www.scrapgirls.com on how to use Adobe Photoshop. I photographer friend of mine also introduced me to Lumapix and it is a wonderful program. I love that I can use "papers, embellishments, ect. over and over again. To me that saves me lots of money and time. Printing out 12 x 12 sheets has been very economical for me and I just place them in my creative memories albums. Best of luck to you. :) Happy Scrapbooking Other site I love include the shabby shoppe and the sweete shoppe.

[Sue G in PA]

I used to be a CM consultant too, many moons ago. My scrapbooking supplies are now put away in my basement. Sad. I just don't have a space to set it all out and it takes up too much time and energy to get it all out, then put it away. I figure with digital I can save time, money, space, etc and be creative as well. I'm going to check out the sites now. I will prob. use CM's program, although Photoshop Elements sounds good, too. Thanks everyone!