scrapbookers gone digital....

[ProudGrandma]

When I started scrapbooking I was all Creative Memories all the way. I loved the look of a nice scrapbooked photo album. Fast forward 15 years....and 3 kids....I have scrapbooked traditionally up until my 3rd child was born...and after that...nothing!!!

 

So, now, with all of my pictures on digital now, I am considering making "storybooks" from Walmart or snapfish or someplace....I feel there is a better chance of them getting done.

 

BUT....

 

if you are sort of like me, can you answer a couple quesitons for me??

 

1) is the price comparable to traditional scrapbooking....some of those story books can get expensive....

 

2) have you regretted not having a big, homemade scrapbooks to share with family and friends?

 

3) where is the best place for these books? Including flexiblity, quality, price.

 

thanks for your thoughts.

[ChristusG]

I'm a former Creative Memories scrapbooker (along with other materials as well). I've been digital for about nine years now. I still make creative homemade scrapbooks. I use digital kits from the many online stores and create my pages in photoshop. Then I have shutterfly bind them in an album. Love it! And much more versatile too.

[I.Dup.]

I'm a former Creative Memories scrapbooker (along with other materials as well). I've been digital for about nine years now. I still make creative homemade scrapbooks. I use digital kits from the many online stores and create my pages in photoshop. Then I have shutterfly bind them in an album. Love it! And much more versatile too.

 

 

Similar here. I don't use photoshop, I use a Microsoft program. I have made several albums with all of my own digital custom pages, and a few that are pre-made on Shutterfly. I have been very happy with Shutterfly. I think the price of digital is very comparable if not better overall, and it's WAY more convenient.

[ProudGrandma]

so, then, ladies...are your scrapbooks similar to a regular scrapbook (big and bulky) or are they the smaller "storybook" like book??

[Blessed Mommy]

Shutterfly! I can't recommend them enough! I made a memory book for my mom for Mother's Day and it was beautiful! It was so easy to make and only took about 4-6 total hours! After I made it online, I was hesitant about what it would look like in person, but when I received my package, it was beyond my expectations! It looked EXACTLY like it did on the computer screen! I only paid $35.00 (they offer free shipping for orders over $30!). When I did my first three children's scrapbooks, I easily spend $100.00+ on each one. I will doing my fourth child's baby "scrapbook" on shutterfly.com!

[prairiewindmomma]

I was a traditional scrapbooker until I went onto hospital bedrest last year....I spent a few weeks making digital albums on a number of different websites...artscow, shutterfly, snapfish, and costco. Some of those websites have complete freeform design, others have templates that you plug photos into. My favorite album is a hardbound 12x12 I made from Costco. Artscow was the least expensive, but the quality seemed a bit fuzzy.

 

1. The cost is comparable. A 12x12 printed album averaged $20-25 last year, printed and delivered to my door. If you print them in mid-November when all of the coupons hit, you can have them printed for as low as $12-13. Compared to a $5 album from Michaels, 5/$1 paper from JoAnns, and printing .10/photo sale....you are pretty close in cost, especially once you add in a splurge or two.

 

2. The time savings is incredible. I don't think I'll ever go back. Plus, if a kid destroys an album or a tornado hits my house, I can reprint it and have it shipped to my house again.

 

3. I'm going to make my future albums at the Costco website. :)

[kroe1]

I use both Microsoft Digital Imaging (no longer made) and Photoshop.

 

Pros of Digital:

 

1. No mess, no storage problems. A clean dining room table.

2. With online kits, pages can look exactly like paper and scissor pages. Digital shadows add the 3D look.

3. Lower maintenance cost once programs and a few kits have been purchased.

4. Many more opportunities for artistic expression. Filters for photos and painting cannot be achieved with standard scrap booking.

5. Many copies can be ordered of the same book. So all children or multiple grandparents can have a copy.

6. No more opening the book and finding out the glue has not held up or two pages are stuck together.

 

Cons of Digital:

 

1. Higher start up costs.

2. Loss of tactile appeal. One cannot feel a soft ribbon when it is just printed on a page.

[ProudGrandma]

To use Costco, do you need a costco membership? So if that would be the only reason for a membership (no stre close by) would it still be worth the additional cost?

 

Has anybody used Wal-Mart or Wal-greens? Opinions of those? I know they both make photobooks.

 

What are the pros of a program like Photoshop over using something like Shutterfly?

[I.Dup.]

What are the pros of a program like Photoshop over using something like Shutterfly?

 

Photoshop and Microsoft (that I prefer) allow you to make your own custom pages. Like this: http://www.digishoptalk.com/gallery/index.php

 

Shutterfly just lets you create pages on their own various templates and with the papers and elements they have available.

 

They both can turn out really well, and I would only advise investing in a photo processing program (like Photoshop) if it is something you are really interested in and want to spend time learning. If you're just wanting to get albums completed, Shutterfly's design your own albums would be great for that.

 

And no, the books would not be bulky because they don't have elements like paper scrapbooking does. Everything is flat (but can look very real!)

[Ali in OR]

Still a Creative Memories scrapbooker here. I'm curious how you all envision sharing photos 50 years from now (maybe your descendants rather than you personally...). I have inherited old photos from my side of the family. I can scan them and then use them in family history albums, share photos on facebook, etc. and have great quality. Many times I have removed photos from an album to scan them and use them for something else. I'm curious what happens if you have photo books instead of pictures in albums. If all that survives you is the album (ie no one organizes and purposefully passes down digital files), I know that with real pictures, more copies can be made and shared. If you have a printed photo book, can you scan pages to re-digitize them and get a quality level that is similar to the original?

 

I agree that digital is where the world is going--I don't expect my daughters to do scrapbooking with real paper and prints. But I think I will be sticking with Creative Memories type albums at least through their childhood. We've done a few photo books of special vacations, etc., so I'm at least a little familiar with them, and I imagine that when I'm not carefully documenting family times I might go that route. But probably at least another 10 years of paper albums for me.

[I.Dup.]

Still a Creative Memories scrapbooker here. I'm curious how you all envision sharing photos 50 years from now (maybe your descendants rather than you personally...). I have inherited old photos from my side of the family. I can scan them and then use them in family history albums, share photos on facebook, etc. and have great quality. Many times I have removed photos from an album to scan them and use them for something else. I'm curious what happens if you have photo books instead of pictures in albums. If all that survives you is the album (ie no one organizes and purposefully passes down digital files), I know that with real pictures, more copies can be made and shared. If you have a printed photo book, can you scan pages to re-digitize them and get a quality level that is similar to the original?

 

I agree that digital is where the world is going--I don't expect my daughters to do scrapbooking with real paper and prints. But I think I will be sticking with Creative Memories type albums at least through their childhood. We've done a few photo books of special vacations, etc., so I'm at least a little familiar with them, and I imagine that when I'm not carefully documenting family times I might go that route. But probably at least another 10 years of paper albums for me.

 

I go through and upload all of our photos to Costco's website. I will print them all out once a year or so and put them in albums so we have "plain photos" around too, for the purpose you mentioned. But we can always print as many copies as we need from Costco. I really should be more careful to do it once every 2-3 months, in case our computer crashes again (I have been SO glad to have done this in the past when our computer has crashed, because they were all there available for printing on Costco).

 

The digital scrapbooking is on top of that.

[HomeschoolingHearts&Minds]

I love digital scrapbooking---it makes it a lot easier to be an element and paper pack rat. It also makes it easier to create books as gifts, or framed scrapbook pages as gifts to grandparents (I've had single pages printed at Walmart for that purpose---it's cheap and I've been impressed with the results).

 

There are some cons---like not being able to easily add ephemera (like maps, tickets, and other scrap-able souvenirs), but it has definite pluses too. Not the least of which is being able to work on a page for a bit in a few spare moments without dragging out a bunch of supplies.

 

I've got a giveaway going on on my blog right now for My Memories Suite and a gorgeous kit (if you happened to win, it would be a free and easy way to get started): http://homeschoolheartandmind.blogspot.com/2013/05/my-memories-suite-bundle-giveaway-ends.html

[ProudGrandma]

How often does Shutterfly have sales? the 50% off sale right now ends today...so when would I expect to see that one pop up again?

[prairiewindmomma]

50% is pretty good. I'd hop on it. You'll see 25% & 33% pop up every few months...but the 50% is as good as the mid-November sale.

[ProudGrandma]

my problem is that I am no where ready to order a book and I don't have time to put one together. I am sort of thinking I am just going to start putting together books and keeping them on their site until a great sale like that comes up and then order all at once. Even if that means waiting until mid November. I can wait.

[kroe1]

 

There are some cons---like not being able to easily add ephemera (like maps, tickets, and other scrap-able souvenirs), but it has definite pluses too. Not the least of which is being able to work on a page for a bit in a few spare moments without dragging out a bunch of supplies.

 

 

 

Just add a blank page at the end of your digital scrapbook to glue on goodies, or add them directly to the digital page. I have multiple mixed scrapbooks.

 

 

[Seasider]

 

 

Photoshop and Microsoft (that I prefer) allow you to make your own custom pages. Like this: http://www.digishoptalk.com/gallery/index.php

 

Shutterfly just lets you create pages on their own various templates and with the papers and elements they have available.

 

They both can turn out really well, and I would only advise investing in a photo processing program (like Photoshop) if it is something you are really interested in and want to spend time learning. If you're just wanting to get albums completed, Shutterfly's design your own albums would be great for that.

 

And no, the books would not be bulky because they don't have elements like paper scrapbooking does. Everything is flat (but can look very real!)

 

I just started swirling my toe in digital scrap booking and grew frustrated with the lack of layout maneuverability in the vendors I toyed with. Thanks for these suggestions. Which one offers the best tutorial and/or ease of use?

[mom2scouts]

I've tried to do digital scrapbooking, but I just don't love it. I like the tactile and creative elements of traditional scrapbooking. I like that digital can be done anywhere without all the mess, but I'm never happy with the results compared to what I can get with paper and I don't enjoy the process.

[Moxie]

If you want fast and easy paper scrapbooking, check out Becky Higgins Project Life. You just write on the cards and stick them in pockets. You can also add memorabilia (my habit of saving scraps of paper is what kept me from going digital). I'd link but I'm on my phone.