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Computer Generated Scrapbooking
by Andrea Steed
(Apr 17, 2004)
Imagine sitting in front of all of your scrapbook supplies--which incidentally have taken over the dining room table and are starting to trickle into the living room. You’re looking at all of the things you’ve collected and are wondering how in the world to get started on a creating page. Your stuff is a mess, you don’t even like some of the products you have anymore, and you can’t imagine how much money you’ve invested in that pile! Plus, your family wants to eat dinner at the table tonight which means you have to transport all of it to another location. If that’s how you feel when looking at your scrapbooking supplies (or someone else’s for that matter) you might be a perfect candidate for computer generated scrapbooking. While it’s not for everybody, it can be a great option and has many advantages over traditional scrapbooking.
Storage is a great advantage that computer generated layouts have over traditional scrapbooking. If you have a computer set up in your home then you’ve already got most of the workspace you’ll need. Other optional tools that require desk space would be a printer and a scanner. There’s no need to find space for paper, tools, and embellishments. They’re all stored in one box--you’re computer. If you choose to store your layouts on CD-ROM or on your hard drive, then you don’t even have to worry about storing printed versions of your pages—just the CDs! Along the same lines of saving space, you can also save money by doing computer generated layouts. Aside from the costs of your computer, which most people already have, there are much fewer costs than in traditional scrapbooking. Some of the things you would need to have or purchase in order to do computer generated layouts would be:
At first glance this may look like a pricey investment. However, many of the costs are one-time purchases and are re-usable products that don’t need to be restocked. This means the more layouts you make, the less money you’ve spent to create each layout. Your costs stay the same no matter how many you create. Plus, I’m sure you’ll find that many of these products and tools are great for much more than scrapbooking!
The Undo Factor. The “undo” factor is a big one. Nearly any graphic software program will give you the fabulous “undo” and “delete” options. You can change your mind about the page design as much as you want, without ruining photos or wasting products. Color Choices. You’ll have the ability to match the colors in your photos perfectly. Using the “eyedropper” tool in the graphic software program of your choice will allow you to pull colors from your photographs to use as backgrounds, fonts, photo mats or embellishments. Photo Editing. When your photos are already in a digital form, you can enlarge, reduce, resize, crop, and tint them all on your computer. You don’t need to have reprints or enlargements made in order to complete your layout. Your computer allows you to create instant reproductions and alterations. Text Treatments. One of the challenges of traditional scrapbooking is creating titles and journaling and placing them appropriately on your page. Even traditional scrapbookers are moving towards finding ways to replicate computer generated options by using transparencies and translucent vellum over photos and papers to create perfect journaling and titles. Computer generated layouts allow you to apply those techniques very easily and in a fraction of the time. Traditional Mimics. Along with the computer generated scrapbooking craze, image CDs, software, and tutorials have been created giving digital scrapbookers the option of making digital pages that look just like traditional pages—complete with the look of paper tearing, tags, metal letters, vellum, and crinkled papers! Replicate Albums. Do your grandparents want an album? Maybe your sister wants a copy of the heritage album you made. With just the click of a mouse, you can reproduce as many copies of your albums as you’d like. You can also reduce the size of the pages. For example, a 12 x 12 album can be reduced to an 8 x 8 album for the grandparents.
The first disadvantage is the learning curve. Learning the software and teaching yourself the skills you need to maneuver comfortably through a graphic software program takes a lot of time and practice. After all, that’s why companies pay big bucks for the work that graphic artists do. The more you know the program you are using, the faster and better you will be at creating computer generated layouts. At first, however, it can be difficult to learn the basics and gain an understanding of terminology, tools, and software abilities. The second disadvantage is what I call the “scissors and glue factor”. Actually, this may not be a disadvantage to some people who are more comfortable with computers and have trouble mastering the traditional scrapbooking techniques. However, for those of us scrapbookers who love the primitive acts of cutting, gluing, coloring, tearing and pounding (eyelets, not the table in anger), this can be a big disadvantage, and often the deciding factor. Sometimes, no matter how logical it sounds to switch to digital, will always love the traditional form of scrapbooking and wouldn’t even consider making the switch. And that’s okay. Many may choose to mix and match their traditional layouts with computer generated layouts. If you print your pages, this is easy to do—just slide the computer generated page into your album. You can also take advantage of both forms of scrapbooking by using each form on separate projects. Trying out a small computer generated scrapbooking project is a great way to test the waters and see if computer generated scrapbooking is right for you. If computer generated scrapbooking sounds like it is right up your alley, here are some graphic design software products and web sites that can help you get started:
Lumapix FotoFusion (from 39.99) - Scrapjazz.com Choice store.scrajazz.com www.computerscrapbook.com www.eScrappers.com www.CottageArts.net www.scrapbook-bytes.com More digital scrapbooking web sites. Article originally printed in the Ivy Cottage Creations February 2004 issue.  Shop at the Scrapbook.com Superstore for all your Scrapbooking Supplies!Enjoy 5-Star service, HUGE selection and LOW prices! Click here to start shopping! Featured Scrapbooking Supplies (from Scrapbook.com):
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If space and money haven’t convinced you (and they won’t convince everyone to turn in their trimmer and adhesives), there are still some other functional advantages to consider when thinking about computer generated layouts.
As you would with any decision, you’ll want to look at both the advantages and the disadvantages before committing to a new way of scrapbooking. There are two primary disadvantages that I have encountered with computer generated scrapbooking.
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