Hello! l am a new member here and new to digital scrapbooking as well. I have paper scraped for years, but I got married two years ago and can't seem to keep up any more. My husband keeps telling me I should do it digitally now that we have a new computer and the software. So I am going to take a shot at it this weekend. We have Photoshop 7.0. Any suggestions on that? He is going to give me a tutorial tonight. Also, I am going to need to invest in a printer (I want to continue to do 12x12 pages) and a scanner for old pics that I don't have in a digital format yet.

Any advice? I am thinking I am going to have a heck of a lot of old scrapbooking stuff to sell on Ebay if I end up liking it! Does it take less time than paper scrapping? I am guessing I will be able to get even more creative after looking at some of your galleries! Please post any layouts you made in PS 7.0 so I can get some ideas of the capabilities!

Thanks!
Sarah

I am feeling overwhelmed about where to start but I was just looking through the gallery and wondering if I need any other softward or downloads other that Photoshop 7.0.
Thanks!

Photoshop is the Cadillac of digi scrapping software to many of the members here. If you have that and someone to help you learn the program you'll have all you need. Photoshop has a bit of a learning curve so it's good that you have your husband to help. Be sure to look through the tutorials specific to scrapping.

The members here use a number of different programs. You might want to check some of the threads that have covered the software choices and pros and cons of each.

As far as how long it takes to complete a layout, it all depends on the layout and how well you know your program. Participating in the speed scraps has helped me to not only get layouts finished but to learn new skills, challenge me creatively and make me work outside my usual comfort zone.

There have also been a few threads about printers. I use the Canon i9100 and I love it! I can print up to 13x19 so I've done a few 12x12. But mostly I scrap 8.5x11. Again, it's a matter of personal preference but you'll learn a lot by reading the comments of others regarding their choices.

Welcome aboard and enjoy the ride. You can post any specific questions you might have as you learn your program and get advice from a number of scrappers who use that program.

Have fun!
Carole

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avatar from www.vanilla-dreams.com

Ok - so I have read through all the tutorial links above about digital scraping! Very informative. My only question is about elements. I looked at them, but wondering where people get things that look like die cuts. Santa Clauses, Flowers, etc...are there other sites to download free elements from??

I think that SBB has the largest collection of freebies available though to access them all you need to subscribe to the site. Another way to find freebies is to click on the digital freebies counter at the bottom of this web page. That will take you to a ranked list of sites that offer freebies.

Since you're using PS7 you might also find useful brushes or custom shapes that you could use similarly to diecuts at Adobe's Studio Exchange.

HTH!

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Stacy
My Gallery

avatar photo by Marja Flick-Buijs downloaded at sxc.hu

Sarah, I sent you info in a PM (private message). You can see this by clicking on Quick Links Button.

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Pat
Memory Box Artist

I made my first digital page! I am so excited! It isn't great - only one picture, but I am proud that I navigated through PS well enough to make one! Thanks for your suggestions! I will try to figure out how to upload it soon!

Hey Sarah,

You might also want to check out sites to have your pages printed from. I have mine printed at whcc and it ends up being about $3.60/page and that includes shipping. For me that's a lot easier than printing them myself. I just started scrapping digitally in January (I use PS7 too). I get some pages done really fast and others might take a couple of hours (plus I still find I'll go back and tweek things a couple of days later). Scrapping digitally is definitely less messy for me and and since I don't have to glue anything I'm a lot happier. Another benefit to it is definitely the fact that you can "undo" things you aren't happy with. I was a little leery about making the switch too, but now I'm so happy I did. Good luck!

Sandy

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