Digital Collage and Scrapbooking Made Easy – Part 1

You probably have a computer full of images. You may even print a few. If you are one of those “organized” people, your pictures are peppering your walls, bookshelves and more. Perhaps your friends have been the grateful recipients of your talent. However there is another way to express your creativity. You can do this by creating digital collage and “scrapbooks.” Scrap booking is “hot” right now – especially among the Moms of Middle America. Some of their creations are quite elaborate. I prefer a simpler layout because I prefer my pictures to speak for themselves as much as possible. However, when you just have a bunch of less than perfect pictures you took at your brother’s birthday party, there is still a lot you can do with them.

The first thing you’ll need is digital imaging software. The granddaddy of them all is Photoshop. However the full Photoshop package is very expensive and is really meant for photography professionals. Photoshop Elements (the latest version is #7) does pretty much everything you would want to do. You can not only edit your photos, but you can add a lot of elements like frames, graphics, text and more. You can create a mini canvas just using your picture.

You can also create digital collage and scrapbook pages. Although most scrapbookers like 12×12, you can lso create in 6×6 and 8×8 or even 4×4. Besides Photoshop Elements, you might also want to investigate Microsoft Digital Imaging (only available used as I understand it) or Paint. Many of these programs are downloadable as trials for 30 days. It takes a while to learn them, but once you do, you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish.

If you decide to try collage/scrapbooking you’ll find a wealth of materials. There are literally hundreds of sites that are set up to sell you “kits” that include the “papers” and “elements” you need. They are sold as digital files and can be downloaded immediately upon payment. There are also sites that find designers who give away products. You won’t necessarily get a whole kit, but you’ll get some interesting pieces.

The kits are usually not very expensive. However if you are a talented graphic artist, you can probably do a lot of your own once you get the feel of things. A good source of images, by the way, is Dover Publications. They have royalty free images on CD that can be purchased and used freely. They are also a great source for the paper and paint artist as well.

So the next time you want to exercise your creativity, try some digital collage and/or scrapbooking. The new parents in your life will appreciate it. They have their hands full with their kids right now!