Digital or Computer Scrapbooking Layouts
Unique page designs and layouts make a far more interesting book. Typical scrapbooks can be fairly simple in design with the use of a background texture or color and photos arranged on the pages. Doing some digital photo editing is essential to create more options of themed images to use in your scrapbooks. More interesting pages include layout or design elements such as:
- Titles in unique type styles
- Names, dates or text on the page layout in a variety of colors and fonts
- Photos arranged in montages
- Notes and text on the page using a font that appears handwritten
- Clip art graphics and images to use as embellishments on the page layouts
- Digitally created special effects such as torn paper, drop shadows or highlights around elements
- Borders or frames around photos
- Layering of background images to imitate layers of paper
You can see how having good skills with photo editing software and learning new computer scrapbooking techniques is essential to accomplish this.
Some of the items listed above are used in traditionally-created scrapbook layouts. But with computer scrapbooks “special effects” can add a new look and feel. Adding drop shadows, highlights or other special effects can be done with digital editing.
A layout with a specific theme can be very effective to add to the interest of your scrapbook layouts. Themes for scrapbooks are only limited by your imagination – they can be on any topic such as: fishing, vacations, travel, family, weddings, birthdays, holidays, etc. Designed themes add more photos and a variety of images to your layouts.
A Scanner is a Computer Scrapper’s Friend
Using your scanner and also photo editing your scans is a good way to add custom elements for your scrapbook layouts. To get new and unique images for your scrapbooks, you can create your own elements by scanning pictures or objects that are virtually flat. If you made a sports theme – such as soccer – you could scan soccer related items, such as a team logo or pictures of soccer balls.
To get some paper textures to use as backgrounds, try scanning birthday and holiday wrapping paper. Photos to use for page backgrounds can be found on the internet, on greeting cards or on postcards. Using other people’s designs can only be done in your personal layouts, if material is copyrighted, you can’t use and sell those designs. Scans of ribbon is a way to add a graphic element to your page.
You can also scan any traditional scrapbooking embellishments such as chip board alphabets. The scanned elements can be photo retouched and edited to add color, shadows or you can rearrange them.
There are also affordable CD ROMs with clip art available with images for themed scrapbooks. Free digital scrapbook kits are available online. Images such as paper patterns, elements, and tags from kits can be used as is or modified to create your own unique digital scrapbook layouts.
Combine Traditional with Digital Scrapbooking
Just because you’re working on a digital scrapbook doesn’t mean you can’t do some hand writing, drawing or add other embellishments on the pages after you print them out. Hybrid scrapbooking is a when you combine traditional paper scrapbook techniques with digital elements. A creative technique is to use a combination of digital images with traditional paper scrapbooking products.
Rick Sammon’s Top Ten Digital Photography Tips
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