| Digital scrapbook pages have become favorites of | | | | programs allow you to restore old photos to make |
| scrappers, and for good reason. They provide an | | | | them look like new. Vanish wrinkles, blemishes or |
| exciting, yet simple way to expand and enhance | | | | moles, and fix that red eye. Resize, crop, sharpen, and |
| creativity while helping to preserve memories for the | | | | correct lighting. And by all means, zoom in on attractive |
| future. Even the most diehard traditional scrappers | | | | faces and crop out excessive, uninteresting |
| have started integrating digital scrapbook pages into | | | | backgrounds and sagging stomachs. Your subjects will |
| their scrapbook layouts and albums. | | | | thank you (or would if they knew!). |
| So where do you start? Well, the good news is that | | | | 3. Keep It Together. Gather the photographs you've |
| you don't have to be a computer guru to create your | | | | taken and make a list of the kinds of pictures you |
| first digital scrapbook pages ... nor do you have to learn | | | | might like to feature in each photo collage. Keep the |
| complicated software. Digital scrapbook layouts today | | | | digital photos you choose organized in a folder. Create |
| are so user friendly that even the least computer | | | | a subfolder of your favorite pictures and name it |
| savvy person can usually pick them up. | | | | "Scrapbook Pages" or "Photo Collages." If you can't |
| And unlike paper-and-glue scrapbooks, digital | | | | doctor them, delete fuzzy, uninteresting, poor-quality, |
| scrapbook layouts empower you to easily sample and | | | | unflattering and redundant photos so they won't take |
| experiment with different combinations of | | | | up space on your hard drive. Start out small by making |
| backgrounds, patterns and details before you commit | | | | a simple digital photo collage, then work your way up |
| to any one page or style. Anything you do to your | | | | to full-fledged scrapbook pages. With digital |
| scrapbook pages can be redone as many times over | | | | scrapbooking, it's important to stay organized to keep |
| as you like without wasting time, effort or materials. | | | | from getting overwhelmed. |
| Consider the following advice as you embark into the | | | | 4. Journal. Leave a place to journal to convey your |
| world of digital scrapping. | | | | story or event more vividly. After you've put together |
| Top 5 Tips for Modern-Day Scrappers | | | | a scrapbook page, write a little to describe the image, |
| | | | event, time period, feelings about it or the inspiration for |
| 1. Leverage the Internet. Go online for ideas. You'll find | | | | the page. This enables you to really add personality to |
| a wealth of premade digital scrapbook layouts and | | | | your scrapbook pages. The journaling, title and captions |
| templates that come as samples with themes carrying | | | | lend context to your pictures and complete the story. |
| mass appeal as well as other, more obscure designs. | | | | Future generations will want to know whom and what |
| These scrapbook layouts require minimal effort from | | | | they're seeing! |
| you. Just download the digital scrapbook template to | | | | 5. Keep the Interests of Others in Mind. Carefully |
| your computer, open the software programs to use | | | | consider whether the subjects of your photos will |
| with the digital scrapbook layouts, and scan or import | | | | approve of their likeness before including them in your |
| your pictures. Then open the scrapbook template that | | | | photo collages and sending them to your e-mail |
| you like and drag and drop the digital pictures you | | | | contact list. The digital scrapbook pages you create |
| select onto the scrapbook page. You may need to | | | | should be shared and enjoyed by all rather than be a |
| crop photos to fit in the space. When you have all the | | | | source of embarrassment. You might even invite your |
| pieces presented in the way that you want, simply | | | | family to become involved--while scrapbooking can be |
| save the entire template as a new file and e-mail it to | | | | a creative, therapeutic outlet for self-expression, it can |
| your friends. | | | | also be a fun family project. |
| 2. Play Photo Doctor. Nearly every photo we take can | | | | Now get scrapping. Good luck, and have fun! |
| be improved with a little doctoring. Basic photo editing | | | | |