TUTORIAL: Digital Scrapbooking 101

The most common question anyone asks me since I started my blog is... "How do you do it and where do I start?"  So, I decided it was time to write a simple “how to” post for beginning digital scrapbookers!   If you've browsed through my posts... you know that digital scrapbooking is only a tiny part of it - what I do is more like digital crafting and digital art - and I'm excited to show you how to do it too!

Best of all, when I broke it all down, I came up with 3 basic steps to start with when you want to learn how to create fun, digital masterpieces.  And, to keep it easy... I turned those initial steps into 3 easy homework assignments! YAY! So, if you are ready and you really want to give it a go… just follow along, pick up your homework as you read and you’ll be a digi-crafter in no time!

Let's jump right into your first assignment!  You can't go digital if you don't have a program, so that's the most obvious place to start.  Problem is... there are tons of programs out there and choosing one to begin with can be daunting! I have found a favorite among big-time digital chicks is PhotoShop Elements; but to be quite honest, the program was too intimidating for me.  I downloaded a free trial of PhotoShop Elements from Adobe and quickly learned I was out of my league. It’s an amazing program, but I found I didn’t have the time to learn (or the patience) nor the desire to spend hours watching tutorials on YouTube to figure it all out. So after lots of research, I decided on a much easier program called Scrapbook Max. You can read more about it (HERE)… but the bottom line is, it was the easiest, most user friendly program out there... yet still had lots of options, versatility and flexibility.  I loved it then, I love it now and I use it exclusively for every scrappy little thing I do!  So, for your first homework assignment, I want you to take advantage of the free trial and give it a test drive.  The link to download it is below:

Download the FREE trail version of Scrapbook Max! HERE

Choosing digital scrapbooking kits is very similar to shopping for and picking up supplies at your favorite scrapbook store… only it’s better!  First of all, you don't have to drag kids with you and you can do it in your jammies.  Plus, kits come ready to use, PACKED with coordinating papers and elements, some even have pre-made templates you can use to get started. What I love the best about digital kits is you download them once, but can use them over and over again. A few words of advice… don’t download something just because it’s free or just because it’s cute… only grab the kits you have design plans for. It’ll keep your hard drive clean and clutter free, trust me. So… if I’m going to teach you how to digital scrapbook and if you are taking on the first assignment, you are going to need a kit to design and play with as you learn. Since Fall will be upon us soon... let's all download the same kit to start with (it's a freebie):

Download the FREE “Fangs for the Memories” kit by Summertime Designs

TIPS FOR DOWNLOADING THIS KIT: You’ll need to download all 6 zip files (I usually just save them to my desktop), then extract the files and combine all the graphics/images into one folder. I typically name my file by designer & title like this, “Summertime Designs – Fangs for the Memories” . Once your files are downloaded and combined into one file, you’ll need to move it into your Scrapbook Max Gallery. You should be able to find it on your hard drive at:

C:/ProgramFiles/ScrapbookMAX/Gallery/Images/Embellishments

Are you still with me?  Great! 

For assignment #3... if you don’t already have some fun, creative “scrappy” looking fonts on your computer you are DEFINITELY going to want some!  Handwriting fonts are essential in keeping your scrapbooks personal and your digital art fun and whimsical.  Again, I’ll point you to one of my FAVORITE freebie sites for scrapbook-ish fonts and that is Fonts for Peas!  Below is a sample of some of my favorites...

Your assignment is to download at least 3 “cute, scrappy” fonts… HERE or HERE

TIP: When downloading a font, just like scrapbook kits, I usually save them to my desktop first. To install it on your computer, open and extract the zip file... then copy the actual “TrueType” font file into your Windows Font Folder. You should be able to find your font folder at:

C:/Windows/Fonts

Once you put a font file into your Windows Font folder... it is essentially, "installed" and should be available to use in any program on your computer.

Now that you know what your homework is... you have until Friday to work through each assignment.  On Friday when you come back, a Lesson 2 will will be ready for you!  We'll take today's assignments and use them in a step-by-step tutorial on how to begin creating your first digial layout in Scrapbook Max! 

Just one tiny note though... everyone's computer is a little bit different, so I apologize in advance if my instructions need tweaking for your particular system or programs.  These are meant to be a general guide, but I'm hopeful they'll push everyone in the right direction.  If you have any questions or trouble... please feel free to get in touch! 

colette@mycomputerismycanvas.com

CLICK HERE TO VISIT PART 2... "CREATING YOUR FIRST LAYOUT".

http://www.skiptomylou.org/ http://www.everycreativeendeavor.com/

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