- Digital Scrapbooking for Beginners - Mina Keenan
The best way to learn how to do digital scrapbooking is to just jump right in. Joining an online digital scrapbooking community will help the beginner digital scrapbooker gain the necessary skills and point to the right tools to get started with.
Digital Scrapbooking Software
To do the most basic of digital scrapbooking, the necessary software, apart from the fundamentals – has these things:
A Transform Function
- The ability to rotate elements, for example - something laying on a diagonal
- To be able to move your elements about the page to make a pleasing composition
- To be able to re-size elements
A Layers Function
When scrapbooking in the traditional way, pages are made in 'layers'. Beginning with a base page, the designer begins to build by layering embellishments or elements on it. On a base page for example, a photo might have a frame over it, and a butterfly element on top of that. On a smaller scale, adding ribbon to a journal tag.
Digital Scrapbook Sites
There are two main online Digital Scrapbooking communities. Those that are software based, that is, they are based on a particular Digital Scrapbooking software program and those that are not.
Communities based on software usually have a free web application you can use, a good thing for beginners. Although there are a variety of software programs, they mostly work the same way. So learning one program will put you in good stead for another.
Both types of community are also very active, helping and encouraging people with their projects. Most online communities have forums with good tutorial sections, a place to ask and answer questions.
They have galleries where members showcase their work and get feedback on it. Sites run challenges (digital scrapbooking activities based on themes) and often members can win free product designed by store designers - by just participating in the challenges.
There are two main issues confronting beginners in these communities.
- Understanding how to credit designers if their work is incorporated into layouts. This is so as not to violate the designer's Copyright issues
- Understanding TOU or Terms of Use. There are variations which may seem quite daunting at first, but once a few layouts have been done, the beginner digital scrapbooker should have it worked out
Learning Digital Scrapbooking
As with anything – there is a learning curve. Using online digital scrapbooking applications and becoming proficient in them will put the beginner digital scrapbooker on the right track.
Mina Keenan - Bachelor Visual Arts - Computer Graphic major (Hons equivalent). I have been involved online in image creation and writing - ...
