If you have stumbled across my blog on your quest to answer the question, "Should I really go digital?" then you may want to read this entry. Scrapbooking took the world by storm in the 1990's and its not going away. Maybe you've never scrapbooked in your life. Maybe you've been paper-scrapping for years. But whatever your background, going digital might just be the best thing that ever happened to you. So if you aren't sure if you should make the plunge, here are my top ten reasons why it's worth it:
10.
SPACE - Paper scrapping is a mess. You know this. You cart everything around in your big bag, pull it all out, get it all started, and then what happens? Junior wakes up from his nap. The doorbell rings. Hubby comes home. And then, it's time to make your decision: clean it all up, or leave it and hope you can get back to it before the children destroy it. Or, maybe you are one of those lucky, and slightly obsessed people that have devoted an entire room of your house to scrapbooking. If you're like me, that craft room is pretty valuable real estate--an entire room for one hobby might not be the most efficient thing. Digital Scrapping solves all these problems. Now you can sit at your computer, pull up all the files you need like your pictures, kits, etc, and when Junior wakes up from his nap, all you have to do is walk away from your computer. No mess. Now you can convert that scrap room into something else--a home office with an awesome computer maybe?
9.
LEARNING A SKILL - I started using Photoshop, not for digital scrapbooking, but for photography. I then just sort of gradually picked up the scrapbooking stuff. And now I use this program every day for digital scrapbooking, work projects, social engagements, and as favors for friends. Yes, the program is daunting. Yes, it's a little pricey. Yes, it will take you time and effort to learn it. BUT--remember that learning this program is a
marketable skill that can be used in many other areas of your life. It's the kind of thing you can put on a resume. It's the kind of thing that can help you professionally. This program is so versatile it can become something you do every day, and something your work comes to rely on you for. That's how it's been for me!
Related Posts: Other Ways to Use Photoshop 1, 2, 3
8.
NO FEAR- You can make mistakes--and you can undo them. Once you cut that picture in paper scrapping, you are committed. Fixing such an error would involve keeping your negatives or going to a store to print another copy, or using expensive ink and photo paper to print it at home. If you don't like it, you are stuck. Digital means no more indecisiveness or fear that you will mess it up or not like it. Digital lets you try it, and try it again. And if you don't like it, you can go a completely different direction. YOU ARE NOT CUTTING UP ORGINALS. Most of my originals from high school are now cut up into stupid shapes and covered with stickers. I am so upset about that. With digital, you aren't messing with originals. You can always go back.
Related Posts: Lesson 2: Opening and Manipulating Files
7.
RESIZING - When paper scrapping first came out, the powers that be set the standard size page as 12x12. This was rather necessary, since printed pictures are usually 4x6, and you need the space to accommodate them. With digital, this is no longer a limitation. Not only can you resize your photos easily so that important ones are big and others can be smaller, you no longer HAVE to stick to that 12x12 size. It's still standard, but many digital scrappers are now printing on 10x10's or 8x8's, which are cheaper to print. I do 8 1/2 x 11--a size that drove me CRAZY in my paper scrapping days because I felt so limited. But with the ability to resize your photos, you have a lot more versatility in your layouts.
Related posts: Lesson 4: Manipulating Photos, Free Templates, Lots of Photos!
6.
COST - Plainly put, it's
cheaper. That doesn't mean there is NO cost, but the cost is considerably less and there is MUCH LESS WASTE. There are paper scrappers out there with entire rooms devoted to the hobby. People who purchase every pair of funky scissors, every color of ribbon, 12x12 papers stacked to kingdom come, gadgets for wire wrapping, chalking, cutting and gluing. Scrapping comes with more stuff than a set of twins (trust me on this) and is almost as expensive. Most of the things those gadgets could do can be performed quickly by using Photoshop. One program that does pretty much
everything. Your cost is now this: Buy Photoshop, which is a one-time purchase and you are done--though you may want to upgrade every five years or so. You buy kits for about $2-6 apeice, and they never run out and can be re-used over and over again. You print your pages--either through a company or at home. It's that simple. No more trips to the scrapbooking store. Buy online and have it instantly. No, digital isn't by any means free, but it's so much cheaper, easier, and more convenient.
Related Posts: Lesson 8: Kit Resources,
Lesson 6: Layer Styles,
Lesson 5: Working with Text
5.
PORTABILITY - Some might argue that digital scrapping is LESS portable than paper. And it's true that if you don't have a laptop, they are right--you're stuck in your office. But if you DO have a laptop--trust me. It's much easier to carry around a laptop than one of those big-ass scrapbooking bags. I store all of my kits on an external hard drive--kind of a necessity after a while, anyway, because they do take up a lot of space. If I want to scrap with friends, I bring my laptop and the hard drive. That's it. And YES, you CAN have the same copy of Photoshop on two different computers, as long as you are the sole user of the program. So if you buy it, you can install it on your home computer and your laptop and not feel guilty or break any laws.
Related Posts: Lesson 1: Where Do I Start?
4.
PHOTOGRAPHY - Photoshop allows you to "fix" or improve your photos before committing them to a page. If they are dark, out of focus, need to be repaired--you can do all of that in Photoshop. I lighten nearly every picture I use (clearly I need a better flash!) The better you get at the program, the more you will learn that can help you do everything from changing your photos to black and white or sepia tone, to editing out backgrounds or fixing tears or yellowing.
Related Posts: Lesson 17: Fixing Photos, Quick Tips 4: Surface Blur & Shiny Face
3.
PRINTING - Printing can be looked at as one of the downsides of digital scrapbooking--it's a necessary expense, and it can be the most expensive part of the whole process. But with it comes a great deal of versatility in how you want your books to look. Personally, I hated the big thick books that were so hard to store and look through. I like the slim look of a professionally bound book. But if you really enjoy paper scrapping, you don't have to switch entirely. You can still print your pages on 12x12's, then slip them into slip covers in your thick books right along with paper scrapped pages. There are simply a lot more options when you do it digitally.
Related Posts: Lesson 11: Printing Options, 2011 Book Has Arrived!
2.
MULTIPLE COPIES - When you paper scrap, making a second copy of a page is time-consuming and boring. Digitally, you can simply print another copy. So when you do books for each child, for example, you can put the same page in each of their books with very little effort on your part. Or you can change it just slightly for each. I'm having twins, and I plan on having many of the pages in their books be similar--same wording and pictures, perhaps, but using different colors or just changing the title from one twin's name to the other. If you do your books in a bound book, you can simply order another copy. I made an ABC book for my daughter in October, and it just got water all over it. I love knowing that I can just go online and order it again. Or I can go in and update it (which I plan to do after the twins get here) and then order the newer version. Can you imagine replacing a paper scrapped book that was destroyed by water? It would be absolutely devastating!
Related Posts: Twin Scrapbook Pages So Far, Some New Layouts
1.
SHARING ONLINE - Digital pages are so easy to share with friends and family. You can put upload them to a blog, Facebook or a website with very little effort. Trust me, it's much easier than trying to scan in a 12x12 layout! Many websites where you print your books have features where you can give the URL to friends and family, and they can actually flip through the book online. They can even order it--say you create a book all about Great Grandma Martha--they can go to the company you are printing it and just purchase their own copy. There are many digital scrappers that don't print at all--they share their pages online through various mediums and that is satisfying enough.
Related Posts: ABC Book on Blurb,
Announcing Pregnancy Book
