Digital scrapbooking is all the rage these days. You can find reference to it in all the industry magazines and websites are popping up by the dozen. So what is digital scrapbooking and how does it work? In this article, I hope to show you how to create a very simple, yet beautiful layout using only your computer, your pi ctures, and your creativity. Once you have mastered the basics, you will be able to venture into more elaborate layouts.

While there are a multitude of computer elements available for purchase, you can usually find free elements for download or you can make your own. To create the following layout, all elements will be made by you! I created the following layout using Paint Shop Pro version 5.

‘Vivian’s Smile’ Products used:

Paint Shop Pro 5 – computer software
Kathleen Campos – photo, background image
Fonts – UpperWesSid (Title), Saphire (journaling), both downloaded from the internet

To begin, select the New Image button or go to your drop down menu File > NEW, and dictate the size at 12 inches by 12 inches and 300 dpi. You want your image at 300 dpi because this makes the final image print more clearly.



A new image will show on your desktop and this is where the fun begins, creating your background.

First, select a color that goes well with your pictures or theme. Next select the Flood Fill tool to totally fill your new image space.

Once you have filled your image space, you can either work with it as is, or jazz it up a bit. For this example, I chose to make random geometric shapes of varying colors. To accomplish this, I selected my Shapes tool and made r andom sized squares on my background. You can also make circles, ellipses, or rectangles with this tool. This is your background layer.

Next you will create a picture matte. Select a coordinating color from your background by using the Dropper tool. Again create a New Image and this time make the dimensions slightly larger than your final picture will be. For example, for this layout, my final picture is 6.25 inches by 9.25 inches. Therefore, the matte for this picture is 6.5 in ches by 9.5 inches. Using your Flood Fill tool, make this new image the color that you chose to coordinate with your background.

Now that you have the matte image created, go to your Edit drop down menu and select copy. Then, select your background image to activate it. Again go to your Edit drop down menu and select Paste > Paste as new layer. This will paste the matte to your background but allow you to move it around as necessary. You will name this layer “matte”.

Remember, it is important to create each element as a new layer. This way, if you mess up, you only have to delete one layer instead of the whole project. Also, it makes it easier to move things around to see where they fit best.

You are now ready to add your picture. Go to the File > Open menu and select the picture you want to work with. To size the picture to the desired size, select the drop down menu Image > Resize. Again, set the dpi to 300 and the image size to its appropriate size. Once this is complete, again go to the Image drop down menu and select the Add Borders option. The borders for this layout are set at 15 on all sides. This adds a white border around the picture. Follow the same steps as when you copied the matte to the layout and center the picture over your matte. Name this layer “picture”.

To create your journaling, make sure your main project window is active and select Layers > New. Name this layer "journaling". First, select your text color, then select your Text tool and click on your image. A text box will appear and you can select the font, size, and enter in your text. Make sure to select the Floating option so you can move your text around within your image. Once you have completed your journaling, click OK and you will see your journaling “floating”. Position it as desired and right click to set the text in place. If you find the journaling is not quite right, delete the current text and repeat the steps until you are satisfied with your text.

You are now ready to create the title. Select Layers > New and name this layer "Title". Follow the same steps as you did for the journaling only making the text larger. You can also change the font and color. The following image shows the title in "floating" mode.

You have now successfully completed your digital layout! Once you get a feel for the basics of your software, you will find that it is easy to manipulate the above steps to create any type of layout you want.

Remember to save your image as a .PSP (this is Paint Shop Pro’s file extension and will differ between softwa re programs) file so you can go back later and make changes if you want to. I prefer to make a second .JPEG file for printing and online use. However, once you sav e the image in .JPEG form, you will not be able to make changes to the individual layers, which is why you should always make a copy.

Once you have explored the different options of your software, go explore the internet and find some of the m any digital elements that are free or available for purchase and see what endless possibilities there are.

The following layout is the same layout used for this article only I changed the background "paper".

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‘Vivian’s Smile’ Products used:

Paint Shop Pro 5 – computer software
Cheryl Barber / CB Digital Designs – “Rosey” background
Fonts – UpperWesSid (Title), Saphire (journaling), both downloaded from the internet
Kathleen Campos – photo
I used Paint Shop Pro version 5 to create both these layouts. Th ere are newer versions of Paint Shop Pro on the market as well as many other types of computer software. The choice is up to you. Luckily, many software companies will offer a trial version so you can see if you like it. This is a good idea since the software usually runs about $100.00 US regardless of which software you buy.

You can also visit the following websites for more information on digital el ements. Most of these sites offer free digital elements as well as those for purchase.

Scrapbook Bytes
Scrapbook-Elements
CB Digital Designs
Scrapbook Graphics


‘In the Woods’
Products used:
Craf-T – Metallic Rub-Ons kit # 2
Karen Foster Designs – Natural Burlap
Bazzill Basics – Pinecone, Fawn, Aloe Vera cardstock
Color Box – Chestnut Roan, Burnt Sienna Chalk Inks BR> Other – Double stick foam tape
DIGITAL ELEMENTS
Lyndsay Riches – Engraved Stone Alphabet
The following is a close up of one of the words from the above layout:

Close up of digital element alphabet. Designer: Lyndsay Riches

Whichever way you go with digital scrapbooking, be it printing out the elements, designing your own, or doing entire layouts on your computer, you are sure to find fun and creative ways to use these new "embellishments" and you will soon find that your scrapbooking toolbox goes beyond your crop bag. And remember, if you have ever printed a title or journaling out on your computer, you have already begun your journey with digital scrapbooking.

Here are some links to get you started:
* http:// Scrapbook-Elements
* http:// Scrapbook Graphics


See Kathleen's work in our gallery.

Read Kathleen's bio