Have you thought you would like to try Digital Scrapbooking, but think it’s too complicated or too expensive? Getting started is not as intimidating as you may think.
When you create a digital scrapbooking layout or image, you do it in much the same way that you would with traditional scrapbooking, in that you layer papers and elements on top of one another. Each paper, photo, or embellishment exists on its own layer in your document, and you can reposition them at your discretion.
It’s easy to get started and you don’t have to invest any money. You can download a free image and photo editing software at www.paint.net. It features an intuitive user interface with support for layers and special effects, along with a wide variety of useful photo editing tools. Don’t worry if your not very computer savvy, they have tutorials to guide you. Did I mention that the best part is it’s FREE?
There are many sites that also offer free digital kits and ready-made pages to download. Take a look at www.digifree.blogspot.com/ or www.digiscrapdepot.com/freebies.
You can choose to print your finished pages, post them to a website for family and friends to see, display in a digital frame or use them as screensavers. Digital scrapbooking is especially useful if you want to create the same album for several people as gifts. You create the first album, save it, and then print as many as you need.
Even if you don’t want to create an entire layout digitally, you can use the papers and elements separately and print them out to add to your traditional paper scrapbooking.
Here are a couple of my layouts using free quick page templates. Using quick pages takes very little time. 
Follow these steps:
1) Choose your template to download
2) Open the template in an image software program such as the free program I mentioned or Adobe Photoshop.
3) Enlarge image to 12x12.
4) Insert photo of your choice and place/layer behind the template.
5) Save file under a new name.
6) Post, email, or print.
Another fun alternative are scrapbook services such as Smilebox. They have hundreds of professional designed page layouts for you to choose from. You can sign up for free and then simply drag & drop your photos or videos into a design. You also have the option of adding music, captions, and embellishments. Email your creation or post it to Facebook, MySpace, or blog for free!
1) Choose your template to download
2) Open the template in an image software program such as the free program I mentioned or Adobe Photoshop.
3) Enlarge image to 12x12.
4) Insert photo of your choice and place/layer behind the template.
5) Save file under a new name.
6) Post, email, or print.
Another fun alternative are scrapbook services such as Smilebox. They have hundreds of professional designed page layouts for you to choose from. You can sign up for free and then simply drag & drop your photos or videos into a design. You also have the option of adding music, captions, and embellishments. Email your creation or post it to Facebook, MySpace, or blog for free!
Try these free scrapbooking alternatives and see if digital scrapbooking is for you.
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