Hello, I've been scrapbooking for many years but I'm new to the digital format. What do you think is best software program for scrapbooking? I like to create 12 x 12 pages. Any suggestions are appreciated.
Adobe Photoshop or Photoshop Elements I believe are the most used and would probably have the most tutorials (youtube is a great place for tutorials). Welcome to digi! I too was a paper scrapper for over 10 years but moved to digi about 5 yrs ago and have never regretted it.
Welcome Patricia! I agree with Rae... Photo Shop Elements. Lots of tutorial sites on the web.. Check out the learning thread here too for extra hints. I know once you get comfortable you willl love it!!
HI!!! And welcome Patricia ... I third Rae and Christa. D/L a free trial and give it a whirl. Pop in if you have any questions! We can't wait to see what you create. Digi is addictive!
Artisan 5 is perfect for beginners. It's very affordable and extremely user friendly. It's made by Forever, and you can download it from their website. And there is a large group of Artisan users here on TLP, as well as many facebook groups dedicated to Artisan products. Additionally, Lori Bickford has many videos on YouTube on how to use the software. I've been using them for all of my digi-scrapping and have never used a PSE (or whatever they're called!) program. I wouldn't switch for anything!
Welcome to the Lilypad, Patricia!! I agree with the Photoshop Elements crowd, but it also might be worthwhile to download trials of other programs like the Artisan software that Jan mentioned above. You won't know which one you like best until you try them out!
You could also have a look at Craft Artist which you can sometimes get extremely cheap. If you only want to scrap it is a great program. Just have a look at the layouts of @MrsPeel to see what you can do with it.
Photoshop Elements is what I started with and it is great. If you cannot afford software there is a free program I have heard is good - Gimp.
Hi Patricia, I haven't used other programs so I can't compare them but I love photoshop elements. I knew absolutely nothing about it 7 years ago but through books, google, online courses and using it, I taught myself. I also started as a paper scrapper but love that now I never really need to pack stuff up
I've been using full Photoshop for two years now. Before that I used Photoshop Elements for almost a decade. Before that I tried out a couple of other programs. I mainly remember a scrapbooking-specific program that was very limited in what it could do and had a clunky interface. And there was a cool program called Lumapix Fotofusion, which had a fun, very useful function of creating collages of your chosen photos at the click of a button. I wonder if that program is still around. I sometimes wish I still had it, just for the collage function (which I could use and then add to my pages made in Photoshop), but it, too, was very limited in function, especially with regard to using digital scrapbooking elements. I highly recommend Photoshop Elements to anyone who is starting out now, especially if you have been paper scrapping regularly and are motivated to continue regularly. There's really no need for full Photoshop for scrapbooking; PSE suffices perfectly. I only upgraded to full Photoshop -- Adobe CC (Creative Cloud) Photographers, including only PS and Lightroom actually -- because I'm also a photographer and I heard Lightroom was going to be moving exclusively to the cloud soon too, and it's only $10/month. I do love the additional features I can now use with full Photoshop while scrapping, but they're conveniences and fun, not necessities. However, if you are unsure how much you will scrap, I'd suggest GIMP. I've heard it mentioned many many times over the years, and hear it's very similar to Photoshop. I've never tried it myself only because I'd already acquired PSE and was using it successfully for years before I heard of GIMP for the first time. Welcome to TLP! You found the best digiscrap site there is, and there are lots of chances to learn here. I suggest jumping in and doing as many of the challenges as you can, and attend a lot of chats, both of which help you earn coupons to help you build your digistash. Also, don't miss Wednesday's half off sales.
@Rikki thanks for calling my attention to this there are a few if us who use it here, Craft Artist... Craft Artist Professional sent me an email a couple of days ago that they had it discounted to £5 (more or less USA$7) but not sure how long the offer lasts, I ll get you the link, there is a free version, which doe3sn't do all that the proper program does, but good to give you an idea, is dead easy to use, and even the full price version is cheap (I payed £29 the first time- under USA $50) it does all PSE does but it is HUGELY easier to use.... I tried with PSE, and ended up frustrated and in tears (no kidding) so I stick rto Craft Artist...the only problem is that templates the program flattens PSD or Tiff so you need to drop the separate PNGs one by one, but I LOVE the program!!!! hey, it is still £5 now!!!!! I would have a go!!!!! @Patricia Giles http://shop.daisytrail.com/craftartist/professional/
@MrsPeel I know, those £5 deals are a real steal. They have them every once in a while it seems. @Patricia Giles So even if you miss it at one time, there is always a second chance.
I recommend Photoshop Elements. Give the trial version a whirl and then you can decide if it's a good fit for you. I paper scrapped for over 10 years before switching over and I found the program easy to use for a beginner yet it was powerful enough to last me years and years as my skills grew. Good luck!
I went through a whole bunch of different trials for scrap programs, but found that for me, Adobe (Photoshop elements) was the best fit. I liked how much I could do, and I loved that templates are drag and drop. Most of the template designers now offer templates in other formats too, especially here at TLP. I like that it's as simple as I want to be, but also gave me lots of room to grow in skills. I love that there are tutorials galore, and I don't feel like I'm having to compromise to create an effect. I love that going from Photoshop Elements to full Photoshop was not a crazy experience.
yep! I agree with the Photoshop Elements peeps- thats how i started- but I have seen amazing work from other programs as well. My tips- take a deep breath bc the learning curve may be a little steep the first few gos at it- make friends with YouTube videos- (plus I always learn something by watching our own Cheryl Scrap!) and- I do know that if you can provide a report card and some other proof- discounts are available to students
hey hey hey!!! I am a hybrid girl here, but when I started scrapping, I actually started digital and with Photoshop Elements. Then I they went traditional scrapping, because I like the touchy feely stuff! About a year ago I switched to hybrid and I am in love! I took a class for PSE at our local community college and then taught myself. But I have Creative Cloud now and am working to learn full blown Photoshop. The main thing that made everything click for me was remember your layers! Everything is on a layer and you are working with that particular layer! Once that clicked, learning was pretty easy! Welcome to the best digi/hybrid site out there!
@Patricia Giles If you have a kid in school (any grade) you could get the student version of Photoshop Elements (or Photoshop) for your house. It is the same full version but at a dramatic discount. I used PSE (PhotoShop Elements) for many many years before moving to Photoshop, you could start with the Element version.
