What software do you use to digi scrap?

I started with PS7 waaaay back when and cried and cried trying to figure it out myself. I didn't know anyone who used it and on line resources were rather scarce. I finally got PSE4 I think, the only one they had for Mac then and have upgraded about every other one til PSE13 which I'm very happy with. I also have Lightroom 5 and when I misplaced my hard copy of that last fall, I bit the bullet and signed up for Cloud. I've tried Photoshop and struggled with it still though it's not that different - for the most part - from PSE. However, I've had a couple of times with issues and yesterday, I cancelled it after 5 months. As long as my two Adobe products (including the found Lightroom) work on my Macs, I'll stick with them. I also think my eyes are a bit too old for the CC workspaces.

 

lol! yes yes yes!! Now I just have to remember to run it!

 

I first started scrapping with some online scrapbooking software that had all sorts of papers and elements. I can't remember the name of it but it was free and great for a beginner. Then I moved onto PSE something or other. I am currently on PSE 12 and am finally learning things to make my scrapping better. Like how to put a shadow on its own layer and then warp it! Took me long enough to explore all the things I could do with this program

 

My first ever book I made on scrapblog.com - maybe that was it? They had some free kits available in their scrapping program. I had some Internet issues at the time, so the online part got annoying or I probably would have used it a lot longer.

 

I think I started with PSE 5, then after a couple upgrades, I got PS CS4 on a new computer. Taught myself how to use it. Before my son graduated from college, I got PS CS6 at student's price. Still learning new things all the time and don't plan to upgrade for a long while.

 

Oh this was such a fun read!

I was introduced to the idea of photo collages with PSE2 that a friend gave me when she upgraded. I didn't get it. I tried, but didn't know to look for tutorials, and instead got frustrated by the Instruction Book I bought. I used Provo Craft's Hugware software and Microsoft word to make my first digital pages, but hated the quality! I went back to paper scrapping. I tried a few programs along the way: MemoryMixer; LifeTimez (Failed product!); Scrapbook Factory, Craft Artist, and Storybook Creator. I didn't like a major feature in all of them whether it was how the pages were constructed, the ability to print on my printer and not their printer, or the limitations of the product available. I went back to paper scrapping after each failure.

Then, in 2013 with a very active 2 year old, I finally tried PSE10, and got a class by Jessica Sprague. Learned about stores with pretty product and got excited! Upgraded to PSE11, then PSE14, and just signed up for PSCC.

I totally agree with the statement by Lorry. Looking back, my failure with programs was the inability to control the photos the way I wanted to whether while creating or printing or in between. One of the programs forced me to import my photos, and I really hated that process.

 

This is me too. I did start with gimp and found it pretty good, and it's still around. I just finally wanted more control. Mostly I use PSE. I also have Photoshop CC which is even more powerful, but yet again a steeper learning curve. I'm hanging on to PSE while I dig into CC. Lately I'll start a page in PSE and move it over to CC to warp some shadows or use puppet warp or something like that, but I have to start forcing myself to do more in CC.
If your game, it's very easy to find free online tutorials for both.

 

Just a note, if you read the end user agreement on any software, you never actually own the software. You have a license to use it for that version only. The difference with CC is that you are actually purchasing the licence monthly and all future versions for as long as you continue to pay. I subscribed to CC/Lightroom on some special I found somewhere and it was around the same price per year as one new version of PSE. As long as you skip the upgrades PSE is less expensive.

 

I currently use Paint Shop Pro X8. I started digi scrapping with PSP 7 but I had been using PSP since version 3 in the late '90's having learned how to scan and edit photos using the program. I actually had taken some online classes in the program that taught me the use of layers, drop shadows and many other features which easily transferred to digiscrapping. In those days, PSP was just as powerful (if not more!) than PhotoShop but at a much cheaper price.

I did get PSE 10 free once and installed it. Even took the Jessica Sprague classes but found that I preferred using PSP.

 

I started back in 1998 using Paint Shop Pro doing animated signature graphics for the web... after that I switched over to Photo Impact and used both Paint Shop Pro & Photo Impact. Then my brother in law gave me Photoshop 7 which I had for over a year and it was just too much for my brain, until with the new computer and printer I got a copy of PSE and then I started playing more with it, and not going back to my comfort zone of PSP & PI making myself use Photo Shop and PSE.. like Lorry, teaching myself by doing tutorials that I googled. Then my husband bought us CS3 Creative Suites and I used that (with newer renditions of PSE stopping now at PSE11) I have used up until 2 1/2 years ago when I switched to the Photoshop Creative Cloud + Lightroom for $9.99/month. I absolutely love CC with the subscription. At first I was not wanting to rent, but my CS3 was getting outdated, so I went with the CC and have been thrilled with it!!! I never use PSE11 unless someone has a question that I try and help with.

 

I'm still using Photoshop CS3 and I'm thinking of upgrading to CS6 because templates created in CC crash in PS 3 and earlier versions (something weird with the text boxes). I'm just waiting to upgrade my machine before I upgrade my Photoshop since it will make things easier to just install once.

 

When I started I used PhotoImpact and I really loved it... it was easy to learn and in my little digiscrapworld (german scrappers) this program was used very often... so anyone could get help from others. Last year PhotoImpact didn`t work well on my computer anymore so I needed to change... and I choosed PaintShop Pro X8. Actually I love PSP but it`s not so easy to find good tutorials... so it`s not soooo easy to learn everything new and sometimes I miss Photoimpact (for blending pictures or re-color any alphas or stuff...)...

 

I started with GIMP and used it for several years before I bought Photoshop CC a few months back. I used GIMP because it was free and I had a Ubuntu/Linux laptop. When I got a new laptop (Win10), I decided to get PS/LR because I need more than what I had for photography. So now I scrap in PS and occasionally I will use GIMP. The one thing I like about GIMP is that you can use it as a portable app on your USB drive and run it on any computer without installing.

 

NOT that I am a digital scrapper I am the hybrid girl! But I started out scrapping digital because I wanted to make a blog header! Then the place I used to work installed one of those digital signs that you can put pictures on, etc and I had to learn how to do it. They bought me a copy of PSE and then sent me to a day class on how to use it.

Since I am basically a paper scrapper, turning into hybrid, I have been pulling elements into my Silhouette software, putting a page totally together to see how it looks and then I print and cut everything. Sounds like a lot of work, but I love that I can get DIFFERENT stuff using digital kits!

I have the CC Photoshop/Lightroom sub and I haven't went back to PSE. I need to work in Photoshop more to get the hang of it. I have a page almost done for the Storyteller challenge, but I am too scared to post it! I am not as good as you all are! LOL

 

I started with Creative Memories Storybook Creator many years ago and have kept up the progression. I currently scrap with Artisan 5 and use Artisan 4 for converting layered png to the .page format. I love that it is so intuitive. I also utilize the content organization tools that are built into it. I especially the font organizer that lets me group my fonts (currently by style type, but I am thinking about also adding usage - i.e. journaling, titles, subtitles, etc.) About the only thing it can not do is warp things. I recently learned Gimp, so I could use that if I really want to warp something.

p.s. All you Lightroom users - you can still get a non-CC version, but the link to purchase it is very well hidden on their website. I use LR to edit my raw file photos when the jpg version of the photo is not what it should be. Some day I hope to confidently edit all my photos with it.

 

Kiss!

 

I used to use GIMP, then I used Creative Memories Storybook (was a consultant), then I moved to PSE (not sure which number anymore) and now I am love love loving Photoshop CC. Each of them worked for me at the time, and I just grew out of them.

 

I'm not sure how you'll upgrade to CS6 as Adobe is no longer selling though you can buy a version on Ebay or Amazon. I considered that when CC first came round but the prices were already too high. Now they're in the thousands for a hard copy. If I ever decide to go with CC, the cloud price is not bad at all. My decision will most likely be when my LR6 is no longer working right with a newer OS.

 

I used Gimp from 2006 - 2012. I'd probably still be using it if I hadn't made a move to a Macbook Pro. At the time, Gimp did not work well in OS X (the problem has since been resolved) and we found a sweet deal to get the full CS5 web suite for 1/2 price so we got it. I love CS5 although I've been wondering if an upgrade to CC would be worth it.

In the years I used Gimp I had two or three different versions of PSE (the last being 10), but I would only use them to run an action or use a style and then head right back to Gimp. I like CS5 better than Gimp, but I prefer Gimp over PSE.