Digital Scrapbooking 101

I have had so many questions about how I do my digital scrapbooking, that I thought I would add it to my blog. All of the pages that you see have been made in Photoshop. I personally have Photoshop 6.0 (and old version), but you can use most forms of Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. My best suggestion would be to follow the tutorial that is on http://www.shabbyprincess.com/. This is a great way to get started. It walks you through making a practice page. I have gotten my papers and embellishments from various sites on the web. There are many sites that offer freebies (which I usually use) or others that give you the option to purchases papers and embellishments. Some of my favorite sites that I have downloaded from include:

http://www.shabbyprincess.com/
http://www.simplycleandigiscraps.com/
http://www.freedigitalscrapbooking.com/
http://twopeasinabucket.kaboose.com/
http://www.atomiccupcake.com/
http://www.scrapchicstudio.com/
http://www.littledreamerdesigns.com/
http://www.cottagearts.net/
http://www.scrapartist.com/

To get started:
1. When you open a new project, you will need to decide the size that you are going for. Personally, for digital scrapbooking pages, I do 12x12. I have found that you can print 12x12 at Costco for 2.99/page. Another option is now that http://www.shutterfly.com will allow you to upload your 12x12 pages into hardbound book (similar to photobooks that I have done in the past, but with my own layouts!) This turns out to be even cheaper!

You can do whatever size you want - but if you plan on printing them, make sure that wherever you are printing prints that size. I have printed 4x6 cards and 5x7 cards. I have made different sizes for blogs, etc. You need to decide your size. I personally always work with inches because that is what I understand. As for resolution, I ALWAYS do everything at 300 pixels/inch. You don't need to have it this high for web, but if you want to print - you will need high resolution. If you find when putting it on the web that you need to shrink it - you can (save for web)...I never need to. Shrinking is easy, but you can't make it bigger. So, just do everything at 300 pixels/inch!

2. Open papers or pictures and drag or paste into the project. See the tools below to help!
Some of my favorite tools are:

The magic wand tool: allows you to select all of one color
Magnetic lasso: allows you to go around an object and magnetically and take that item. I like this better than the regular lasso because it is easier to get the exact area that you want.
The rectangular marquee: I always use this to make borders around my pictures, to delete unwanted parts of the picture, or to select a certain portion of the picture. You can use this to select the area that you want. Then right click and push select inverse. By then pushing delete, it will delete anything on that layer that is not within that box. I like this tool MUCH better than the crop tool. In fact, I rarely use the crop tool (only on an individual picture - not on my digital scrapbooking page!)
**I also like that you can set exact dimensions (fixed size) if you want all of your pictures or backgrounds the same size!
Eye Dropper tool: When you are selecting a color for a border or stripe on your page, you can click any color on your page and it will match that color. This helps you to find perfect matches for your pictures!
Paste Into: AWESOME feature! You can use the magic tool to select an area that you want to paste something into (or replace). Then, you can push Edit: Paste Into and it will paste anything in there that you have on your clipboard. I have used this to paste pictures into frames, colored paper into a ripped paper, patterns into letters, etc. Fun trick!
F button (in layer history): This is where I am allowed to add drop shadows, inner shadows, etc. to help my pictures and papers stand out a little more.
Text Tool (T): To add text, use this tool. You can add text wherever you want on the page. You can use the move tool after you are finished typing to change the location of it.
New Layer (this is in the layer history palette): I have found this tool to be very useful because it is important to do everything in a new layer. This way you don't have 2 things locked together in the same layer. By having them in their own layer, you can move things individually of each other.
Link Tool: It is possible to link layers (in layer palette). You can link layers so that you can move them all together (and then later unlink them). I like this tool too because under the layer menu, there are options to align linked. This way, you can make sure that multiple layers are lined up and even. You can also merge linked - but this is a permanent merge. So, I use this only when I know the background and picture are exactly how I want them.
Filter: To add texture to a paper, you can use features in the filter menu to help add grain, texture, etc.
Duplicate Image: I love this feature because sometimes you want the exact same layer multiple times (same size, shape, color, etc.). In your layer palette, you can right click and then push the option to duplicate image. This will make a copy of the exact image in a new layer. You are then free to move it around wherever you want.
Rulers, Grids, & Guides: These are found under the View Menu. I like these because it is another way to help you know that things are aligned and centered how you want them. You can also move a guide down into your page to make sure it is lined up.

Shortcuts that I like.
Obviously, you can do all of these under the different menues at the top, but these are some that have made things easier for me. Be aware that everything I do is in Photoshop 6.0, so there may be small differences in the various versions of Photoshop!

Ctrl T = transfrom (sometimes embellishments may be locked - so make sure to unclick the button that looks like a cross in your layer history). Then, you will be able transform your item.
Shift + Backspace = Fill a selection
Ctrl ] and Ctrl [ = switches the order the the layers instead of dragging in layer history
Ctrl N = new project
Ctrl O = Open new item (for opening pictures, papers, embellishments, etc).


I find that the best way to learn Photoshop is to just get started and experiment. I learn new things all of the time! There are also many books on photoshop that you could check out from the library if you need more guidance. Feel free to ask questions as you get started and I can try to answer them :) Good luck digitizing your world! If anyone has more to add or more sites that they know of, please let me know. I am always looking for more!

It definitely takes time, but I love it...So, welcome to the Digital Scrapbooking!