Digital Scrapbooking Software

Finding appropriate digital scrapbooking software is one of the first things you will need when you are starting your scrapbooking adventure. There are quite a lot of suitable options so it can be hard to make the right decision. There are a few important things to consider when choosing the best digital scrapbooking program for you.

One of the most important questions you have to ask yourself is: how much freedom and flexibility would I like to have to create my digital scrapbooking pages? Do you just want to assemble your layouts with the scrapbooking supplies you have bought without much editing? Or would you rather use all kinds of techniques to be able to create every effect you can come up with?

Secondly you should consider you own level of skills. Do you have experience with photo editing software? Are you in general good with computers and confident that you can familiarise yourself with professional design software? Or would you feel more comfortable with digital scrapbooking software that is quite easy to learn and use?

The last factor is cost. You should simply ask yourself how much money you want to spend on a digital scrapbooking program. Do you want to start out cheap to see if digital scrapbooking is really the thing for you? Or do you want to invest now, so you can grow and keep scrapbooking for many years to come?

Since all three factors are related, having a strong opinion on one of them will influence your final choice. If you are for example determined not to spend much money on digital scrapbooking software, you will also have to compromise on the flexibility of the program.

The most basic software option is free digital scrapbooking software. This will allow you to assemble pages and apply some simple effects. Another entry-level option is PowerPoint which you might have access to already and be familiar with. In the newest versions there are some nifty effects that come in handy for digital scrapbooking. However, PowerPoint doesn’t work with layers and also has some disadvantages especially when you are planning to print your pages.

If you are looking to get more flexibility GIMP could be the one for you. The good thing is; it’s free! Other alternatives are Paint Shop Pro and Photoshop Elements. They all have a wide range of effects and allow you to edit your elements and apply different techniques. If you are willing to spend some money Photoshop is truly the way to go. If you are not familiar with Photoshop you will have to allow some time getting up to speed with all the available features. But it is still the golden standard for photo editing software and will give you almost any functionality you can think of!

So try to figure out which factors are important to you and what you feel comfortable with, so you make sure you choose the right digital scrapbooking software for you!