Ideas for Scrapbooking Layouts
Various page layouts and designs mak a scrapbook much more interesting and unique. Typical scrapbooks can be fairly simple in design with the use of a background texture or color and photos arranged on the pages. Doing some digital photo editing is essential to create more options of themed images to use in your scrapbooks. More interesting pages include layout or design elements such as:
- Titles in unique type styles
- Names, dates or text on the page layout in a variety of colors and fonts
- Photos arranged in montages
- Notes and text on the page using a font that appears handwritten
- Clip art graphics and images to use as embellishments on the page layouts
- Digitally created special effects such as torn paper, drop shadows or highlights around elements
- Borders or frames around photos
- Layering of background images to imitate layers of paper
You can see how having good skills with photo editing software and learning new computer scrapbooking techniques is essential to accomplish this.
Some of the items listed above are used in traditionally-created scrapbook layouts. Adding your own “special effects” are what makes digital scrapbooking so much fun. Enhancements such as drop shadows and highlights can work well if they are done correctly.
A layout with a specific theme can be very effective to add to the interest of your scrapbook layouts. Themes for scrapbooks are only limited by your imagination – they can be on any topic such as: fishing, vacations, travel, family, weddings, birthdays, holidays, etc. Themes are great to use because they add unique images and photos to your pages.
A Scanner is a Computer Scrapper’s Friend
Using your scanner and also photo editing your scans is a good way to add custom elements for your scrapbook layouts. To get new and unique images for your scrapbooks, you can create your own elements by scanning pictures or objects that are virtually flat. You can use items you have to create your own theme, for example to make a school theme you might scan rulers, notebook paper or colored pencils.
To get some paper textures to use as backgrounds, try scanning birthday and holiday wrapping paper. Photos to use for page backgrounds can be found on the internet, on greeting cards or on postcards. Using other people’s designs can only be done in your personal layouts, if material is copyrighted, you can’t use and sell those designs. Scans of ribbon is a way to add a graphic element to your page.
You can also use chip board letters or other embellishments that you scan and reuse. When you scan these elements, you can digitally edit them to change the colors or shapes.
There are also affordable CD ROMs with clip art available with images for themed scrapbooks. You can get free digital scrapbook kits, too. Images such as paper patterns, elements, and tags from kits can be used as is or modified to create your own unique digital scrapbook layouts.
Combine Traditional with Digital Scrapbooking
Just because you’re working on a digital scrapbook doesn’t mean you can’t do some hand writing, drawing or add other embellishments on the pages after you print them out. Doing this combination of digital and traditional scrapbook techniques is called hybrid scrapbooking. Use of a hybrid scrapbooking combination of elements is one additional way to make your digital memory books and layouts more creative.
Scrapbook Kit #1 – Cute as a Bug!