Community School Digital Scrapbooking Class

Here are a few sample layouts. Click on the image to see each page individually.

Do I need to purchase Photoshop or Elements before I take this class?

No. But, you can download a free 30 day trial version of either Photoshop or Elements right from the Adobe website. This would be a great way to do the out of class assignments without purchasing a program before hand.

Do you recommend buying Photoshop or Photoshop Elements?

You will want to buy either: Photoshop Elements version 9 or Photoshop CS5. Photoshop Elements is around $80. If you are/have a student/teacher you can get the newest version of Photoshop for $200 right from Adobe. If not, Photoshop is about $699. Adobe will also let you download the program free for a month to try it out.
Photoshop Elements can do everything that we cover in class. It is really a very powerful program and it costs less.
A few things that we will do in class are a couple of steps easier in the full version of Photoshop.
If I were a student or had a student in my home (so I could purchase the student version) I would probably get Photoshop, if not, I would probably get Elements. Some personal research on how much you really spend on scrapbook stuff might reveal that over a year or two this isn’t so expensive after all-but that’s a totally individual matter.

What if I have an older version of Photoshop or Elements?

I personally am using Photoshop CS3. I have only used CS versions of Photoshop and any of them would be fine.
If you have Elements I would recommend having at least version 6.

What exactly does this class cover?

This class is designed to help you learn the Photoshop/Elements program so you can use it to create your own scrapbooking pages. No previous experience with Photoshop is necessary to take this class. Although you need to know basic computer skills such as navigating folders on the computer so you can find your files, opening new documents, etc.
Each week of class we will make a page using Photoshop.
We will cover most of the tools in the tools palette. Some of the tools we will cover are: the marquee tool, magic wand, lasso tool, color bucket, type tool, etc.
Some sample skills we learn are resizing and rotating, layering, recoloring, type, drop shadows, saving files in different formats, etc.
We will also cover a small amount to photo editing.
It is strongly recommended that each student find time out of class to practice the skills we have learned that week and create at least one page to share with the class.
Photoshop is a very hands-on program and each class builds on the class before. You will find enormous benefit to practicing out of class.

What do I do after I create my pages?

First you save them as a jpeg.
Then you upload them to a printing source to be printed in a bound book, or you get the pages printed just like you would a photo and put them in page protectors and put them in a binder.

How much does it cost to print a book?

TOTAL: $65

Does Photoshop come with paper and embellishments?

Photoshop doesn’t “come” with paper or embellishments. You have to acquire these separately. But don’t panic there is SO MUCH free stuff out there that you will never “have to” buy anything. And since you can use Photoshop to recolor anything just a few things turn into many.

How long does it take you to make a page?

What are the benefits of going digital?

Saves on space. Instead of having a 2-inch binder filled with pages, I have a hardbound .25 to .5-inch book.
It’s easy to “get out” and “clean up.”
I can work on my projects almost anytime and anywhere -- in the car on my laptop while my husband is driving, or while I’m waiting to pick up my kids….
I can change almost any digital paper or embellishment to match the colors in my pictures.
I can reuse a paper or embellishment as much as I want – along with changing its color and size.
I don’t have to actually print individual photos.
I don’t have to buy or store all the supplies that goes with scrapbooking: paper, ribbon, brads, stickers, chipboard, binders, page protectors, rubber stamps….etc.
None of my pages fall out of the top of sheet protectors.
It’s easy to share a page you have made with family and friends simply by emailing it to them or posting it online.

What do I do with all the scrapbooking stuff I already have?

Besides scrapbooks what else can I make?

The possibilities are endless! I have made:
- summer chore charts
- personal stationery
- birthday invitations
- wedding/birth/shower announcements
- framed artwork
- thank you notes
- calendars
- a whole variety of hybrid projects
To view some of these check the slideshow in the “Hybrid and Other Samples” post.

What are some of your favorite digital scrapbooking websites?

Where do you find your fonts?

Any thing else?

The only other thing that I would highly recommend is getting an external hard drive to
back up all your stuff. I would cry if my computer crashed and I lost all my work and pictures.
I downloaded Picasa2 free from Google. It’s just a super easy way to organize your photos and add captions to them before you scrapbook them. It does not copy all your photos into this program only indexes them.