There are so many ways that you can scrapbook now and digital scrapbooking is a great alternative. But without knowing Photoshop, can you really create a digital scrapbook? Of course you can! I want to let you know that you have many options for digital scrapbooking. Read on for more info and you’ll be ready to take your scrapbooking to the digital level!
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But first, a quick intro to digital scrapbooking. There are two different ways that you can create digital scrapbooks. One method is to use your computer and different programs, websites, and software that are available. Another way you can create digital scrapbooks is using apps on your smartphone or tablet.
Digital Scrapbooking on Your Computer
Using your computer, there are plenty of programs and websites that you can use to create scrapbook layouts. Some programs are more intuitive than others, but all of these are much easier than learning Photoshop.
Digital Scrapbooking with Your Smartphone or Tablet
There are also plenty of apps that you can download your devices to be able to scrapbook. When you can work right from your device where you have your photos stored, it takes away the extra step of needing to transfer your photos. We all know that it’s a tough task to do this consistently. Scrapbooking right from your phone will help you get your memories documented even faster. There’s really no excuse to not get pages done! (Well, except maybe when you can’t find the time.. check out my tips to make time for creativity.)
Where Can I Make a Scrapbook Online?
Persnickety Prints
Persnickety Prints is one of my favorites places to print my photos online. They have so many photo-size options plus they have an online design software that is very easy to use! You can choose to make “memory pages” that are the typical 12×12, 10×10, 8×8 size layouts. Or you can create “Collages” that are different sizes, like 6×8 or 8×10. There are plenty of sizes to choose from, but overall it’s a great drag and drop system that is easy to use.
You also can add on clipart, backgrounds, borders, and more.. all for free! Not to mention that once you are finished you know that you are going to get quality prints from one of the best places to print photos online. As a bonus, you can also have your prints made into a soft cover album. Or print your final layouts and slide them into page protectors, like I did below.
Shutterfly
Shutterfly has always been a great resource to create digital albums. They have a robust drag and drop online program. There are different size albums, types of albums, and themes. You can pick and choose what you want to include on each page and add embellishments from there. The albums come with 20 pages for the base price, with the option to add more pages for an additional cost. Shutterfly even has an option to help you make your photo album and save time. When printed you get a hardcover or softcover album of your family memories.
I’ve used Shutterfly for family vacation trip albums, where the number of photos feels overwhelming. Putting those pictures into Shutterfly albums helped me simplify my process and document my memories easily, without feeling overwhelmed with the number of photos I needed to print.
Canva
Canva is another great option for creating scrapbook pages. It is a free online program that allows you to create digital images and layouts. It is used a lot for social media images, letters, logos, and other online media. However, they also have options to create scrapbook pages since you can create your own custom design at any size.
They have a ton of free fonts, clip art, backgrounds, and more. You can also upload your photos and other digital papers and embellishments that you download from throughout the web. It is basically a very easy drag and drop version of Photoshop, but without all the fuss.
Sometimes I even use Canva to make custom cards or inserts for my scrapbook pages. I did this for a December Daily album and created a custom 4×6 card insert to add to a page.
Where Can I Make a Scrapbook on My Phone or Tablet?
Project Life App
This one was a game changer in the scrapbooking world. If you haven’t heard of Project Life yet, then you are missing out! It is a great system to get your photos into albums with a small amount of materials. Even easier is the Project Life App where you work right from your smartphone or tablet. Drop in your photos and design cards into the pre-made templates then add your journaling. It is very fast and you can print albums directly from the app or export the pages to print with another company.
I did my second attempt at December Daily using the Project Life App using 6×8 templates. It helped me to stay focused and get the pages done each day.
Over App
The Over app is another great solution to digital scrapbooking on your smartphone. It is a blank canvas where you add all of your elements in layers and create your own design. Much like Canva, you can use clip art, fonts, and backgrounds for free. You can also upgrade to paid content to access more content. You can even upload your own elements, like digital scrapbooking kits.
Photo Editing Apps
There are also a lot of photo editing apps that allow you to add effects, borders, clip art, and font. Sometimes when you want to really build up your digital pages you need to work in separate apps to create certain elements and then export it to another app. It sounds complicated, but Meagan Johnson from The Practical Scrapper does it all the time. Check out her Instagram feed for inspiration.
Just to name a few, some of the favorite apps being used by digital and app scrapbookers listed below:
- Pic-Tap-Go for photo editing
- PicJointer for combining photos into collages or adding a white border
- Moldiv app for combining photos into collages or adding a white border
- RhonnaDesigns app for creative layouts, fonts, and clip art
Persnickety Prints and Canva Device Options
As I mentioned above, Persnickety Prints and Canva both have you create your content on their website. The great thing about both is that you can do the same from your phone and seamless continue your designs on your device.
For Persnickety Prints, you don’t need an app, just go to their website and start creating. You’ll be able to access your projects from your account. This means you can continue working on designs that you already started or create new ones.
For Canva, you will need to download an app, but you can still work seamlessly on projects you already started. The process is a little different and takes some getting used to on the app compared to the computer. But it makes designing pages or even just little custom inserts for your albums easy.
Shutterfly Device Option
I did also want to mention Shutterfly’s current status on their mobile option. It’s very simplistic and only allows you to create an album with one photo per page (as per their website) when you use their app or on your device’s browser. So, if you are looking for quick and easy, this may be an option, but I don’t like that there are limitations of how you can create. Creating Shutterfly albums on your computer is the best digital scrapbook with them that gives you many more layout options.
Digital Scrapbooking Without Photoshop is Easy!
Now that you have all the options and tools to get yourself ready, you can start digital scrapbooking without Photoshop. Whether you want to use your computer, smartphone, or your tablet, you can get started right now. Give yourself some time to explore the options available and be patient while you learn these new tools. Some programs may come easier to you compared to others, so use what works best for you. All of these will produce high quality scrapbook pages to add to your family memories.
Looking for other scrapbooking tips and tricks? I have some great resources I’ve created just for email subscribers. Project planning sheets, sketch templates, ideas for albums, interview sheets, and more! Sign up below to get instant access to all of these resources.
Let me know what programs or apps you like to use when you are digital scrapbooking in the comments below.
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Hi Julie,
I would like to condense 73 years of pictures of my life for my 7 grandchildren into a digital scrapbook. Would it be better to print them into an album or save it on a USB drive oh the computer? Also what is the easiest software program out there for me to use? Thank you!
I would say the best thing to do is always print your pictures. I love Persnickety Prints because they print with archival safe photos (i.e., they are waterproof and don’t fade). I think it would be great for you to have a set of the photos that are the originals for yourself. But if you want to create a digital scrapbook, you could use Shutterfly online (they even have services to help you put the photos in your book), but that can be pricey. You could also use the Project Life App on an iPad. Or, you could do what my aunt did. She scrapbooked pages for herself, then she scanned them into a computer and had them printed on large photo paper to make a version for others (it was a recipe scrapbook). So you could even scan and upload those files to Persnickety Prints and they print so many sizes of photos (12×12, 8.5×11, etc), so you could build albums that way and do it overtime. I hope this helps!