Throughout the years, digital scrapbooking has steadily grown into a fully-developed niche; one that is able to be viewed as a viable alternative to traditional scrapbooking. But is digital scrapbooking really a different way to create a totally different form of art, or is it merely a newfangled tool used by traditional scrappers? I'm going to share the sum and substance of both niches with you and let you decide which is which.
Digital scrapbooking and its traditional form have several important similarities. A traditional scrapbook is created with paper of different types, styles, and colors. Photographs are usually mounted on the pages using a variety of methods and adhesives, and the pages themselves are decorated with a number of embellishments. Scrapbookers also use several other materials and techniques to embellish and adorn a scrapbook page as they see fit. Some of the common materials used are inks, paints, stamps, die cuts or cutouts, ribbon, and metal items (to name just a few).
The most glaring difference between the two is how the scrapbook is created, not the principle behind the craft. What sets digital scrapbooking apart from the traditional form is that the processes mentioned above are all done using a computer. With digital scrapbooking, the paper, embellishments, inks, photos, and all the other traditional supplies and materials are replaced with computer graphics.
However, some scrapbookers will argue that creating a traditional scrapbook is definitely harder than the digital method. After all, a digital scrapbooker only has to use a mouse and keyboard to design the layouts and mount all the elements needed for the page, while a traditional scrapper actually needs to handle the materials with her hands and use actual tools to do the job and accomplish the desired results. But there are also several instances wherein the two methods are identical to each other.
For example, a traditional scrapbook will be designed using a layout or template, upon which the photos, journaling elements, and embellishments will be arranged and mounted. Usually, the most common process that traditional scrapbookers follow is this: find a background paper they like, place the photos on the background paper, look for embellishments and place those on the page, and then do some journaling and place that also on the page.
With digital scrapbooking, you will use software to create your scrapbook page. That software will already have several templates to choose from, and also several styles, patterns, and colors for your background paper. Your photos will have to be scanned (if they are not already in digital form) and then placed on the design with your selected background. You will then need to type some text for your journaling elements, place that on the design, and then look for more graphical items to add as embellishments. Edit the colors, placements, and sizes as you wish, do some work on the borders, and you're finally done.
It cannot be denied, however, that there are also several instances wherein creating a digital scrapbook is a lot easier than traditional scrapbooking. This is due to the software that you use to create scrapbooks. You already have templates, fonts for journaling, backgrounds, and a huge selection of graphical items for embellishments, all ready to use. You also have the editing tools to crop and re-size your photos. If you need more templates, you won't even have to go out of the house, since you can just download more templates online. The same goes for backgrounds and other graphics that you need.
Whether you prefer digital scrapbooking or the traditional way, it's to you and your personal tastes. It wouldn't do you any good to go for a particular method just because everybody else is doing it. If you prefer one way over the other, that's perfectly fine, as long as you enjoy what you are doing and the process in which you are doing it.
Aside from being an accomplished artist and art/design teacher, Kimmo Hakonen is also the author of "Scrap Ideas". You can read more about Kimmo and the "Scrap Ideas" e-book here: http://www.scrapideas.net
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