Introduction and Program Question

[pamoh]

Hi!
My name is Pam and I just got into digital scrapbooking. I have computer and graphics program experience but I just now discovered the scrapbooking. I made (quite ugly compared to others) scrapbooks last year for my mother and mother in law for Christmas and they loved it so much they are expecting another one this year. Well, I started thinking this month about doing it again but I wanted it to be prettier like a real scrapbook. I started looking around and I found this HUGE online digital scrapbooking community thriving and just waiting for me to join! LOL

Now for my question... I have several graphics programs for various reasons or another and I use them for different purposes and usually only a few features of each (for instance... I normally only use Photoshop when extracting a background from a photo). :) I'm very lucky that I have these but now I don't know which one is best to stick with. I have Paint Shop Pro X and Photoshop 7. I also have Corel Painter 9 but I won't be using that except for special effects. So I need to decide between PSP X and PS 7 as my main scrapbookin' program. If you have both, which would you use? Which one is more flexible and has more to offer as far as what I need for scrapbooking? I'm not planning on upgrading Photoshop so it will stay version 7. Can anyone let me know what you think about the pros and cons of the two?

Thanks!
Pam

[Emma]

There's no real reason to have to choose, but you'll tend to lean toward the one you feel more comfortable with. I wish I could get a morphed PS/PSP custom program with the strengths I like in each (keep dreaming, eh?)

Do both First Page tutorials for PS and PSP. Create a few pages with each, and you'll find yourself reaching for one over the other. As you learn what the other does better (everyone has an opinion there), you'll open it just for those features. Or you may be a full user of both: never know!

Welcome to DSP! You're set up to get started tearing into this, can't wait to see your stuff!

[pamoh]

I understand. lol I like Photoshop for extracting backgrounds better than Paint Shop Pro. But I might find myself using PSP more since it I seem to be able to do some things in less steps. Such as when I copy a photo into a layout, I can choose "Paste in New Layer" and it puts it on the layout on it's own layer where in Photoshop I have to create the new layer, paste the photo in and then hit enter to commit. Maybe I'm just missing something?

I always save my files in Photoshop format, anyway, since both programs can open them in addition to Painter 9 which does some really gorgeous artistic effects that I plan on incorporating into my layouts as soon as I get "into the groove".

Ok, I'm just going to dig in and probably end up going back and forth. :D Hopefully I have some beginning efforts to show soon. lol

Thanks!
Pam

[Lauren]

If you edit and paste into PS it will automatically put it on a new layer - you dont have to tell it to do anything!!- I personally used PSP for years until I found Photoshop and I rarely use PSP now - ( stopped at v9) Once I discovered the wonder of Photoshop Layer styles I didnt look back!!!