Advice for which software to pick

[Newbie2Digital]

I've been a traditional scrapbooker for years, but now I need to make a digital scrapbook for a preschool class, almost like a school yearbook. The school wants to order the book through Walmart - so I have to have a software that will let me convert the pages to jpeg when I'm done with the layout, and probably make it 8 1/2 x 11. I've seen the names of many listed, MemoryMixer, My Memories, PhotoShop, etc, but I really don't know one from another.

Can anyone suggest the best one for me, that's relatively easy to use, and will meet my needs for a school yearbook. If my best option is inexpensive too, that would really be great.

[Heidi]

I don't know how much help I will be because I have only used Adobe Photoshop & it is quite expensive. Now Adobe also has Photoshop Elements which you can usaully find for around $100 (sometimes less). It is basically a watered down version of Photoshop. It will definitly have everything you need to do plus more. They also have free trials that last for about 30 days. Which is wonderfull to try out & see if you like it. I hope that helps a bit!

[Kathleen]

Welcome to DSP! I would say your best options are either Photoshop Elements (PSE) or My Memories Suite (MMS).

PSE will give you the most flexibility, although does have a bit of learning curve, how much depends on how computer savvy you are. MMS would get you up and running quickly, and comes with lots of DSP graphics.

You can download a trial of PSE (http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshopelwin/?promoid=BPDEM) from Adobe's web site, and you can purchase MMS (http://store.digitalscrapbookplace.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=230) right here at DSP.

I will also post a bunch of information that you may or may not need ... A few tutorials (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/university/tutorials/tutorials.shtml) you might find helpful if you haven't found them already (lots available in The Campus, but these are great to get you started):


Completing Your First Paper-Style Page [PS (http://digitalscrapbookplace.com/university/tutorials/pscs3_firstlayout_ag/pscs3_firstlayout_ag.shtml)] [PSE (http://digitalscrapbookplace.com/university/tutorials/pse_firstlayout_ag/pse_firstlayout_ag.shtml)] [PSP (http://digitalscrapbookplace.com/university/tutorials/psp_completefirstLO_ny/psp_completefirstLO_ny.shtml)] [DIP (http://digitalscrapbookplace.com/university/tutorials/dip_firstlayout_tc/dip_firstlayout_tc.shtml)] [MMS (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/../university/tutorials/mms/mms_creatingyourfirstpage_rg.shtml)]
Completing Your First Graphic-Style Page [PS (http://digitalscrapbookplace.com/university/tutorials/ps_basicpage_graphic.shtml)] [PSP (http://digitalscrapbookplace.com/university/tutorials/psp_basicpage_graphic.shtml)] [PSP12 (http://digitalscrapbookplace.com/university/tutorials/psp_graphiclayout_ny/psp_graphiclayout_ny.shtml)] [DIP (http://digitalscrapbookplace.com/university/tutorials/dip_basicpage_graphic.shtml)] [MMS (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/../university/tutorials/mms/mms_creatingyourfirstpage_rg.shtml)]
Resizing Your Layout for the Web [PS (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/../university/tutorials/ps_resizing_ep/ps_resizing.shtml)] [PSP (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/../university/tutorials/psp_resizewebep.shtml)] [DIP (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/../university/tutorials/dip_resizing.shtml)] [HPCSA (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/../university/tutorials/hpcsa_webview.shtml)]
Uploading your scrapbook page to the DSP Gallery (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/../university/tutorials/general_uploadGallery_ep/general_uploadGallery_ep.shtml)

A bit of information about DSP ... There are forums (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/) (that is where we are now) where you can get to know people, ask questions, participate in challenges; a gallery (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/../gallery/) filled with layouts posted by other members where you can find all kinds of inspiration, and you can post your own creations to share with the community (and get comments and constructive criticism if you want to help build your skills, or get stuck on a page); and of course a store (http://store.digitalscrapbookplace.com/) (requires separate registration from the forums and gallery) brimming with all kinds of goodies that will keep you scrapping for years!

The Freebie Gallery (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/../gallery/index.php?cat=738), has all kinds of stuff you can download to get started.

Digital Scrapbook University (DSU) (http://digitalscrapbookplace.com/university/classes.shtml) offers some great classes, from just getting started, all the way through more advanced techniques. Depending on what kind of a learner you are, one of these might be a great place to start. Digital Scrapbooking 101 (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/university/Scrapping101/basics.shtml) has some good information on available programs to choose from and other basics to get you started.

Feel free to ask questions, there is always someone who can help! I look forward to seeing your creations in the gallery!

[Lorne]

My Memories Suite is really well liked by a lot of users here, and it seems to have DSP's support which really says a lot.

PhotoShop is a good choice if you want to develop skills that you can use professionally (e.g. if you want to work as a graphic artist), but it's your most expensive option.

You could try a free tool like Gimp, however like PhotoShop it is aimed at professional photographers and has a pretty steep learning curve.

If you get a chance, I'd invite you to try out Scrapbook MAX too. We just released a brand new version in mid-september. Like My Memories Suite it's designed specifically for digital scrapbooking, and we've put a lot of effort into making it easy to use.

(Disclaimer: I built the graphics engine that Scrapbook MAX 2.0 uses and was part of its development team.)

We aren't trying to be another PhotoShop, but I think we managed to pull off some advanced features without making the interface too confusing or intimidating.

Everybody's different though so I'd encourage you to try a few different tools and see which ones you like best.

Whatever you end up using for the yearbook, I hope you'll come back and tell us how it went. No program is perfect and the more people talk about what they like and don't like about software, the better everyone's software will get.

[Newbie2Digital]

Thank you very much for all the advice. I'm leaning toward the MMS, but on a Top Ten Review site that reviewed digital software, it said it didn't allow for multiple page sizes. It's really important that I be able to layout 8 x 11 pages. Does MMS allow for that, and can they be saved as jpeg files?

Thank you all again!

[Kathleen]

When I look at the tutorial Creating Your First Digital Scrapbook Page in My Memories Suite, it looks like you have a choice of album size. Let me see if I can get information from someone who has used it more.

[Newbie2Digital]

Thank you very much for all the advice. I'm leaning toward the MMS, but on a Top Ten Review site that reviewed digital software, it said it didn't allow for multiple page sizes. It's really important that I be able to layout 8 x 11 pages. Does MMS allow for that, and can they be saved as jpeg files?

Thank you all again!

[GailS]

You can create your pages in a square, landscape or portrait configuration. Landscape and portrait create pages that can be printed up to 8.5 x 11, square up to 12 x 12. The page size is configured by the album orientation you select.

Are you thinking of mixing the page sizes in an album? I think that is what the review is referring to - I haven't tried mixing formats, but if you are planning on printing to a book, you wouldn't be able to mix the sizes anyway. When I tried to import a landscape page to a square formatted album, it really just brought the pieces in and tried to arrange them on the square canvas.

If you were looking for mixed sizes, you'd just want to have separate albums for the format. And yes, you can save the pages as .jpgs. I saved my entire album as jpgs and uploaded them to my gallery. You can see them here. http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/search.php?searchid=480069 :)

[KimBennett]

I use PaintShop Pro for my more heavy-duty photo editing and more complex layouts, but for quick and easy layouts with some minor photoediting capabilities I love Fotofusion by Lumapix, lumapix.com. I think they even have yearbook templates with the program. It flattens to jpeg and you can do 8.5x11. The scrapbook essentials version is $40. The enhanced version with more features is $120. Good luck!

[Lorne]

Thank you very much for all the advice. I'm leaning toward the MMS, but on a Top Ten Review site that reviewed digital software, it said it didn't allow for multiple page sizes.I wouldn't put too much faith in that site. When they "review" software they contact the developers and ask them for money. If you refuse to pay them anything for their services, you get a poor review.

It's really sad how things "work" in business sometimes.

(Google "top ten reviews scam" if you want more info.)