What to do with a collection?

[hummingbird]

Now that I have started a collection of family photos that I have put into layouts of some kind what should I do with them. I don't just want to put them on a CD, but that might be my only solution. I would like to put them in an album of some kind with journaling pages added. Some of the pictures have great stories about the old family, but too much to add to a layout of a picture. I would like to add a complete page with nothing but journaling. Maybe adding some facts about our family tree. Do I need another program to do that, or can I do it with PSE. Any suggestion would be appreciated.

:rolleyes: Kathy

[Pam]

You've put a lot of work into any collection -- and there are several good answers. I'll tell you what I've done -- then others can follow!

I reorganized the photo album of my Mother-in-Law -- and while the photos were here, I scanned many of them. Slowly, I've been creating layouts, but am also trying to get family members to update me on kids photos, etc. So it's a work in progress. Meanwhile, I did save several of the scans and some of the layouts to a CD. Many DVD players will show a slideshow of JPG images saved to a CD.

When my Mother-in-Law passed away last year, we took a television with a DVD player to the funeral home and played the CD full of family photos -- it was SO enjoyed by family members (especially the older ones) cuz I had old photos of them as children, all the way to the newest grandchild.

Now that I've created layouts of many of these, I'm saving them to CD to share with the nieces & nephews. Many that I did are not high resolution enough to print, but will make a great slide show. (Something to consider, that I didn't then realize -- scan and save high resolution for the best prints.)

Many that I'm now doing, I do print. Depending on the size, you can use your printer - or send them via the Internet to a print place (WalMart or other).

I have purchased 6" albums (Michaels have them -- as other places do, I'm sure) - because I get a good visual at that size. There are also 8" albums, but they take about twice as much ink to print. Larger than that needs a printer that will accomodate it (or sending them off to a place to print).

To summarize, what I've done is print to 6" or 8" layouts (or rectangle) and place in albums, and additionally, saved to CDs to play in a DVD. There are also programs that allow you to save your photos in a slideshow format, add transitions between the layouts, and then add music to the background (even voice overlay -- "this is your Great-Uncle Mike."

Good luck & have fun! OK, anyone else?

[danaslil1s]

I'm a web designer - so understand graphics and such pretty well (always something new and fun to learn though!! :) ), but I am pretty new to scrapbooking as a hobby... (I had been using FlipAlbum software for a lot of my digital photos and albums in the past which is a nice software too).

But for regular digital scrapbooking I had been thinking about how to store them and share them and thought making movies with them might be a great option to try myself once I get more layouts done. I have some software by Ulead for dvd movie making - I've done just plain photos this way already and liked how it went together. It's kind of the same idea as the slideshow the last poster suggested.

Ulead has some really user-friendly and some more advanced programs for this type thing. Plus there are other companies with software out for making dvd movies as well you could check into if you have a dvd burner... or you could make vcd with a cd burner... just keep in mind some dvd players don't recognize vcd format - most older ones, and even some of the newer dvd players. So you'd have to check you could view it on your home one, as well as any family you might share with.

I'm thinking it will be a nice way to share in dvd format with my family (fairly inexpensive as well), and compact for storage for my own use too - which is a must in our chaotic household... :D . Plus I'm hoping it just adds one more element of fun to the whole viewing process.

[hummingbird]

Thanks Dana for the reply. I always appreciate hearing from someone else with my thoughts in mind. I have downloaded 8 different programs but was unhappy with most. I did finally decide on Xecute's PixPlay DVD. I liked the amount of choices for transitions. And it has a lot of other options that I liked. And when I want to edit one slide in PixPlay I can do the editing in Photoshop Elements. I liked that option the best.

I wanted to get away from all the printing of photos and then putting them into scrapbooks which I already have so many of. Putting the Layouts onto a CD is so much less expensive and space consuming. And space is something of a premium in my house. All of the programs that I tested I made a slideshow, burned them into a CD in VCD format and then played them on my DVD player here. That machine is a little dated too. And I did have problems with most of the other programs.

Thanks for the info. Now I'm going in another direction with my scrapbook pages. And I'm forever behind in creating them.

Kathy

[Starling]

This is an interesting thread because my first answer was "Print them, of course".

I did use Flip Album for many years. I think we upgraded at least 4 times, and I DON'T have the newest version. That worked because when we needed to share an album, we were making as many as 20 copies of the thing.

My current situation is different. We recently used our Roxio software, purchased to burn CDs, to make a DVD slideshow, again to share. I liked the result but I'm not sure that Flip Album wouldn't be better.

Although I like the idea of printing layouts for myself, and even to share, making more than 2 or 3 of each one would get too expensive. So I'm looking for other options too.

[danaslil1s]

There is also a program on the market similar to FlipAlbum I have heard some really good things about - Digital Page Author / Desktop Author (goes by both names from my understanding)... From what I have heard it has some extra flexability that FlipAlbum doesn't completely have yet... at some point I hope to try it more thoroughly and compare myself.

[hummingbird]

Now that I have gotten comfortable in the PhotoShop Elements program that I use, :cool: I started to work on just the photos of the family tree. This started out small and controlled but then relatives started to email more and more old photographs. And of course they all had stories to tell about them. One side of the family was really into genealogy and kept everthing including some old newspaper articles. I wanted to get my scrapbook pages into a slide show and mail the CD's to the rest of my family and of course those that submitted photos.

So now I'm looking at spending maybe months getting this stuff all scanned, scraped and put into files for easy locating. I need to download all the makings for old picture layouts. Does anyone have an suggestions? Has any of you done this kind of work already? And help? :rolleyes:

Thanks - Kathy

[Starling]

There are a lot of people here who do heritage pages. We have a heritage gallery and even a heritage challenge on a regular basis.

There are layouts in the gallery that show how to deal with issues where you have information, but no photos. You will find one for me for 1941 (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=29144&cat=500&page=5), the year I was born, and The Lower East Side (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=32842&cat=500&page=2), where my family lived when they first came to the US.

In both cases the photos came from the Web and I used them to make layouts. You have your own memorabilia, but you can use it the same way.

As for getting the stuff onto CD, once your layouts are saved as jpeg, just about any of the programs mentions will probably work for you. You might consider, when you are at that point, asking if any of us would like to join you as you put your project together. You might find that a bunch of us would like to do it to, with our own photos and layouts.

[hummingbird]

Yeah, that would be great. Getting other people's ideas it always an educational experience. Other people always see things differently. I would have to get better at navigating around this site first. And I would also have to get to the point of putting things together. Organization is the problem I think.

I did one slide show already in the program I purchased that I like. I started to notice things that I tought would make improvement in the future shows I put together. One thing I thought was important was the fonts. To many different fonts makes it look disassociated. Is that a word? So there has to be a theme or congruence from the beginning through the end.

I'm definately interested in doing that.

Kathy :)

[Timmysmum]

Just to add I have also used Ulead to put the layouts and photos onto a dvd into a great slide show. I've just made a whole slide show with a combination of layouts and photos I have scanned. My family thought it was wonderful and it is a great way to view photos that haven't gotten into that 'special layout yet !!

[MaureenH]

So a couple months to put together your heritage photos!!! I've been working on it for five years...gathering photos, gathering stories, typing up journaling, tape recording people, digital repairing and reprinting photos, burning CDs for relatives. Excitement like scanning in a pitch black tin type photo and watching Photoshop's magic bring out a baby in a Scotland clan plaid blanket. It's been oh so worth it .. I've learned so much about my family and it's been bonding, not to mention the legacy we're leaving. Now I can start scrapping.

[hummingbird]

Thanks for the inspiration! I was hoping that a few months would do it. Years you say? I am lucky in some respect. One side of the family has done most of the work for me and wrote a book about our family. She was really into genealogy. Probably like you are. It is a lot of work. Most of the photos I'm getting have been digitally altered already. But there are no effects to them. It's the journaling that keeps my mind busy. Just how to scrap that. I thought I would divide the family up and put just one line at a time onto a VCD in a slide show. And then mail it to my relatives. I have found it an educational experience. It's been fun.

Now that you are done, or almost done, maybe I could ask you questions. Like how you are organizing all this information?

Kathy

[Starling]

This subject needs a thread of its own.

A lot of us are working on heritage stuff. It is either the primary focus, or we are doing it along with everything else. In my case I'm doing what I've got so the little that exists doesn't get lost.

[hummingbird]

I did find the Heritage gallery and I did get some great ideas. The way I work is try to copy someone elses ideas, and then go back and rearrange. That's sort of a learning experience for me. Then I finally come to the end product by redoing and redoing. So this is not moving forward too quickly.

I have gotten extremely frustrated with not getting any photos out of my mother and her side of the family. She was a great photographer and won many photo contests back when we were growing up. She won't send me the photos because she never has the time to. So all those lovely photos just sit in boxes in the basement. Photos just aren't important to her anymore. That is a big stumbling block for me. And soooo frustrating. :mad:

Kathy

[MaureenH]

I did find the Heritage gallery and I did get some great ideas. The way I work is try to copy someone elses ideas, and then go back and rearrange. That's sort of a learning experience for me. Then I finally come to the end product by redoing and redoing. So this is not moving forward too quickly.

I have gotten extremely frustrated with not getting any photos out of my mother and her side of the family. She was a great photographer and won many photo contests back when we were growing up. She won't send me the photos because she never has the time to. So all those lovely photos just sit in boxes in the basement. Photos just aren't important to her anymore. That is a big stumbling block for me. And soooo frustrating. :mad:

Kathy

I had the same problem with my mother. What I did is schedule an afternoon to visit her, brought lunch and then together we spent the afternoon digging photos out of boxes and drawers. I reassured her that she would have copies of the albums when completed and those would be nicer than the photos in boxes. After she got her first album copy (12x12 photocopied at the scrapbook store) with nicer photos than the originals 9because I restored and reprinted many) she was glad to turn over any photos she had left.

[MaureenH]

Thanks for the inspiration! I was hoping that a few months would do it. Years you say? I am lucky in some respect. One side of the family has done most of the work for me and wrote a book about our family. She was really into genealogy. Probably like you are. It is a lot of work. Most of the photos I'm getting have been digitally altered already. But there are no effects to them. It's the journaling that keeps my mind busy. Just how to scrap that. I thought I would divide the family up and put just one line at a time onto a VCD in a slide show. And then mail it to my relatives. I have found it an educational experience. It's been fun.

Now that you are done, or almost done, maybe I could ask you questions. Like how you are organizing all this information?

Kathy

Ah...organizing, definitely a challenge.

FILE NAMES. The first lesson I learned is to use good file names. I start every file with the year and then be sure to include at least the person's first name. If enough space, any additional info. I don't put many spaces in the file name to leave more room for identification. With the most info possible in the file name, ANY program can do searches...windows explorer, ACDSee, etc. File name example, 1942 MarionHughes RCfarm.jpg

HEIRLOOM. I have a separate heirloom folder for each side of the family (mother's and father's). It makes cutting CDs to share easier because relatives usually only want one side.

YEAR and TOPIC. I have a master folder with subfolders by decade or year depending on number of files (1940s, 1951, 1952). Then I have a folder with topics, for example, military, reunions, weddings, animals, graduations, grandchildren, group photos. I put a copy of any relevant photos in these folders (duplicates). Many people would just use key word tags instead of making duplicates, but the cost of extra hard drive storage is less of an issue for me than the amount of time to tag all the files with key words and then maybe change software some time later that couldn't use those word tags...just my preference.

I use ACDSee software to search, sort and view the photos.

[hummingbird]

Sounds like you are doing a much bigger project than I am. I don't have that many photos. Mostly because one side is not willing to cough up the photos. But that is good advice about the filing system. The same can be said for filing all you photos. After my first experience with the photos sent to me by my brother-in-law I decided to go back and rename my files. He gave me a disc with about 50 photos on it, all in a number code. I had to look at each photo to figure out which photo I wanted. After I edit photos and put them in a layout I move them to a folder under the heading of scrapbook. And I have a subfolder for each side of the family. I have been keeping all my emails with information on them in a file in a seperate folder.

Sounds like this could be the subject of a chat session. Maybe you ought to volunteer to host. :D

Kathy