Specializing in Actions, Templates & Tools for Digital Scrapbookers. Learn how to digital scrapbook with Photoshop and Photoshop Elements video tutorials and more!
Quickly reset your images from 72ppi to 300ppi without changing the overall resolution. This action is perfect for designers who want to be sure their elements and papers can be opened in other scrapbooking programs. It’s also great for scrappers who need their images sized correctly for printing. There’s nothing worse than realizing an entire folder of elements or layouts has been saved incorrectly. PSCS users can batch this action on an entire folder at once. A video tutorial is included that shows how to set that up. PSE users can only run it on one open file at a time.
INCLUDES:
1 action (PSE & PSCS)
1 batching video tutorial
1 batching screen shot
Installation instructions
Tested in PSCS 3-6, PSE6-11. Mac and PC. Personal, Scrap-4-hire and Designer use okay.
INCLUDES:
51 brushes (abr and png formats)
Designer use okay.
This action will help you adjust your templates to add bleed. This reformats your template for Blurb’s Standard Landscape (10×8) book. Choose from the 8×8 option which will maximize the amount of your template that will show or the 7×7 option which will reduce your template or layout to allow extra border around it.
Personal use, Scrap-4-hire and Designer Use okay.
Tested in PSCS3-6, PSE6-11. Mac and PC.
Persnickety Prints is now requiring that journal cards be resized to add bleed before being printed. Their journal cards are printed with a traditional printing process, and not the photo printing process that allows for manual adjustment. These actions will make the resizing process as painless as can be. You get two options:
Layered Files:
This is for those who are creating their own journaling cards, or for designers who want to create Persnickety-ready journal cards. Just open your 4×3 or 4×6 card (horizontal or vertical), select the background layer and press play. You’ll be able to custom adjust your background paper as it runs. Then it will save a JPG for you, and leave an overlay on top for you to see the trim area. You get lots of extra border around these cards that will eventually be trimmed off. You’ll make Persnickety happy and your customers happy when they can upload a print-ready file!
JPG Files
This action is for scrappers who want to have their stash of journaling cards printed but don’t have the layered files. This action will adjust the journal card up in size to fill the bleed size required by Persnickety. Then it will add an overlay on top so you can see what will fall in the safe area and what gets trimmed off. It saves a JPG, ready to upload!
INCLUDES:
3×4 Vertical Action
4×3 Horiztonal Action
4×6 Vertical Action
6×4 Horizontal Action
Video Tutorial
1 set of templates in PSD and TIF format
Tested in PSCS3-6, PSE6-11, Mac & PC. Designer use okay.
NOTE: Scrapbookgraphics is not affiliated with Persnickety Prints, but these actions were requested and tested by Persnickety Prints. Actual journal cards not included in the purchase of this action.
This handy set of actions lets you add crop marks to your card projects so you can trim more easily. Great for lining up your cuts on white cards! You get crop marks and actions for 3×4, 4×6, 5×7 and 4×8. Includes folded options. Just run the action on your card, select the crop mark file provided and then print!
INCLUDES:
3×4 action
3×4 folded action
4×3 action
4×3 folded action
4×4 action
4×6 action
4×6 folded action
4×8 action
5×7 action
5×7 folded action
6×4 action
6×4 folded action
6×6 action
7×5 action
7×5 folded action
8×4 action
Crop marks in PNG format
Video Tutorial
Tested in PSCS3-6, PSE6-11. Mac & PC.
Personal use only.
This handy set of actions lets you add crop marks to your layouts so you can trim more easily. Great for lining up your cuts on white layouts! You get crop marks and actions for 8×8, 12×12, Letter and A4. Just run the action on your layout, select the crop mark file provided and then print!
INCLUDES:
8×8 action
12×12 action
Letter action
A4 action
Crop marks in PNG format
Video Tutorial
Tested in PSCS3-6, PSE6-11. Mac & PC.
Personal use only.
I get this question a lot, so I thought I’d answer it here! What program should I use if I want to get started in Digital Scrapbooking?
Technically, you can use any program that can open a PNG and a JPG and can layer your objects. Some programs do this better than others. But if you really want to just dabble and see if you enjoy the process of creating a digital page, you could use Microsoft Word, or any number of programs that are already on your computer. As long as they can open JPG papers and PNG elements and allow you to layer them and arrange them onto the page, you can probably use it!
But, what if you’re ready to invest in software dedicated to digiscrapping? There are a few top contenders. Let’s take a look at a few details regarding each.
Adobe Photoshop Elements (PSE): I highly recommend this program for beginners. It’s a relatively low price point at around $100 (though you can get it on sale for as low as $50 from time to time). Costco has a fabulous bundle with a special digital scrapbooking DVD included. There are lots of tutorials and classes available for PSE. And, since it’s made by Adobe, it’s an easier transition if you decide to upgrade to full Photoshop later. There are also a lot of proprietary products available for Adobe software like actions, templates, brushes and styles. This is a fantastic program for beginners, and will do 95% of what any digital scrapbooker might want to achieve.
Adobe Photoshop CS6 (PSCS): You have two options here. There is the box edition which can run $600 (or $220 for the Student-Teacher Edition). Or you can subscribe to the Creative Cloud for $30/month ($20 for Student-Teacher Edition) and get the entire suite of Adobe products. This program has lots of options and customized controls. In reality, this is probably beyond what most scrappers want or need. However, if you fall in love with the technical aspects of the hobby, it may be something you want to upgrade to later down the line. This is the preferred program for most digital scrapbooking designers. Photoshop CS will allow you to not only use things like actions and styles, but create and save them as well.
Paint Shop Pro (PSP): There is a small percentage of passionate scrappers who use Paint Shop Pro. At around $100, it offers more complex features than PSE, but it’s not as popular. So, although you will find a niche community dedicated to training and special products for it, it’s not as easy to come by as Adobe tutorials and products. But, some people love the ease of use. I’ve never used it personally, so I cannot really compare it for you. PSP can open layered templates if they are in PSD (photoshop) format, and it has it’s own version of automation called scripts, but it won’t open traditional brushes, styles and actions created in Photoshop.
Proprietary Softwares: There are a handful of softwares our there from places like Serif Digital Scrap Artist, Memory Mixer and Creative Memories’ Storybook Creator that are very easy to use and have a small following. They do have limitations when it comes to using things like templates, or exporting for print. (For example, some of the programs insist on exporting the page at 50″, with a resolution of 72ppi instead of 12″ with a resolution of 300ppi. These are both the same 3600 pixels that is standard for a digi page, but some printers have problems when they aren’t saved properly.) Some people do love these programs for their simplicity and ease of use, but it’s my honest opinion that it’s worth learning in Photoshop Elements if you think you are going to embrace and love the hobby.
Some other resources that may help…
The Daily Digi’s Getting Started Manual (look for the image on the right)
The Digital Scrapbook Teacher
Patty has a great book for sale on the hobby and getting started.
Learn It TV by Studio Wendy
I have a full series of short video classes on mastering digital scrapbooking techniques in Photoshop and Elements. New classes are released weekly.
One thing this hobby has taught me is that there isn’t one right way to do anything. You have to find what works best for you! So, pick a software and dive right in. You’ll learn as you go and refine your preferences and strengths. And, no matter what software you settle on, the important thing is that you’ll be recording your memories in a beautiful, meaningful way. Happy scrapping!
Pick 7 collage papers, 1 top paper and a fun element. Then watch as the action cuts the shapes out of the top paper, showing the bottom one through… just like a die cut machine! Just like magic! The action will also sprinkle 5 of the cut outs on top of the page.
INCLUDES:
Die Cut It 1
Die Cut It 2
Die Cut It 3
Die Cut It Singles
Video Tutorial
Tested in PSCS3-6, PSE6-11. Mac & PC.
Personal use only.
Click on the individual images to get more information about each version!
If you’re here in search of the missing freebie from the newsletter, keep reading… it’s under at the bottom of this post! I’m very sorry for the non-working link.
