Hello!

[JulieSade]

I'm fairly new to digital scrapbooking. I used to have a copy of PS, but it was hugely intimidating, so my husband finally bought me PSE8, and I'm starting to "get" it.

Before I go on a buying spree, however, I do have a question: I'm looking at a whole bunch of overlays for 4x6 and 5x7 photographs--and I'm not sure if I can resize them for other sizes.

Also, has anyone ever started out digital scrapbooking by 'practicing' on smaller formats--like 5x7 sized prints? For some reason, 12x12 is soo intimidating to use, at first! There are so many ways I've seen pre-made pages set-up, that I find I can't always use the same process to get the results I want (and I'm just talking laying the paper and elements down!).

I'm so glad I found this website through Cathy Z's website.

[earlofoxford]

Welcome to DD -- I know you'll love it here. The community is full of inspiration and help. I don't see why you couldn't resize the overlays. I'm looking forward to seeing what you create.

[DonnaNJ]

Welcome. We're happy to have you here. There aren' t any rules so you can start with whatever you're comfortable with. Don't worry. pretty soon the 12x12 page size will seem too small sometimes.

[dugarner]

Hi Julie!

Welcome! As for the overlays, it depends on their original size---if they were made for 4X6 or 5X7, you wouldn't be able to resize them for 8X8 without noticeable degradation in quality. But since 4X6 and 5X7 are the two most popular sizes of prints, I would think starting with those would make things easier!

I actually used to add white borders to my photos and write/embellish on them before I did digital scrapbooking. It will help you get the hang of layers (which is often the most frustrating part of learning the software) and different effects.

If you've done paper scrapping, digiscrapping is the same except your paper and embellishments aren't "real." It takes a little while to learn the basics, but once you get started, you'll find that the more you do it, the easier it is to reproduce effects and styles you see (called "scraplifting"). I started digital scrapbooking by looking around galleries and finding pages I liked, and then I did trial-and-error to learn the techniques so I could copy those pages. The first technique I ever did was an extraction for an out-of-bounds effect (make something look like it's coming off the page). Boy, was that a mistake! It took me two solid days to figure it out, and I haven't done it since!

Just start with what's comfortable for you. You'll find yourself settling into a groove and your style will emerge.

Also, Shutterfly has a 7X9 landscape photobook for $14.99 (or something like that). You could start with that size, which is perfect for one background paper, one or two photos, and one or two embellishments. You don't have to do much to make that size look great, and the books are so cute!

HTH!

Sarah

[Julie DeGuia]

Welcome, Julie.... from another Julie who loves it here! :-)

[JulieSade]

Thanks all!

DuGarner, that's what I thought, but I wasn't positive about the nature of the overlays.

I found the Challenges section with all those lovely freebies that are still available, and managed to put a page together while downloading some of them! And made my own word-mask while I was at it. I'm wowed by all the material that's available on this site, free or not. I can't wait to get rolling.

And I'll see you all around the board! Hopefully I can figure out how to DL my page onto the gallery.

[Aino]

Welcome! I am happy you found us!

Please take part in the community forums, hang out in the galleries and start posting - and you will soon feel at home. Keep an eye out for the Blog and try out some of our weekly challenges!

[maureenreynolds]

Welcome! I would think you can always scale down when you resize something by choosing the sharpen option when doing so. I have done that also by just dragging the 12x12 element/overlay over a 4x6 and resizing with the corners.

I did a bunch of postcard exchanges when I first started and was teaching myself. (What a time!) Then I found DD and was ready to start digital scrapping. It is a learning process but well worth it.

[anke]

Welcome, it's great to have you here! I know the whole thing can be a bit intimidating at first, but you'll get the hang of it in no time at all! Can't wait to see your creations!

[MIDA78466]

Welcome!! So good to have you here!

[digigrandma]

Hi and welcome!

I think it is a great idea to start out with a smaller size. I sometimes make 4 x 6 greeting cards, for example.

On the other hand I think you'll find the 12 x 12 or 8 x 8 easy to do very soon. Just keep the page simple at first. Maybe with one 5 x 7 photo or three 4 x 6 photos, for example, and, a few embellishments.

Of course, a really great way to learn is to buy one of the tutorials by Cassie Jones available in the DD store. You will learn everything you need about your software all while completing a layout. (papers and elements for a layout come with the tutorial and can be used over and over again for other pages)

Getting Started: Your First Layout - Digital Scrapbooking Tutorials

[readstoomuch]

Welcome to Designer Digitals, Julie! You will find that any question that you might ask will be answered by one of the talented and smart gals who hang out here. They make learning everything from digi scrapping to learning to getting babies to sleep through the night a breeze!

And, Merrilee's advice about Cassie's tutorials is the best advice around here. You can also click on the "Getting Started" tab on the purple tool bar on the top of this page and find lots of fantastic help.

[Shannamay]

Welcome to DD, Julie! Loads of good advice which I won't add to except to say - have fun!

[Elena]

Welcome Julie! You are in good hands here! I say just jump in and do 12x12! If you have any questions, someone always comes along to answer fairly quickly

[kathleen.summers]

Hi Julie, and welcome to DD! I know at first it can seem intimidating learning so many new things at once, but hang in there. We'll be happy to help along the way!

[JulieSade]

Thank you all so much! I've been figuring out a lot since I started reading the tips and the other parts of the site. This is the BEST digital website I've come across. It's great. And I'm loving the galleries with all the pages. I feel like I'm back in art school again. Yay!

[mymalloryboys]

welcome, welcome! We all look forward to seeing your creations!

[digigal]

Welcome, Julie! As for the 12 x 12 layouts, if you search for "layered templates" (LT) in the store, you will find tons of Katie's that are already layered and placed for you and you can use these over and over by just mixing and matching the elements in them! (Just remember to "rename" your layout first so you can reuse it.) You can also resize the 12 x 12's to 8 x 8's. Cassie has wonderful tutorials also!