The Cheater's Guide to Fast and Awesome Mini Albums
for Fast and Awesome Mini-Albums
Tips from Christine Smith's ScrapquickTM Website
Part 1 of 3
Your First Page: How to use the Paint.net to open your first ScrapQuickArt™ page and add your photo, title and journaling. {You may also use your own software if you wish instead of Paint.net} Even if you have never scrapped before, you can finish your first page in about half an hour.
Also includes:
- Basic Photo Adjustments - Improve or alter you photos: adjust colors and contrast, convert to B&W or Sepia
- Red-Eye Removal
- Making Titles with Word Art or Alphas
- Adding Optional Drop Shadows
The key to digi-scrapping with ScrapQuick.com™ is our outstanding product line of ready-to-use pages that we call ScrapQuickArt™. When you use ScrapQuickArt™, all the layout work is already completed for you. All you need to do is the digital equivalent to placing a printed photograph in a matted photo frame. The difference is that when you're done with that, you'll have more than just photo in a frame - you'll have an instant scrapbook page. You can also take it a step further and personalize your page with titles and journaling. Think of journaling as typing out what you would say if you were looking at your scrapbook page with a friend and wanted to explain what was happening in the picture or why you took it, etc. Finally, if you're the kind of person who wants to pump it up just a bit more, you can also add extra embellishments or stylized alphabets ("alphas") from our ScrapQuick à la Carte™ line to your pages.
Click on image to see more views and information
Necessary Tools
In addition to a working knowledge of Windows XP/Vista computer basics (e.g. creating/opening folders, navigating the internet, working with menu-based commands and mousing), you'll only need these things to digi-scrap the ScrapQuick.com™ way:
1. digital photos
Your photos should already be located on your computer's hard drive. In Windows, most users will place their photos in their "My Pictures" folder. If you keep your photos somewhere else on your hard drive, make a note of their location. You can also use high-quality scans of printed photos, especially heritage photographs - you won't have to be concerned about using archival papers and albums when you are using duplicates of those precious photos!
2. ScrapQuickArt™
We have some half-price samples in the store that you can use for your first page. The ScrapQuick.comTM store works like most other online shopping systems - choose the products you want, use the "add to cart button" and then check out of the store, following the directions on your screen. Your order will be processed immediately and you will receive a link to download your ScrapQuickArt™. The downloads can be obtained with a dial-up connection but will of course be faster with a high-speed connection. There is a tutorial (with screenshots) on using the store HERE.
When you click on the download button/link in the store (after your payment has been processed), your computer will prompt you to "open file" or "save file". Choose "save file" and download to a folder where you can keep all your downloaded and finished ScrapQuickArtTM pages.
NOTE: Your download will come in a "zip" file. If you do not already have a program that will "unzip" a zipped file, we recommend JustZipIt, which can be obtained absolutely free from download.com. Click on the download button and "save as". After it has downloaded, double click on the file to install it. Once it is JustZip is installed, it is extremely simple to use: just double-click any zipped file you downloaded and it will open (unzip).
You will notice a text file that is included with your download that is titled "Terms of Use." You can also read a copy of it online here. It explains that ScrapQuickArt™ and other downloads from ScrapQuick.com™ are copyrighted and licensed to you for your personal use only, which includes making copies of your finished pages to share with others. No other redistribution of the original or modified files is allowed and the content you download can not be used to create any items for resale or for the promotion of any business. By downloading content from this site, you agree to abide by the complete terms of use file.
3. photo editing software
There are a number of photo editing and scrapbook layout programs on the market that range from low-cost/low-feature versions to professional photo and graphics suites. We want our products to be readily accessible and quick to use without having to invest big bucks in a graphics program so we are hosting a great open-source software called Paint.net. It is comparable in features to impressive, commercial graphics programs but is distributed at no cost to the user. Complete instructions for downloading and installing Paint.net can be found HERE
Coming tomorrow: Part 2 of 3- the Cheater's Guide to Fast and Awesome Mini-Albums
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