Computer Scrapbooking Without the Computer

By Lisa Sutherland

You may have been making scrapbooks by hand for years. You may be the one everybody turns to with their scrapbooking problems. You may be a scrapbooking expert. But now you want to try computer scrapbooking and the only problem is that you don’t have a computer. No problem!
As with any scrapbook project the most essential ingredient are the pictures. To create scrapbooks on a computer you will need to turn your regular photographs into digital photographs. This is much easier than you may think. You will need to find a place where you can scan your pictures and then save them to a disc. Department stores like Wal-Mart or Target who have a photo department have can make copies of your photos and save them to a CD. There is a small fee for this but it is worth it and the employees will be able to help if you need it.
Photo CD’s are a great thing to have. They hold an enormous amount of pictures and will not deteriorate like your hard-copy photos, they carry them in a format that can be used with almost any scrapbooking program, and they last for years
Having your own computer at home is more convenient and allows you the freedom to work any time day or night, but it is not essential. Public access to computers is increasing all the time. The simplest place to access a computer is at your local public library. At the library they have people who can help you get started; some even hold community education seminars specifically on computer scrapbooking for scrapbookers of all levels.
Once your photos are on a CD, you can upload them to a photo album site for easy viewing any time you get to a computer. So, if you’re sometimes at the library, sometimes at a friend’s, your photos will be waiting for you in your online album computer scrapbooking is an easy and efficient way to augment your traditional materials, so don’t wait until you buy your own computer to get started!