Way cool stuff you can do & scanning your photos

If you're new to this...and I am, too...some things you can do here: read my blog (no duh), sign up as a follower (way cool), checkout cool stuff on the Google search, checkout the ads in the side panel and at the bottom of each day to see what's cool and coming out especially in digital scrapbooking!! ALSO, I would love to have feedback, comments, etc. on what you read, if you're doing any of the things I've posted about or just whatever comes to mind. I've had comments from people who know me but they're not posted so others can read them which is a great thing so add your comments and have fun checking things out.

OK, now on to scrapbooking. 

Do you have a bunch of photos either scanned or taken digitally and on your computer?  That is your task for this week should you choose to accept it.  I've scanned some of my old photos and plan to use them on scrapbook pages.  Back before we could take photos digitally the only way you could see them was to print them.  So you may have photos sitting around that you'd like to put on scrapbook pages.  Scanning is really easy to do on the all-in-one type printers (scan, fax, print) you can get these days or you can do it at most of the do-it-yourself printshops these days.  

Most scanning printers will give you the option to scan in .jpg and that's probably the best option.  You have to have the printer connected to your computer in order to access the completed scan.  Most printers I've seen the process is as easy as placing the photo on the screen, pressing scan and you may have select options like telling it to scan a photo and you want it in .jpg (pronounced Jaypeg).  Then you simply wait for the scanning process to be completed and usually the scanned object will appear on your computer screen.  Be sure to save the photo wherever you save all your photos. 

I find it best at this point to name my photos rather than allowing the computer to assign a photo1.jpg name to it.  You might consider naming the photo something to do with the event, person, or location, and adding a date which may only be the year.  For example I have a photo I've scanned of my parents wedding 50 years ago.  The name for it might be something like this:  "M&Dwedding1959.jpg"  I did not use spaces in the name here but I usually do use spaces.  It is strictly a personal preference thing these days.  I know that anywhere I have M&D that it means Mom and Dad so that may or may not work for you.  Whatever conventions of this type that you use just be consistent.

You will notice on the two photos I've shown here that one is crooked, don't worry about that just try to get it as straight as you can but in Photoshop we can fix that.  The other one of my parents wedding was a rather dull photo and in Photoshop I was able to bring back a bit of the color using curves and levels.  Ignore the terms just know that you can fix old photos and it will be just awesome once we get going on it.

HAVE FUN WITH THIS...if you don't want to start with older photos and want to use your newer ones (which are already digital) don't worry we're about to get started.  I will be posting the first scrapbook page tutorial in one week so if you are planning to do a 30-day trial on Photoshop or Photoshop Elements you will want to wait until that day to actually download your trial copy.  If you have already downloaded a trial copy and want to get started please let me know and I'll get the first lesson to you.