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Digital ScrapbooksIf you've got lots of money and lots of time, you can buy lots of software - each package dedicated to a single use. However, that's not my world. I like to see just what I can do with one or two pieces of software working together. Digital scrapbooks are an example of that sort of effort.Scrapbooking is very popular. People produce exquisite works of carefully preserved memories. For many, there isn't the time or the space to hang on to all of this. Digital scrapbooks offer the chance to keep those memories near at hand, even in cramped places - a laptop case on a plane for a business traveler who misses his/her family - a university student who doesn't have much room in his or her dorm room. The same creativity that goes into paper scrapbooks can go into digital scrapbooks. These scrapbooks can be printed and laminated for extra protection or embellishment or they can be kept on cd or dvd. Software such as eZedia QTI2.0 is both inexpensive and versatile. Educators who have been wanting to try something like digital scrapbooking with their students will find it simple to use. QTI2.0 has a number of features and resources that make it possible to carry out the majority of tasks right within the one software package. With the click of a button, you can change the transparency level of a picture - just by sliding the opacity bar. You can create and color shapes to use as accents. You can also bring in some of the fancy borders and accents from eZedia QTI's collection of media libraries that come with the software. For a simple scrapbook page . . . 1. Choose a theme - such as I did - Grandma's Garden Favorites (figure 3) 2. Choose a picture for the background. Click on the picture icon in QTI2. Browse to where the picture is located. Click open. Position it on the frame. Click on Object > Add to Background. You've just "glued" it in place. 3. Click on the Shape Tool. Choose a shape. Move into your frame and click, hold, and drag to draw your shape. Click on the letter "i" on the right to open up information about the object in the Attributes Panel. 4. With your newly created shape selected, look at the Attributes Panel. Click on the color square to change the fill color for the object. Unclick the line square to remove a definite edge or click on the color square for line, give your shape an outline in your choice of color and then adjust the line thickness tool to make the line a different dimension. 5. When you're done, click on Object > Convert to Picture. 6. Now, with your new graphic selected, click, hold, and drag the slider bar on the opacity bar to change the transparency level of your new graphic as I did in the first example. 7. Create additional shapes and layer them. (Here are some additional examples of what that might look like from another section on this site: Example 1, Example 2) 8. To add new "pages" (frames) to your project, just click on Frame > New Frame. You'll be able to navigate through the working file of your project using the little arrows in the bottom left corner. 9. To provide a way for your viewers to navigate through your project when you produce your working file as an interactive movie or webpage, you'll want to add Goto Objects to let them move back and forth between frames. I like to add a table of contents to projects, too. Additional Ideas: QTI2 supports layers. Those cool projects that have text as a slightly faded accent in the background are easy to create. Just click on the text object, type your text or copy and paste it into the text box. Adjust your font type, size, and color. Finishing adjusting how the text box has to be sized to accommodate your changes. Next, click on Object > Convert to Picture. Now, you can use the opacity slider bar in the Attributes Panel to adjust the level of transparency of your new graphic. In the following two images, you see all the same elements. They're just arranged differently. I've also chosen two different background colors. The use of layers and the ability to reduce transparency levels of images has allowed me to create all the different effects that you see. Figure 1  Figure 2  For sources of instruction on how to do these extras, you may go to the eZedia site or to other pages at this site. Other examples: While not quite a scrapbook, I have examples of photo albums at this site. There are complete working projects ready for you to use or view. http://www.jmadden.info/Digital_Photo_Album2.htm http://www.jmadden.info/PhotoGallery2.htm http://www.jmadden.info/QTI2PA.htm http://www.jmadden.info/PhotoGallery4.htm http://www.jmadden.info/PhotoGallery3.htm Figure 3
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Borrowing ideas from
traditional paper layouts for scrapbooking works fine. Here are several
sites that are generously sharing their ideas: <>This is a meta-site
that will provide you more links to layouts than you'll know what to do
with. Just about every category is available through the site. You're
bound to find an idea you can use directly or that you can use to
inspire yourself to come up with something completely different.
<> <>If you're used to the traditional approach to scrapbooking, HP has a British site that talks about the cross-over from paper to digital. Remember, of course, that anything digital can also become paper. <> Adobe has put together a
Digital Kids site that abounds with ideas for using Photoshop Elements.
They have included several ideas for different types of digital
scrapbooks, as well as other projects. Getting some fresh design
ideas is always helpful. A number of the dedicated digital scrapbook
sites have provided galleries
showing their page
designs. You'll have to click on the thumbnail pictures of the
designs to get the full view.
Free graphics for your pages - This page claims it has nearly 1300 graphics for your use. - If country is your style, then Original Country Clipart by Lisa is your place. - Our growing collection of graphics and photos that are available for educators and students to use |
