Collaborative Scrapbooking

[baycruisers]

This may not be the best place to ask these questions, but here goes.

My wife and her sibs have hundreds of family snapshots between them. Since the sibs live hundreds of miles apart, getting them together to sift through these photos isn't practical. I suggested that each sib scan what he/she has and upload them to a central site where they can view, download, and print what they want. My wife, who knows little about scanning or image processing, is willing to learn, and she's expressed interest in electronic scrapbooking.

My questions:

Which photo hosts would you recommend? She's not interested in something like Flickr, which is as much about social networking as anything. She wants a space that will be accessible only to a handful of immediate and extended family. Of course we're willing to pay a subscription fee. I'm thinking SmugMug or PhotoBucket, but have never used either.

Is there a book on electronic scrapbooking that you can recommend?

Thanks for all assistance. I especially appreciate it because it means I don't have to do all the scanning and uploading. :rolleyes:

[cats4jan]

My BIL uses SmugMug and I like the way the site works. They can be stored in albums and they can be 'locked' so you need a password to view them.

I can download photos with a simple click - and they come to me in full resolultion.

I have no idea the cost of the site, but my experience with them has been very positive.

However, I have no clue how long it would take to upload a large quantity of photos.

I would stay away from Photobucket. Although, I'm a premiere member there, it's not an easy site for me to use.

EDIT: Oops - I was thinking of Webshots - that's where I'm a premiere member - but anyway - I would use SmugMug. It works well.

As far as a book on digital scrapbooking? Renee Pearson has a couple of books that are great - easy to follow, but also the on-line sites provide alot of free information about the hobby. Google digital scrapbooking and you'll have all the info you need - plus free stuff to try your hand at doing it.

I originally found the Renee Pearson books at Micheal's - a craft store chain. You can get them at Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Designs-Scrapbooking-Renee-Pearson/dp/1933516054

First off - You need a decent graphic's program like Photoshop Elements and once you learn how to use that - doing scrapbooking is as simple as putting a background paper onto a project and adding photos.

[baycruisers]

Thanks. We have PSE 5 and CS4. I'm thinking that PSE is better suited for her. I looked at SmugMug and agree that it looks closer to what we're considering.

I'll look for the books you recommended. We have a B & N and Michael's nearby.

[lsweeney]

You might consider enrolling your wife in an online class at jessicasprague.com.

She hosts several levels of scrapbooking instruction (which will give you the basics you need for a couple of versions of PSE or CS3 or 4), the lessons are extremely easy to work through and can be done totally on your own timeline and the information remains available to you after the class.

She also includes a lot of digital freebies to use in your scrapbooking efforts.

There is a large social networking forum on her site but you can take the classes and choose not to participate in any of the community stuff if you wish.

Hope this helps with the education side of your questions!

[baycruisers]

You might consider enrolling your wife in an online class at jessicasprague.com.

Hope this helps with the education side of your questions!

Excellent idea! Thanks to all who responded. I'll pass this on to her.

[photoshopsusieq]

Ditto on the SmugMug recommendation. Good luck with your project, Mario!

[Karin Sue]

I get the free newsletter from Linda Sattgast at http://www.scrappersguide.com/ which includes weekly tips. You will get more stuff if you become a paid premium member.

I have a couple of her training cds and really like them.

I suggest starting at http://www.scantips.com to get a handle on scanning.

[kbesta]

Following up on a related question, can someone explain the differences between Smug Mug and photoshop.com?

[fertilepress]

As far as a book on digital scrapbooking? Renee Pearson has a couple of books that are great - easy to follow, but also the on-line sites provide alot of free information about the hobby. Google digital scrapbooking and you'll have all the info you need - plus free stuff to try your hand at doing it.

I originally found the Renee Pearson books at Micheal's - a craft store chain. You can get them at Amazon.


Thanks for the mention! :)

I'm also opening my online education site next month where I'll teach all levels of digital scrapbooking, design and "mixed" media art.

http://www.reneepearson.com

Scrapblog is also terrific for those who want to share and keep their creations online. It's free and easy to use with tons of free content. Your wife can get started there immediately with no learning curve.

http://www.scrapblog.com

renee pearson

[cats4jan]

Hi Renee -

I'm kinda amazed you found my post about your book. :) I have been recommending your books ever since I happened upon them at Michaels - had to be way over a year ago when I saw them.

I have to say, I was very impressed with both your digi-scrap books. There are many of us who still like the printed word when it comes to learning things. ;)

I was over at your site - saw the link somewhere and investigated. Looking forward to the "grand opening."

Janice

[starxlr8]

Last year I switched from Flickr to Kodak Gallery membership, but have regretted the decision. Even though I can create products with my photos at Kodak, I find the interface challenging to use.

On Flickr, I could make all of my photos visible only to me or various permutations of friends, family and everyone. I could also send invitations to specific people I wanted to grant access. I found the interface very intuitive and streamlined.

Even though there is certainly a social aspect to it, I wouldn't automatically exclude it from your list as the privacy controls are there.

[karmalg]

My daughter loves this site for scrapbooking. I was a little concerned that there was no way for her to print the pages she had created. I think the only way is to order a book from the site of your pages. Does anyone know if you can order individual prints or even download your pages and print them yourself?:confused::confused::confused:

[starxlr8]

My daughter loves this site for scrapbooking. I was a little concerned that there was no way for her to print the pages she had created. I think the only way is to order a book from the site of your pages. Does anyone know if you can order individual prints or even download your pages and print them yourself?:confused::confused::confused:

You can download images, but they are fairly small, so the only size you could print would be a 4x6 brag book. Might be neat to your daughter though, she could carry it with her to share with friends.