Today we're going to chat a little bit about assembling your basic digital tool kit. Those essential items that you're going to need when considering making the move to digital. I asked Crystal what sorts of things she considered to be her must-haves and these are the things that are on her list:
Crystal's Digital Tool-kit:
1. A photo editing program - I recommend Photoshop Elements 7 or higher or Photoshop CS3 or higher (upgrading from a really old version is a MUST if you want to be able to keep up with tutorials). Photoshop Elements is so much more affordable now that I really don't recommend anything else. You can use other programs with digi supplies, but you can't use digital templates with them which is HUGE in my mind.
2. An up-to-date computer - I've used both a PC & a Mac. I love my Mac!! But PC's are great too as long as you have enough memory & speed. If you're looking to buy a new computer, make sure to let the salesman know you want a computer that works really well with Photoshop programs & TONS of pictures. That will help a lot! (Rebecca here: I use a PC and while I certainly feel the pressure from my Mac loving friends to make the switcheroo I use a PC and like it fine. Someday I may make the switch but for now my PC does the job perfectly where my photo editing & digital scrapbooking go.)
3. A good quality printer (be it an at-home printer or online lab) - I love my Kodak ESP3250. I saw it at WalMart this week for only $60 & it comes with the Color & B&W ink, which are $30, so it's like getting the printer for $30. I use it to print 8x8 pages, which I LOVE. The color looks great & the ink lasts a lot longer than other printers & is a lot cheaper! Here's a really cool deal I found. If you bring in your old printer to Best Buy to be recycled, you can save money on buying a Kodak printer: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Computers-Promotions/Kodak+Swap+for+Savings/pcmcat228100050019.c?id=pcmcat228100050019&DCMP=rdr3503
For 12x12 pages I highly recommend Persnickety Prints. They cater to digital scrapbookers, have excellent service & products, & amazing prices!
You can also have your digital pages printed as photo books and for those, I recommend Shutterfly. I've loved the books I've made through them & I think they're very affordable. If people sign up for their emails, they'll often get amazing deals like 40-50% off their photobooks & sometimes they'll even give you a free 8x8 photobook.
4. Your favorite digital supplies - there are so many places on the internet to download digital papers & elements. You can find all of my kits at jessicasprague.com & you can purchase my most recent digital kits on my blog HERE. You can also find some fun freebies here, here, here and here.
- Crystal
Once you have your digital tool kit ready to go the next place to start when learning to create your first digital projects is with a template & lucky us, Crystal has put together an in-depth video tutorial on how to use her templates along with some other VERY helpful tips.
So, grab those free templates we told you about, click on over to Crystal's Blog to watch the tutorial, and have fun creating your page! If you have any questions, let us know. When you're done your page we'd sure love to see it. Upload it to the WCS flikr gallery HERE so we can all ooooh and ahhh over your new found digi skills!! :)
page by Marnie Flores | all digital elements & page template by Crystal Wilkerson
page by Rebecca Cooper | all digital elements & page template by Crystal Wilkerson
page by Celeste Smith | all digital elements & page template by Crystal Wilkerson
page by Marnie Flores | all digital elements & page template by Crystal Wilkerson
page by Cheryl Overton | all digital elements & page template by Crystal Wilkerson
I can't wait to see what everyone creates with the templates! Have a great day everyone & we'll see you back here tommorow for give.away.day!!!
