Free Scrapbooking software options

Free scrapbooking software can get you off to a flying start if you have decided to go digital.

FREE! Where's the catch?

There are a growing number of scrapbooking programs available nowadays and many of them have a free trial that you can download and use for up to 30 days. This gives you the chance to try the software to see if you get on well with it, before parting with your money. Other companies don't necessarily set a time limit but reduce the number of features or templates available, until you upgrade to the full version of the software.

You might also come across free programs that allow you to design your scrapbook layouts, but not to export or print the results for your own use. The print facility may not be turned off completely, but your prints may carry a watermark to show that the software you used was unregistered.

Some companies offer older versions of their software for free. There are no limitations put in place, you can use it for as long as you like. Of course they would much rather you upgrade to their current version and you may receive a large number of e-mails trying to persuade you to do so.

There are also online photo editing programs which you can use for free, such as Picnik and Piccasa.

I will be adding reviews of a number of programs to the site soon, and the links will be listed here, so do bookmark this page and come back to see what I thought of them.

What to look for in free scrapbooking software

So what might you want to look for when choosing free scrapbooking software? You are likely to want to find something that is...

• Easy to use
• Has a good selection of backgrounds, embellishments and templates included
• Has the ability to design pages of different sizes
• Incorporates photo editing capabilities
• Enables you to share your layouts with friends and family members in various formats
• Allows customization of elements, i.e. changing colors, adding drop shadows

General Graphics Software

The free scrapbooking software you use does not have to be advertised for the sole purpose of creating layouts. If you know your way around graphics software then you can create your own embellishments, word art and backgrounds so that your scrapbook pages are truly unique.

There are two types of graphic software - photo editing and vector drawing. You may find a need for both of them, or a program that handles both.

Perhaps the most well known programs that fit into these categories would be Photoshop and Illustrator, both by Adobe. However, there are cheaper and even free alternatives.

Photo Editing Software

Photo editing software generally works on jpeg, or jpg files, or in other words photos.

It allows you to correct mistakes such as removing red eye, to erase areas that you do not want in the picture, such as road signs or strangers, and to make overall corrections in color balance and brightness for example. You will also be able to crop your photographs and remove objects from their backgrounds as I did with the conkers in the photo, right.

Vector software

Vector drawing programs on the other hand are not typically used for editing photos, although my favorite program can do so. They are, instead, used for creating shapes by plotting co-ordinates and using "handles" to manipulate the lines in between these points into curves. Don't panic, it is easier than it sounds.

Once created the shapes can be filled in with colored flat, graduated or even photo fills. A percentage of transparency can be assigned to a shape, so that whatever is behind it, can show through. I have to admit a soft spot for vector drawings and I will be adding tutorials to the site to help you learn how to use them, if you have not done so before.

By learning how to create your own embellishments you will have a much wider variety of options than even the best free scrapbooking software can offer.

The choice is yours

Taking the time to try out the various free scrapbooking software option available will help you to decide which is the best program for you.

If you are new to computers as well as scrapbooking then one of the specialist titles might be the ideal choice to enable you to create pages quickly and easily.

If you already have some computer graphics skills then you might find those programs limited and prefer to create your own layouts and embellishments from scratch.