Digi Tools

So now that I'm ready to jump into digital scrapbooking again, I need to figure out what I need.

Computer - check
I've got my wonderful iMac Intel Core 2 Duo, which has been great for photo-editing and orgainzing. I'm using iPhoto for that for years.

Software - hmmm
My mom uses Paint Shop Pro to make tags, so she would be a great resource, but it isn't Mac-compatible. I've still got Corel Graphics Suite 11 11 (circa 2002?), but it runs really slow and crashes randomly since it isn't Intel-compatible.

Photoshop and Photoshop Elements appear to be the most popular among digi-scrappers, and Adobe now has Intel-compatible versions of both. Hubby wants me to get Photoshop CS3 (he uses CS1 at work), but I think it is pretty pricey for just starting out. And since his home computer is a Windows machine, I don't need to give him excuses to hog my Mac!

Adobe offers a 30 day trial download of Photoshop Elements 6, and there are hundreds of digi-scrap tutorials out there for it, so I'm going to give it a whirl. Wish me luck!

Photos - LOTS!
At last count, I had well over 5,000 digital photos in iPhoto. We bought a DSLR in June, so the amount of photos I'm keeping in a month has TRIPLED. Yes, I said keeping. I trash after I upload to get rid of the out-of-focus, eyes closed, 12 of the same thing, etc.

Printer - set, for now
I scrap 8x8 in paper form, so I don't really need a wide format printer. I've got a HP Deskjet 5650, which uses the 57/58 photo cartridges. They aren't pigment inks, though, so they can't withstand water damage. So I'll need to upgrade to a HP Vivera printer or an Epson, eventually, but I want to do more research first (and see if I really stick with this).

Books and Tutorials
Even though I haven't digi scrapped since 2005, I've been keeping up with the trends. I subscribed to Digital Scrapbooking magazine last year at CKC, I check Jessica Sprague's blog and have Computer Tricks for Scrapbooking 2 idea book (still looking for the first one), and I recently bought Scrapbooks, Etc's Digital Scrapbooking 2. In fact, it was their Collages and Ali Edward's posts about Words + Photos and digi scrapping with her new products that got me off my duff to finally stop reading and actually do this!

Designs
I've also been collecting random freebies from a few favorite designers and from the magazines. So I've got a some stuff to work with in zip files dumped on my external drive. I need to get them organized. And let's face it, hard drive space is cheap, so I'll probably be adding LOTS more!

I think I've got the basic tools. Now to get organized!