Help is on the way, though.  I found this article today that helps narrow those choices and gives us a few guidelines on what to look for in a good program.

5 Tips in Buying the Best Digital Scrapbook Software – Chad Wilson

Since Internet allows you to do this easier and faster, it is not surprising that traditional arts and crafts are now available online. Take the case of scrapbook. Before, it is made with your bare hands so output takes too much time to finish. Not to mention the costly tools and paper materials that you can only use once. Also, traditional scrapbook is time-consuming and prone to mistakes which in effect cause additional costs for the materials. On the contrary, digital scrapbook is more convenient and practical. You don’t have to pay for those materials because all embellishments needed for your project is just a click away. By using digital scrapbook software, you can save time, money and effort because errors are easy to correct. There will be no cutting and pasting of paper materials and no need to buy those expensive tools. You can finish a scrapbook in sooner than you expect.

But don’t think that all digital scrapbook software programs are the same. There are those that are difficult to understand and navigate. Some scrapbook software programs are loaded with tools that are actually not important. They are just added to lure you or to sensationalize their marketing campaigns. In worse cases, some digital scrapbook software programs are just image editing programs which are advertised as scrapbook software programs.

However, there are also scrapbook software programs that user-friendly but have very limited tools. Some have very minimal choices of templates and applications so your creativity is also restrained. Although getting scrapbook software is still less expensive than the materials you use for traditional scrapbook, there are still programs that are unbelievably expensive for most scrapbook lovers.

And so, to help you decide which software to buy, here are some pointers that you can follow.

1. The software must have a free trial. It is necessary that you choose a software program that offers free trial period. This will help you assess whether the software is user-friendly or not. Having a free trial download gives you an actual feel of the software. Never buy a digital scrapbook software program that does not have free trial version because you are not sure what it has to offer.

2. It must be equipped with customizable layouts. When you buy a scrapbook software program, make sure that it gives you full control over your project. It must allow you to maximize your creativity by letting you change the look, the size and the position of each element in your scrapbook. Aside from customizable layouts, there should also be a wide range of templates to choose from.

3. Choose a software program that offers professional digital scrapbook contents. Never buy a program that only supplies you with numerous clip arts because clip arts are not exactly appealing in scrapbook. Good scrapbook software must contain backgrounds, templates and embellishments that are used for real scrapbooks. In fact, there are those that can give you scrapbook contents and elements that are designed by popular scrapbook designers.

4. When buying a digital scrapbook software program, make sure to buy the one with active online community forum or technical support from the software company. This is to ensure that a knowledgeable person is ready to help you in case you encounter glitches in the software. This will also help you asses whether the software is worth buying since members of the forum give their opinion about the software. Usually these opinions are experience based so you’ll have the idea if the software is easy to use and reliable.

5. Get a software program that offers instructional or video tutorials on digital scrapbooking. Check the website of the software company and see if they have this tutorial video. Also, see to it that there is a HELP menu in the software so you won’t get lost with your project.

Now, you are ready to buy the digital software program and start creating your scrapbook. Remember not to buy those programs that only show you great packaging and misleading marketing strategies. Buy only the one that has the five qualities mentioned in the pointers so you’ll sure to enjoy it for years.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/scrapbooking-articles/5-tips-in-buying-the-best-digital-scrapbook-software-2685580.html

For more tips and applications go to http://scrapbooking-digitized.com

Here’s an awesome collection of free handwriting fonts from Kevin and Amanda of Two Peas fame.

Just click on the button and go crazy

I’ve been spending some time doing up a website for my friend, Michael, who owns a wonderful gift store in Victoria, BC, called the Ladybug Boutique.  He specializes in candles of all kinds but he’s also got all sorts of cool decorative and gift items for sale as well.  Go check out his blog or, if you’re in the Victoria area, visit his store!

On the scrapbooking front, well, I have to admit I haven’t

been doing a huge amount lately.  I spent the fall working on Christmas craft projects for gifts which took an enormous amount of time and I was extremely busy at work as my organization was going through its accreditation process again.

I’m still selling scrapbooking supplies on eBay , and I’ll probably start moving more of my personal stash on to the sales floor as I get more and more into digital scrapbooking!  I really am converted now   I’m going to scrap camp in February – woohoo – and I can’t wait to stroll in with just my laptop while everyone else drags in their giant 100 lb scrapbooking totes

Just to set the mood, here’s a pic from last winter’s retreat – it was PJ Day at Camp Crop-a-Lot!

Making Memories has some great “how-to” videos on YouTube – here’s the one on how to use the kit:

Click here to view the embedded video.

This set was done using CM’s Everyday Power Palette and the pre-designed pages. I believe these were the first ones I did.

I bought Creative Memories StoryBook Creator and, oh my god, I am forever sold on it! It is so easy to use. Honestly – it’s logical and intuitive (if that isn’t a contradiction in terms!) and incredibly versatile. It’s like they took some of the best features of Photoshop and the other popular apps and merged them into a far more accessible and user-friendly format.

CM’s pre-designed templates let you simply drop in some pics and, voila, you’ve got a great looking page. Or, you can use your own graphics and create a page from scratch. The price is reasonable and the add-on templates from CM won’t break the bank either. And, believe it or not, CM also has tons of free layout templates on their website that you can download!

Say what you like about Creative Memories – they may be slow on the uptake, but once they decide to do something, they do it better than anyone else!

And they’ve finally converted to true 12×12 sizing!

The one upside to not being able to sit was that I did a lot of shopping! I found some terrific stuff for my eBay Store! I’ve added a bunch of K&Company Grand Adhesions and stickers, Karen Foster stickers (that would look great on a heritage page or decoupage project!)

and more of ProvoCraft’s no-longer-available Qwikit pages.

You can see everything in my store from my blog here.

After I got back from my vacation (see below!), I almost immediately developed a pinched nerve in my lower back which is making sitting at a computer painful to say the least.

My doctor says this usually takes around 3 months to heal (if you’re lucky), so I’ve got about 6 weeks to go

I’m still keeping up with eBay, but my blog and my gaming have been put on temporary hiatus. Once I can sit for longer than 20 minutes, I’ll be back!

Thanks for visiting!

I’m going away for a few days on a well deserved vacation and I’ve put my eBay store on vacation mode as well, so the links here on my blog back to my eBay items won’t work til I’m back.

Just so you know that those listings to the right for the get-rich-quick-on-ebay schemes aren’t mine!