| There are many reasons why you might want to put | | | | accommodate 12x12 pages are usually more |
| your scrapbooking page layouts online. You may just | | | | expensive and less available. |
| want to share your latest album project with family | | | | You can still use a standard flatbed scanner for your |
| and friends or post a photo of a scrapbooking page | | | | scrapbooking page. However, you will need to first |
| onto your personal blog. If you want to be part of the | | | | scan a 12x12 page layout in two sections. Once you |
| online scrapbooking community, you can submit your | | | | have the two pieces of your page, use an image |
| page layout photos to a forum gallery. Finally, a photo | | | | editing software, like Photoshop, to merge the two |
| of your scrapbooking page can be entered into online | | | | pieces back together. It may take some trial and error |
| contests, competitions or a scrapping challenge. | | | | to do this, but the results in the scanner are usually of |
| Getting your traditional scrapbook pages into a digital | | | | higher quality than using the digital camera method. If |
| form can be done with two different methods. You | | | | you are using a high-quality scanner, the scanned page |
| can either use a high-quality digital camera to | | | | layout will show truer, brighter colors and sharper |
| photograph the page or scan the page into your | | | | images overall. |
| computer. Either method can turn out an excellent | | | | Most scrapbooking pages are three dimensional and |
| photo of your scrapbooking page, but each has its | | | | use objects that are raised on the paper. When you |
| advantages and disadvantages. | | | | scan the page in a flatbed scanner, you may have |
| Taking a photo of your page layout with your digital | | | | shadows caused by your embellishments. You may |
| camera can be a challenge. You need to carefully | | | | still need to use your image editing program to correct |
| consider available lighting. Use natural lighting, and turn | | | | these shadows caused during the scanning process. |
| off your flash. Flash can cause reflections on | | | | Scanning scrapbooking layouts takes a little practice, |
| photographs and shiny page elements. Go outdoors | | | | but once you've done it a few times, it often is quicker |
| for natural light or indoors near a sunny window. For | | | | than the digital camera process. |
| best results hang or lean your page upright to avoid | | | | Whether you choose the digital camera or the scanner |
| distortions. | | | | method, putting your scrapbook pages into a digital |
| Once you have photographed your scrapbooking | | | | format is the first step towards getting them online. |
| page, upload it to your computer. You can use any | | | | Sharing your pages with others on the internet allows |
| photo-editing software to make corrections before | | | | you to become a part of the online scrapbooking |
| you place the photo online. You may need to save the | | | | community. Look for scrapbooking forums and build |
| photo in a web-friendly size and format. Most sites | | | | your own gallery of page layouts for others to see |
| have guidelines for image sizes. | | | | and discuss. You may even want to enter your page |
| If you want to use a scanner to convert your | | | | layouts in scrapbooking contests or submit them for |
| scrapbooking page to a digital format, you need to | | | | publication. There are many ways to share your |
| consider the size limitations of your scanner. Scanners | | | | scrapbooking pages online. |
| are now very affordable. However, models that | | | | |