Scrapbooking is the art of preserving memories in the form of pictures, memorabilia, and journaling. For most scrapbookers, the result is a DIY book or album made from photos and memorabilia from different moments, such as a fun day at the beach, which can be shared with family members.
Scrapbooking involves bringing photos to life. Unlike traditional photo albums or digital albums, scrapbooking allows you to enjoy the craft while keeping your photos. It combines the convenience of a digital photo album and the classics of a traditional album. The best scrapbooking trick is to look out for new and different designs that will make it fancier. Every scrapbook maker should know these tricks.
Instead of using the same old photos everyone else has on their scrapbook pages, try these photo printing tricks and take them up a notch. You’ll get just the right look you’re going for and make your scrapbook pages stand out from the crowd.
Use Custom-Sized Photo Prints
If you’re a fan of trendy pocket scrapbooking, you know how frustrating it is when the photos you want to print are not the right size for your pocket pages. Likewise, if you’re looking for a photo printed in a strange shape, such as for a locket, you may struggle to find an option in your local print shop. Luckily, some sites offer custom photo prints online, including locket photos, so you can create something perfect for what you’re looking for.
Custom printing your photo gives you variations of what each page of your scrapbook will look like. For instance, you can have square frames on some pages, locket frames on others, and other print designs you’re willing to try. You also have control over the size of the photos; hence, you can decide how many photos go into each page of the scrapbook.
Print On Fabric
Scrapbooking is not just about pictures and papers. Another way to add dimension to your scrapbook is with fabric prints. Fabrics are used to create a page with texture and depth. They can be used as borders, page accents, or even matting for smaller photos. If you have fabric scraps from other projects, use them to create unique printed strips for a more personalized touch.
Printing on fabric is just as easy as printing on paper. The advantage of printing on fabrics is that they are less likely to fade or crack, and you can use them in scrapbooking without needing a matboard.
Use Adjustment Layers For Colour Correction
While easy adjustments such as brightness and contrast are usually enough for basic colour correction, more complex photos may require a different approach. For example, if there are multiple subjects with different skin tones in your photo, adjusting brightness and contrast values can make their skin look unnatural. Instead, try using adjustment layers for more precise control over your photos.
Some of the techniques to use on your photos include blend or blur, increasing saturation, adding fading, vintage, or vignette features. The best part of these colour correction techniques is that you can undo them if a technique doesn’t fit your style. You can start with only one or two features to get a sense of what your photos should look like. You can go on trying other techniques until you find the one that you prefer the most.
Crop And Resize
The crop tool is one of the most valuable tools in editing your photos before printing. It allows you to cut down any unwanted parts of your photo or change its shape. Cropping can also be used for adjusting the composition of a photo. If something is distracting in the background of your photo, but resizing it would make your subject too small, use the crop tool to get rid of the distraction and keep your subject at a good size.
However, when cropping or resizing your photo, ensure that the quality isn’t affected. The height and the width percentage should remain the same as before. If you’re unsure about getting the proper measurements yourself, you can use resizing software. Moreover, cropping your photos allows you to try different shapes like circles or stars.
Use Stickers And Borders
Photo stickers and borders can add a lot of personalities to scrapbook pages. You can use them to create borders or even stack them up to make the border thicker if desired. You can also use them to highlight one particular photo on a page by letting one peep out of the frame or sticking one in an unexpected spot like the middle of an image. There are also many different options for these stickers and borders, so feel free to experiment to find something that works for your project.
Some great sticker options are flowers, vintage-coloured borders, cartoons, emojis, or even texts. This range of stickers and borders can bring different dimensions and timelines to your photo. For instance, a vintage border will give your photo a classic look, while emojis can make your photos look modern. If you’re creating a scrapbook for children, then using cartoon stickers is the best art form for their photos.
Use A High-Quality Printer And Printing Paper
This isn’t much of a trick but an essential thing every scrapbooker should know. Ensure your photo printer has the capability of printing borderless images or has at least a high-resolution option. Use thick paper with a matte finish. Cardstock is ideal for this purpose as it offers durability and an excellent surface for writing on while still being affordable.
Adjust the colour settings according to the type of paper you are using and ensure they match each other. Pay special attention to the printer’s calibration as well, which can be set to manual or automatic. The latter is more convenient, but it often results in a less accurate colour reproduction than when done manually.
Conclusion
If you’re a scrapbooking hobbyist, these techniques will help you make the most of your printed photos. With these tips at hand, you’ll never have to settle for a print that looks dull and uninteresting. You can try various tricks on one picture or different pages. Whatever technique you choose, make sure your photos will stand out.