[jh992]

I started digi scrapbooking (never done traditional scrapbooking) when I first joined Scrapgirls last year and was fortunate enough to have PS installed in my work PC.

I am starting a new job in May, and I think the office computer does not have PS and the company also has strict policies on installing software. So, I am trying to learn how to use MSWord (I am familiar with it as wordprocessing tool) to see if I can digiscrap with it.

I bought Ro's MS Word Secrets software awhile ago but only just started viewing it. At first, I was disappointed with it, as it mostly seemed to show how to work with text effects. I was hoping it would show how to do a layout from start to finish. However, after viewing one of the topics in this forum, I found out that other techniques were subtly shown as well. I then went to view the tutorial again, which confirmed it. But I am still not convinced that LO's can be done successfully with MS Word, ie..it seems to complement traditional sb.

What I would like to know is if there is anywhere that I can go to to view digital LO's done, as the tutorial did not show a single completed LO? A lady in this forum said that she has been very successful at using MS Word but could not view her work as her blog had been moved.

Hope you can help!

[Laurel Lakey]

I'm sorry, I've never used MS Word to scrap with, but I did want to bump your thread.

I would just want to let you know that going from scrapping with PS to Word will probably be very difficult and frustrating, as it would seem to be a very big step down in the software capabilities. That being said, I understand that you don't have a lot of options with your work computer, as they are strict about software installation. But I'm just trying to think of any other option you may have, because it does seem like Word will be tough to use.

Sorry, I wish I could be of more help! Hopefully someone will be along that has used Word and will refute my words, LOL!

[jh992]

laurellakey, on Mar 9 2008, 01:02 PM, said:

I would just want to let you know that going from scrapping with PS to Word will probably be very difficult and frustrating, as it would seem to be a very big step down in the software capabilities.

Yeah, what a bummer . My home PC went kaput. If I can't make MSWord work, I'll have to save really hard to buy new one plus PSE or PSP. Will decide once I've totally explored MS Word's capabilities.

Thanks for responding!

[Tink]

Good luck Lee. I unfortunately can't help you but wanted to wish you luck. I hope someone who uses it comes along to assist you. Did you check out the other posts within this topic & try pm'ing one of the users? Just an idea.

[Sheri Johnson]

Lee, there is another alternative. I don't have it installed but there is a free program available called Gimp which is image manipulation software similar to Photoshop or PSP. It is open source software. There is also a free vector program called Inkscape which I do have and it works great! I haven't spent much time learning it but what I have seen it works well and it's FREE!

[Sarah in VA]

If your work computer has MS Word, it probably has PowerPoint too, right? I think PowerPoint could be used to much better advantage than Word for digi scrapping.

[TrixyA]

I agree with Sarah... PowerPoint would be a huge improvement over word for creating layouts. Also check to see if they have Publisher on the system. Both Powerpoint and Publisher came as part of our office suite at my office. I work for a non-profit org and we're always broke, so if we got it, I'm guessing it's standard.

[jh992]

Thanks ladies for all your suggestions. I am familiar with Power Point as well and it is in the office PC. Have to wait for Ro to come out with Secrets Revealed for Power Point. It's just that I thought if I ran into trouble, I'd have a better chance of getting help from this forum.

Anyhow, I really appreciate your replies!

[butt3rflygurl2]

Paperdoll Scraps, on Mar 9 2008, 02:17 PM, said:

Lee, there is another alternative. I don't have it installed but there is a free program available called Gimp which is image manipulation software similar to Photoshop or PSP. It is open source software. There is also a free vector program called Inkscape which I do have and it works great! I haven't spent much time learning it but what I have seen it works well and it's FREE!

Thank you Sherri for letting everyone know about Gimp! I sometimes have free time at work but I couldn't get Microsoft Words to do anything for me, but I just downloaded Gimp and it looks like just what I need!! This is a wonderful site...
Hope your day is a beautiful one....
Amee

[StephRN]

Hi Amee, my BF is an open source fanatic. He keeps yammering at me about trying Gimp. Even though he bought me PSCS3 and Illustrator b/c I wanted the industry standard. Now that I've learned enough to be comfortable on PS, I'm thinking it's time to download Gimp and see how it compares. I would love to hear your thoughts about the program.

TIA.

[BarbaraC1977]

Another free program that is great for images is Paint.Net. It supports layers, blend modes, masking, artistic effects and lots more. I can also enter colors in RGB or Hex, convenient for web work. Although I have Photoshop and work almost daily in Corel Photo-Paint, when I need to a really fast image crop or adjustment, I often use Paint.net, as it starts up like lightning, and gets the job done.

As it was developed originally by students, they didn't get the website that matches the product name. The web site is GETPaint.net. By the way, their online help is very good.

[varanda]

Quote

Have to wait for Ro to come out with Secrets Revealed for Power Point.

Don't hold your breath, lol.

The vast majority of people who find digital scrapbooking to be important in their lives move from programs like MS Word, and anything by Broderbund like The Print Shop or Scrapbook Designer and shift to some version of Adobe Photoshop.

Now there will always be folks who prefer Paint Shop Pro and others who do master MS Word or even Powerpoint, but the truth is that the Photo editing skills offered by Adobe Products far exceeds lower end software. That and the shadowing and brushes and so many other tools: and so the tools we design here at Scrap Girls like ScrapSimple styles, custom shapes, dynamic brushes, actions: all work best or only in Photoshop. Why? Because the majority of digital scrapbookers use Photoshop, so that's why Scrap Girls concentrates on these products.

I used to freelance for Broderbund software and for 7 years I used their products to showcase different ways to design everything from greeting cards, to crafts, to corporate collateral. The last product I worked on was a scrapbooking software they put out with Creating Keepsakes. And that's how I started. But the quality and the shadowing and the ultimate ease of use offered by Adobe Photoshop made me switch.

I understand where you are coming from and I know that if you desire to make an existing software product work for you, it's doable. Keep us posted as you figure out the best way to make this exciting world of digital scrapbooking work out best for you.

[Ro]

Hi Lee,

Secrets for Word was developed in 2004. During that time, people were mainly interested in text effects and that is why the program is centered on them. Digital scrapbooking was so new back then that most people were very suspicious of the whole idea. To survive, we had to focus a lot of our time teaching paper scrapbookers how to use our products as printables. The Word program went along with that. Over time, we were able to discontinue that focus and turn completely to digital scrapbooking and things that go with it (digital crafting, etc.).

Adding images in Word and layering them into digital scrapbooks is very difficult. I spent a some time in the training teaching how to insert images and adding layers on top but I didn't do a much. While you can digital scrapbook in Word, it is very hard to do!

This is why most of my Secrets programs use other software programs.

I obsoleted the Secrets for Word product quite a while ago because...

1. It was developed with an older version of Word, which Microsoft obsoletee.
2. It's not a great way to create layouts.
3. People are not as interested in using Word to create text effects as they are in 2004. They are losing their fear of graphics programs such as Photoshop Elements, Photoshop, or Paint Shop Pro. Because they have them, they create text effects in those software packages, if they still want them for paper layouts.
2. It is far more effective to use software such as Photoshop Elements, Photoshop, or Paint Shop Pro to create digital scrapbooking layout. Most digital scrapbookers use Photoshop Elements because it is a less expensive than Photoshop. You can get more products that go with Photoshop Elements and (sorry PSP users), this is why I recommend it over PSP.

I would highly recommend that you purchase and learn Photoshop Elements for your digital scrapbooking. Once you get going on it, you'll be glad that you did! You'll have a blast!

Hope that helps!