LisaLynn Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 I'm thinking about doing my next set of albums in a horizontal page size format sized so that I can use a computer screen digital picture frame as the 'album' rather than printing pages. The page rather than being square would be wider than it is tall, like the 4x6 formats are, which I find pleasing to look at in artwork so I think would work well. I could print pages in future of course, 8.5x11 oriented to landscape are a good size, but the digital frame would be the album for now, thus bypassing the need to buy paper, ink, and covers. Is anyone else using a digital 'album' in place of their paper albums? If so, did you use a digital picture frame, or make your own using a monitor? Any recommendations? How do you like it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ngaire Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 Now this is going to be a very interesting thread to follow. I too have thought of doing the very same thing as you Lisa but I haven't done it yet. It is going to be good to see other peoples thoughts on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandiC. Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 I have thought of doing this as well. I've given digital frames to my kids, but I don't have one yet. I think I"ll have to think about this. Over the next year or two I'll be traveling a lot and will be away from home for a few weeks at a time, so having a digital frame with me will take up a lot less room than albums and I can have my favorites right there in hotel rooms with me. You've got me thinking, thinking, thinkging....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 Well, I do scrapbooks so people can see them many years from now. If you do it that way, that piece of technology won't last that long. What about doing a traditional 8x8 page and design it so the elements are bunched together enough you can crop it when you are done for the picture frame album too. Just a thought. I got one for Christmas and that's what I did with my cropable pages. OR- You can design a 4x6 album and print out that album so all isn't lost if you break your digital photo frame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandiC. Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 I like the idea of doing 4x6 LOs for a digi frame. And the point about the printed albums is well taken as well. Just have to work on two LOs at once, the 8x8 version and a 4x6 version. Not all LOs would lend themselves well to the digi frame version, I don't think the ones with lots of journaling would work too well. And some with a little less detail would be better suited. The great journaling and very detailed work would still look best in a printed album of at least 8x8. Still, I'm considering.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbi Jo Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 I can't see a digital frame ever replacing the printed album -- but having one is a wonderful means of seeing and sharing pictures more. I gave dh one for his birthday -- we loaded it with a couple of years' worth of photos and he took it to his office. He loves it, and he gets lots of comments on it. We also use the Picasa screensaver on our desktop -- I love it; it's one of my favorite things about Picasa. It plays random photos and LOs from selected folders, and where my kids would rarely sit down and look at our photo albums or scrapbooks, they often sit and watch the screensaver for a few minutes when something catches their attention. Love to get more viewing mileage out of our photos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elisha Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 I had this idea too. 2 years ago for Christmas, we purchased my MIL a digital frame and I loaded some pictures on it for her (she's the must technically challenged person I know - I had to show her how to turn it on). During the next year, I'd mention to DH that I'd like to have one too. I'd been looking at some of the larger ones with the "squarer" screens rather than the widescreen (I'd had to resize all the photos for MIL to fit the screen, as I didn't like the black space on the sides), thinking that my layouts would fit nicely on an 8 inch or a 10 inch format. I really wanted to pick one out myself when the time came - but did I say that? no. Well, Christmas came last year, and DH was so excited to give me my gift! He'd gotten me a bundled Kodak EasyShare Camera/7" Digital Frame. Definitely a wonderful gesture, but oh so not what I would have chosen for myself (camera or frame). Well, I can work with it, but it's kind of a pain. My first thought was Sandi's - Whenever I make a full size layout, I can have another 4x6 layout open and make a little companion for the digital frame. Well, that wasn't so easy either. The 4x6 layouts don't fit nicely on the screen. The display size is 6.1 × 3.4 in. So I made a template with those dimensions, and I did do this with several layouts - probably 12-15. But it's kind of fallen by the wayside. I'd like to get the digital frame that I want - one that might fit my standard size layouts, but then I face the "you've already got a digital frame. Why would you want another one?" And then have to explain while watching DH's eyes glaze over. Same with the camera. In the meantime - I do just need to get my template out again and make some more 6.1 × 3.4 in. layouts. But I guess the answer to the question - I don't think it would ever replace the printed photo album, at least in my house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDecker Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 We gave my mil a digi frame for xmas this year. I made sure to get one that was 800X600 to make it easy to set up images. I wish they would make a square one as well because you have to choose landscape or portrait and keep all the pictures the same. I am doing 8 1/2 X 11 calendars and the layouts are easy to resize for the frame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelbi Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 I myself have a digital photo frame and we gave them as Christmas gifts this year to my mom and my mil. I made a bunch of 4x6 layouts for the photoframes. But I still scrap in 12x12 and print in 8x8 to put in albums. I like the photoframe but it will never replace an album for me. one of the 4x6 layouts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarabethp Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 I crop my LOs to fit my grandmother's digital frame. I set the crop tool to the dimensions of the frame and don't worry about how "perfect" the LO or art of it is. Sometimes I will open the layered file and squish the elements together or sometimes I just delete the journaling. You can't always read it anyways. Then I flatten and crop it. I too am looking for as close to a square one as I can find for myself. I won't ever stop printing though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teecee Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 I like the idea of doing 4x6 LOs for a digi frame. And the point about the printed albums is well taken as well. Just have to work on two LOs at once, the 8x8 version and a 4x6 version. Not all LOs would lend themselves well to the digi frame version, I don't think the ones with lots of journaling would work too well. And some with a little less detail would be better suited. The great journaling and very detailed work would still look best in a printed album of at least 8x8. Still, I'm considering.... I agree with you Sandi - I guess great minds think alike lol - I don't have a digi frame yet. I gave one to DD last year for Christmas and she loves it. I do some 4x6 LOs, print them and put them in one of those very inexpesive 4x6 albums available at Walmart. I have one LO that I created and printed at 8x8, then did another condensed 4x6 version of the same LO using SS 4x6 LO templates. That worked nicely. Now I'm considering the digiframe for the 4x6's as well. Need to think about it some more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristyVW Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 I have a digital frame as well. I love it, but it will never replace my printed books. I do not have to resize any of my layouts to have them fit on the screen. A square layout just shows up with black on each side of it, which is ok for me. What fills the frame really well is a two page spread - two square pages put together. If you went that route, you would have layouts that are print and screen friendly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbaraC1977 Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 This really appealed to me at Christmas, when I realized they had digital frames with batteries, designed to pass around and share in a seating area when not plugged in! Wow, what an idea! I would NOT design too small--the 9" widescreen I purchased for my husband is 800x480 pixels, and larger frames/future frames will certainly be even higher resolution. I love printed albums, and don't think they'll go away. But I do love seeing the pictures cycle on the kitchen counter on the digital screen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaLynn Posted January 10, 2010 Author Share Posted January 10, 2010 All of your observations have really helped me think this through! I've decided to alter my basic scrapbook design page to be a 4:3 ratio rather than a square for more optimal digital display. The 4:3 gives a very pleasing proportion; I went through the gallery of the desktop challenge and loved so many of the layouts posted there, and imagining them as pages rather than desktops I liked the overall look of the examples that used close to a 4:3 ratio. Although many new monitors use widescreen proportions, I choose the 4:3 as being more pleasing when considering having both digital and paper display options, and with that proportion the display on a widescreen is okay, just the black bars on the sides. I've chosen a 12"x9" size for my standard page design, which will of course be at print res. By choosing a 12x9 size I can print onto 12x12 paper, or I can size slightly down and print onto 8.5 x 11 paper turned landscape which is very cost effective and offers both matte and various gloss options. And that proportion, created at 300 print res, can then be sized quite large when converted to even a very high screen resolution, so I could use a wide range of monitors for the digital album and they can be smaller, the same, or larger (even quite a bit larger) than the print size. As you all noted, the current digital photo frames are just too small for a scrap-page sized display rather than a single-photo-sized display. AND, IMHO, they are comparatively far too expensive for what you get . Even the largest of the digital photo frames of reasonable customer satisfaction ratings are smaller, but not much cheaper, than a brand new laptop with a 15 inch or larger screen! I'm sure eventually that will change, but for now DH is going to make my digital album from a monitor and 'computer guts' :-). Starting maybe with a used laptop with a 15" or so monitor and taking the needed guts out of the case. DH has done lots of electonics fab and design, plus there are lots of places on the web where people tell about making their own digital frames this way, using computer parts and/or laptops. DH is also a woodworker hobby-ist, so I wonder what if I could come up with some kind of 'frame' design that would blend in to my decor better? If anyone has any ideas (all you artists out there!), or if you have built your own yourself, please, share your ideas! :-) All of your thoughts, experiences, ideas, and cautions were really helpful, thank you all so much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristyVW Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 Lisa, my brother was able to do exactly what you are talking about. He made one from an old laptop. He used instructions from on-line where they completely separate the monitor from the keyboard and was able to attach a matte/frame to the front. It turned out really nice. He might have had the matte/frame made to a custom size to fit, but I am not sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandiC. Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 What a cool idea. Way beyond my capabilities, but I have a really old LT and I wonder...should I get the instructions and give it a go? It would be something entirely new, but who knows, maybe I could.... I looked at digital frames online last evening and I'm just not sure what I would want. So for now, I'm just thinking about it. but its on the list. Maybe something new will come out that is just perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaLynn Posted January 10, 2010 Author Share Posted January 10, 2010 Lisa, my brother was able to do exactly what you are talking about. He made one from an old laptop. He used instructions from on-line where they completely separate the monitor from the keyboard and was able to attach a matte/frame to the front. It turned out really nice. He might have had the matte/frame made to a custom size to fit, but I am not sure. I'm eager to see what DH does, he's going to buy a used laptop while we're at home next week. BTW, I just have to rave, I've been using your copy/close and supply tracker scripts for a couple of weeks now, and I love 'em. I put all of my jpgs into my psds now with the script, it's a huge time saver and then the supply list is accurate with no work at all. These were a brilliant idea. I had not the slightest problem, everything worked right out of the box, I just plopped the files into the scripts preset folder (using CS4). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaLynn Posted January 10, 2010 Author Share Posted January 10, 2010 What a cool idea. Way beyond my capabilities, but I have a really old LT and I wonder...should I get the instructions and give it a go? It would be something entirely new, but who knows, maybe I could.... I looked at digital frames online last evening and I'm just not sure what I would want. So for now, I'm just thinking about it. but its on the list. Maybe something new will come out that is just perfect. Sandi, I just bet that in another year a manufacturer will catch on and there will be exactly what we need for scrapbooking. I would just wait if it were me, but as my DH actually likes to tinker with all this stuff (I'll never understand it, but simply be grateful) he's going ahead and giving it a try now. I'm also not quite sure about the look I want or the functionality that I might need, so this will be developmental process. I'm just wondering if a screen can be made more attractive, I'm not all that crazy about plastic decor in general.... :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristyVW Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 BTW, I just have to rave, I've been using your copy/close and supply tracker scripts for a couple of weeks now, and I love 'em. I put all of my jpgs into my psds now with the script, it's a huge time saver and then the supply list is accurate with no work at all. These were a brilliant idea. I had not the slightest problem, everything worked right out of the box, I just plopped the files into the scripts preset folder (using CS4). Thanks Lisa! That always makes me smile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinkerbell11 Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 I kind of do both I have a smaller digital frame and I scrap some of my LO's in 4 X 6 after creating a regular LO I print! I will still print it is nice to pass on the albums someday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RosemaryS Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 I love the idea of scrapping digitally but guess I am a hands on kind of girl when it comes to looking at my creations, there's just something about turning the pages and seeing them on paper and holding the albums in my hands that I just don't want to let go of. I wouldn't mind having a digital photo frame but think I would probably only use it for photos themselves.... I'm not sayin' never, but not right now I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MargotW Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 The digital frames are nice but will not replace the printed scrapbook album for me. I want something tangible to pass to my family. Technology changes so fast, who know how long you would be able to load photos to it. Also, what if it breaks? I love digi but don't trust it for stability! I back up my backups and my kids laugh at me. The frames are great and I will probably get one but only for casual viewing and I will keep on printing! I'm going to try the Picassa screen saver! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBarnes Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 I've been wanting a digital frame for ages, hoping to add some of my layouts to it. I was thinking what Christy said: that square layouts show up just fine. I even asked for one this Christmas but didn't get one. I'm going to have to go out and buy my own I guess. It won't replace printed albums for me either, but I think it would be fun to have my layouts on display when company comes over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
April Showers Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 My husband gave me a 4x6 digital frame for Christmas a year ago. I put all my 4x6 layouts in it and love it. I've done an album for my dad and for my husband in that format so I have lots of pages for it. Haven't put my square pages in though. May have to try that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrappinchar Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 I don't picture my digital frame ever replacing my printed albums. The boys, every now and then, will lay on the ground and look through the albums. They'll flip back and forth, pause, talk about a picture, etc. Just not the same with the scrolling/changing screen on the digital frame. That being said, I love my digital frame. lol I bought one that had different frames you could change out to match your decor better. It sits on my kitchen counter and I'll often turn it on while cooking or doing dishes. More for me to enjoy than company. I only have a small percentage of regular photos uploaded to it. Most of what is in it is my square layouts. I always put the web sized version in it, 'cause they look the same as the full size version but they take up less memory. And I'm totally fine with the little bit of black/blank screen down each side to make up for the square layout. I don't even notice it. Good luck to those of you who are ingenious enough to make your own. That's certainly not me! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gophergirl Posted January 16, 2010 Share Posted January 16, 2010 What size frame do you have Christy? It would be so nice if the manufacturers would make an 8x8 frame. I would love to have a rotating gallery in my house of the pages I create. I would still make books too, but I think having a frame would engage more people and it would make me happy to be able to see my pages every day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara Arell Posted January 27, 2010 Share Posted January 27, 2010 I love this idea - what a great gift it would make - will be watching to see what others have to say about it too before I jump in! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
time2smile Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 What size frame do you have Christy? It would be so nice if the manufacturers would make an 8x8 frame. I would love to have a rotating gallery in my house of the pages I create. I would still make books too, but I think having a frame would engage more people and it would make me happy to be able to see my pages every day. This is exactly what I think, too! I would like my pages to display automatically (whether I have clean hands or not!) while I am detained by housework. My layouts in albums just don't get out much. I can't believe that the frame manufacturers are unaware of the huge market for a square digi-frame. Maybe we should all write letters ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbaraC1977 Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 I agree that a square frame would be nice. My husband, however, just got an HP Dream Screen (which streams internet radio, and does other stuff as well as being a digital picture frame.) There is no separate frame, so the entire screen is black glass when it's running a slide show, except for the image itself. The size and shape don't matter so much as a result. He's enjoying streaming my vertical format photos, 8.5x11 calendar photos, square layouts, and 4x6 layouts, and they look great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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