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DIGITAL CAMERAS
Fujifilm FinePix
E500 ($299)
Get complete
specifications and
find local dealers at
fujifilm.com.
• 4.1 megapixel resolution produces
sharp, clear prints at standard sizes up
to 8 x 10.
• Large 2-inch LCD screen is great for
reviewing and sharing captured images.
• 29-91mm equivalent wide-angle lens
performs perfectly in a variety of
shooting situations, from landscape
shots to extreme closeups with the
Super Macro mode.
You’re looking for an easyto-use camera with good
image quality that won’t
break your budget.
You want some flexibility in
shooting modes and
camera settings but don’t
need to micro-manage
every detail of your
camera’s function.
Quick camera
response is important
to you
—
long flash
recycling and save-tocard times slow
overall performance.
Hewlett-Packard
PhotoSmart R707
($349)
Explore the
extensive usersupport community
at hp.com.
• Stylish stainless-steel construction and
streamlined body make this camera a
pleasure to hold.
• Adaptive Lighting technology and incamera HP Image advice help you adjust
your shooting for common problem
situations.
• Direct-printing technology lets you print
to many HP and PictBridge-compatible
printers without connecting to a PC.
You anticipate sharing
prints with others
frequently: this camera
includes 34 Instant Share
options for simple emailing and printing of
captured images.
You’re looking for an easy
way to improve your
photography
—
you’ll
appreciate the camera’s
easy-to-use help menus
and features like in-camera
red-eye removal and
panorama photo stitching.
You’ll be shooting
regularly in very lowlight situations: the
R707’s image quality
suffers at high ISO
(light sensitivity)
settings.
Canon EOS 20D
($1499,body only;
$1599 body & Canon
EF-S 18-55mm lens)
Get product
information, tips,
support and more at
consumer.usa.canon.
com.
• 8.2 megapixel resolution means you can
print at 8 x 10or larger sizes with razorsharp clarity and detail.
• SLR (single-lens reflex) design provides
a sturdy feel and lens interchangability
for maximum creative power.
• Switches on, focuses and shoots
virtually instantly--no irritating wait time
as is common in many less expensive
models.
• In-camera color filters adjust images for
color balance and special effects
without your having to buy separate
filters for the lens.
You’re an experienced
photographer familiar with
SLR cameras or are looking
to upgrade from the pointand-shoot category.
You take photos in a variety
of situations and want to
be able to choose a lens
that fits the circumstances.
You’re a new
photographer on a
budget or don’t
anticipate venturing
beyond the basic
settings offered with
most cameras.
Manufacturer
Contact
Special Features Consider if... Look
elsewhere if...
Product
Eager to invest in a new digital camera,
photo printer or scanner, but uncertain
what to look for? Take a look at our
Product Picks Chart for a quick
overview of what to consider and what
to avoid. It’ll give you an idea of what
you can expect in each price range
—
budget, mid-level and high-end. (Since
technology changes so rapidly, you
may find some models profiled here
replaced by newer versions. Check
with a salesperson to make a
comparable buy.)
Product Picks
22 digital scrapbooking 3
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simplescrapbooksmag.com 23
HP Photosmart
375 ($199)
• Portable, lightweight printer performs
basic photo editing functions and
produces borderless 4 x 6 prints with or
without connection to a PC.
You want a quick,
convenient way of
creating archival-quality
prints to share with
others or to scrapbook
with traditional supplies.
You don’t already own a
standard-size printer:
the Photosmart 375
produces 4 x 6 prints
only.
Canon i9900
($450)
• Eight-color ink system creates vivid
borderless prints in sizes from 4 x 6 to
13 x 19.
You design page layouts
larger than 8.5 x 11 and
want to be able to print
them at full size.
You print primarily
smaller-size images and
don’t need the extra size
capacity.
Canon CanoScan
LiDE 80 ($120)
• Included software automatically
removes minor dust and scratches from
scanned images.
You anticipate scanning
primarily original photo
prints and scrapbook
pages to share online.
You want the option of
scanning materials such
as negatives or slides;
the LiDE 80 offers no
film scanning options.
Epson Perfection
4870 ($450)
• 4800-dpi optical resolution produces
razor-sharp scans of printed or film
originals, while Digital ICE technology
automatically corrects creases,
discoloration and other common faults.
You have a backlog of
negatives, slides or older
photos to scan.
Your scanning plans are
limited to flat, printed
originals: a less
expensive scanner will
produce adequate
results.
Manufacturer
Contact
Special Features Consider if... Look
elsewhere if...
Product
Epson Stylus C86
($99)
• Well-rounded printer adapts to printing
tasks from black-and-white text to
colorful, high-quality photos.
You need an affordable
printer to meet a variety of
household needs.
You plan to use your
printer exclusively for
photos: many higherend models offer
greater color fidelity.
PRINTERS
SCANNERS
Page 3
Only With...
At the core of every digital scrapbook
page is some form of photo editing
software. From the simplest red-eye
removal tool to the most sophisticated
image editor, scrapbookers rely on these
programs to assemble photos, text and
artistic effects into unified layouts.
Photo editing programs’ prices and
capabilities range widely, as do their
intended audiences. If you’re new to
digital scrapbooking, you may prefer a
package with templates and project
instructions included; if you’re already
familiar with the basics of photo
PaintShop Pro
1. Use Paint Shop Pro’s included texture effects like the
Sculpture Texture shown here to create complex,
dimensional backgrounds.
2. Magnifying Lens effect makes creating shak er bo x
elements easy .
3. Automatically add any of thousands of elements in all
themes and styles with the Picture Tubes tool.
Colorize them,as Michelle did with the buttons and
eyelets here,to match your project perfectl y.
4. Built-in brush tools and fur texture effect create
realistic-looking fibers.
5. Apply artistic photo edges and frames for an instant
touch of style.
NOTE: Check out Michelle’s book Scr apbooking the
Digital Way for more step-by-step instructions just for
Paint Shop Pro users.
24 digital scrapbooking 3
tool time
Chris Ford
touching
Michelle Shefveland
Photoshop
1. Create your own brushes from scanned,freehanddrawn or clip-art objects.Here,Chris used custommade brushes for the grungy inked effect around her
page’ s margins.
2. Apply drop shadow effects at the angle and intensity
of your choice,as Chris did with the tape measure
element.
3. Use built-in tools or separate plug-ins to apply artistic
edges or frames to your photos.
4. Optimize your work for sharing online with the onestep Save to Web command.
5. Take advantage of other artists’ expertise with the
thousands of free brushes,actions and plug-ins
available online (see studio.adobe.com for a gr eat
place to start).
Page 4
editing (or don’t mind a steeper
learning curve), you may be happier
with the creative flexibility offered by
more advanced-level (and more
expensive) software.
Here, four top digital scrapbookers
share why they use the software they
do and showcase some of the unique
features of each package.Take a look at
their work and see how their needs
correspond with your own; then
download a few trial versions and
experiment on your own before
making a final purchase decision.
HP Creative
Scrapbook Assistant
1. Choose images from HP’s extensive online library of
digital enhancements to add flair to your pages
effortlessly .New additions are posted every month in
a full range of seasonal and event-specific themes.
2. Crop images and add edge effects instantly with builtin drag-and-drop tools.
3. Increase or decrease text to just the right size with
the font size slider bar
—
no need to guess at point size!
4. Master Creative Scrapbook Assistant’s featur es easil y
with the included hints,tutorials and step-by-step
instructions on HP’ s Web site.
5. Create a page combining digital and paper elements
by printing and trimming designs to fit.Use a
standard-size printer to create a 12 x 12 page
blending the best of the virtual and traditional.
Microsoft Digital
Image Pro
1. Powerful type tools warp and shape text
automatically.
2. Extensive image gallery includes textures and clip art
perfect for page accents.
3. Artistic Edge filter gives “inked” appearance to image
squares.
4. Antique Photo effect produces complex vintage-style
looks in seconds.
5. Wide variety of built-in texture filters spice up solidcolored shapes.
simplescrapbooksmag.com 25
froggy club med
Shannon Freeman
springtime in paris
Jill Miller for HP Scrapbooking
Page 5
Scrapbooking in a
Multimedia World
Recordings of your grandfather’s
gravelly voice or video clips of a
toddler’s first,wobbly steps preserve
memories that can’t be duplicated
with photography alone.And, in our
digital world, capturing and storing
this information has never been
easier—you have your choice of digital
video, digital camera movie bursts,
mp3 music, web pages, DVDs, .wav
files and many, many more.
Are there any products you can use to
scrapbook these multimedia memories
in easy-to-share ways? Expect to see
multimedia scrapbooking software
boom in the months to come, but here
are a few suggestions from currently
available products.
PowerPoint
If you have Microsoft PowerPoint on
your PC, you already have a natural
scrapbooking and viewing tool.
PowerPoint allows you to place your
own previously prepared images on
the presentation page, add your
favorite songs or sound clips, and
record a narration. IBM/Lotus Freelance
Graphics, Software Publishing
Corporation’s Harvard Graphics and
many other presentation programs can
do the same.
A growing number of websites offer
scrapbooking-themed PowerPoint
graphics and tutorials to help jumpstart your project.To find them, search
for “PowerPoint scrapbook”in your
internet search engine. Robin suggests
powerpointart.com.When your project
is finished, you can change your
presentation page to a format that can
be displayed on any other PC,
including one without PowerPoint, by
using the “Pack and Go” option.
Check out these pages that Robin Cecil
has scrapbooked in PowerPoint.You
can see how she has built a scrapbookstyle presentation.What you can’t see
26 digital scrapbooking 3
Page 6
are favorite songs and recorded voices
that play as each page is displayed.
Scrapbook Factory Deluxe 2.0
Whether you use their templates or
create your own, this application
($39.95 at novadevelopment.com)
allows you to create colorful,
personally designed scrapbooks.You
can print them out, but you can also
present a slideshow of your work or
burn your scrapbooks, complete with
music, onto CDs that will play on most
home DVD players.
Telling Stories
Telling Stories ($49.95 at
tellingstories.com) is an easy-to-use
application that helps you “build”a
multimedia-rich life story. Enter
important dates into your personal
timeline and the program will pop in
historical events and milestones for
you to consider.An interview section
for each event asks thought-provoking
questions that provide built-in
journaling. Add multimedia details like
music from the huge, yearly, hit-music
playlists that are included with the
program, or use Telling Stories to
search the Internet for music or video
clips to insert, or to pull music off of
your own CD’s.
You can build as many life stories as
you wish. Upload your own layout
images to illustrate the dates on your
timeline for finished pages that can
rival any scrapbook.Pages can be
printed, shown as a slide show or
emailed to family and friends. Best of
all, this is a fast and easy program to
learn. Step-by-step instructions help
you make voice recordings,scan
images, etc.
Share Your Multimedia Skills
Many of you may already be multimedia scrapbooking. Let us know
about the tools and formats you use at
simplescrapboosmag.com/submit and
we’ll feature some of your stories and
favorite products in our next issue of
A Simple Guide to Digital Scrapbooking.
Page 7
Clean Up Your Photos
Especially when shot in low light at a high ASA
setting,digital photos can have an undesirable
grainy or “noisy” appearance.This effect is
especially pronounced in areas of solid color,
and can introduce unpleasant purplish tones in
high-contrast details.Choose from a number
of plug-ins that reduce noise,sharpen details
and enhance overall image quality.
Noise Reduction,by The Imaging Factory
($39.95 at imagingfactory.com) pr ovides
excellent basic image fixes at a bargain price
(the Pro version costs an additional $60).It
sharpens details and improves clarity while
avoiding the ov er-softened “m ushy” look some
other noise reducers can create.
Improve Your Images
Properly exposed,crisply detailed shots
sometimes still benefit from a dose of
technical wizardry.A host of plug-ins are now
available that duplicate effects that formerly
required a substantial inv estment of time and
skill in the darkroom to achieve.Inject your
images with added panache by giving these
high-tech effects a try.
Nik Color Efex Pro 2.0 (Standard edition
$100,Complete edition $300 at
nikmultimedia.com) offers the power of
thousands of dollars worth of traditional lens
filters in a single package.Choose from
gradient,style and sunshine filters in the
Standard edition;the Complete edition
includes polarization,black-and-white
conversion tools and unusual artistic looks
such as gold and silver reflectors.All filters can
be applied selectively at different angles and to
different portions of an image for complete
creative control.
Add Instant Artistry
If you can dream it,you can do it—especially
with one of the many plug-in programs
available for introducing an artistic twist to
your creations.Add unusual lighting effects,
lifelike textures,distressed edges and mor e.
There are perhaps more plug-ins to choose
from in this category than any other:have fun
exploring and experimenting!
Adobe Photoshop Elements One-Click
Wow! ($26.99 at peachpit.com) includes a
book and CD set with all kinds of resources
including over 300 stunning layer styles,cool
effects like Liquid Metal and much,much
more.The book demonstrates the effects and
describes how to use them for the greatest
impact.
download
and plug in
Once you’ve selected a photo editing
program and begun experimenting
with it, you’ll be amazed at the variety
of effects it can produce, from simple
sharpening to full-fledged artistic
productions.Yet eventually, you’ll
probably want an effect that’s difficult
or impossible to create with your
software.Whether you’re looking for a
way to reduce the grainy appearance
of a digital photo or to add an unusual
framing effect to an image, consider
turning to one of the hundreds of
plug-ins available for download over
the Internet.
Most plug-ins are designed to be
compatible with Adobe Photoshop,but
will also work with other popular
programs such as Ulead PhotoImpact,
Corel Paint Shop Pro and Microsoft
Digital Image Pro. Check your
software’s documentation to see if it
will accept plug-ins designed for use
with Photoshop.
For each of three categories of plugins, we’ve profiled a single example;
there are hundreds of other great
plug-ins available, and more are being
introduced all the time. As with
photo editing software, most of these
plug-ins are available as free 30-day
trial versions. Download and try
before you buy.
28 digital scrapbooking 3
Page 8
What’s New?
What’s Next?
With technology evolving at a breakneck pace, yesterday’s cutting-edge
enhancement is today’s standard
equipment, and features only available
now in top-of-the-line products will
appear in affordably-priced models in
just a few months.What can you look
forward to in the next year as digital
hardware and software get ever more
powerful and less expensive? Here are a
few exciting developments to watch for.
More megapixels, less money. Eight-
megapixel cameras costing thousands
of dollars as recently as a year ago are
finally dipping below the thousanddollar mark, as in the extremely
popular Canon D-Rebel. Look for
competition to drive prices on these
high-resolution cameras lower as prolevel cameras increase their power (as
in Fujifilm’s FinePix S3 Pro with a
dazzling 12.3 MP sensor). And as these
cameras make high-quality but
memory-gobbling images available to
more shooters, look for memory card
prices to drop precipitously as well.
Already, a 32-megabyte card that might
have cost $75 a year ago can be had for
$10 or less.
New color-improving technologies. The
latest development in digital camera
sensors: a three-layered system that
captures the red, green and blue
components of an image separately (as
color film does) rather than in a
mosaic of color sensors (as most
digital cameras currently do).The
result? Cleaner,more true-to-life color
and less “fringing,” or color distortion
in high-contrast areas of a photo.
Home-printed photos that outlast
prints from a lab.
All major printer
manufacturers now offer inks that,
when stored in an acid-free album,
resist damage from moisture, fading,
and color-shifting for up to twice as
long as lab-printed photos. Look for
names such as Epson DuraBrite and HP
Pigmented UV Inks when choosing
printer inks to guarantee high-quality
prints and matchless longevity.
Fixing photos in a flash. Not only do
today’s photo editing programs come
with more built-in fixes for common
problems (such as red eye,“pet eye”
and imperfect exposure), but many
new cameras and printers are getting
in on the act. Hewlett-Packard’s
PhotoSmart R707 camera (see Product
Picks chart for more information)
offers red-eye removal when a photo is
taken or processed, or at any time after
you’ve gotten the shot. Look for more
cameras and printers to get in on the
act, especially as direct camera-toprinter printing becomes more
popular. Photo editing software won’t
be left behind, though. Check out
powerful new retouching features like
Adobe Photoshop Elements 3’s Healing
Brush. And many new scanners now
automatically detect and repair
damage to scanned images; Epson’s
Perfection 4870, featuring Digital ICE
technology, is just one that makes
fixing heritage photos as simple as
pressing a button.
simplescrapbooksmag.com 29
picture this
Kristie Wickland
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