Tiny details make a big difference in digi scrapping!

It’s really pretty easy to make a digital scrapbook layout, especially if you keep it simple. All you have to do is drag some digital paper and photos onto a blank canvas in a photo editing program such as Photoshop Elements. So what’s all the fuss about? Why do we need all these tutorials, tips, and tricks, to create digital scrapbook pages? Well, it’s because it really is the tiny details that make the BIG difference in making digital scrapbook layouts look great.

Let me (Katie) show you what I mean. Here’s a layout that only uses the most basic of digi skills. I simply opened a digital paper in Photoshop Elements and then opened a photo and place it on top of the paper.  You can find a lot of great information right here in our tutorials section. I’m using supplies from The Digi Chick Shutterbug collaborative kit for these examples.

This is a digital layout. I included a piece of plain digital paper, 2 embellishments, and a photo. While we love to emphasize that there is no “right” or “wrong” way to digiscrap, we do know that our readers want to know how to make their memories shine by using digital techniques to make them more visually pleasing. It’s a lot more fun (and actually easier) when you know how to use your editing program to achieve the look you want to create on your layouts. That’s what it’s all about here at the Daily Digi, we want to provide you with options and knowledge that you can use if you want to. We love to share our favorite tips and tricks!

TINY DETAIL THAT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE – DESIGN PRINCIPLES

When you pay attention to layout design principles, you will find that there are many small ways to make a page look it’s best. By grouping the embellishments together and deciding that the focus of the page should be the photograph, this page has a better flow and presentation already. I also cropped the photo to get rid of some of the unnecessary background.

By adding some contrast through papers and layering, this layout has more visual impact.

TINY DETAIL THAT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE – SHADOWING

It’s up to you how you choose to use shadows on your digital layouts. Some scrappers prefer them, others don’t like to use them. Understanding where and how to use shadows will give you the option to add small details to your page that can give you big results. If you want to take your shadows to the next level, Peppermints self-paced class at Big Picture Classes is an amazing resource! I used fairly subtle shadowing techniques on this page, but everything looks a little more “real” and not so flat.

TINY DETAIL THAT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE – IMPERECTION

Not everything on a paper layout is always placed with exact precision and if you want to add some reality to your page try placing a few embellishments a little off kilter (like the tilted camera on this layout). It’s also great to vary the direction of items such as buttons and staples for visual interest. Brush work and some “messier” type elements can soften a page up. While I’m a big fan of perfect alignment, I also love to group small pieces together so they overlap each other just a bit. It’s a nice way to keep the design cohesive looking.

TINY DETAIL THAT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE – MEANINGFUL JOURNALING

Taking the time to add well thought out journaling can take your page from ho-hum to memorable. We believe in telling the story and we share many journaling techniques here to help you express the words that go with your memories.

font is The Typewriter by Heather Hess. You can read the journaling by clicking on the image to see it on flickr.

Wouldn’t you agree that these tiny details add up to a BIG difference?

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Pay attention to the little things when you create your next page. I know you will see a BIG result!

P.S. Tammy was our random winner chosen from the comments in yesterday’s feature of Yari from Jady Day Studio. She won $10 in product from Jady Day Studio!