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The Topic
Kami Leonard (Ziggle Scraps) from ScrapOrchard joins the panel this week to share our thoughts on the question: Is digital scrapbooking shutting down local scrapbook stores?
Joining the Discussion:
Kami Leonard
Peppermint Granberg
Katie Nelson
Steph
From the Mail:
-
Digital Arts Online Photoshop CC Features
- Star Tribune Archiver’s
- Illustrator CS6 Pattern Maker Tutorial (Adobe TV)
Picks:
Kami: Web Of Trust
Peppermint: Lifehacker “How I Work” Series
Katie: BH Photo Videos
Steph: PicMonkey
Sponsors:
For the best deal in digital scrapbooking, become a member at TheDailyDigi.com.
Something that you guys didn’t really touch on re: the Creative Cloud is how it affects those of us who do not design product or work in the digital industry, who are ‘just’ hobbyists.
The Cloud is an expense completely out of my budget. I usually receive the educational discount and only upgrade every 3-4 cycles. In fact, I used PS7 until 2 years ago! Even if I only pay $20/month for the first year for just Photoshop, I will end up paying more in the first 18 months than I did for 5-6 years of almost daily Photoshop use when I had the software. That’s not to mention that the price will continue to increase every 2-3 years, as everything does, and I will be ‘stuck,’ as Peppermint alluded to, at that point and be forced to pay the higher price. This would also negatively affect my (and many other people’s) spending habits within the digital industry. There are some months where $20 is most of my digital budget, and if that’s sucked up by an Adobe subscription, there is none left to buy any new kits.
I do have subscriptions to Spotify, Netflix, and Hulu Plus, so I am not against subscription-based services, but those are services that my whole family can use or enjoy with me. A Photoshop subscription is not something anyone else in my family can or will use. More importantly, though, the big difference is that those subscription services just provide me with different vehicles of entertainment. I just consume them. Photoshop, and other software programs like it, provides me with the opportunity to make something ELSE from what I have on hand. I am not only consuming, but also creating, and that’s why I want to have a physical copy on hand.
For me (and I think for many, many scrappers), we will hold onto CS5/6 for as long as possible until we have to upgrade computers and the software is no longer supported by Windows/Mac, and then we will have to switch ‘down’ to PSE. Don’t get me wrong — I am so glad that, as of now, PSE is not part of the cloud and so I could purchase that as a stand-alone that, from what I know, should do basically anything I use PS for.
It’s the principle of the thing, though. I have spent hundreds (thousands?) of dollars between upgrades and LR in the past 10 years, and it feels like a slap in the face to me as ‘just a hobbyist’ that I am going to be squeezed out of Adobe’s customer base because I can’t justify the cost of renting their software for the longterm. Suddenly, my money and my desire to use the best graphics design program out there is not good enough for them anymore.
That leaves a sour taste in my mouth that I don’t like and takes some of the joy out of a hobby that I love very very much.
Hear hear. ♥
I agree I have CS5 and make no sense they force people that don’t work with the software to buy a subscription, so if one day my CS5 stop working I will have to change to Elements.
On the Apple store there are some new vector softwares for desktop which does pretty good things they are not illustrator but I think they are getting there and they are great for the consumer like me which doesn’t do kits but do small things for myself. One of them is called artboard they have great tutorials and now work with SVGS as well. And they listen to what users say and request.
Yay, I’m finally listening to a show in “real time”!
I can’t speak for anyone but my lil ole group of friends but we used to all be paper scrappers – or hoarders really. We’ve all but one turned to strictly digital. Either through shutterfly or digi-scrapping. We haven’t bought paper product in years aside from Project Life supplies.
I also agree that being able to share on facebook and instagram gives me my “fix” as far as being able to enjoy pictures I’ve taken. I’m able to enjoy that moment again and again as I get comments and such and then I feel less pressured to go do something more with that picture. My digital pages completed are currently at 0.00 for 2013 *GASP*.
I 100% agree with LeeAndra. Her story very closely mirrors my own. And I. Am. Angry.
I still use and love PSCS5. I don’t want to ugrade to CS6 nor do I want to move to cloud. I really, really hate that once I switch to cloud, I don’t have guaranteed access to my software, because even if I can afford to pay now (and by the way, it’s my understanding that while it is $20/month you still have to pay a year at a time) what if something happens and I can’t afford to pay next year or the year after? Oh well! No Photoshop for you! And eventually there will come a time that I will have paid many, many, many times over for the software what I could have paid buying a box Photosho CreativeSuite software off the shelf. But that means nothing unless I just keep the cash flowing towards Adobe. No matter haw many years or thousands of dollars I pour into that subscription if I can no longer pay them I get cut off.
Described that way it sounds more like Adobe is selling illegal drugs than software. The first hit is free, after that you pay until you die.
I also feel like it’s only a matter of time before PSE gets rolled into the cloud and then I suppose I am stuck. I’ll either have to bite the bullet and pray for the best or quit the hobby that I love so much, because I have yet to find another program that provides the kinds of results that Adobe products provide.
It makes me very sad to consider giving up this hobby, but I guess there’s always Shutterfly books, and it looks that’s where I am likely headed.
You don’t actually have to pay for a whole year at a time. You just have automated payments of $20/month. You just have to commit to pay for a whole year. And you can cancel – I can’t remember what the cancellation fee is though.
I believe the cancellation fee is 50% of the remaining subscription commitment.
That sounds right Wendy.
I’m listening to this show, and my daughter walks down the hall in weird dress up clothes and says, “I’m an old man!” I wonder if I said the title out loud?
I agree that the cost of creative cloud is too high for hobbyists. I’m actually using GIMP for my digital scrapbooking. It does most of the things that a version or two back of Photoshop did – there isn’t a keyboard shortcut for a clipping mask, but there’s an easy workaround, and the new version has text on a path, drop shadows on a separate layer, etc. Anyway – GIMP isn’t as elegant as Photoshop, but it’s free, and it works well for me, so I wanted to throw it out there as an option for people who are wanting to spend money on supplies rather than software.
Great show as always – and I wanted to suggest a subject for a future show – how to use all the stuff we got great deals on last weekend
This news makes me glad I’ve stuck with Paint Shop Pro and PSE 9.
I am kinda disappointed because I had hoped to buy CS at some point, but I’d now have to drop at least 2 other subscriptions to make it work in my budget or win the lottery. Now I guess I’ll be paying the $30 to upgrade PSP instead and actually buy a lottery ticket.
I am pretty convinced that this is going to be the new norm for software eventually. Software companies hate to see the hard copies of their product being resold, especially their high end software. This will put an end to that.
I am also disappointed, as a hobbyist, at this direction taken by Adobe. I would have a hard time, even at $20, to pay every month indefinitely. I use CS4 right now. With all that has been added to PSE in the latest releases, I’ve been wondering if I should “downgrade” back to PSE if for some reason my CS4 couldn’t be used. The only things I would miss are the warp tool and shadows and strokes on a separate layer. But maybe Adobe will add even those into PSE in the future. If that were to happen, I would no longer care about the cloud option and just stick to PSE. I hope PSE remains non-cloud for all of us non-professional users.
Adobe said they have no plans to put Elements in the Cloud. It will be their retail option. I wish they would do BOTH with Elements. After investing in CC, I hate that I have to pay for Elements as well. But, I totally understand why they need to keep Elements as a box edition.
Peppermint… one of the new features for CC is the ability to sync brushes and styles and presets through the cloud. It will be able to synch to things like iPad version as well.
I saw that. Ugh .. that would be handy. LOL I was just thinking after we recorded this show and I shared that I didn’t reinstall PS CS6 on my new hard drive – I could actually install it and leave it set up for scrapbooking. I have so many design tools loaded that I don’t need when I’m scrapbooking so it might be sort of nice to just have my drop shadows and my photo actions loaded into one title – like a little getaway. Then I wouldn’t scowl at the thought of having that money wasted.
Conditional actions are not quite what they they seem. There is a small list of conditions that Adobe has built in that you can choose from. One is width versus height. ie. You can say, if the image is wide, run this other action. But there are only a handful of conditions to choose from. So even though I was so excited to get this in CS6 Cloud edition, I have yet to use it.
With regards to paper scrapping vs. digital, I also find that I use a lot more paper scrapping supplies now that I found digital. Initially I was a paper scrapper, when I found digital a year ago, I thought I would never go back to paper, but I realize that now I’m a total hybrid scrapper. I use a whole lot of paper scrapping supplies on my project life.
I’m definitely spending a whole lot on paper supplies than I did before.
I’m a paper scrapper, but I’m addicted to digi supplies. Even subscribed to the Digi files for a year! However, now that I have a Silhouette Cameo I look forward to actually USING digi supplies. It’s great to add patterns/papers to print and cut images. Love all the journal cards that are out there. The trace and cut is awesome. It’s really made me a hybrid scrapper.
I wanted to comment on the paper vs. digital issue too. I started paper scrapping when I was 16 and never really loved it. I just did it because it was something I thought I should do. I kind of did it off and on but when I started having kids I decided I should get back at it – and I slogged through for a few years on and off but I really didn’t enjoy it. After my third was born I decided I’d better get going on a book for her and just happened to see PSE 9 at Costco right around the same time. Within a week I was completely addicted and have been ever since. It’s never been something I’ve had to force myself to do. So digital didn’t turn me away from paper – I just didn’t enjoy paper at all!
Great show! I’m not a fan of Adobe – just throwing it out there.
I read the link all about the camera filters. It was very informative.
I’m in the market for a new camera. I’d love to have a DSLR but there are two things stopping me 1) price and 2) I know – for sure – I would never take it off auto mode.
Do you have recommendations about “good image quality” point and shoot cameras?
– what to look for
– what to avoid
– changeable lenses or not
What do you think of these new 4/3 cameras?
What’s the difference between point and shoot vs DSLR image sensor?
I seriously love my point and shoot camera and have used it as a pick before. /2012/02/loving-my-point-and-shoot-camera.html If you don’t want to spend the money for a dslr, I really think you will enjoy a point and shoot. They are easier to carry and they do a lot of the work for you.
If you want to invest in a DSLR, that’s great also – and there’s nothing wrong with using auto mode, I do it all the time.
Good discussion! I’m not happy with the Adobe CC change either…
And just a note from Episode 83 (I think) when Chelle’s pick was wordmark.it — I have bookmarked that site and use it every time I’m scrapping now. I love that I can type in the page title and then scroll through my fonts very quickly to find the look I’m after without changing the font back and forth in ps. So, a big thank you to Chelle!
I don’t remember which one(s) of you mentioned that adobe is not very reliable, or their customers don’t have a lot of faith in them. I was surprised to hear that! I’m not pointing fingers like “how dare you criticize adobe” with a sword in my hand, but just curious what others think of Adobe.
I use a lot of software on both PC and Mac, and I’ve always been extremely impressed with Adobe software, from photoshop, Lightroom to InDesign. The only software that is more reliable is Microsoft Office for PC, but they don’t have earth shattering new features in every new version release. I always say I don’t get why people rave about Apple’s software even though I work at Apple. Adobe’s products, at least in recent years, have always blown me out of the water and pretty bug-free given the number and power of features. With every launch of a new version, I always have the urge to kiss some adobe engineer’s feet. When you think it doesn’t get any better than this, they come out with a newer version with newer features that you couldn’t have imagined in your wildest dreams, and all of a sudden can’t live without.
I can’t think of another software company that delivers this quality and consistency. I’m wondering what other listeners think and what are your experiences with other software companies?
I think the reliability depends on your computer. I’m always having issues with Adobe products– even flash player! It wasn’t until I upgraded my from an HP Notebook to a Dell Inspiron that I started having any issues. Now Adobe anything– from flash player to reader to elements– will crash at least once while in use.
I think we would all agree that the Adobe products, for the most part, are reliable, it’s the company that isn’t. I think, from what I have seen, consumers lack the confidence in the companies decisions regarding them. My comparison was that consumer confidence is not at the same level as it is with Amazon. However, I think
consumer confidence is higher with Adobe than with PayPal.
We have seen Adobe, in the past, make a decision and the customers get upset, and Adobe changes their mind, or makes changes in the customer’s favor.
What Steph said. Haha.
My Adobe software, for the most part, is reliable and they’re always adding really useful features and gizmos. Adobe is probably second only to Google on my admiration scale. (It’s tough to say, BravoTV might be second … it depends on the day.) My issue with Adobe is like my issue with a lot of software companies in that they take leaps sometimes that are at the customer’s expense and then seem to shrug. If the outcry reaches a critical mass they’ll backtrack on it – but as a customer you can’t “unknow” something and they’ve already made it apparent that they’re out of touch with their customer base.
The most recent example I can think of is when they announced, before CS6 was released, that they were only going to allow upgrade pricing for one major version back. And the outcry was so loud they finally caved and said they’d allow earlier versions to upgrade up to a certain date, then the new policy would go into effect from that point on. But now they’re not even going to release a CS7, so both the customers and Adobe went through all that for nothing. It’s like they have no short-term memory sometimes. The bad blood from that fiasco is still coursing around for a lot of people then they poked them with another stick.
Yeah I remember about the upgrade pricing, and I was outraged at that time. Kelby’s petition saved us all. That’s really the only dumb move (before this one) adobe made in my experience with the company.
Hopefully this time Kelby can save us again.
My gut feeling tells me that they won’t be able to follow through with the pure subscription plan. It’ll affect too many people. I really like my idea of lease to own haha, but I guess that won’t fully prevent piracy.
It’s hard to compare adobe to online vendors like amazon and Paypal. They’re so different! It’s a software company that develops their own product. Google can almost do no wrong because they don’t charge anybody anything, except for advertisers for the most part. And they get away with a lot by calling almost everything they do “beta”, and so they can change things around, break them or even discontinue them and consumers won’t get too upset. I recently got really upset with google when they announced stopping RSS and IG. But I can’t really blame them since they don’t charge me for those services.
Among software companies that sell expensive service or products though, adobe has great track records, don’t you think? I can’t think of one company that hasn’t pulled some stupid stunt to irritate their customers haha!
Only half-way thru the show but wanted to comment on the paper vs digi world debate… (although it seems the rest of the show is an Adobe rant
Like many who started in paper scrapping, thru the years I had accumulated enough supplies to open my own store (I just went thru a major purge but couldn’t bring myself to get rid of everything). Side-note… sadly, I could’ve put one of my grand kids thru college on $$$ spent/wasted on paper supplies.
My point?… in my early adoption of digi scrapping (& trying to learn PSE), I would still go to my LSS, drool over all the paper supplies & desperately think of ways to use them. Scrapping at home, I would merely shuffle paper around for hrs. and agonize over actually committing & gluing photos/products, etc to a layout. Needless to say, I was NOT a prolific scrapper. Digi SAVED my scrapping life. Can’t commit? Make duplicates! Hide layers! LOVE the freedom!
But I digress, my real point was that I approached my LSS during my early digi yrs. and asked them if they would ever consider teaching some digi classes? Like… how to PSE for digi-scrapping, hybrid methods, etc. The owner was actually somewhat rude, saying ‘why would we do that?! we sell paper! That’s not good for our business.’ And I was thinking…. you’re being a little short-sighted. But obviously, she ‘knew better’. Not sure if they are still in business. It’s sad because I would’ve been a great customer & she could’ve developed a whole new customer base.
Thanks again for all the fab shows, topics & info.
I don’t use any paper products, except for albums. We don’t have one mom and pop scrapbook store about 45 minutes from here and the next one is two hour drive. Still, I plan on making a trip next month to visit the scrapbook store just for some free looking.
What we do have is a Micheals, but since it’s a beach store, the inventory is terrible (same with our Wal-Mart that doesn’t even sell a snow shovel during the winter because they don’t believe the Mid-Atlantic beaches get snow). They sell their own brand albums, but another companies page protectors. That means you can buy an album, but you’d have to order page protectors that fit in them online. I learned that the hard way…
ugh. That should read: We DO have one mom and pop scrapbook store…
I have to say I’ve been a little surprised at the widespread outcry and shock at the announcement. When Adobe offered the cloud to begin with last year, I guess I saw the writing on the wall. The only thing that surprised me was how quickly they made the move. I thought they’d likely take 2-3 years to make the transition. Adobe did point out at the conference that this moved much more quickly than they planned as well. But the response to the cloud has been overwhelmingly positive. I translate that to mean that they are far outselling the Cloud than the box editions and it doesn’t make sense for them to continue to offer it.
Since I’m not a hobbyist, I don’t mind paying for the tools I need for my business. Software products are one of those things and I much prefer making monthly payments than having to shell out hundreds to thousands at once. I’m paying more for the Cloud than before because I did only upgrade every other version, but being able to make the payments and have the benefit of all the upgrades made this an easy choice for me.
I understand how hobbyists and those who don’t want to upgrade often would be disappointed. But, you can still get CS6 in a box and use it as long as possible. Or switch back to PSE, which is their hobbyist option. The segment of hobbyists who use the full version of Photoshop is probably small from Adobe’s perspective.
The unfortunate thing in the whole conversation is that the new feature announcements have been lost amidst the controversy on the Cloud. They are introducing some really neat features going forward and with their team focused on rolling out more frequent feature sets and updates I think Cloud Subscribers will have some amazing things to look forward to. I don’t know if Adobe will put up video of the keynote for people to see, but it was definitely worth watching.
I still have my CS5 box edition that I will certainly hang onto just in case. I’m happy with my Cloud subscription, although I’m in the minority it seems.
(But, hey, I’m used to that!)
I’m happy with my cloud subscription too Wendy! It’s the only way I could afford to get my hands on the full version of photoshop and illustrator! And my son loves using Dreamweaver which we would NEVER have bought for him.
I am also happy with my Cloud subscription!
I agree that the Photoshop learning curve can be huge for some people. I encourage your listeners who are new to “computer scrapbooking” to try Close To My Heart’s Studio J online scrapbooking studio. You are granted free access to thousands of dollars of CTMH papers/images and only pay for the JPGs or physical prints. We recently upgraded the program to include the ability to add and resize photo wells to the quick pages and templates. Studio J is a great starting point for those of you who want to get into scrapping with Photoshop, because it really enforces the idea of working in layers. Once you feel comfortable with that and move into PSE or PSCC, you can bring your JPG or PNG files into Studio J and continue to use the CTMH products on your layouts or simply print as is. It really is the best of both worlds, because I can use all the digi supplies I’ve collected over the years right along with my CTMH supplies. I have several tutorials for using Photoshop with Studio J on my blog at http://amyulen.com/studio-j/tutorials . I encourage you all to check it out, because it really is free…no software to download…no pesky monthly fees!
Now, with that being said, I do admit that I was vacillating between upgrading to CS6 and jumping on the Creative Cloud. I was even considering downgrading to PSE/PE, but I have to have Dreamweaver and the other web authoring tools, so I guess Adobe made my decision for me! That’s what I get for waiting so long. Luckily, I’m a teacher, so it will only cost me $19.99/month if I sign up prior to June 25. I’m not sure what I’ll do once it bumps back up to $30/month. Maybe I’ll get lucky and they’ll have another sale at renewal time.
But isn’t the issue with this you have to print with them and pay the cost they determine.
Ronnie,
You can purchase the JPGs only if you want to do your own printing, or get it free with the purchase of the layouts. A double page spread is only $6.95. Sure, I can get them printed for slightly less elsewhere, but I don’t have to pay for software or kits, so I’m saving a LOT of money there. For people new to the world of digi or intimidated by Photoshop, this is a great way to start. I use and love both options, so I’m biased! Plus, as a consultant, I’m saving an additional 22%, so it’s a screaming deal for me. I would love for some seasoned digi scrappers to try it and let me know what you think.
Amy
Amy – But I print for $4 for a two page spread and I don’t have to pay for my JPEG. With this system I do have to pay for kits if I want to use anything other than what CTMH provides and they have a limited selection. Yes its growing but still its a specific type of feel to it and thus limits my option. I agree its a easy way to start and for many people it really means they can do it when with photoshop they wouldn’t. I have friends who use it.
I just don’t like being restricted by a company. With photoshop and other software programs they aren’t trying to sell me the supplies. I can use what I want and mix and match to my hearts content. CTMH and Creative Memories both have their own program but I really think people are better spending the extra time learning. At $3 extra a layout I can soon work off the cost of elements and then I’m saving it on every layout I print.
Loved the discussion about LSS vs digi vs big box vs online stores
Oh – and in my local area? (In Perth, Western Australia
1 Spotlight (a craft/haberdashery/manchester) store (with 2 aisles 4 rows of scrappy stuff & card making – American Crafts, Kaiser Craft)
1 local scrapbook store with Tim Hotlz, Martha S punches and Kaiser Craft. And a whole bunch of gift wrapping stuff.
2 local online stores. (1 used to have shopfronts but now just ship direct)
Archiver’s set out to target more than scrapbookers as customers. They went after scrapbookers, stampers, cardmakers, and photo enthusiasts. If you look at an Archiver’s store, you could see the photo enthusiast angle as soon as you walked in the store (albums and photo boxes). Of course scrapbooking (paper and digital has changed…where you shop, for example), but I think the bigger change is that people are taking more photos but printing less. Whereas scrapbooking gave photos something to do beyond a conventional photo album, facebook and instagram also give photos something to do. The average person with a camera is going to stop with sharing the photo online and has no need for the photo storage options from Archiver’s.
I went to an Archiver’s this past weekend. The store is about an hour and a half from me. I hadn’t been to one in over a year. One of their sections isn’t even product anymore but is the place to print photos and scan layouts (I didn’t investigate what all this section is for). It is curious that they would turn this much floor space into a photo kiosk section. Of course, this gets people to get those photos off of their camera/computer and printed out, which they then need to store to deal with. The photo industry seems to think this is the future (e.g., Poloroid photo bars).
I don’t think that paper scrappers are just abandoning the hobby for digital. One thing the industry has to realize (and I think most have), is that promoting your hobby to people who feel guilty about photos in shoeboxes (implying you are a “bad” mom/woman) isn’t a good longterm marketing strategy. I’m not sure that Archiver’s necessarily did this, but Creative Memories certainly did.
Does anyone know if the cloud version allows you to use it on a desktop and a laptop. With the box version I can install on my two machines and thus always have it available. On the cloud I wonder will I be able to do the same?
Yes, you can do the same with the Cloud version. Plus, you are able to download the PC and Mac versions, so that provides more options in a multi-platform home.
Yes, you can have them installed on multiple computers, but you can’t use them at the same time.
Definitely a hot topic and I don’t think anyone is to “blame.” Everyone has to change with the times after all. I don’t think brick n mortar shops are going away, they just have to be different for today’s economy.
I’m a hybrid scrapper and it might seem odd since I also design products. Over time I realized that I’m not a digital kit scrapper… I use digital another tool in my arsenal… that’s all!
I am half way through this discussion and have to comment on the digi vs paper word. I was a huge paper scrapper and I can honestly say I gave away, sold or threw away more supplies that I used on my scrapbook pages. I would constantly buy, buy, buy and never seemed to get anything accomplished. I would always resort back to the same products. I have a dedicated space that I just completely overhauled it. I think was just so overwhelmed with all that I had and it was just stale product. I wanted new so I always bought more. I still buy supplies but now only buy supplies that I know I will use. For example, Fourth of July- will only buy supplies for one year of the 4th. Hopefully I will be able to use it all up and then next year buy something new.
In the digi world, I love templates and minimal products. I think I am afraid of getting overwhelmed again with so many supplies and trying to figure out how to organize them. I am learning the hybrid approach but I have also printed full layouts which I love.
I think my biggest hold back is having so many albums in the future. I can honestly say that I do not scrap as much as I used to for the simple fact that I don’t want the albums bulkiness. I can still see myself doing paper and digi pages, depending on the event/situation but I don’t want all the albums so I limit what I document. I love the concept of Project Life but I don’t want that many albums.
I know I will memory keep and scrapbook for a long time. Right now in my life I have other priorities that get in the way but that will slow down and I will get back into it. For me, I think I just got too overwhelmed.
Thanks for all your great shows. Love to listen. ~Ann
We had a subscription starting with CS5. When Creative Cloud for CS6 came out, the cost was a lot less.
I’m surprised that all of you seem to have been paper scrapbookers before. I never paper scrapped unless you count a binder with newspaper articles about the movie Titanic taped inside. I had a web and graphics design background and started trying digital scrapbooking in about 2004 as a way to incentivize myself to take more pictures.
I had never done any paper scrapbooking at all. In fact, one time after I had already started digiscrapping I took a trip with a friend and was pre-warned that we would be scrapbooking at an aunt’s house. So I printed out a few pictures to take with me and when we got to the scrapbooking day I brought them with me (in a folder). I had an 8×8 album I had been putting my digital layout prints into(just printed at home). Someone there sold supplies so I bought 1 or two pieces of paper, cut out my pictures, and arranged them. When I was done, I was like “Okay… how do I get them to stay? Do I need a gluestick?”lol.
I’m beginning to think I’m the only one with pretty much no “paper” background! But I’m definitely the person who, if I weren’t digital scrapbooking I wouldn’t be scrapbooking at all. I don’t even like touching paper.
Great show, ladies! I’m a recent addition to your audience. I’ve been listening to this and Capturing Magic regularly for maybe a month or two, and many back episodes.
I tried “paper scrapping” for about 30 seconds (Not counting the “peel & stick” album I stuck pictures and ephemera in during college) and it just wasn’t for me. Two years later, I discovered digital and it fit with my graphics background as well. You’re not alone! Some of us just don’t get along with scissors and glue, and that’s okay!
In kindergarten I literally got a note sent home that I needed to work on my coloring and cutting.
I’m the opposite of both of you. I was only a paper scrapper for many years even though I’m a complete technology junkie. Technically, I guess I was a hybrid scrapper because I edited all my photos in Photoshop prior to printing. Eventually, I started downloading free digi supplies and joining subscription sites such as The Digi Files. I’ve amassed quite the collection of digi supplies but have only used a handful. I’m excited about the Creative Cloud subscription, so I can finally use Lightroom to organize my digi supplies (Bridge is not cutting it for me). I didn’t really start scrapping with the computer until CTMH released Studio J…even then, I resisted for quite some time. I decided that I better try it since I’m a consultant and I was hooked. Since then, I have finally been using the digi supplies I’ve collect over the years plus have made my own paper, templates, photo frames, Etc. I’m so thankful for digi scrapping, because I am the world’s SLOWEST paper scrapper ever!
I don’t know Archiver’s we don’t have one in NJ but I think sometimes companies use that as a excuse the “technology” nowadays everyone knows that it’s getting easier and more comfortable and affordable sometimes to buy online (gas prices, competition etc).
What makes today a small store or big store compete with online marketing is costumer service. I don’t know how was all that with Archiver’s even online to buy paper products there is a competition and you see companies trying to do things different. But If I buy online and a company take 4 days to ship my paper I will buy from the one that takes 2 and call me to thank me for my order. It’s all about care and how you handling your business.
I’m a paper scrapper that always did digital but see myself now converting to 100% digi because my time and commitments with my son who has special needs. Right now makes more sense to me to go digital because at least I don’t stop recording memories because I don’t have more time to sit on a table and do things, also for money we spend way more with paper scrapping specially if you need to keep it up with every CHA’s new product line. It was expensive and I had to make a choice: do I spend $50 on scrapbooking paper supplies or Do I pay one hour of therapy for my son. If I can just spend $8 on a beautiful digi kit or even be a digi member and receive more than 5 !
Do we still have some back fire from both sides? Absolutely. Still a lot of turning noses on both sides while we could just accept that for some people one way or another doesn’t work for them. I still do my art journals from time to time. But I don’t think me changing is what makes a system break. It’s all about what are you offering to your costumer and I don’t feel pressure anymore to keep buying buying buying.
The Adobe in the cloud decision is rocking the knit/crochet pattern writers too.
I think we all need to decide if the learning curve and wonky manuals of GIMP, Inkscape, Krita and Scribus are really so terrible. If someone is so much on a budget that a cloud subcription would stop them from scrapbooking, they really need to go opensource.
It’s NOT that hard. The programs are idioscyncratic if you are used to Adobe, but they are powerful, suported (by developers who can’t write and by users who can write) and free.
Did I mention free?
I heard that as soon as Adobe made their announcement that Pixelmater (Mac Ap Store) added a bunch of new features and put out a new release. It’s been rumored that they are going to add even more features soon. I don’t use this program, but it might be a more affordable option if you have a Mac.
I’ve been using a personal computer since 1984. I’ve taught myself hundreds of software programs. IMO I think PSE is not intuitive at all! I’ve tried and failed to learn it on several occassions. I feel most of Adobe’s software has a pretty steep learning curve. I think they will suffer in the long run because of that.
One more comment re Archivers – I thoroughly enjoy the store and love to wander there. The excuse that it is digi technology may have some merit, but I have to think it is also about TIME – parents and grandparents attend many more sporting events of children than in the past. More women are in the workforce. The Facebook/instagram/blogging eats up a lot of time. We have to realize that we are a crazy busy society with no down time.
There was quite a variety of topics this time!
I started as a paper scrapper but I was always “behind” and thought that people wouldn’t want to look at old photos on my scrapbook pages. Which means I was scrapbooking but not sharing my pages. When I discovered I had a discount for a MyPublisher photobook, I made one to see what it was like. It took me a couple of weeks to choose and arrange the photos, spending nearly every free moment on it. It was a lot of work that took a long time, and I didn’t take the time to write captions or set backgrounds! I thought it might be easier to make digital pages ahead of time, over the course of the year, instead of all in a few weeks, and that’s when I started digital scrapbooking.
I have not given up paper; both paper and digital have their own purpose and presence in my memory keeping.
On our last vacation, I uploaded photos every night to SmugMug, with captions, for my mom to view on her TV (using a Roku box.) She has seen all the highlights from our trip but it could be several months before she sees any layouts and the rest of my photos. I could have posted all of the photos and then not bother making any layouts at all, but I’m a scrapbooker and would rather make layouts.
When I saw the Archiver’s announcement, I was sad but didn’t consider that digital scrapbooking was the cause. I feel like social photo posting is taking away from both (all) types of scrapbooking, because it serves the same purpose, but is easier to prepare and quicker to share. I think THAT is why Archiver’s has been shifting their focus to digital memory keeping in non-traditional (that is, non-layout) ways. They’ve been pushing their Memory Lab (http://www.archiversonline.com/pages/archivers-memory-lab) — photo lab, layout scanning, photo gifts and sharing, etc. — for the past few months, sending out coupons to try them out for free.
I use PSE, so the Adobe announcement doesn’t affect me (yet). I am often not connected to the internet when I scrapbook and wouldn’t like to have to make a point of “checking in” just to keep my software usable. However, I’m definitely not a candidate for the CS products, so as long as they allow stand-alone PSE upgrades, I can sympathize and pretend that I have nothing to worry about. LOL
In theory, Creative Cloud sounds good. Being in the IT industry, I was aware of this coming down the pike as I tried to prepare my clients but never knew an “exact” timeframe. Wasn’t personally thrilled as a PSCS6 user who will probably backtrack to PSE version unknown when forced to move off PSCS6 because of future camera updates. I had to move to the latest version (and of Lightroom) when my prior versions could not read the RAW files of my new DSLR and there were no updates to do so. Yep, more to consider when upgrading if you choose to shoot RAW. (I’m going to check if I can downgrade with an upgrade to PSE with my Adobe rep though.)
Anyway, saw something on the channel news today that made me think of this. There are more & more DDoS attacks on providers of cloud services. That to me is a concern if the software is being pushed to the cloud. A DDoS on the day Adobe checks to see if you’re current could mean that you won’t have access would be my understanding. That could definitely put a crimp in how some people work even though the software resides on your machine.