A few weeks ago I posted about scrapbooking your old family photos and memorabilia. Today I want to also mention the idea of creating a digital heritage scrapbook (also called a digital family tree or digital genealogy scrapbook). A digital scrapbook is made on a computer using an image editing software, such as Adobe Photoshop or Coral Paint Shop. Items that can be made into a digital scrapbook include vintage family photographs, old letters, vital records, and heirlooms.
Before you begin, you will need to convert your photos and memorabilia into a digital format by scanning them into your computer. Take photos of heirlooms, such as medals, jewelry and bibles, to include in your digital heritage scrapbook. Other items that may be added include military records, marriage certificates, recipes, and poems written by an ancestor.
Each page will need a specific theme, such as a wedding, military service, or the family homestead. Gain inspiration by looking through your collection photos and memorabilia. Once you know the theme you want to work with, choose colors, fonts, textures, and image positions. You can play around with these elements until you get a look you like.
If you so desire, add a bit of journaling to your page. Journaling can be useful to other family members, or future generations, that will see your digital scrapbook. You can simply write a few words, or a whole story, that describes a picture or item.
Your completed page can be printed onto n photo-quality paper. Most standard printers are not capable of printing the traditional scrapbooking 12” x 12” scrapbook page, so you may want to consider using the service of an online photo printing company. You should be able to have this done for less than $2 per page. Digital pages can be sent to family members through e-mail, published on a website, or made into slide shows. Slide shows are a wonderful way to show off the pages at a family reunion.