Getting your traditional scrapbook pages into a digital form can be done with two different methods. You can either use a high-quality digital camera to photograph the page or scan the page into your computer. Either method can turn out an excellent photo of your scrapbooking page, but each has its advantages and disadvantages.

Taking a photo of your page layout with your digital camera can be a challenge. You need to carefully consider available lighting. Use natural lighting, and turn off your flash. Flash can cause reflections on photographs and shiny page elements. for natural light or indoors near a sunny window. For best results hang or lean your page upright to avoid distortions.

Once you have photographed your scrapbooking page, upload it to your computer. You can use any photo-editing software to make corrections before you place the photo online. You may need to save the photo in a web-friendly size and format. Most sites have guidelines for image sizes.

If you want to use a scanner to convert your scrapbooking page to a digital format, you need to consider the size limitations of your scanner. Scanners are now very affordable. However, models that accommodate 12x12 pages are usually more expensive and less available.

You can still use a standard flatbed scanner for your scrapbooking page. However, you will need to first scan a 12x12 page layout in two sections. Once you have the two pieces of your page, use an image editing software, like Photoshop, to merge the two pieces back together. It may take some trial and error to do this, but the results in the scanner usually of higher quality than using the digital camera method. If you are using a high-quality scanner, the scanned page layout will show truer, brighter colors and sharper images overall.

Most scrapbooking pages are three dimensional and use objects that are raised on the paper. When you scan the page in a flatbed scanner, you may have shadows caused by your embellishments. You may still need to use your image editing program to correct these shadows caused during the scanning Scanning scrapbooking layouts takes a little practice, but once you’ve done it a few times, it often is quicker than the digital camera process.

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This isn't the first time we've looked at digital scrapbook software that allows users to display their digital photographs in a scrapbook. However Serif Digital Scrapbook Artist is a far more intensive program than any we've looked at before. Not only can you import and edit your pictures, then print them as with other scrapbook software - with the help of the some comprehensive content packs, you can also add backgrounds, embellishments and even cut-up material, just as you might if creating a real-life scrapbook.

Serif Digital Scrapbook Artist comes with a DaisyTrail Digikit, which offers a handful of themes, and more than can be downloaded from the DaisyTrail website. Some themes are free, while more are planned to be added this summer for a ‘small charge'. The website also offers Serif Digital Scrapbook Artist users the chance to upload their scrapbook projects and share them with other users.

Once Serif Digital Scrapbook Artist and its content pack have been installed, Serif recommends those new to scrapbook software should use the wizard to start their scrapbook. We found after we'd use the wizard once, we didn't have a problem starting from scratch.

Visit Photo Advisor for the latest reviews of digital photography and software

Once you've chosen your theme and selected the size of the pages, your Serif Digital Scrapbook Artist project is displayed in the workspace. From here, it's easy to change and add many aspects of the digital page - backgrounds, frames, letters and text, materials, photographs and embellishments. We found it easiest to drag and drop all of the themes' embellishments and materials to the side of the workspace, to build a personalised template to work from.

You can also access elements connected to other themes, and import these into your design.

You can replace the photos in the theme, or add in new images very simply by left clicking and then selecting Replace, which allows you to navigate to the required files on your hard drive. A cursor lets you move the image to correct position and the crop tool resizes and tweaks the angle.

With Serif Digital Scrapbook Artist you can make edits to digital images, such as adjusting the colour balance, curves and saturation; or to remove dust particles and add or remove blur from photos. We were impressed with Serif Digital Scrapbook Artist's group function, that allowed us to select items and group or ungroup them, ensuring that if we moved one item in the project, the rest of the group would automatically move with it. Colour and drop shadows on fonts and embellishments can be readily imported into a project.

For the more adventurous, Serif Digital Scrapbook Artist will let you start from scratch and personalise every aspect of your scrapbook. From adding brush strokes and drawings to cutting up materials into different shapes and even adding stitching to the project.


Verdict

Digital Scrapbook Artist is not for the faint-hearted. It’s aimed at those looking to create an authentic-looking scrapbook, with the results something that would make ideal gifts. If you’re prepared to spend time in creating your project, this is the software for you. At just under £30 its also excellent value for money.


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SAN DIEGO, March 10, 2009 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ ----Scrapbook enthusiasts are putting away scissors and glue and going online to CropMom to create one-of-a-kind digital scrapbook pages using their treasured family photos.
The online scrapbook pages created at CropMom look like the real thing, complete with digital stitching, buttons, background papers and even shadows," Balint said.
CropMom at http://www.cropmom.com is free to registered users and includes all of the tools and graphics needed to make a digital scrapbook page. Users upload their photos to the CropMom Website then use CropMom's Builder to drag and drop photos and graphics onto a canvas. Users can even add their own text.
For those users who need help with a design, CropMom offers templates, or pre-made layouts for everything from baby books to heritage pages that can be customized in minutes.
After completing a layout, CropMom users may share their layouts for free through e-mail or by downloading a screen-quality file that can be posted on a blog or Website.
Users can purchase print-quality digital files of their layouts from CropMom for $1.79 each. Money-saving packages of layouts are also available.
The print-quality files purchased and download from CropMom can be printed at home or can be printed by a third-party photo service, such as Snapfish, Shutterfly or Kodak Gallery.

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REDMOND, WA -- 03/05/09 -- Smilebox Inc., a leader in photo sharing and preservation, announced today the immediate retail availability of its popular service at select retailers nationwide. Smilebox is currently available at Fry's and Office Max stores and at Amazon.com for $39.99 for the Smilebox software, perpetual ownership of more than 800 design templates and a one-year subscription to its premium service. A six-month version of the same offering will be available at Target for $19.99 beginning in May 2009. Additional retail stores will be announced shortly.

"More than 6 million people have installed Smilebox and our new retail product now gives us yet another way to extend our reach to families nationwide through popular retailers such as Target," said Andrew Wright, founder and CEO of Smilebox, Inc. "Our next-generation approach to combining the convenience of a desktop application with continuous online updates gives retail customers access to fresh designs that are updated weekly and can be emailed, posted to a blog or social media network, printed or burned to a DVD."

Smilebox was brought to the retail channel through a partnership with Encore Software, the leader in Desktop Publishing Software with top-selling brands such as The Print Shop® and PrintMaster®. Cal Morrell, President of Encore, stated, "We are excited to enter into this partnership with Smilebox. This year we are aggressively pursuing new publishing partners as well as expanding our print/photo sharing business and the Smilebox partnership squarely addresses both strategic agendas."

Smilebox lets customers quickly turn life's moments into digital creations to share with others or save for themselves. Users can simply drag and drop photos and videos into animated templates, personalize them with music and words, and share them via email, free ecards, blog or print. The Smilebox catalog features more than 800 slideshows, greeting cards, photo albums and scrapbooking designs for every occasion from leading providers such as Making Memories, K & Company, Anna Aspnes, Design By Dani, as well as the Smilebox Studio design team. Smilebox distribution partners include Hallmark Cards Inc., Hewlett-Packard, NBC Universal Inc., Lifetime Entertainment Services, and Rogers Media Inc. Smilebox is available for the PC and Mac platforms.

About Encore:

Based in Los Angeles, CA, Encore® is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation, and a leading retail software publisher. As a result of strategic licensing agreements, the company publishes a broad range of award-winning utility, entertainment, education and productivity software titles. Publishing brands include H&R Block®, Hoyle®, Smilebox®, Marine Aquarium, Family Tree Maker®, 3D Home Architect®, Advantage, Wheel of Fortune® and Jeopardy!®; as well as the Riverdeep family of brands including The Print Shop®, PrintMaster® and Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing®. Many of these products and others are available at http://www.broderbund.com.

About Smilebox Inc.:

Founded in 2005 by Andrew Wright, Smilebox is the leading way friends and families share and preserve special moments in their lives. Since the service's launch in June 2006, more than 6 million people have installed Smilebox to date and more than 50 million Smileboxes have been played back worldwide. Smilebox is the only service that supports all personal media (photos, videos, music), all content types (greeting cards, ecards, slideshows, scrapbooks, photobooks and postcards) and all sharing methods (email, print, burn to DVD, blog and post). Smilebox is a privately held company and headquartered in Redmond, Washington.

Smilebox is a trademark of Smilebox, Inc. All trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners.

(Editor's Note: To schedule an interview with Smilebox founder and CEO Andrew Wright or to receive an evaluation account for the premium Smilebox service, please contact tamese@smilebox.com.)

Contact:

Tamese Robinson
Smilebox, Inc.
425-881-9475 ext. 216
Email Contact

Yannis Dosios
Smilebox, Inc.
425-881-9475 ext. 222
Email Contact

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Pandigital has introduced an incredibly thin product, the PanTouch Clear, a 10.4-inch digital photo to their line of digital frames.

It measures only 1/3-inch thin, making it the thinnest digital photo frame available today. To make the frame so thin, the rear housing has been eliminated but users can still hang it on a wall or use in any location seen fit.

It features Pandigital's high definition LCD, which appears to be "floating" in the surrounding glass along while also being a full function touch screen. Fingerprints are not an issue when touching the glass since it's made with a fingerprint-resistant, clear glass. Images are displayed in a 1024-by-768 resolution with a 4:3 true photo aspect ratio. This all translates to photos looking great while on display.

The LCD is surrounded by a dark espresso wood frame and also includes interchangeable mats in white and charcoal.

To use the touchscreen, users touch the easy-to-understand icons on the glass surface to access features including advancing to the next or previous photo, slide shows or even playing video's and MP3 music files.

The frame has 2GB of internal storage, allowing users to store up to 4,000 digital JPEG images (exact number can vary depending on each individual images size). The frame is also Wi-Fi compatible and has a 6-in-1 digital media card reader (Compact Flash, SD, XD, MS/MSPro, MMC) allowing it to be loaded computer free.

Pandigital expects to start shipping the frame in May with a MSRP of $229.99.

Details: www.pandigital.com

Vertus, Inc., has new software for kids called Play With Pictures. The software allows users to take digital images and alter them for just about anything including scrapbooks, posting online or even school projects.

Digital photos are brought into the program in a drag and drop manner and works for people without any photo editing knowledge. Users can cut or add people or objects to any amount of images in a simple manner using a paint-by-numbers process. They are then layered on a background with ease using the software's tools.

Working with layers is often difficult for beginners and can turn out poor results but Play With Pictures users an automatic blend tool to help users avoid this. It smoothes the layers together and corrects hard edges to provide a perfect fit from for the foreground and background layers.

Cutouts can always be a challenge, but the simple slider tool makes the necessary adjustments for a smooth transition and to blend the colors. If a cutout is needed more than once, a quick copy button duplicates them as often as needed.

Users can also add text, titles and captions to personalize the images in addition to making a speed bubble. Additional features will be added in time, which will be available through software updates include tools to adjust the look of the images with contrast and brightness.

The software works on both Windows and Mac operating systems and is available for a free trial on the company website. Users can activate the software two computers per copy.

Details: www.playwithpictures.com, $39.95

The Logitech G13 advanced game board is a hybrid gaming keyboard for gamers to play in comfort on both Mac and Windows systems.

Designed like their Comfort Wave keyboards (which I use), they give users the comfort and control over their games with the ergonomically designed device.

With this design, it works the natural shape of a hand and fingers to make locating the proper keys and buttons with ease. It has 25 programmable keys, an analog stick to be programmed and three game modes. This gives gamers up to 87 ways to control a game, while also creating macros while playing a game and not pausing.

The keys are backlit and are ideal for playing in lowlight situations and can be customized to a unique look after choosing from hundreds of available backlight colors.

A 160-by-43-pixel GamePanel LCD gives users system information; messages from other players along with actual game stats. Built-in memory allows up to five ready-to-play profiles to be stored along with pre-configured setting for many of today's popular games.

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Preserving family memories is easy and economical

SAN DIEGO, March 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Scrapbook enthusiasts are putting away scissors and glue and going online to CropMom to create one-of-a-kind digital scrapbook pages using their treasured family photos.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090310/NYFNSM01 )

CropMom at http://www.cropmom.com lets anyone create scrapbook pages, greeting cards and digital art online using designer scrapbook graphics.

It's the latest trend in scrapbooking, says Kathryn Balint, founder and chief executive of CropMom Corporation.

"The online scrapbook pages created at CropMom look like the real thing, complete with digital stitching, buttons, background papers and even shadows," Balint said.

CropMom at http://www.cropmom.com is free to registered users and includes all of the tools and graphics needed to make a digital scrapbook page. Users upload their photos to the CropMom Website then use CropMom's Builder to drag and drop photos and graphics onto a canvas. Users can even add their own text.

For those users who need help with a design, CropMom offers templates, or pre-made layouts for everything from baby books to heritage pages that can be customized in minutes.

After completing a layout, CropMom users may share their layouts for free through e-mail or by downloading a screen-quality file that can be posted on a blog or Website.

Users can purchase print-quality digital files of their layouts from CropMom for $1.79 each. Money-saving packages of layouts are also available.

The print-quality files purchased and download from CropMom can be printed at home or can be printed by a third-party photo service, such as Snapfish, Shutterfly or Kodak Gallery.

"One of the most popular ways to show off scrapbook pages made at CropMom is to have them printed as a photo book by a photo service," Balint said.

CropMom makes it easy to create personalized gifts. Some CropMom users have their digital scrapbook pages printed by third-party photo services on mugs, mousepads, notebooks, coasters and other photo products.

Online scrapbooking at CropMom is economical because there are no scrapbook embellishments or software to buy, and it eliminates the mess of paper scrapbooking.

About CropMom: Founded in 2008, CropMom Corporation operates an online scrapbooking Website that allows users to create one-of-a-kind digital scrapbook pages, cards and artwork. CropMom's mission is to reinvent scrapbooking, card making and storytelling by making it easier than ever to create designer-quality digital layouts that can be printed at home or professionally.

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Well, this is Gina Chen, Family Life editor, busting into Scrapbook Mom's blog again. This time I just have to tell you about my experience with digital scrapbooking.

I tried it for the first time a few weeks back. We had gone to California to visit my in-laws, and we were wracking our brains to come up with a gift to thank them for their hospitality. I decided a scrapbook of the trip would be a great gift, but I knew there was no way I'd have the time to do a traditional scrapbook.

So I decided to go digital. It was great.

I've been scrapbooking the traditional way -- with stickers and paper -- for about 12 years, and I've finished more than 10 albums that way. I love doing it. I love expressing my creativity, reliving our family fun and chatting with my girlfriends.

But going digital had one big draw: speed. In about three hours I had an album done.

I selected my pictures, uploaded them, added captions and headlines. I used Creative Memories free software, so I had follow the pre-determined picture format. (But it's free!)

It was simple to use. Point, click and move a picture. I could change the color of the text. I could put a picture on the cover and a title. It allowed me to do all the basics things one would want, although eventually I'd probably spring for the $59.95 program. That allows you more flexibility and choice in picture placement, size, embellishments.

A few days after I put my digital scrapbook together, I proofed it, tweaked a few things, ordered it. Less than a week later, it had arrived at my in-laws' home. They loved it. I haven't actually seen the finished copy because I sent it directly to them, but my father-in-law's thank you e-mail speaks of it being of high quality.

This doesn't mean I'm ready to turn in my page trimmer and circle cutter. I still much prefer old-fashioned scrapboooking mainly because I love the social aspects of scrapbooking. (In fact, tomorrow I'm spending the day at National Scrapbooking Day) But to do something different, scrap an album quickly or make a gift, you can't beat going digital.

Anyone else have experience with digital scrapping? Please share.

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BUENA PARK, CA, Mar 02, 2009 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- Noritsu America Corporation, a global leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced that it has entered into an exclusive letter of intent to acquire Lucidiom Inc. a market leader in self-service retail photo kiosks and online services. By acquiring Lucidiom, Noritsu will be positioned to deliver the most complete offering of proven photo imaging solutions and services for the retail industry.

Part of Noritsu's strategy to provide comprehensive digital imaging solutions, the acquisition of Lucidiom will enable Noritsu to develop a strong in-store and web-based presence for retail photo delivery and consumer-driven creative photo products and services. The combination of two industry leaders, Noritsu and Lucidiom will offer completely integrated photo solutions which can deliver maximum choice for consumers and more revenue-generating options for retailers at the point of sale or via the web.

"This acquisition is an important step forward in our vision to provide the retail industry a compelling single source photo solution," said Mr. Akihiko Kuwabara, president of Noritsu America Corporation. "We are also broadening the retailer's opportunities for new sources of revenue via the web."

Commenting about the pending acquisition, Stephen Giordano, Sr., founder, chairman and CEO at Lucidiom Inc., said: "Our focus since the beginning has been to empower the creativity of the consumer through the finest quality photo kiosk and web experience, while at the same time maximizing the return for the retailer. Now, we will have the opportunity to work closely with Noritsu's large retail customer base, providing truly innovative and creative photo products and services that will drive revenue growth and build consumer loyalty. We're delighted to be leading the industry's social expression revolution."

While post-acquisition plans are still being developed, Noritsu intends to retain Lucidiom's workforce, including its senior management. It is expected that Lucidiom will continue to operate out of its Vienna, Virginia headquarters facility after the acquisition. The acquisition, which is expected to close in Q2 of calendar year 2009, is subject to final agreement on terms as well as customary closing conditions, including approval by the stockholders of Lucidiom Inc.

About Noritsu America Corporation

Noritsu is a leading global manufacturer of professional digital imaging equipment, and a leading global provider of high-quality photo printing solutions to retailers, photo studios and other print-intensive environments. With over 15,000 system installations in North America, and availability in over 180 countries worldwide, Noritsu has been at the forefront of innovation in the image processing industry for nearly six decades, introducing revolutionary technologies such as the world's first one-hour film developing and printing system. Noritsu continues to build its legacy with its advanced line of award-winning imaging hardware and software products and solutions that offer consumers greater quality and choice in preserving their memories, while delivering high performance, flexibility and profit-making potential to Noritsu customers. Noritsu has implemented a strategy to engineer environmentally friendly products and operations that include chemical-free processing and reduced power requirements.

For more information on Noritsu and its comprehensive line of products, visit www.noritsu.com or call (800) 521-3686.

About Lucidiom Inc.

With more than 55,000 APM photo kiosks deployed worldwide, Lucidiom Inc. is the leading provider of social expression imaging solutions. Lucidiom's flexible and brand-independent digital photofinishing system, known as Lucidiom EQ, enables retailers to develop in-store and online revenue streams beyond the standard 4x6 print and empowers consumers to express themselves through images. Lucidiom EQ runs on the APM Network and features the best business systems, software tools and equipment: the APM photo kiosk; scrapbooking and creative content; the EQ Printer; APM ProfitWatcher statistics tracker; Photo Finale Web portal and the Lab 50 management system. For more information about how Lucidiom drives social expression in the digital imaging world, visit www.lucidiom.com.

The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. Noritsu shall not be held liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. All non-Noritsu brand names, product names, or trademarks herein belong to their respective holders.

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VIENNA, Va., Mar 02, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Lucidiom has further integrated in-store and online operations in the latest version of its kiosk software, APM 7.0. The new kiosk software version, which will be demonstrated at the Photo Marketing Association Show (PMA) 2009 in Lucidiom's booth (Q180), already has received industry praise and recognition through a DIMA Innovative Digital Product Award.

"Version 7.0 of our APM software includes a number of innovative new features, but perhaps most notable is the instant upload capability from the APM kiosk to the customer's Photo Finale Web account," said Lucidiom CTO Jason Pareti. "We're calling it a software feature, but for the retailer, the ability to offer this kind of connectivity is really a whole new way of doing business."

Pareti explained the in-store upload capability of APM 7.0 provides an immediate new revenue stream for stores and will drive future online revenue by promoting 'social picturing' - online sharing and ordering. Instant uploads also will reduce the frustration consumers face at home of long upload times and difficulty getting photos from their cameras onto their computer. APM 7.0 brings the in-store and Web experience full circle by also allowing customers to access their online photos from the APM for an in-store order.

"Another key innovation in APM 7.0 is a brand new product recommendation up-sell engine," Pareti continued. "Consumers are presented with targeted products at the end of an order based on Lucidiom's extensive database of historical kiosk sales data, powered by the APM Network. For example, customers ordering a holiday greeting card might be prompted to purchase a photo envelope, a set of thank you note cards and custom photo wrapping paper, all in matching designs."

Lucidiom has been the industry-leader in the "beyond 4x6" movement for years with the APM currently boasting a catalog of more than 1,000 unique creative products. To help customers navigate this ever-growing breadth of options and find the perfect product for their occasion, APM 7.0 introduces a completely redesigned Product Finder. The new user experience simplifies the process, making it easier for consumers to browse products and styles, or search for products by theme or occasion.

Additional software enhancements include improved archiving tools with the new Image DVD and a 'selected photos' feature that allows consumers to load images from a certain folder or date range for faster ordering.

As with all Lucidiom products, APM 7.0 is flexible, open and brand neutral; the photo retailer's brand is front and center and the technology works with legacy equipment and third-party printers.

APM 7.0 will be demonstrated at PMA 2009, which runs March 3-5, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The software will ship shortly after the show.

Note to editors: High-resolution images of APM 7.0 screen shots and products are available online at www.lucidiom.com/art.zip.

About Lucidiom:

With more than 55,000 APM photo kiosks deployed worldwide, Lucidiom Inc. is the leading provider of social expression imaging solutions. Lucidiom's flexible and brand-independent digital photofinishing system, known as Lucidiom EQ, enables retailers to develop in-store and online revenue streams beyond the standard 4x6 print and empowers consumers to express themselves through images. Lucidiom EQ runs on the APM Network and features the best business systems, software tools and equipment: the APM photo kiosk; scrapbooking and creative content; the EQ Printer; APM ProfitWatcher statistics tracker; Photo Finale Web portal and the Lab 50 management system. For more information about how Lucidiom drives social expression in the digital imaging world, visit www.lucidiom.com.

SOURCE: Lucidiom Inc.

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