Adobe Photoshop CS 2

The possibilities are just about endless with Adobe Photoshop, but with it's steep learning curve (and steep price tag) it may not be the best answer if you are just starting out. If you plan to become involved in other aspects of graphic design or eventually design your own digital scrapbook kits, you may want to consider learning Photoshop, as it is the standard of the graphic design industry. For creating scrapbook pages, a better choice might be one of the other programs listed below.

If you decide you'd like to learn Photoshop, you can usually purchase older versions, such as Photoshop CS or Photoshop 7, for much less. However, do not try to use any version lower than Photoshop 7 if you plan to use pre-made digital scrapbooking kits & elements because it will not read the .png files properly.

Click here for the Photoshop Tutorials & Resources Page

Cost - approx $650 - Buy it @ Amazon.com

Operating System - Microsoft® Windows® 2000 with Service Pack 4, Windows XP with Service Pack 1 or 2 or Mac OS X v.10.2.8 through v.10.4 (10.3.4 through 10.4 recommended)

Comparision of Photoshop vs. Photoshop Elements

Free Trial for Windows

Free Trial for Mac

Adobe Photoshop Elements 4 for Windows or Mac

A fantastic program aimed toward beginners. Almost as much power as Photoshop, but much easier to learn how to use. It has all the tools you need for digital scrapbooking & fixing your photos.There are also many tutorials & resources available to get you started making pages.

Cost - approx $80 - $90 - Buy it @ Amazon.com

Operating System - Microsoft Windows XP or Mac OS X v.10.3 or 10.4

Free Trial for Windows

Free Trial for Mac - (No trial available for version 4, trial is version 3)

Paint Shop Pro

A great choice for the digital scrapbooker who is just starting out. Many of the same features as Photoshop CS2 & Elements. Easier to learn than Photoshop CS2, but there is still a little bit of a learning curve (similar to Photoshop Elements).There is an extensive support group for PSP (Paint Shop Pro) users online.

Cost - approx $100 - Buy it @ Amazon.com

Operating System - Microsoft ® Windows ® 2000 (SP4) or XP

Free Trial

Microsoft Digital Image Suite 2006 - (Digital Image Pro)

Easy to use program, good for beginners. Extensive help file and instructional videos. Not quite as much flexibility or as many features as Photoshop, Elements or Paint Shop Pro.

Cost - approx $100 - Buy it @ Amazon.com

Operating System - Microsoft Windows 98SE, Windows Me, Windows 2000, or Windows XP

Free Trial

Ulead PhotoImpact

Another popular program for beginners. Features similar to other programs listed.

Cost - approx $90 - Buy it @ Amazon.com

Operating System - Microsoft Windows 2000, or Windows XP

Free Trial

LumaPix FotoFusion

Very easy to use. In-depth videos available on website. Very handy "Auto-collage" feature. Not as much flexibility as some of the other programs.

Cost - approx $90

Operating System - Windows 98, Windows SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000 & Windows XP

Free Trial

FxFoto Creative Edition

Another easy-to-use program. Comes with pre-loaded digital kits. Again, not as many features as some other programs, but a good program to get you started.

Cost - approx $45

Operating System - Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000 & Windows XP

Free Trial (Standard Version)

Free Programs

These are great programs with many features. However, there is not as much information or support online as there is with some of the other programs.

Paint.net

Operating System - Windows XP (SP1 or later), Windows 2000 (SP3 or later), Windows Server 2003, or Windows Vista

Gimp

Operating System - versions for both Windows & Mac

Other Options

There are also many other inexpensive programs designed for digital scrapbooking. However, many of these are very limited in features and do not offer a free trial. For most, you are limited to using their graphics (you won't be able to use digital kits that you purchase with them). Most of these programs will not work on a Mac.

Creating Keepsakes Scrapbook Designer Deluxe
Art Explosion Scrapbook Factory Deluxe
Hp Creative Scrapbook Assistant
Hallmark Scrapbook Studio Deluxe 3.0
iRemember Digital Scrapbooking (Mac)