We all love a bit of nostalgia when it comes to quality time with family. Whether it’s looking over old photo albums, some tickets you saved to remind yourself of a special day, or some other documentation of an exciting event, memories and mementos are something we’re always keen on preserving.
Scrapbooks have been a quick, easy and creative way to safeguard our memories in a physical format for decades. Not only are they a creative outlet for a family activity, but they’re the easiest way to keep memories alive, outside of plain photo albums.
There are also just so many benefits to digital scrapbooking. Family downsizing? Kids moving out and going to college? No problem. With everything digitised, everyone can keep a copy for themselves, so you’re still all together no matter the distance.
In this article, we’re exploring digital scrapbooking: how and why you can make one, and the benefits of storing your family documents and photos in the digital sphere.
What You’ll Need To Start Your Digital Scrapbook
Before you start gathering material for your digital scrapbook, you’ll need to make sure you have all the software required. For images that already exist on a family computer or memory stick, make sure you use a JPG to PDF converter to preserve your photos in the best quality and ensure you don’t disrupt the formatting.
It helps to work on a computer or laptop with a good graphics card and internal storage so it can handle the heavy image files you’re uploading. But if you’re not one to care for a big screen or you’re organising a smaller quantity of files and photos, your phone will probably do the trick. A document scanning app, photo editing software, and a good-quality camera are all essential tools to digitise your existing scrapbook, or even to create a brand new one.
Cloud storage is important for a digital scrapbook too, so it’s easy to access yours from across the globe, but it’s also stowed away safely. Alternatively, creating a family website could be a fun way to keep everything centralised online.
Why Digitise Your Scrapbook?
If you’re still wondering why you would put aside the excitement of gathering bits to create a physical treasure trove of your family history just to sit at your computer and do so instead, let us break down the benefits.
1. Infinite Storage
Memories are endless, but physical space is limited. Having to lug around multiple books that hold precious memories can become tedious, especially if your family has been documenting their lives for centuries.
An online scrapbook allows you to keep everything in one spot without fear of losing anything, or running out of space. You can keep adding your memories to it for as long as the internet exists!
2. Easy To Correct Mistakes
Sometimes, you’d like to erase some memories or switch them out for different ones. Other times, you might have spelt something wrong, but can’t make any edits when you notice later. With a digital scrapbook, you can tidy up and change things whenever you see fit, and you don’t even need to worry about glue stains or paper cuts.
The digital space gives you the freedom to change themes, incorporate memories you may have missed and have easy access to your family scrapbook whenever you get a new idea.
3. An Addition, Not An Alternative
Just because you’ve made a digital scrapbook, it doesn’t mean you have to stop making physical scrapbooks too. We all love flicking through heavy pages of old photos and certificates, and the process of making one is a fun family activity.
However, a digital version allows the documents to be accessible wherever you are, and ensures you have a back-up in case something happens to the physical version, such as getting damaged in a move.
A Short Guide On Digital Scrapbooking
Pick Your Style
While creating a digital scrapbook, first, you’ve got to figure out what theme and style you want to pick. You could go for something minimalist if that’s your vibe, or you could try something extravagant and busy to fit the mould of a traditional scrapbook.
If you’re struggling to put a theme or concept together yourself, you can find templates online to help you build a comprehensive look.
Organise Your Thoughts & Memories
The next step is to put together everything you want to go in the scrapbook. Special wedding anniversaries, family vacations, or family firsts: from first steps, to a first car, to a first house – put it all down in a list.
Collect mementoes of each of these events in the form of photos, messages or captions, and small ticket stubs or receipts. Then, narrow down the photos you want to use from larger albums. Keep the best for the scrapbook, but don’t worry about mistakes because you can always set them straight later!
Split the important stuff from the fun stuff. Storing key documents in a digital locker is a great way to make sure you have everything handy and secure. So, it’s necessary to decide what goes in the ‘fun scrapbook’ category and what goes in the ‘preserving family history’ category.
Create The Scrapbook
Here comes the fun part. Once you’ve gathered everything to create your scrapbook, all you need to do is use your chosen software to develop it. Place everything in order, add in your artsy bits, and use preview tools to check it’s coming along how you envisioned it. You can do the whole thing in a weekend, or spread the task out as a hobby over a few months.
Share Your Digital Scrapbook
The final step in your digital scrapbook making experience is to share the beauty you’ve created. Save your files at a lower resolution so they’re easily sharable. Alternatively, upload them onto an online platform and share links with all who want to be involved or have access.
Preserving Family Documents & Photos With A Digital Scrapbook
It might seem a daunting task to put everything together online, but creating a digital scrapbook is the easiest way to keep fond memories with you permanently. You can significantly reduce the risk of damage, loss or theft of your precious photos, files and more with a digital version of your memories, whether you decide to have it alongside your traditional scrapbook or swap it out altogether.
So whether you’re planning on making a scrapbook as a thoughtful anniversary gift, a birthday present, or just for fun, we hope this guide helps you start off on digitising your memories!
