Covering Some FAQs

I realized when I was talking with someone last week, that there are some things about digital scrapbooking that I feel like I've covered before, and I always feel that I don't want to rehash something.

Of course, I haven't sat down and cropped through every single photo and page with each and every one of you.  I've been making some assumptions that are not helpful, and I apologize for that.

So, here are a few of the FAQs that I've thought of recently.  If there's a question that you have that comes up, leave me a comment and I'll tackle that one, too.

Scan Quality

My first “digital” scrapbook (created in Microsoft Word in 2000) was completely compiled of scanned photos.  I've since scanned thousands of photos, both for myself and for others.  I've learned a few things from those photos.  There are several factors to consider when scanning photos to use in a digital book.

1. Consider the size of the photo you are scanning.  If you are scanning a 3×5 photo, like many printed in the 1970s and 80s, it will create a different resolution image than one scanned at the same dpi from a 4×6, 5×7 or 8×10.
2. The second thing to consider is that size you'll want to re-print or use it at.  I scanned hundreds of old photos of my grandparents that were about 3×3 in size.  I wanted to be able to use them on digital pages in a larger format without losing quality, so I had to increase the dpi (dots per inch).  I scanned those photos at 600 dpi, which according the handy-dandy calculator I found here, made those photos about 1800 x 1800 pixels.

Memory Manager 4.0 or Historian?  Storybook Creator 4.0 or Artisan?

If you're still running Memory Manager 4 or Storybook Creator 4 and your computer is still running fine, you're in good shape.  Any time I refer to Historian, it's the same thing as Memory Manager 4, just with a different logo.

The same goes for Storybook Creator 4.  It's the same as Artisan, just a different look.

The issue will be, though, that once your computer decides to flash you the blue screen of death, or just suddenly won't boot at all, you'll need to upgrade to Historian and/or Artisan.

Upgrade or reinstall your operating system?  Yes, again, you will have to upgrade.  Any major changes that will require you to reinstall the program, will push you to upgrade.

The upgrade process is not tough.  In fact, if you upgrade to Artisan on a computer that currently runs Storybook Creator, the software will recognize SBC when the installation is complete, and ask you if you want to import your settings and content.  If you have this option, it makes the transition super easy.

If you do have to switch computers before installing Artisan, there's a little more of a process, but it's still relatively easy.  Most of the battle is locating your content, which could be a bit scattered if you've used more than one version of Storybook Creator in the past.  I have a few posts on finding your content, including one with a video.

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I'm sure these aren't all of the FAQs I need to cover, but it's all for today.  Until next time, Enjoy!

~ Deb