Which program to use?

[snubie]

I am thinking about starting to digital scrapbook. I have done some research but am having trouble making a decision on software. I downloaded a trial of Photoshop Elements but I am not sure that is the best way to go. Any advice?

Thanks.

[Fran98765]

There are plusses and cons to all. The 3 top programs are Photoshop Elements, which you tried, the regular Photoshop, which is $600+ and out of my budget ;) and also Paint Shop Pro, which is what I use, it's cheaper then PSElements. You can find a trial for their program at PaintShopPro.com (http://www.paintshoppro.com). There are several digital scrapping websites with lots of tutorials like www.digitalscrapbookplace.com and www.scrapgirls.com. Some of the sites do tend to favor one program over the other, especially for Photoshop.

Essentially you can use any photo program that works in layers, it's the layers that allow you to move things and change elements once you've begun, which is the best thing about digi scrapping. If you picture is in the wrong place or you decide to change the background at the end, it's no problem, just change it! A tip is to always start with an empty page and then put the background on top of that, if you don't you cannot change the background later, which is not something you want to be stuck with.