DIY questions

[FutureMrs.B]

I have noticed that people on these boards are so creative with the DIY own projects. DF and I had an idea for our invitations but I'm not sure what computer programs to use to make different types of designs. I have a PC. I know Mac has great programs...oh well maybe one day. Any help like always is appreciated.

 

[Firefly09]

A lot of people use Photoshop if they have access to it either for work or school. Pretty expensive software. I made a mock-up of our save-the-dates just on Microsoft Word. I plan on downloading a 30 day trial of Corel Draw to work on the invitations. I think it's similar to Photoshop.

 

[NicknNancy]

For PC I really like Microsoft Publisher as it is fairly easy to use. I have a Mac however and I found Quark to work very well. HTH!

 

[lea007]

I use a mac as i do design work for a living. Depending on what you are trying to achieve. Photoshop is brilliant for doing creative things and has a wide scope. I think you can download a trial version. Again i use quark, illustrator but these are all design programmes that i use on a daily basis and probably if you've never used them then it could be a mine field. if you are doing something simple then probably use word or something like that. If you need any help design wise then feel free to email me and i can try and help.

 

[princesswendy720]

If you don't have access to adobe Photoshop or illustrator (which are expensive and pretty difficult to learn on your own), I would suggest microsoft publisher or PowerPoint. I don't find word to be very user friendly in terms of custom size and image/text placement. You can get free fonts on 1001freefonts.com or dafont.com. A cool font can go a long way when making invites! If you are going to use clipart, make sure you only use large, high-res images since you are printing.

 

[ColeV]

All of the Adobe software (photoshop, illustrator, photoshop elements) have 30 day free trials. Since you're just looking to do one project, that would probably cover you. Especially since more than one program would work for what you need. Corel-draw is also pretty good. But, nothing can beat the cut/paste/alter ability of photoshop since you probably won't be starting these images from scratch.

 

[FutureMrs.B]

Thank you so much everyone for your feedback. I'm going to see if I dl one of the free trials and see how that works out. DF and I met at a Barnes & Nobles and we thought it would be cute if like our invitations looked like the old school fairy tale books. I'm going to see if I can figure out how to make them. Thnx again.

 

[princesswendy720]

To help you get a leather book like look...go to Flickr and search leather texture. You should be able to find a large file that you can use as the background of the "book" I just made something this weekend in photoshop doing this and it was super easy!

 

[FutureMrs.B]

To help you get a leather book like look...go to Flickr and search leather texture. You should be able to find a large file that you can use as the background of the "book" I just made something this weekend in photoshop doing this and it was super easy!

That's a great idea! I'm going to go look it up. Thnx.

 

[jtanddolly]

You really can do a lot with just plain old MS Word! Here is a thread that teaches the basic and advanced design for using MS Word to make all kinds of things from t-shirt designs, to candy wrappers, etc.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2286193

Here is another thread that teaches you how to make a newsletter using MS Word:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2549262

Lots of DISBrides have used MS Word to make the Mickey Head Fan/Program for their weddings, newsletters, invitations, table numbers...the list goes on and one.

If you decided to buy a program...I suggest Photoshop Elements. It is less expensive then full blown Photoshop, is for amatuers, but still has a pretty steep learning curve.

 

[CityGirlLost]

If you want to move beyond computer software, a Cricut is an amazing tool with lots of Disney images and words available.