Review of Serif Digital Scrapbook Artist

Posted on May 19th, 2009 by wwaddell.
Categories: Scrapbook Articles, Scrapbook Tips, Training.

Review of Serif Digital Scrapbook Artist

I actually started this review several months ago when Serif first introduced their new Digital Scrapbook Artist software. Unfortunately, due to some issues with the first version and the fact that it doesn’t run on Windows 2000 or older versions of the windows software… things got delayed a bit.

The good news is that with the latest patches now downloaded and installed, Serif now has a great stable working software that is really fun to use.

Here’s what we learned in our extensive testing with the Digital Scrapbook Artist software:

When you first open Serif Digital Scrapbook Artist the program automatically checks for updates and patches.  We like that and we also like that you can set the period in-between update checks right from the settings menu. Please, let the program update with any patches as some of them fix things that will hang you up or crash the program. As of 18 May 2009 the program with patches loaded is quite stable and gave us no problems in our quite extensive test of it’s abilities.

We do recommend that you have at least 2 gig of memory in your computer in order to use the higher resolution graphics and settings. We also found that on lower end systems that we couldn’t have other programs running in the background or it slowed down displays and required extra virtual memory. (memory allocated on the hard drive for program use)

Our Initial Impressions:

Kathy and I both like that you can preload elements, backgrounds, templates, frames and other tools from the built in packs.  This makes it really easy to have exactly what you need for your new design when you first open a new blank page. I only wish that I could have a way to easily add my own designs and elements to the proper menu’s. We’ll talk a bit more on that in just a minute.

Serif has done a wonderful job with the page set up menu’s.  We found it was straight forward and I needed no help finding the button on the top of the screen and the menu’s to set the size and properties just the way I wanted them.

As a matter of fact, to create a great looking page right from the start, I needed no help from the tutorials or built in instructions.  If you have never worked with graphics, photo or presentation software before, then you may need some help with the use of layers and frames, but it’s all easy to learn. The help menu’s and tutorials that come with Digital Scrapbook Artist are quite complete and we found them easy to understand even the more complex capabilities of the software.

To make a comparison of Serif Digital Scrapbook Artist with the other programs out there… here’s what we think:

Serif Digital Scrapbook Artist falls right in the middle of the pack for ease of use and capabilities.  Scrapbook Max by Indigo Rose is easier to use and let’s you easily export your finished digital scrapbook/cards to Pictures, Video CD/DVD presentations and PDF files so you can share them with your friends and family. Scrapbook Max also lets you create templates with click and insert photo spots built in.  Serif Digital Scrapbook Artist on the other hand lets you do more with your pages such as better object rotation with less pixilation and smoother transitions. Digital Scrapbook Artist also has more filters and special effects than Scrapbook Max.

On the high end, Serif Digital Scrapbook Artist is not as capable as PaintShop Pro or Adobe Photoshop… but then it won’t take you years to learn to use Digital Scrapbook Artist like it can the other high end photo editing packages mentioned above.

In short, if you are computer challenged or have kids that will be using the program (like my 10 year old granddaughter) then you probably need Scrapbook Max. If you are going to create professional designs or work with photos that require a lot of modifications, then you’ll probably be wanting one of the advanced photo editing software packages like PaintShop Pro or PhotoShop.

If you are looking for a program to use to create digital scrapbook pages and still be able to enhance and make common changes to your photos and/or you also want to use some of the better special effects tools out there… then Serif Digital Scrapbook Artist is just exactly what you are looking for.  It’s easy, but still advanced enough with the tools you need to create really professional looking scrapbook pages, digital cards and photo prints.

Here’s the really short list of flaws as we see it for Serif Digital Scrapbook Artist:

  1. The only way to easily add items to the left menu of embellishments, backgrounds, frames, etc. is to put them in the Photos tab. The photos tab is the only one who’s add button lets you select from outside the installed tool/content packs.
    1. We would like to see all the add buttons have the capability to browse the whole computer to add elements, backgrounds, frames and other elements.
    2. Other option would be a tool that lets us create or add to a default Artist Pack. 
  2. The thumbnail images that are created on the Photo tab when you add your elements and photos there don’t show the transparent areas (everything is white), but the transparent PNG areas work normally when dragged onto the page. Minor I know… but needed to mention it anyway. 
  3. This program does have some of the high end tools and capabilities of the high end graphics packages.  Because of this, you really need to have a computer that has at least 2 Gig of memory and 4 Gig would be even better.  Without the extra memory, look for the program to be a bit sluggish and it could even lock up on you.

That’s it! Serif has done a wonderful job and has put out what’s been missing from the digital scrapbook community for several years now… a middle of the road scrapbook software that goes beyond beginner yet isn’t so hard to use that it takes a masters degree in graphics design to use it.

Serif Digital Scrapbook Artist is a very solid capable program that is going to become very popular with a lot of people around the world.  I know I’m a fan already.

Wes Waddell

www.PrincessCrafts.com

www.Blog.PrincessCrafts.com

www.ComputerScrapbookTraining.com – The Greatest FREE Digital Scrapbook Gift… EVER!

 

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