Tell Us Your Adobe Story PSE11 Giveaway

Here at Digital Scrapper we are all about Adobe. We teach Adobe, we talk Adobe, and this month, we give Adobe.

At the bottom of this post I will give you all the details for winning a FREE copy of Adobe software. But first, I thought you might like to sit down in our Digital Scrapper living room, sip an ice cold lemonade, and hear from our team members.

Update: The posting deadline has expired, but we’d still love to hear your story.

Here is how many of our Digital Scrapper team of creatives found their way to Adobe:

Andrea GravesAndrea Graves, Creative Team Director

I had a friend tell me the concept of Digital Scrapbooking, and a mutual friend knew how to do it. I was fascinated by this and ::had:: to see it for myself. I went to this friend’s house and begged her to give me a 45 minute crash course in PSE3. I was hooked and never looked back! I started teaching classes in my community a year or two later and spread the word on how awesome digital scrapbooking is! I made the jump from PSE6 on a PC to CS3 on a mac (back when CS3 was new), and I recently bought Photoshop CS6 but haven’t had time to install it yet. I’ve been a big fan of Adobe ever since I started digital scrapbooking. 🙂

Annette Sturgeon

Annette Sturgeon, 2013 Creative Team

I have had a love affair with computers since my stack of punched IBM cards comprising my last programming assignment tumbled from the toilet tank into the bowl. I had a coupon to purchase Photoshop Elements for $50 and could not wait to use it. When I discovered the Digital Scrapper website I was pleased to recognize Linda from a telecast years ago on the BYU network. I  have so enjoyed the journey, which provides me the opportunity to continue to expand and learn through this community of enthusiastic members.

Barb Brookbank

Barb Brookbank, Video Instructor

I was in Costco one cold, dreary, winter afternoon and found myself examining a copy of Photoshop Elements 4. I thought it was “over my head,” but because it included the “Learn Digital Scrapbooking” CD by Linda Sattgast, I decided to give it a try. I had no idea that I had just embarked on a most exciting, challenging, and inspiring journey, which would ultimately lead me to Digital Scrapper.

I can honestly say that I’ve learned 95% of what I know about Photoshop and scrapbooking at this site. Now, five years later, I find myself teaching others what I have learned. It’s amazing and seems incredible to me, and sometimes I just have to pinch myself (true story)! 🙂

Connie GarlitzConnie Garlitz, 2013 Creative Team

I used to frequent a photography website that had a program you could use for free to manipulate and play with your photos. When they announced they would be closing that part of their site down, I started looking for a program to use. Talking to a friend who majored in graphic design, she suggested trying Adobe PSE5. An ad for Scrappers Guide (now known as Digital Scrapper) was in the box. I visited the site and fell in love with Linda’s tutorials, and the rest is history.

Darcy BaldwinDarcy Baldwin, Forum Director

Long before I decided to scrapbook, my Dad gave me his old computer, which had Photoshop 7 on it. I tooled around with it here and there until 2006 or so when I dove into digital scrapbooking for good. About two years later, I upgraded to Photoshop CS, then CS3 two years after that, which is where I am now.

Jen WhiteJen White, Group Project Manager

In the Fall of 2006, I had finally saved enough money from taking senior portraits to buy a top of the line DSLR Canon Rebel. When the package came in the mail, it included a copy of PSE along with Linda’s training CD. Being a lover of new software, I immediately set off to master the program and become a digital scrapper, with Linda’s help.

Kathy BlackKathy Black, 2013 Creative Team

My daughter had received Photoshop Elements from her mother in law and showed me how she could enhance her digital photos. I immediately went out and purchased the program and  have upgraded to every other version (5, 7, 9, and now 11) since. I took several online courses to understand the program but interestingly enough, did not start using it for digital scrapbooking until 2012. I had been using a different program that I thought was more user friendly. I had been a Plus Member for several years, and then finally became a Premier Member. Seeing the instructor videos, tutorials, and tips convinced me that Photoshop Elements was just as user friendly and had more creative power than the software I had been using.

Lana AndersonLana Anderson, Forum Moderator

In 2005, I purchased my first point and shoot digital camera. In order to learn how to use the thing, I took a couple digital camera basics classes at our local community college and was introduced to Photoshop Elements for editing photos. At this point, I still knew nothing about digital scrapbooking. Then a friend gave me a free copy of Art Explosion’s Scrapbook Factory Deluxe. I thought it was fun, and I played around with it for about a year. One day while I was searching online about my new-found interest, I came across Scrapper’s Guide (now Digital Scrapper), which had tutorials for using PS and PSE for scrapbooking! (Light bulb goes on!) I joined Scrapper’s Guide in 2007 and became a Premier Member in 2008.  I’ve been hooked on digital scrapbooking ever since!!!

Linda SattgastLinda Sattgast, Digital Scrapper President and Founder

One thing leads to another in the digital world. When I got a digital camera in 2001, I needed archival quality prints, so I bought the best printer I could find at the time, a large format Epson printer. It came with various sizes of large and small papers, and I remember thinking, “Too bad I won’t ever need these large papers.” My mind must have been thinking about that while I slept, because I awoke at precisely 3 a.m. with the incredible thought: “I can scrapbook on the computer and print it out on one large sheet of paper!” I felt like I had discovered digital scrapbooking, and I knew that others would like the idea, too.

I already had Photoshop Elements 2, which came bundled with a scanner, but I had never even opened it. Somehow I knew, though, that Adobe products were the gold standard, so I got Photoshop and learned how to use both programs, mostly through trial and error. From the very start, I intended to create a training video to make it faster and easier for others to learn. That dream came true a year and a half later in September 2003 when I launched my training website, ScrappersGuide.com, and offered the first ever video training for digital scrapbooking. Though the website name eventually changed to DigitalScrapper.com, our mission has remained the same: To teach digital scrapbooking using Adobe products to anyone who wants to learn! 

Luisa KellyLuisa Kelly, 2013 Creative Team

I had tried Photoshop 7 and Elements 6 but didn’t really understand how to use the programs comfortably and make them do what I wanted them to do. Eventually I decided that if I was able to obtain two college degrees, I should be able to understand and comfortably use Photoshop Elements. So I purchased PSE9, which came with a disk from Digital Scrapper with instructions by Linda Sattgast for using the program. That did it; I was so happy with the lessons that I decided to check out Digital Scrapper. The rest is history; I have never left!

Lydia TarboxLydia Tarbox, Tutorial Author

After I had my first child, I realized that I had no desire to keep up with the clutter of paper scrapping. I didn’t have space for the supplies, and I didn’t want to deal with getting everything out and putting it all away when I was finished. I’m a computer geek at heart, so I started looking for digital alternatives. I found and tried a few different programs that were created specifically for scrapbooking, but none of them really did everything I wanted them to do. I had heard about scrapbooking in Photoshop, but I had only used Photoshop for a few specific projects and didn’t really understand how you would accomplish scrapbooking in that program. So, my search for a good solution continued. At some point, I was chatting online with one of my high school friends, and she shared some digital scrapbooking pages that she had created in Photoshop. I thought they were amazing, so I asked her for tips. She sent me links to some good resources for getting started and to some stores where I could get quality digital supplies. It took me a few tries to understand the marvelous world of layers in Photoshop, but once I had that down, I was off the races. And, I’ve never looked back.

Nann DaltonNann Dalton, Tutorial Author

In 2007, I discovered digital scrapbooking by trying to learn how to do a blog. I was clicking through blog links to see more ideas and found one that talked about digital scrapbooking. I loved it so I googled it to learn more . . . and that led me to Scrapper’s Guide. I recognized Linda Sattgast from a scrapbooking show I had watch on PBS and knew I had found someone who knew what they were talking about, so I ordered her tutorial for Elements 5. Scrappers Guide seemed to be the perfect fit for me. I was just so hungry to learn how to use Photoshop Elements. I love the tutorials and the kits were an added bonus. It took me several years, however, before I was brave enough to post something in the Gallery. When I did, I loved the feedback that I got on my layouts, and I was hooked.

Sharon Maughan

Sharon Maughan, Webmaster

I’ve always loved scrapbooking. As a teenager, rubber cement, colored pencils, and scotch tape were the tools of my trade as I scrapped every newspaper clipping, photo, and program I ever had. I continued scrapping life during the early years of my marriage but took a break when my four children were small and life was hectic. When I returned to paper scrapping in the mid 1990s, the buzzword was “archival;” tape runners had replaced my beloved rubber cement, and we all believed that “she who dies with the most decorative scissors wins.” I taught classes on preserving memories for almost seven years when I stumbled across some digital layouts in one of my scrapbooking magazines. I LOVED them. I loved the way they looked, AND I loved the idea of not having a mess everywhere when I scrapped! Since I had just purchased my first laptop computer, the timing was perfect. I had to try this out.

I purchased Photoshop Elements 2 but still couldn’t figure out how to even begin a digital page. Finally, I googled “digital scrapbooking” and found Scrapper’s Guide (now Digital Scrapper). Encouraged by her money-back guarantee, I decided to watch Linda’s classes, and the “ah-hah” moments began. When I completed my first page in Jan 2005, I was thrilled. Ctrl-Z was my friend, and I became completely hooked when my children started showing my pages to their friends, making me a “cool” mom! I haven’t looked back since. *Ü*

Susie Roberts

Susie Roberts, Creative Director

I was at university studying for a teaching degree when I took an elective subject called Digital Imaging. Although the theoretical content of the subject was not to my liking, I did get to learn the basics of how to use Photoshop 7 and decided then and there that this was heaven on earth. I then went exploring online and found Scrapper’s Guide and digital scrapbooking. I immediately ordered Linda’s Learn Digital Scrapbooking CD, joined Premier, and bought heaps of books. Consequently, I didn’t continue with the degree because digital scrapbooking took over my life. So I never used Photoshop Elements as my starting point. I used Photoshop from the beginning!

Trisha RoushTrisha Roush, Forum Moderator

It was summer of 2005, and I had just taken a bunch of cute pictures of my daughter making funny faces. I had the brilliant idea of combining them onto one page and printing them out to put into a frame. I knew I could do it with PSE, as I’d had PSE since the very first version. I did a simple grid layout and even added a caption. Then, when my next upgrade of PSE came from Adobe, it had a postcard in it about Linda’s website. I visited and got hooked on digital scrapbooking.

Post & Win

Now it’s your turn for a chance to WIN. . . .

Update: The posting deadline has expired, but we’d still love to hear your story.

To win this:

One copy of Adobe’s Photoshop Elements 11, which you may:

• Keep for yourself.
• Gift to a friend or relative, or
• Gift to another member of the DS community that has inspired you.

About Photoshop Elements 11

Do this:

Tell us how YOU found Adobe.

• We girls want to know all the little details, so let it all out!
• Post your story in the Comment section below.
• One entry per person, please.
• Feel free to include a link to your online scrapbook gallery. We’d love to see what you’ve been creating with Adobe!

Don’t yet have a Adobe? That’s OK. You can still participate.
Instead, tell us why you’d LIKE to have Adobe.

• The deadline for posting is Midnight Eastern Time Friday, July 26, 2013.
• Late comments are welcome but will not be eligible to win.

Then we’ll do this:

1) Draw a winner.

• Collect all eligible comments on Saturday, July 27, 2013.
• Draw a winner via random generator.

2) Notify the winner.

• The winner will be emailed directly on Saturday, July 27, 2013.
• The winner will be announced in Issue 30 of the Digital Scrapper News.

_____________________________________________

jenwhite-48x48Author: Jen White | jen@digitalscrapper.com

All comments are moderated. Please allow time for your comment to appear. Thanks!


Comments (81)

  1. User Avatar
    Gail

    I learned about digital scrapbooking at a local scrapbooking store. I couldn’t wait to get home to do a web search. Found Digital Scrapper (then known as Scrapper’s Guide), and learned about Adobe PSE. Have been a fan of both Adobe and Digital Scrapper ever since.

    July 21, 2013 at 6:55 am Reply
  2. User Avatar
    Erica

    I found Adobe through Digital Scrapper (then known as Scrapper’s Guide.) I was searching the internet about 5 years ago for something for my traditional scrapbooking. I can’t even remember what I was looking for now, but I stumbled across Scrapper’s Guide. I looked around the site and thought this digital scrapbooking idea was very intriguing. I could make several pages over and over again without having to buy new supplies?? Hmmmm……

    I already owned Photoshop CS3 because it came with a bundle I had purchased from the University bookstore for another class I was taking at the time. I had bought the bundle for Dreamweaver, but had never opened the other programs. The bundle included Photoshop. I opened it for the first time after finding Linda’s site and was absolutely lost! I had NO idea where to begin or how to do anything.

    So I became a Premier Member and bought Linda’s training CD for Photoshop. Within an hour or two I had made my first digital scrapbook page! 95% of what I know about Photoshop has come from Digital Scrapper. I eventually became hooked on photography as well and even opened a small studio last year. I went to a photography conference last fall and met many who had been photographers for several years. During one of the sessions about Photoshop tips & tricks, they were teaching several ways to edit and enhance photos. There was a session on compositing. They went over creating custom shadows for people who were extracted from photos. They learned how to create them and then manipulate them. Some other photographers were AMAZED. They could not believe the cool new tip. I remember thinking to myself, “Heck, that was one of the first things I learned from Linda years ago!”

    July 21, 2013 at 7:23 am Reply
    • User Avatar
      Jen White

      So nice to know all that about you, Erica. I didn’t know you were “home grown” as we call ourselves. So many of us are proud to say 95% of what we know, we learned from Linda. 😀

      July 21, 2013 at 1:18 pm Reply
  3. Julie G

    I had been digital scrapping with “Picture It”, but I had also been reading the “special issues” of scrapbooking magazines about digiscrapping. That must have been around 2003 or so. I knew I couldn’t afford Photoshop, and all these magazines and the people in the digiscrapping forums said that PSE was where it was at! I decided to try PSE 2, and it was great. I upgraded to Photoshop CS 3 a few years later, but I still use PSE (I think I’m stuck on 5 or 6 now) on occasion because it runs faster and is a little more user friendly.

    July 21, 2013 at 8:29 am Reply
  4. Lozzie

    I came across Scrappers guide in 2006 after I purchased Adobe Pse2 from Ebay….I didn’t have any qualifications to use a computer and my girlfriend was playing around on Ebay and she said it was a good way to learn how to use the computer and internet …So I went out and bought myself a computer and knew nothing more than how to press the start button. Here I was with Adobe pse2 and no idea what I was doing so I joined up with Scrappers Guide and signed up to the monthly Premier for 12 months and just tried to learn all I could .I didn’t do too well with it all until I purchased Adobe PSE5 and then things fell into place after I had bought Lindas PSE5 videos .I put together a heritage book for my Mum in 2011 and from there I have travelled a long way ..I joined up with Digital Scrapper in 2012 to do Your Story Brilliant and I rejoined for 2013 class .I had Adobe PSE8 and now I have Adobe PSE10 and would so love to have an experience with Adobe PSE11…

    July 21, 2013 at 8:30 am Reply
  5. SherriS.

    I photographed my sister’s wedding last year and bought PSE10 to edit the pics.

    I just started digital scrapbooking (Project Life) in June using PSE10 and I’ve already finished this year’s photos. I’ve been looking at layouts to try a few artistic pages as well. Just like paper scrapbooking I’m addicted to digital supplies:)
    Here’s my 2013 PL pages:

    http://sdrv.ms/1bS3UAV

    I would love to win PSE11 because I’ve read that the Organizer is so much better. Thanks for the chance to win!

    July 21, 2013 at 9:07 am Reply
    • User Avatar
      Jen White

      Look at you go! I’m so impressed by your PL gallery. Your sister’s wedding looked beautiful!

      July 21, 2013 at 12:57 pm Reply
  6. Jenifer J (rfeewjlj)

    I’ve had a DSLR for quite awhile now, 3-4 years and I had been using an online website to have some fun w/ the pictures I took but when they announced they would no longer be available, I started looking into software and found PSE10. I made sure I “liked” the PSE facebook page and one of the days, one of their articles they had posted had a note or ad at the bottom about Linda Sattgast and digital scrapbooking. I followed the link and knew immediately I had to join premiere. I’ve been a member for the past 1.5 years and haven’t looked back!! So glad to have y’all here and love using PSE (now 11) to scrapbook!! 🙂 Thx for the chance to win!

    July 21, 2013 at 10:33 am Reply
  7. User Avatar
    Barbara

    I found Adobe through Digital Scrapper! (But, it was still Scrapper’s Guide then.)
    Though I had been a paper scrapper for years, I had recently just fallen in love with photography; the penny dropped and I got it. Memories *and* beauty!
    I wanted to find a way to add text to my photos, as I was making little books with my photographs and overlaying text on vellum. I wanted to simplify.
    So, I searched for a tutorial, and the first one to come up was Scrapper’s Guide. I was simply blown away by the possibilities of Photoshop Elements. I could hardly believe that I could do so much with a little program that cost under $100. And, with the CD, learning was a breeze. I became a Premier Member and never looked back. I intend to stay a member until you pry my mouse out of my cold, dead hand…
    And, it STILL amazes me when I learn yet another feature of this “little” program. I love it, love it, love it!!!
    Thank you, Scrapper’s Guide!

    July 21, 2013 at 10:58 am Reply
  8. User Avatar
    Kathy

    My Adobe relationship began with the first Canon Rebel and PSE 2 using auto. Next came 4, then 7 and a desire to explore digital scrapping. A Scrap Girls tutorial disk explained layers and then an intense internet search lead me to many resources including Digital Scrappers. I now have PSE 10, and just added LR5 to catalog supplies and photos and streamline editing. I create yearly family albums and vacation/event photo books. PSE 11 has a different interface than 10 and I would love to add it to my tool chest.

    July 21, 2013 at 12:02 pm Reply
  9. Sabrina

    I’ve always loved photography, and I was given my wish for a SLR camera in high school. I bought a digital camera for work, and was amazed what it could do. I actually started with PSE 3. I was afraid of it at first, but I had discovered that using other editing software such as Microsoft picture editor significantly reduced the file size, and I knew it was reducing the quality of the photo, too. So, I forced myself to learn PSE and NOT use anything else. I think I found out about Linda either from Photoshop Element User magazine… and then my interest in digital scrapbooking began to form. I had been paper scrapbooking for a while, but I was intrigued. I signed up with Premier shortly after it began. At first, I didn’t think digital looked as good as paper scrapbooking, but it has evolved so that now it really it my preferred way to scrap! We’ve come a long way, baby! And I still feel like there is so much to learn! I think that is what keeps it exciting and new!

    July 21, 2013 at 12:42 pm Reply
    • User Avatar
      Jen White

      I can feel your excitement, Sabrina. 😀

      Here’s the link to Photoshop Elements Techniques Magazine (formerly Photoshop Elements User Magazine). I subscribe to this magazine. It’s worth the price paid and occasionally has a digital scrapbooking feature.

      July 21, 2013 at 1:24 pm Reply
  10. User Avatar
    Glenda J

    A friend showed some pages she did using Photoshop Elements and I thought it would be wonderful to be able to use the computer and create scrapbook pages. Then I found Linda through a scrapbooking convention but couldn’t get in to her class. I subscribed to her blog and enjoyed looking and reading all the ideas and hints. I finally bought a program Elements 4-5 and signed up for one of Linda’s on-lines classes. I was only able to do about three sessions before a family health problem took over my time. Now I am interested in starting again and would love to win this version of Elements. I don’t really remember very much about the program but I am determined to start again and learn since I have so many projects I want to accomplish…digitally. Thanks for the chance to win this awesome prize and for all that is shared on your blog. If I don’t win, I will purchase the program soon. Thanks again!!!

    July 21, 2013 at 2:11 pm Reply
  11. User Avatar
    Penny

    I found Adobe when I bought my scanner and it had a trial or something for PSE2. Shortly after that, I got PSE3. I bought a couple of books on PSE3 and digital photography. I don’t remember how I actually found Scrappers Guide, probably searching PSE3. I do know whatever it was that caught my eye made me subscribe to Linda’s newsletter immediately. I still have my confirmation email dated 6/3/2004. I also bought her training CDs and have been hooked ever since. I’d say 98% of what I have learned has been connected to Linda in one form or another. The number of “aha” and “that’s so cool” moments are too many to count. In the past, I have tried other software products including purchasing a training CD for one of them, but I kept coming back to PSE and now I have no desire to try anything else. Well, maybe Photoshop waaaaaaaaay down the road. I have upgraded a couple of times since those early days and I’m currently using PSE9. I would love to have PSE11.

    July 21, 2013 at 2:57 pm Reply
  12. User Avatar
    Cheryl Ausdahl

    Before 2008, I was a paper scrapbooker, but hated all the set up and mess as well as making mistakes that I couldn’t easily fix. So, when I walked into Barnes & Noble to browse their magazine section in December of 2007, I noticed a magazine on digital scrapbooking. “DIGITAL scrapbooking?!? What’s that all about?” I said to myself as I grabbed the magazine off the rack. In the next few minutes I made the decision that I was “going digital,” not just with my camera but also with my scrapbooking. I just didn’t know which program I should use, so the search was on!

    My husband (my tech guy) helped me research the program possibilities and even contacted Linda Sattgast during our decision process. It wasn’t long before he was urging me to get PSE6, saying that he just didn’t think I would be happy with the other programs out there in our budget range because they would limit me. I was hesitant and thought I wouldn’t be able to learn the program, but with Linda’s training videos and Premier membership, I caught on quickly and was hooked. I’ve since upgraded to PSE9 (I love using layer masks!) and plan to upgrade again soon.

    My love for scrapbooking has turned into a love of photography, too, as I take pictures that I want to turn into special memories in Photoshop Elements. I really enjoy recording family stories that I can easily share digitally with other family members. My grandchildren love to see pages featuring their smiles or pouts along with the “story” of what happened. My mother was so happy to see her parents’ immigration/heritage story come together in book form, as well as the story of how she met my dad in another book. There are multiple copies of these books which have now been shared with relatives. When I write poetry, I “publish” each poem on a scrapbook page.

    With paper scrapbooking I was limited to one good copy, an inside messy table, and no way to “undo” what I didn’t like about my pages once the hardcopy pictures were sized and cut. Now the possibilities seem endless and creativity abounds as take my laptop with PSE out on our backyard deck, to a coffee shop, or to a friend’s house, and I fix and manipulate the look of my photos and try out layouts until each page communicates just what I want. All my re-usable supplies are at my fingertips and new supplies are just a few clicks and a few seconds away via the internet. I create cards, albums and framed gifts that I never would have done without learning PSE!

    That 2007 bookstore discovery was a life-changer!

    July 21, 2013 at 3:30 pm Reply
    • User Avatar
      Jen White

      Wonderful story, Cheryl!

      July 21, 2013 at 3:35 pm Reply
  13. User Avatar
    Lorna Schreck

    My first association with an Adobe product was through work. My boss, who was not a computer nerd, bought new software – PageMaker – for newsletters. He forgot to buy training, so it was learn as you go in late 1980s. I struggled for several years. Eventually I chanaged jobs and the department I was assigned to had just received their first copy of PageMaker – and guess who was the exptert. You guessed it. Now the barely seeing was leading the blind. Jump ahead to my last position in 2001. The agency I worked for was just getting ccomputers! And again I was the expert. No one even knew about pagemaker, let alone why we shoudl have it. Slowly I nudged them to allow a single licence version. I was off and running.

    A few years later, after a return from a lengthly medical leave, I discovered that my PageMaker was upgraded to InDesign. I was used to PageMaker and wanted it back. InDesign was so different. I managed to get the training materials and newsletter out, but it was an uphill battle. Eventually budget cuts changed program needs and my InDesign program gathered dust.

    I retired a few years ago and wanted to catch up on years of scrapbooking. I was watching a PBS show that had digitl segment with Linda. I checked out Scrappers Guide and loved the idea. Why hadn’t I thought of that – well I had but couldn’t afford InDesign in retirement on my old PC. I thought I would go ahead and take some classes from Linda and start my saving account for a MAC and Photoshop. I just purchased my MAC and got very excited to see that there is a monthly pay structure with the Adobe Cloud. I won’t have to wait any longer. And having PSE 11 will give me a head start – it seems so intuitive.

    Thank you for getting me ready for my fun retirement. Now on to the stories and photos.

    July 21, 2013 at 4:14 pm Reply
  14. User Avatar
    Woodie Sprague

    I started by taking a Photoshop 6 class at a community college and I was hooked for life. Then I found a class at a local adult school and took 3 classes a day on PSE4: Editing, Organization and Creating Slideshows and other projects. A friend of mine was in a beginning scrapbooking class and wanted me to join her but ‘I was so far more advanced and I didn’t want “just” scrapbooking ‘so I declined. Then she mentioned the CD the class was using and when I realized it was Linda Sattgast who was teaching I begged her to buy an extra copy from the teacher. (I had been watching Linda on a Scrapbook Memories show for years and recorded all her segments just to learn the PSE program!) And now I found out that she taught full classes on PSE…need I say more? I was enrolled by the next class and have continued for the past 8 years. I now have Photoshop CS5 but I keep seeing things Digital Scrapper Designers are doing in PSE 11 and I want that edition also! Just call me a “Digital Scrapper Junkie”! Did I mention that I am a “Grandfathered” member of Premier?

    July 21, 2013 at 7:06 pm Reply
    • User Avatar
      Jen White

      HAHA. YAY for Grandfathered Premier Members!!

      July 21, 2013 at 7:13 pm Reply
  15. User Avatar
    PatriciaD

    One day in 2006 (or it could have been a year either side of that) I was searching the Internet for something on scrapbooking. Don’t exactly remember what I was looking for but I found Linda’s site, Scrapper’s Guide, and fell in love. I had never used Photoshop but was fascinated. I was able to convince my boss to send me to a class (learned NOTHING) so I started taking SG classes and learned so much right away. I am not the most creative person but I love learning PS and creating scrapbooks for my family. I’ve taking just about every class offered by the now, Digital Scrapper. Since then I’ve taught many others and introduced others to the concept of scrapping using PS.

    Edited 07-21-2013 @22:54
    I didn’t read other replies till after I’d written mine (didn’t want to be influenced) but I did forget to say (and other comments reminded me) that I then started taking up photography as well as digi scrapping. So now I have a nice DSLR (Canon EOS 60D) with a couple of nice lenses, have taken a photography seminar (I’m still not all that good but I love it) and I use my own photos of Alaska and wildlife, scenery and family on my scrapbook pages. I have been a Premier member also since way back when and was grandfathered in and have to say that I learned at least 95% of what I know about PS also from Linda…I do thank you for that…it’s opened up a whole new world for me.

    July 21, 2013 at 10:54 pm Reply
  16. User Avatar
    Connie K

    This is how long ago I became familiar with PSE … I bought a new digital camera that recorded photos onto a floppy disc. The camera came with a scrapbooking program that was not PSE. I was telling a friend who works for Adobe about it and they said, “Yeah, you should try PSE.” I took the advice and have been hooked ever since.

    July 21, 2013 at 11:37 pm Reply
  17. Wow! It’s so much fun to hear all of your GREAT stories! Most of the time I never hear how people find Digital Scrapper or my training. It makes me very happy to know that I was part of the digital scrapbooking process for many of you. 🙂

    July 22, 2013 at 12:13 am Reply
  18. Diane

    Photography is my first love, and so naturally it goes hand in hand with scrapbooking. While I loved the idea of it, it just never seemed to happen! Then Adobe Photoshop 5 came bundled in with a new camera. I was up and running and although I have to say that my attempts at digital scrapping were a long way from what I do now, and not even close to what I have seen others do, I had found a new love. My photographs had dates and quotes and then great (and some not so great), frames and borders. I bought Elements 7 while trying to teach my sister digital scrapping and we too found Scrappers Guide many, many years ago and religiously followed all tutorials. I know I have lots more to learn and can’t wait to continue the journey..

    July 22, 2013 at 3:48 am Reply
  19. User Avatar
    Chantal

    I started scrapbooking the conventional way. I live in a farm area and I got tired of not having the right color paper or correct supplies that I had to drive miles to get. I bought Elements 3 and was so upset that I could not figure it out. I listened to tutorials, but ended up sitting there taking notes. It was not fun. Then one day looking at a scrapbooking magazine I saw a little ad for learning how to do Elements 4 from Linda. Now I NEVER would send money to someone without a friend telling me that it was safe ,but something told me that I should do this. I told my husband that I had to do something. Once I got the CD, it opened up a whole new world and I never looked back. Thanks to Linda, I have a new hobby that I love.

    July 22, 2013 at 7:23 am Reply
  20. User Avatar
    Sharron Lamb

    I Googled digital scrapbooking and found Scrapper’s Guide and Linda’s lessons. I admit to visiting other sites as well, and at each stop, found that PSE and PS were the programs used by everyone. I bought PSE 7 (I think it was)from Costco, and Linda taught me how to use it. I have always said, her teaching style is so soothing, patient, and easy to understand, that it was like having her sitting at my elbow walking me thru each lesson.

    July 22, 2013 at 10:11 am Reply
  21. User Avatar
    Twylla Smith

    I think that PSE 3 was my first version. I only used it a brief time before I knew that it could do so much more than I could figure out on my own. I took a class through my Community College but it just didn’t take me in the direction I wanted to use it, so I began searching the Internet for classes and found Scrappers Guide. I had problems with my computer running the video sample that was provided so I emailed them asking for help. I was up and running by the end of the day, subscribed to premier membership and have continued to move forward. Up to this time the class that I have enjoyed the results most has been the PopArt Posters, the most striking results have been my brother’s motorcycles and he is the envy of his group of fellow aficionados. However, I am loving the results that are starting to come from the Art of Blending.

    July 22, 2013 at 11:46 am Reply
  22. User Avatar
    Jeanne

    I retired in 2001 and decided to take a continuing ed class on Photoshop Elements. Before the class started, I was talking with some of the other students, and they told me that this was their 2nd time taking the class. I asked them “why would you take it a second time?” and they said, “you’ll find out!” Yep, I found out all right. Too complicated to get it all in the first session. But, I took copious notes and bought the newest version (just out–version 2.0!). And I started trying to edit photos. For my first attempt, I took a photo of my dad as a little boy and superimposed a photo of him years later as a Marine. It turned out great, but took forever! I used my Photoshop Elements “skills” to make fabric books (ala Lesley Riley). I still don’t really do digital scrapbooking. I make cards and books with digital photos. I’m still learning mostly by trial and error, but it’s getting easier. A few years ago, I upgraded my version 2 to version 9.0. My latest project was a Harry Potter book for my grandson. He was Harry Potter at Halloween so I had lots of photos to work with.

    July 22, 2013 at 3:40 pm Reply
  23. User Avatar
    Jen White

    Posting on behalf of Jackie Wood:
    “I first learned of Adobe through Digital Scrapper. My mother was having trouble talking and with her memory as she started to age. I began to think about how I would pass on out past to my children. They were teens at time and I new that keeping “records” was not something they would do and I was afraid I would be to old and late to remember it all. Soooo after starting to paper scrap I figured there had to be a faster and better way or I’d never get the job done. I loved my computer and the “drawing” programs that came with the computer just didn’t do the job either. I saw Photoshop results from a magazine at a bookstore and thought this is it. After some great computer research I ran into Linda’s website and all those tutorials. I started printing instructions, watching videos and before you know it I was going at it with Photoshop. The out came Elements and I was turned into a Photoshop guru with a message to preach to all my friends. It was just so easy for them to use. I’m hooked !!!! Thank you Linda!!!”

    July 22, 2013 at 10:00 pm Reply
  24. Lulutoo

    First I discovered digital scrapbooking in 2008. I was making a very long family slideshow that ended up filling 3 DVDs (with motion, effects, music, etc.) and six months of my life. I needed some baptism clipart and stumbled across digital scrapbooking while searching for it. Wow! Right up my alley, for sure! I was using PhotoImpact, which was eventually discontinued. It seemed as though most digital scrappers used PSE or CS, so I switched to PSE8 (not being able to afford CS). There was a learning curve, but not too bad, since I was familiar with selections, layers and blending effects (even if they were called something else in my old program). So anyway, now they have added in several features to PSE that I would love to play with, so thanks for the chance to win!

    July 22, 2013 at 10:07 pm Reply
  25. User Avatar
    Marie

    Around 2006 or 2007 my brother talked me into buying PSE5 for the Organizer and editing photos. I bought it at Costco, when I opened the package I was excited to see Digital Scrappers Guide CD’s. I had been using some other programs for a few years and was not happy at how limited they were. I wanted to do more than they were capable of. As soon as I started using the scrapbooking CD’s I was hooked. I have used PSE ever since and dabbled with CS6 on someone else computer. I love Digital Scrapper! I have always loved learning and what better way to learn digital scrapbooking than at Digital Scrapper with the awesome teachers we have there. I have been a member since I think 2007 and a Premier Member since it began.

    Marie
    http://digitalscrapper.com/forums/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=16416

    July 22, 2013 at 10:57 pm Reply
  26. User Avatar
    Tammy Davis

    I first purchased PSE3 after reading about it in Creating Keepsakes. I attempted to use it without a whole lot of success (I even ended up in an almost screaming fit!). I work in a library. Our state library was offering PSE beginners lessons, my boss approved me to go and off I went. With that beginning, I upgraded to PSE5 and I was up and running. I finally understood layers and how to get my pictures on them! I searched around on the internet and found a few tutorial. Then I found Jessica Sprague’s site. From there I have taken class after class and I love it. PSE has changed my life. I feel like I can create any kind of scrapbook page that I need to create. Love it. Thanks so much for the chance to win this version!

    July 22, 2013 at 11:15 pm Reply
  27. Melinda Wilson

    I first heard about Adobe back in the 1990’s. Part of my job was completing flyers and later making a catalog of our commercial kitchen products. I was introduced to PageMaker which at the time was an Aldus product and later bought out by Adobe.
    Later I changed jobs and stared working as the media secretary at a local church so of course I used PageMaker. My husband is a web designer and purchased Photoshop which I “played” with for a few months. I decided to purchase Photoshop Elements to help with my work and have used it since then.

    July 23, 2013 at 1:10 am Reply
  28. Mary

    The earliest encounter I have with Photoshop dates back to the 2000s, where I used it to convert bitmap (.bmp) and jpeg pictures to a higher quality format – a jpeg too! Lol as it seems, but that’s how I first used Photoshop. I have always been amazed at how people make magic touches on their photos, that’s why I followed different digital scrapbooking groups since the Yahoo Groups days and I that’s how I get ended up with Linda Sattgast’s digital scrapbooking newsletters on my email.

    I hope to learn more about Photoshop so I could at least apply some magic on some photos myself. I got myself armed with digitalscrapper.com, and hopefully a copy of Photoshop Essentials 11. 🙂

    July 23, 2013 at 3:18 am Reply
  29. User Avatar
    Jo M

    I found out about digital photography through a TAFE (Technical and Further Education) course because I felt I needed to keep busy learning new things. A friend of mine had already been and was VERY EXTREMELY excited about what she could do with her new photos. I somewhat reluctantly tore myself out of my shell and went along. I haven’t stopped yet. I’m learning more every day and thoroughly enjoying the journey.
    Now that I’m a grey nomad scrapbooking each day is easy and enjoyable. Friends like receiving scrapbook pages far more than just an email or a letter.
    I’m still using PSE8 but would love the upgrade to PSE11.

    Thanks for the opportunity

    July 23, 2013 at 3:29 am Reply
  30. Gayle

    I first heard about Photoshop Elements 2 about 9 years or so ago. One of my bosses showed me some photos he had worked on, as I was very interested in photography. I can’t quite remember when, but I discovered Scrappers Guide on the net and I was really new to computers. I think it was about 2006, & I used to stay up all hours of the night to learn about scrapbooking. I have been a really slow learner, but then time does not allow me a lot. But I LOVE it and love Photoshop Elements,, I have had no 5 and now use Elements 8. Still learning heaps & hope to become quicker at some stage. It sure has been a great learning tool for me.

    July 23, 2013 at 6:21 am Reply
  31. Sue Alger

    I’ve been scrapping for 20 years and when I retired over 10 years ago(2002) started creating a lot of scrapbooks as gifts for weddings, babys etc. I was using the internet for ideas and inspiration and came across digital scrapping. Then I saw a TV show about Photoshop. About 6 years ago, I downloaded a trial PSE 7 and haven’t looked back. I continued my education online by joining Digital Scrapper and other sites.

    I try to learn a new technique in PSE each week. As you know there are at least 2 ways to do anything in PSE. Believe it or not I’m still using my original PSE7 (smart $49.00 investment), but I’m ready to upgrade to PSE11. I love PSE and have even replaced by small 17″ computers screen with a 32″ screen to help me with the digital scrapping–makes quite a difference.

    There are a lot of items/software I can do without, but NOT PSE. I use it everyday. My family loves the annual albums I create for them. And, now I’m working with granddaughters to teach them scrapping and PSE.

    Thanks for the chance to win.

    July 23, 2013 at 6:40 am Reply
  32. Shel Hein

    It all started with a digital camera I bought for my husband five or six years ago. I started taking pictures but then wanted to post-process them. I started with programs like Picassa and the program that came with the camera. I bought a Wacom tablet which came bundled with PSE8. I had no idea that others were having so much fun with their pictures! I had been a conventional paper scrapbooker for years, but this changed everything!

    July 23, 2013 at 7:33 am Reply
  33. User Avatar
    Monica Skowbo

    My daughter was a designer with Sweet Shoppe and really bugging me to try digital scrapping. I had tried paper, but could not get into it, and did not think this would be any different. I had just got a new laptop that came with PSE6. One day she showed me what she had done with a photo of her daughter (my first grandchild) and the bug attacked! Once I embrace something, it is totally embraced! I found Linda at Scrapper’s Guide and Premier and have been consumed ever since!

    July 23, 2013 at 7:50 am Reply
  34. User Avatar
    Kathy

    I received my first digital camera for my 50th birthday 9 years ago. Before that I was a struggling paper scrapper who just never seemed to find the time to complete pages. I tried a few limited digital scrapping programs and they were okay, but then I discovered Digital Scrapper and learned about Photoshop Elements and have been using that and loving it ever since!

    July 23, 2013 at 8:35 am Reply
  35. Amie Lamm-Griffin

    I found PSE in 2012 when I was trying to document my little one’s first year. I discovered digital scrapbooking at the same time and PSE was the tool to have to bring all my goodies together.

    July 23, 2013 at 8:44 am Reply
  36. It has been so long since I first heard of Adobe that I honestly have no memory of it. However, I can tell you I was a paper scrapper since around 1983 and I discovered digital scrapbooking in 2004. At first I used a few smaller scrapbooking programs, Lumapix Fotofusion, and my husband’s copy of Photoshop 5. Then, in 2006, my husband gifted me with Photoshop Elements 5, which I used until new features in PSE9 intrigued me enough to upgrade. Now I use PSE10.

    You can see my digital scrapbook pages at http://michelekendzie.smugmug.com/Digital-Scrapbooking

    I’ve been so busy this year with improving my photography skills that I have hardly done any scrapping and I miss it a lot. I hope to get back to it soon.

    Thank you for this opportunity.

    July 23, 2013 at 8:56 am Reply
    • User Avatar
      Jen White

      Thanks for the gallery link, Michele. I really enjoyed looking at your pages. You are a very creative lady. 😀

      July 23, 2013 at 9:57 am Reply
  37. VickiB

    I was using Print Shop for many years and decided I wanted a little more control and functionality – purchased PSE8 and love it! I am a card maker and purchased Linda’s book to get more and easier information on the program – the book sits on or near my desk always! Love the book – love the program!

    July 23, 2013 at 9:02 am Reply
  38. Barbara Gilbert

    When my older brother died, it left me as the oldest member of our family. As the only remaining one who has a copy of our family history from 1640 through my grandfather’s birth, I was the only one left who could update it for future generations. I was a computer illiterate until I was in my late 50s, then my son bought me a laptop and I haven’t stopped since! That family history now includes my grandchildren. About six years ago I discovered digital scrapbooking and I haven’t stopped since! I have gone from a know-nothing at 57 to becoming a moderator on a forum of over 9,000 people who cut out graphics on an electronic digital cutter at age 70! My fellow moderators and I teach them how to use their machines to make print and cut designs for their scrapbooks, their greeting cards, and 3D projects! I use my PSE 7 heavily! Graphics, used in so many different ways, have become my passion, and there’s no better way to express myself that with the ability that my PSE has given me. Journaling is critical in any scrapbook, and adding it to the wonderful things I can create or download to add to my albums, scrapbooks, cards, and anything else I care to create is of the utmost importance to me, and Adobe has made it possible for me to take my family’s history to a whole new level through scrapbooking. There are millions of us who not only do that and keep it in digital format, but who love to print our creations as well. PSE is the best of both worlds, and if one adds the ability to make photos and any graphics that are suitable for the web, then there’s just no stopping the creativity or self-expression that is me and my Adobe. PSE = Personal Self Expression, through Photoshop Elements!

    July 23, 2013 at 9:05 am Reply
    • User Avatar
      Jen White

      I like that, Barbara. PSE = Personal Self Expression. Very clever. 😀

      July 23, 2013 at 9:27 am Reply
  39. Maggie

    In 2002 I retired and my husband and I starting spending the winters in the southwest. My sister-in-law, got me started in cut-&-paste scrapbooking. I got all the supplies and started to put photo scrapbooks together of our winter travels.
    One Sunday, my husband read an article in the newspaper about digital scrapbooking and he passed the article on to me. I investigated all the links on the internet and decided I would try it.
    I bought a book, “Digital Designs for Scrapbooking”, by Renee Pearson. It included a Photoshop Elements3 CD with a 30-day trial. I followed the instructions page-by-page and began my digital scrapbooking career in 2004. I never looked back. I have worked on scrapbook pages everyday since I began. I have made many books and have printed some for myself, family and friends.
    My on-going project has been to make a scrapbook for my two grandsons. Their books will include pages and photos from birth to high school graduation.

    July 23, 2013 at 9:06 am Reply
  40. Andrea Taylor

    I of course used Adobe Reader since forever, but way back when I was working, I was offered a class at work for Adobe PSE2. I took the class was hooked for life! I loved what it could do back then. Of course, now it all seems so basic compared to the later versions. Every time they come out with a new version, I am amazed at what it can do. It has always been my favorite picture program to work with, so getting the newest version would be great! I am not sure when Digital Scrappe came into my life, but they have been a lifesaver with hints and tips!

    July 23, 2013 at 9:21 am Reply
  41. User Avatar
    Janice

    I was making digital greeting cards with software such as Microsoft’s Digital Image Pro and Nova’s Greeting Card Deluxe and was ready to learn something new. While walking through Sam’s Club, I noticed a bundle of PSE4 and PE2 and purchased it because the price was right – way under $100,

    I never knew there was a difference between CS and PSE, but knew the Adobe name and figured how could I go wrong getting two software programs for the price of one.

    Six months later, I had given up on PSE when I happened upon a book called “Digital Scrapbooking in Easy Steps” I looked through the book and realized they used Photoshop as the basis for their projects, so I figured this would be a good source for learning PSE.

    At the back of the book, there were links to Digital Scrapbooking sites and I was on my way. I never wanted to digi scrap – had no interest. Just wanted to make more innovative greeting cards. However, the forums were so friendly, that I wanted to participate and in order to do that, I started to learn digi scrapping. 350 LO’s later, I am hooked.

    BTW – that book eased my way into learning PSE and I’ve never looked back. Now I can’t imagine life without PSE.

    July 23, 2013 at 9:29 am Reply
  42. User Avatar
    Barbara

    I was introduced to Adobe PSE in 2007 from a fellow scrapper who could no longer do “paper scrapping” due to an injury. I quickly purchased the PSE 5 and loved it. I have been best friends with Linda S. since that time. One thing I love the most is being able to print multiple pages of holiday activities for my daughter’s families. I would never have the time or stamina to make multiple pages of paper scrapping. And, when we have the grandkids, they now get pages of our memories together. All I know about “Digi Scrapping”, I’ve learned from Linda and Jen!!! Thanks ladies.

    July 23, 2013 at 9:58 am Reply
  43. User Avatar
    Kathy

    I first learned about Adobe PE when browsing through software in Costco. There I saw Adobe Photoshop Elements with the free CD from Linda on Digital Scrapbooking. I went to her website and loved the idea of merging computer with creative scrapbooking. It opens a world of creative tools! Have also taken PE classes at the local adult ed school….

    July 23, 2013 at 10:02 am Reply
  44. Robinsismai

    I had been a paper scrapper (hoarder) for years and when i got remarried and moved several times, I finally had to get rid of my paper supplies as hubby was tired of toting them around. I purchased a laptop and a copy of Photoshop Elements 9 with the intent of learning digital scrapping. I say intent because I installed PSE 9 on the computer and opened it up and was intimidated by what I saw as every opportunity to screw things up! I attempted several times to create a page, but somehow, the instructions were just never ‘simple’ enough. I Googled some digi scrapping tutorials and up popped Digital Scrapper and the rest is history. I have been scrapping for just over a year and thanks to all the helpful information here, I think I’ve mastered my program, but I’m looking to upgrade at this time. Thank you so much for all the wonderful resources and for the chance to win!
    Here is a link to my gallery:

    July 23, 2013 at 10:54 am Reply
  45. User Avatar
    Bonnie Cuddihy

    I’d seen a few digital layouts and tried various software and threw all away except Photoshop Elements v2. It took me a week of total frustration to create my first layout. (There was little available back then.) Then I found Linda Sattgast and her “How To” instructions with Linda’s calming voice and it opened up my digital world. As long as I have my digital camera and laptop, I can scrap anywhere…airports waiting for delayed flights, hotel rooms when I cannot sleep, hospitals, anywhere I have “extra” time that would otherwise go wasted. With each new version, Linda keeps me up-to-date with the latest and greatest. I must admit through the years, Digital Scrapper is the best “Go To” site with help available for almost any technique or predicament. It’s good to know there are friends who can help you at any time you need it. Go and Grow!

    July 23, 2013 at 10:58 am Reply
    • User Avatar
      Jen White

      Bonnie,
      Congratulations! Your name was randomly drawn for the FREE Photoshop Elements 11. I will be contacting you directly to get your mailing address. 😀

      July 27, 2013 at 8:19 pm Reply
  46. Dottie Gawley

    After making my first paper scrapbook, I noticed that there was to be a scrapbooking convention or show in my town, Mesa, AZ. A friend and I went to the show. We walked through the show checking out all of the paper scrapbooking stuff. Then we came to Linda Sattgast’s booth! I love using a computer and ended up buying the PSE3 and Linda’s Guide to Photoshop Elements. No more paper scrapbooking for me. I struggled and struggled learning the program but finally “got it” a bit after several tries. I have purchased the program in alternate years particularly wanting the new program when Linda had a family or travel album included. I have been a Premier member, I think from the start, and have files and files of the Digital Scrapper albums. I love having them all at my finger tips. I’m a big fan and will continue to be so. Thanks, Linda and team!

    July 23, 2013 at 11:12 am Reply
  47. User Avatar
    Leslie Wanamaker

    Adobe came into my life when I went to a Bible Teacher’s Workshop in Austin, TX. One of the presenters used it and showed us the possibilities. I got Elements 5 at Best Buy at the Christmas Black Friday sale. While standing in line at three in the morning we made friends with other people in line and had a wonderful time. I then got connected to Scrapper’s Guide in around 2006 and have spent lots of time learning how to use Adobe from Linda and then the people she has employed. It’s been a fun journey. I have made beautiful visual aids for Bible class and have shared them widely. Thank you Adobe and Linda!

    July 23, 2013 at 12:08 pm Reply
  48. User Avatar
    BettyC

    I think it was in the Fall of 2003 that I got the Canon Rebel when it first came out. And in the software was PSE 2. I installed it but couldn’t make heads or tails of the concept of layers. My daughter & I would wrack our brains over the concept, spending lots of time at my desktop computer when she would visit. Then I found Linda & Scrapper’s Guide & her wonderful instructive DVD’s. Also loved her Weekly Tips & learned so many special things from those! I upgraded every time a new version of PSE was introduced, then finally pulled the trigger for CS5.

    July 23, 2013 at 12:36 pm Reply
  49. User Avatar
    Desmond Walls Allen

    PSE version 2 and I had a love-at-first-sight experience. Several years ago I needed to retouch some old photos and friends recommended PSE. It was like the Adobe programmers and I had a mind-meld. I moved on to full-blown Photoshop, but still use PSE sometimes. The director of continuing ed at a local college asked me to teach a digital scrapbooking class and that’s when I found Digital Scrapper’s wonderful tutorials. I’ve recommended them to students since then.

    July 23, 2013 at 12:37 pm Reply
  50. User Avatar
    Fran Straus

    I was visiting at a friend’s home in 2006 when she showed me the photobooks she had created. Wow! I was blown away and knew I wanted to try it. She recommended four resources: Adobe Photoshop Elements, Scrapper’s Guide, Shutterfly, and MyPublisher. I bought PSE5, subscribed to Scrapper’s Guide, and was on my way. My first books were through MyPublisher, but as I delved more and more into buying kits and creating pages from scratch, I mostly switched to printing through Shutterfly. I have done yearbooks, a recipe book, and books on specific topics. I love it!

    July 23, 2013 at 1:00 pm Reply
  51. Peggy T

    I knew about Adobe cause I used to live in Seattle. Before I retired in 2006 I haunted the marketing dept so they could teach me about PS7 as I received a copy of that software thru the company. I received PSE4 as a gift after our big move and I was hooked. Somewhere along the line after I retired and we moved to the “South” I found Scrappers Guide and bought several CD’s and learned so very much. I was living across country from my grand kids so digital scrapping was so important for me. Once we moved down here I had more chances to capture the everyday pictures as they continued to grow up. I am so glad to have the records of their growth in the scrap booking form because they are off to college and their own lives now! I am hoping I have enough saved to get PSE11 next summer. It looks so much better than what I have. Continue the good training!

    July 23, 2013 at 1:32 pm Reply
  52. User Avatar
    Becky

    I got my first computer in 2001…used from a friend. It had a very basic adope photoshop in it. I loved the fun things I learned to do with it and was so eager to know more. I purchased my first PSE 3 and had no idea how to use it! For several years I bought books and tried teaching myself. Didn’t go well. Upgraded to PSE 5 a few years later and in the box was a card advertising Scrappersguide. I have been a member ever since. Digital scrapbooking was a bonus! I was eager to learn the mysteries of photo editing more than the scrapbooking. But that changed once the I caught on to the whole idea of digital scrapbooking. Learning through video tutorials is so much easier than book learning. And no one does it better than the Digital Scrapbook Team. The monthly kits and tutorials are a gift to myself that I refuse to give up.

    July 23, 2013 at 2:02 pm Reply
  53. Gary Ratajczak

    I have been fascinated by digital cmeras since they first came out years ago. As a result, I began taking lots of pictures – I mean lots of pictures. One thing led to another, and it became apparent I needed a way to do some editing. I found my way to PS, and was lucky enough to be able to use in some of my work related projects. More cameras, and more pictures led to more addiction into the hobby. As new software became available, I moved to PSE for my home use projects. Looking for some clipart, I discovered digital scrapbooking in 2006 or so, and have been a Scrappers Guide member since 2007. I currently do mostly quick editing and collage type pictures, but have been collecting digital supplies for years. Our daughter was born in 2004, so I have even more pics to start scrapping in the future.

    A copy of the latyest software might get my wife interested as well.

    July 23, 2013 at 3:13 pm Reply
  54. Canay

    Back in 2003 I was creating a paper scrapbook for my daughter’s school years. I wanted to do a search online for Creative Memories School Days kit to get some ideas for titles. As you know, one search can lead to another and somehow my searching led me to Scrapbook Bytes. This was a whole site on doing digital scrapbooking and my skin just started tingling when I started perusing the site. I came upon a tutorial to create a layout using Photoshop and I thought “hey, that program came on my Dell computer.” So I opened up the program and started following the tutorial. It was quite a challenge because the tutorial wanted me to click buttons that were not in my program. I thought Dell must have given me an older version. So I spent a lot of time figuring out what the tutorial wanted me to do then going to the help menu and figuring out how to do it in the program. When I was done I was so ecstatic at what I had created. But little did I know that the program I was using was Paint Shop Pro by Jasc, not Photoshop by Adobe. I finally realized I had a different program and I found there were many digital scrappers using Paint Shop Pro. Somewhere around 2005 I joined Scrappers Guide, but I mainly used the kits and continued to scrap in Paint Shop Pro. Around 2007, my son came home from college and told me that he had taken a class using Photoshop. He said that Adobe Photoshop was the best of the best and it was the program the professionals used. He was convinced that his mother deserved the best. Being a smart mother, I agreed with him and the rest is history….

    July 23, 2013 at 6:54 pm Reply
  55. User Avatar
    Cindy

    I have been scrapbooking for many years. 4 years ago my condition (I have Muscular Dystrophy) has gotten so bad I could no longer scrap. Adobe Elements 8 gave me my hobby (that I love so much) back. I would love to up grade to 11. Thanks so much for the chance. ~Cindy

    July 23, 2013 at 11:19 pm Reply
  56. digione

    In 2008 I was having severe reactions to adhesives and inks in the paper scrapbooking supplies. I started looking into an alternative and came across Linda’s ad for her training CDs. Our internet service, at that time, was less than satisfactory and I could not find her cds again. I couldn’t remember the name but I knew the picture of the training disks. I looked into another digital software program but found that I could not be the creator. I had to use what was supplied and just arrange it on a page. I wanted more control than that!

    In the meantime, I tried following other instructors and tutorials for PSE 4, but it was not fun! Much of the information was lost in their teaching technique. A lot of guess work and playing around with the program was how I learned to use PSE at a rudimentary level.

    One day, in early 2009, when browsing the internet I came across Linda’s training cds. I found her website and signed up immediately as a Premier Member. So many things have changed and opened up for me since that time. I love learning new things and I always look forward to the next tutorial.

    Everyone in my “crop circle” is in amazement of what I can accomplish but alas they are still stuck to paper. I think I am having more fun than they are. I can get in and out with only one bag!

    July 24, 2013 at 12:37 am Reply
  57. User Avatar
    Brigitta (Scrapgirl)

    I first came to learn about Adobe round about 2010. I had enrolled in a six month part time-Digital Design Course in one of our Tafe Colleges over here in Australia. We used Adobe Photoshop CS3 at the time. Well what can I say! It was like learning a foreign language.

    I enjoyed what I was learning, but I began to think that maybe this course was just meant for Graphic Artist’s, anyway after the first few weeks into the course I wasn’t quite sure if this was going to be for me. Until! one afternoon our instructor said Ok everyone lets try something a bit different and fun.

    She showed us an example of a digital scrap page layout she had done and she wanted us to give it a go. Well! what can I say! When she showed me how to extract that first bit of lace, I was hooked on this so called Digital Scrapbooking.
    Right then and there I knew why I wanted to continue learning Photoshop, the possibilities to use this software was endless.

    I had never done any kind of scrapbooking before, so this was a real eye opener for me. After the course had finished, I used to go on line every now and then to see what courses were available to learn digital scrapbooking, couldn’t really find anything that explained this from scratch…Until only this year I found the Digital Scrappers Site, where I looked into it a bit further and came across Linda’s Video Tutorials…they were so helpful that I have enrolled into almost every one of her available classes. Now I just need the “How To Get Organized” one.

    Thank you ladies for all your great tutorials with everyone there is always something new to learn.

    July 24, 2013 at 12:46 am Reply
  58. User Avatar
    Barb Wolson

    I purchased Corel Painter Essentials 4 several years ago and Photoshop Elements 4.0 was included. That started me on this wonderful adventure. I have since upgraded to PE9. Photoshop Elements has opened the door to digital scrapbooking for me and for this I am very grateful.

    July 24, 2013 at 11:04 am Reply
  59. User Avatar
    Rita Presley

    One day when I was 12 years old, I asked my grandmother “What was your grandmother like?” “Please tell me every thing you can remember about her.” I had such a strong urge to know about her. My maternal grandmother had a small photo of her grandmother; it was about the size of a large postage stamp. My grandmother said it was the only known photo of her grandmother in existence. In the photo she was an American Indian, from the Choctaw Tribe, standing alongside of a covered wagon. She had 2 large braids of hair, one on each side of her face. My grandmother said that I could have it, after her passing. When that time came, neither I nor any one else in my family could find it. I was so hurt, to know that it had slipped from my grasp. I vowed to myself, to never loose hold of any family photos again. And my desire to know more about my grandmother’s grandmother led me to genealogy. To this day, I still have not found out her name. My grandmother told me her name, but it was from the Indian language, and I could not hear well enough to understand what my grandmother called her. But I do remember my grandmother said that it meant the same thing that my name (Rita) means, it meant purity, pure of heart, like the beauty of a pearl.

    I had my first hands on experience with a computer terminal during the last nine weeks of my Senior year in High Schoool, in 1974. The professor, who came with the terminal, said “One day, in the not too distant future, every home will have a computer, and not just one. Just like we have 2 cars in the garage, or more than one phone in our home.” My first thought was, I don’t see how anyone could ever afford one, they cost millions of dollars. But I made myself a promise, that one day I would have one. I started saving my money, and watched for the day, when the amount of money I had saved, would match the price of a new computer, as their prices were dropping over the years. Finally in 1995, I bought my first computer. I was so excited to have it! Then my next thought was, ‘now that I have one, what am I going to do with it !?!

    I had heard of people scanning family photos for keepsakes. But many of the photos that I had were torn and badly in need of repair. A few more years went by and I bought an Epson printer, and a scanner. All of the photos I had were in old Photo Albums, the sticky kind of pages had discolored many of them, because they were not acid free. My thoughts at that time was ‘to scan each photo and reprint them before anymore degradation should occur to them, thus preserving them’, the best way I knew how. When I opened my first ink cartridge for the inkjet printer, a folded pamphlet fell to the floor. I thought maybe it had a coupon in it; but it did not. What I found was worth far more than a coupon. It had information on it, about Adobe Photoshop Elements, and Linda Sattgast, Adobe’s Expert. It was the first time, that I learned about Adobe products and Linda Sattgast’s website. Linda has been a very good teacher, and a dear friend. She has taught me so much about Adobe’s Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. It has taken me a few years, but I have repaired not only my own photos, but many photos for others as well. And now I am enjoying Digital Scrapbooking.

    “A photo tells a story, but not the whole story.
    Journaling tells the rest of the story.”

    This quote has been copyrighted by Rita Presley; you may print it here electronically with my permission.

    Thank you Linda! Thanks to your team members!, and Thanks to Adobe!

    July 24, 2013 at 3:18 pm Reply
  60. User Avatar

    I am in the travel and tour business and crate my own tour flyers, web site, 2 blogs. Also use Constant Contact for my email newsletter – all of which require digital photo knowledge in one form or other.

    Sometime in 2000, I introduced myself to the world of “desk-top publishing” using Microsoft Publisher and Picture It. I fell in love with digital anything and moved on to Adobe Acrobat 6 which I never did conquer to my satisfaction. You need to have a bit of a math mind to do all this – something I was NOT blessed with at birth…also – have done everything by the seat of my pants through tons of reading.

    While doing traditional paper scrapbooking, I came across several articles in scrapbooking magazines and decided to give it a try. My first PSE program was PSE 4. I think I have every book imaginable on PSE 4 – non of which really helped!I then found Linda and purchased her CD on PSE 5 even though I had PSE 4…but for some reason, nothing clicked.

    Finally took the bull by the horns, purchased PSE 8 CD which also included Linda’s fabulous CD with step-by-step lessons and became a Premier Member. Again, took me forever to learn, but I can now do things without having to start from square one each and every time. Practice makes perfect!

    I also subscribe to Photoshop Elements Techniques where I find a wealth of information in their magazine.

    To be honest – I have tried other digital scrapbook lessons and designs – but always go back “home” to Digital Scrapper. You are my saviours!

    I’m now happy to say I also understand and use Adobe Lightroom. Fantastic!!! Love their photo organization system.

    I am waiting for PSE 12 to come out in September because so much of what is taught now is geared to PSE 11. I find myself having to “make do” too much.

    Of course, if I am the “lucky winner” for PSE 11 – no need right now to buy PSE 12…

    Thanks for the opportunity to be a winner. I am the perfect example of “being able to teach an OLD dog new tricks!” Have a great day!

    elaine j

    July 24, 2013 at 4:21 pm Reply
  61. Chris Wilson

    My story of scrapbooking started when I attended a class for paper scrapbooking in 2008, I was so enthralled with this idea and quickly became addicted, I decided to make my son a scrapbook from birth to 21 years of age and just fell in love with the way it looked and when I presented it to him he cried and said it was the best present I had ever given him. About that time I started a class at college for digital scrapbooking and was introduced to photoshop elements 6 however I found this most confusing and searched the net to find some lessons on its use I came across Digital scrappers and bought Linda’s CD on how to digital scrapbook, wow how great that was, I soon became hooked and purchased a premier subscription in 2009 and am still a member.

    I haven’t sent in any of my scrapbook pages though as I find it confusing loading them onto the web and finding the names of all the products I have used etc, I am a visual learner and have trouble following manual instructions. However I have made several scrapbooks now for my children and grandchildren all digital and just love the way they have turned out. Thank you Linda so much for your assistance via the CD and for all the video lessons I receive each month and daily tips from the pro’s from the newsletter I would really love a copy of photoshop elements 11 then I wouldn’t have to do the work a round each time I add a mask, that would be bliss alone.

    July 24, 2013 at 8:00 pm Reply
  62. Cheryl H.

    My mother got me hooked on PSE years ago and encouraged me to check out Digital Scrappers website and purchase Linda Sattgast’s tutorial CDs. Then I started watching the Blog when it was started.

    We’ve both learned alot from the blog and website and enjoy challenging each other to complete pages.

    It’s wonderful to see and learn new ideas from everyone.

    July 24, 2013 at 8:11 pm Reply
  63. User Avatar
    Gayle

    I had the opportunity to take a Beginning Photoshop Class 4.0 for Win.95 back in 1998. It was a 2 day class and I really liked it. When I got home I realized that my computer Franke (short for Frankenstein) which my tech roomates had put together with spare parts, would not be able to run this program as I needed more memory ect… Anyhow as fate would have it I was on a cruise in 2009 out of Longbeach when I met Linda Sattgast at a Gally tour and she told me to meet her at the scrapbooking class the ship had scheduled. So I found another gal at the Karaoke bar that wanted to learn too, and we went to the class. There Linda showed me her scrapbook that she did on the computer and had printed up. Wow it was great. In a couple of months I had ordered a year of the Premier membership from Linda’s website and bought a copy of PSE7 and Lindas instructional cd for PSE7. I would be so happy if I got the PSE 11 as I am a photgrapher, and it would be so wonderful to be able to use the newer version for my pictures and scrapbook pages.

    July 24, 2013 at 8:52 pm Reply
  64. User Avatar
    Mary Turner

    In the early 1990’s I was working for a publishing company where I learned the wonderful program Aldus Pagemaker. Then I learned about Adobe when they purchased Aldus Pagemaker in 1994. In 1998 I wanted to take a class in Adobe Illustrator at the community college, but they didn’t offer one. The lady in the registrar’s office said why don’t you take Photoshop? So I did and I loved it from the start. When my daughter got married in 2005 I made her wedding album, but I wanted some more ideas. I was looking around on the internet in 2006 and found Scrapper’s Guide and subscribed. Later I decided that it was worth the $15 per year, and now I can’t quit! It’s great. No matter how many times I watch a class, the teacher is just as patient as the first time, even if it is in the middle of the night.

    I’ll bet that somewhere there must be a 12 step program for Photoshop users!

    July 24, 2013 at 9:26 pm Reply
  65. User Avatar
    Sheri

    I started paper scrapbooking when a mother at my daughter’s preschool opened a scrapbooking store right across the street (and left some coupons by the sign-in book). I was constantly in the store asking for advice, taking classes and buying supplies and going to the Friday night crops. I had a blast. Hard to believe that it was 13 years ago!

    My husband bought me one of the early digital cameras, and then I was carrying around two cameras; continuing to take photos and printing them out. Somewhere along the line, I received a digital camera that was able to take action shots, and it became my primary camera. At that point, I realized it was expensive to print all the photos and buy supplies.

    The scrapbooking magazines were also venturing into digital scrapping, so it was time for me to as well. I bought PSE4 and signed up for a Photoshop class at our community college. Approximately half way through the semester, the assignments were going in a direction that did not interest me. I really didn’t want to make flying heads or unrealistic photos. While I could admire the art, that was not my focus. I dropped the class, and began searching for help on digital scrapbooking.

    I found Scrappers Guide, and I am so happy that I did. I purchased the learn digital scrapbooking CD and realized this is exactly what I was looking for. I spent many an evenings and late nights going through the tutorials, making pages, and returning to the tutorials. At this point, it was all too good to be true, and I became a Premier member.

    I love the forum, I have seen the community and the staff grow, I have enjoyed every minute I have spent here and am thankful for everything I have learned. I would not be able to create all the family albums, grandparent gifts, calendars, etc. without Digital Scrapper. I am eternal grateful. I know that whenever I have a problem, there are wonderful people here to help.

    Thank-you for all that you have given me.

    July 24, 2013 at 9:39 pm Reply
  66. User Avatar

    I’d been making what I called digital photo albums (pages with a background and maybe a piece of clip art or two) using Picture it! and then MS Digital Image Pro since about 2001. When nearly every book and tutorial I saw was PSE based, I decided to take the plunge and bought PSE6 in early 2008. I installed it and HATED it! It used terminology that didn’t make sense, I couldn’t make heads or tails of the Organizer, and I just closed it and went back to MSDIP. When the community college I worked at offered a class in PSE in the spring of 2010 I thought, “Okay, I’ll give it another try.” I really wanted to be able to use some of the cool tools that my program didn’t utilize. He was teaching PSE8, so my dear hubby bought me a copy and off I went. Every week was another huge Aha! moment, and I don’t think I’ve used my old program since! 🙂 I’m on PSE10 now and can’t imagine using anything else to scrap with!

    July 24, 2013 at 11:22 pm Reply
  67. User Avatar
    Tana

    When I first purchased PSE I didn’t even own a digital camera. I saw it at Costco and thought “that looks so cool” and bought it. I’m not sure what I thought it would do for me since I didn’t even have any digital pictures! I had always been a paper scrapper but had seen some incredible pictures/layouts at stores and expos where they had used Photoshop to enhance their pictures and do some really incredible things in their layouts. So now I owned PSE so my next step was to get a digital camera (I kind of did things backwards). I am pretty good on the computer, but trying to learn PSE with nothing other than the little pamphlet that came with the program was nearly impossible! Fortunately the next upgrade I purchased contained a “Learn Digital Scrapbooking” CD by Linda Sattgast. I was finally on my way. I spent the next few years scrapping both paper and digitally (trying to work through my huge paper stash!). Now 99% of what I do is digital and I love PSE 10 (my latest version, but sure wouldn’t mind winning a free upgrade to PSE 11). Even though I haven’t purchased any paper supplies in years, I still have a small bag with my very favorite paper kits that I can’t part with, waiting for the perfect pictures to go with them. I now have a huge stash of digital supplies and love how PSE helps me use them in dozens of ways.

    July 25, 2013 at 12:34 pm Reply
  68. User Avatar
    Ruth

    About 13-14 years ago we purchased a new computer that came with a program called Photoshop Lite or it may have been PSE Lite. I don’t remember now. I didn’t know anything about it or what I was able to do with it. After a few internet searches, I found some tutorials which enabled me to edit photos with some pleasing effects. After that, I was hooked and purchased a few upgrades along the way. I stopped upgrading PSE at version 7 and went full tilt to PS5. I wish I had been able to afford the upgrade to PS6 as I will not be subscribing to CC. I will probably return to PSE at some point, and winning a copy of PSE 11 would be a good start.

    July 25, 2013 at 6:32 pm Reply
  69. User Avatar
    Judy

    I was a traditional scrapbooker for a few years and had subscribed to some great scrapbook magazines for layout ideas and techniques to use. Then I started seeing some of the layouts created digitally and I was amazed at how great they looked. I started searching the internet for digital scrapbooking programs and downloaded a free one to try. Then I discovered Photoshop Elements and it took me awhile, but eventually I bought PSE 5. After much agony trying to learn HOW to use it, I bought the book “Photoshop Elements 5 for Dummies.” Still it was hard to understand. After more internet searches I cam across “Scrappers Guide” and finally found some amazing tutorials to help me. They were so much easier to understand and I finally made my first digital layout. I was really excited now. I have been printing out these wonderful tuts and have made my own book of tutorials from “Scrappers Guide/Digital Scrapper. I have just begun taking Linda’s “The Art of Blending” class and I love it! I also just signed up for her “Learn Digital Scrapbooking” class because I am sure she will be teaching me new things that I didn’t know and will make my scrapbooking experience faster and more enjoyable.I went from PSE 5 in 2008 to PSE 9 in 2011, and I really hope to have PSE 11 for this class. I am always blown away by the awesome things that can be done with Adobe Photoshop Elements…and it just keeps getting better!!

    July 26, 2013 at 11:29 pm Reply
  70. User Avatar
    Jo

    I discovered Digital Scrapping quite by accident and was after one of those pieces of software marketed as a Digital Scrapping program, after looking at review sites, I picked one, but it was not available in my country. This was such a blessing, as it meant I looked further and discovered that Digital Scrapping was not a software specific hobby, and the Photoshop Elements would be the best tool for the job. I think I probably first got that hint via a book from the library…. as I was still using my ‘old’ learning path then! After that I stumbled upon an instructional tutorial that Linda had made for Photoshop Elements. There I learned about Digital Scrapper, and that was the best bit, as once I found the Digital Scrapper site and took the Learn Digital Scrapping course, my Digital Scrapping journey started to gain speed. Up to then it had been a series of dead-ends and wrong turns as I tried to follow an old fashioned path of book and nightclass learning. Thank goodness for the digital age and finding Linda! And what I like best about having found Adobe Elements instead of buying a piece of software, is that it has enabled me to grow and explore and learn in a way that other programs would not have supported, and beyond what I envisaged when I started this journey.

    July 28, 2013 at 3:39 am Reply
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