When MomDot was contacted and asked to review the Digital Scrapbook Artist program recently released by Serif, I jumped at the opportunity to be the lucky momma to check it out.

According to their website, Serif’s Digital Scrapbook Artist offers a unique combination of ease-of-use, traditional scrapbooking techniques, and truly realistic-looking results. Now you can quickly and easily transform your photos and memories into wonderfully personal artwork that you will cherish forever.

• Suitable for all scrapbookers, novice to expert
• Create beautiful photorealistic pages
• Incredibly easy to use, fun and fast
• Unlimited creativity for unique designs
• Share with family and friends

Sounds great, right?  Well, I was excited.  When the package from Fed Ex arrived, I could not wait to try it out.  The box included the software CD and manual, as well as a Digitkit Collection CD.  I installed both on my desktop and got to work.

I tend to spend a few minutes clicking my way around to see how far I can get before consulting a manual or help guide.  I was surprised at how easy to use the program is and how common sense most actions are.  I started with a premade theme, similar to what most digi scrappers refer to as a quick page.  I chose the page I wanted and swapped out their generic photo for mine and changed the wording just a bit to customize my page.  It literally only took 5 minutes to have a completed page ready to be shared and printed.  I used the Festive Walk collection provided with the software, check it out…

I have to agree with the statements their website made.  This program is very easy to use for beginners, as I created the above in a few minutes with little work on my part.  Digital Scrapbook Artist also offers features that more advanced scrappers enjoy, such as working in layers similar to Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements.  The graphics provided with the program are all 300 dpi and look crisp, clear and realistic.

Some of my favorite features are on page photo editing, the photo tab allowing import of multiple photos at once, the customizable drop shadow feature, and that when resizing a photo the bounding box shows the size as you drag it along.

I thought it was amazing that Digital Scrapbook Artist allows you to also use your own graphics. Some of the programs in this price point or lower do not allow import of your own graphics.  As many of you know, I am a digi scrapbook download maniac and have ooodles of goodies saved on my pc.

I decided to give that option a try as well and started with a blank page adding my own elements easily under the Insert Photo tab at the top.  I was able to layer my papers and elements just like I normally would.  Resizing, moving and adding a drop shadow to my embellishments was a snap.  Again the software was easy to navigate and I only had to consult the manual once and my question was answered.  Here’s a little something I made using Digital Scrapbook Artist and papers and embellishments designed by YardBunny.

Another great feature is how easy it is to share your creations with family and friends.  You click on the little green arrow that says share and are taken to DaisyTrail registration.  Membership is free and comes with an additional two digikits for you to download. Once you register you can invite family and friends to view your creations as well as utilize the public and private forums to gain inspiration from other members.  There is also a monthly newsletter available that is sure to provide additional inspiration and tricks to make things even easier.

I would definitely recommend this program! The flexibility and ease of use are excellent.  The provided graphics and themed pages are a great bonus.  At $39.99 this is a great program to consider if you want to get into digital scrapbooking, but are not sure about making a large investment.  Check out their website and visit my blog for scrapbook pages made with Digital Scrapbook Artist in the future.

Andrea