taking it for a test drive...is it really the best?

[Kizzie]

So...I'm lovin' this so far, it's so simple, but the lo's I've done look great! (tooting my own horn..!),I love how you can make the lo's ANY size you want, I've also heard great things about adobe photoshot elements, but I'm trying the free version of that now too. A little more complicated. (I haven't been able to figure it out!!!).

My question is...is this really the best?
I'm trying to convince my husband that it's what I want but he wants me to see if I can find another that is similar to this or as easy, etc. Just to make sure I'm not rushing in...so what else have you used, how does it compare to SBM?
ANY input is great!! Thanks, I'm hoping to get this today or SOON!!

[Michele1606]

I'm new to this as well and have been using this software for a few weeks now. I have photoshop cs that I will get my head round one day but this software is really brilliant. I use it for atcs as well. Very flexible and you can add existing stuff from your pc too. I love it!

[Kazr]

Hi Kizzie & Michele1606,
For me this is the best as I also have photshop elements etc & cannot make head nor tail out of it, this is so easy & user friendly,I think it's the best investment I have done, just love it & Kizzie ,I understand your hubby asking you to look around,it's a really good idea, but I have a feeling we will be seeing you soon, it really is a fun & easy program for all.
hugs Karyn.

[mint]

I did the same thing I downloaded every program i could try Bought 3 and adobe sent that one back to hard.still have 3 but only use max. I like max because it is the easiest to use and its friendly to other kits. witch I love and i thank the drop and drag is the best.
I wont list the others because I don't thank it would be fair to max.

[DGehman]

So...I'm lovin' this so far, it's so simple, but the lo's I've done look great! ....
My question is...is this really the best?

[CAUTION: this is long, but, hey, I'm a writer...]

As a guru in a Hollywood production would say (in a heavy Indian accent), "There are many ways up the mountain."

If you'd like to pay a premium, strap on 14 bowling balls and a cast-iron stove, and walk up the roughest trail, then Adobe PhotoShop is the way.

If you'd rather drive up in a 4-door on a paved road, Scrapbook Max is the other extreme.

In the computer world, talking generically, you are image processing when you are making a digital scrapbook. More specifically, you are laying out single (virtual or digital) pages. There are many flavors of software to do this.

One is desktop publishing, such as ($$$) Adobe InDesign or ($$) Serif PagePlus.

Another is graphical wordprocessing, such as ($$$) Microsoft Word or (0$) OpenOffice Text.

A third is bitmap editing, such as ($$$) Adobe PhotoShop, ($) Adobe PhotoShop Elements, ($) Paint Shop Pro or (0$) Gimp.

A final is presentation software, such as ($$$) Microsoft PowerPoint or, again, (0$) OpenOffice Impress.

There are various sign-making programs as well.

Finally, there are scrapbook making programs, including SBM and a couple from Broderbund. This category uses the terminology and concepts behind actual scrapbook or memory book compilation, a centuries-old human endeavor. Go this way, if you want to make digital scrapbooks (or print out real ones from digital sources).

Scrapbooking with digital bitmap editors requires you to learn specific vocabularies and a welter of tools, many with their own, circumscribed modes of operation. Go this way, if you want to become a graphical designer. They offer a great deal of power. And in my experience, a great deal of hair loss.

In the scrapbook genre, Indigo Rose has done a number of things right. This begins with making a lot of graphics processing easy and fairly intuitive.

A key file format, .SBM, is simply a re-named Zip file, making it essentially an open format, available to anyone with a Zip utility. Another file type, templates, is proprietary, but Indigo Rose gives complete instructions on this forum on how to make them.

Then, the company makes it easy for aspiring entrepreneurs to set up their own storefront to sell embellishments, add-ons, templates, and kits (the "Booster Pack" button at the top of this page).

Doing so provides continued ongoing refreshing of elements. And it gives the motivated a rush of excitement -- the best part of retailing is making customers happy and the second best is coming up with goods that somebody else will pay money for, and both can be exciting -- as well as a modicum of pocket money.

Finally, the company maintains this forum, and it appears to do it without any heavy-handed censoring. From my limited experience, the people here are friendly and appreciative, and completely eclectic in terms of design approaches.

There are many other scrapbooking "communities" out there, and you can certainly ask your question there. At the bottom of this page are links to sources and communities.

You and your partner can have much fun winnowing through the opinions out there. My vote, SBM.

I use or own CorelDraw (w/Photo-Paint, a pro tool close to PhotoShop), Serif PagePlus, Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, RealDraw Pro, Xara Xtreme, Asymetrix Web3D, TrueSpace 3D, and Gimp. These are all things I've accumulated over years of freelance writing, which often needs touches of graphics production.

For making scrapbooks, I turn to SBM.
Dave

[*eng*]

Wow that's some post , and very i nformative.

SBM is numpty friendly and advanced user friendly and friendly friendly. Most people on here would definitely say it's the top programme for scrappers

[eye]

So...I'm lovin' this so far, it's so simple, but the lo's I've done look great! (tooting my own horn..!),I love how you can make the lo's ANY size you want, I've also heard great things about adobe photoshot elements, but I'm trying the free version of that now too. A little more complicated. (I haven't been able to figure it out!!!).

My question is...is this really the best?
I'm trying to convince my husband that it's what I want but he wants me to see if I can find another that is similar to this or as easy, etc. Just to make sure I'm not rushing in...so what else have you used, how does it compare to SBM?
ANY input is great!! Thanks, I'm hoping to get this today or SOON!!

Well all I can say You Snooze You Loose.This is the best program so far. I found it by accident and fell for it and I have been here about a year. It is so easy to use. You get all kinds of stuff and lots of luvin and support when the chips are down.I also have made some friemds.Everyone is so helpful. If yah gte stuck Desmond is always around to help yah out.This site is a ++++++++. I have tried others and no go. So here I is staying till I die or computer dies. Whichever has the most mileage.So Please Buy this Program and you will be happy yah did.I also use the developer here and get 12 x12 done and presto just slide in the sleeves and album is done.They do excellent work.

[eye]

[CAUTION: this is long, but, hey, I'm a writer...]

As a guru in a Hollywood production would say (in a heavy Indian accent), "There are many ways up the mountain."

If you'd like to pay a premium, strap on 14 bowling balls and a cast-iron stove, and walk up the roughest trail, then Adobe PhotoShop is the way.

If you'd rather drive up in a 4-door on a paved road, Scrapbook Max is the other extreme.

In the computer world, talking generically, you are image processing when you are making a digital scrapbook. More specifically, you are laying out single (virtual or digital) pages. There are many flavors of software to do this.

One is desktop publishing, such as ($$$) Adobe InDesign or ($$) Serif PagePlus.

Another is graphical wordprocessing, such as ($$$) Microsoft Word or (0$) OpenOffice Text.

A third is bitmap editing, such as ($$$) Adobe PhotoShop, ($) Adobe PhotoShop Elements, ($) Paint Shop Pro or (0$) Gimp.

A final is presentation software, such as ($$$) Microsoft PowerPoint or, again, (0$) OpenOffice Impress.

There are various sign-making programs as well.

Finally, there are scrapbook making programs, including SBM and a couple from Broderbund. This category uses the terminology and concepts behind actual scrapbook or memory book compilation, a centuries-old human endeavor. Go this way, if you want to make digital scrapbooks (or print out real ones from digital sources).

Scrapbooking with digital bitmap editors requires you to learn specific vocabularies and a welter of tools, many with their own, circumscribed modes of operation. Go this way, if you want to become a graphical designer. They offer a great deal of power. And in my experience, a great deal of hair loss.

In the scrapbook genre, Indigo Rose has done a number of things right. This begins with making a lot of graphics processing easy and fairly intuitive.

A key file format, .SBM, is simply a re-named Zip file, making it essentially an open format, available to anyone with a Zip utility. Another file type, templates, is proprietary, but Indigo Rose gives complete instructions on this forum on how to make them.

Then, the company makes it easy for aspiring entrepreneurs to set up their own storefront to sell embellishments, add-ons, templates, and kits (the "Booster Pack" button at the top of this page).

Doing so provides continued ongoing refreshing of elements. And it gives the motivated a rush of excitement -- the best part of retailing is making customers happy and the second best is coming up with goods that somebody else will pay money for, and both can be exciting -- as well as a modicum of pocket money.

Finally, the company maintains this forum, and it appears to do it without any heavy-handed censoring. From my limited experience, the people here are friendly and appreciative, and completely eclectic in terms of design approaches.

There are many other scrapbooking "communities" out there, and you can certainly ask your question there. At the bottom of this page are links to sources and communities.

You and your partner can have much fun winnowing through the opinions out there. My vote, SBM.

I use or own CorelDraw (w/Photo-Paint, a pro tool close to PhotoShop), Serif PagePlus, Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, RealDraw Pro, Xara Xtreme, Asymetrix Web3D, TrueSpace 3D, and Gimp. These are all things I've accumulated over years of freelance writing, which often needs touches of graphics production.

For making scrapbooks, I turn to SBM.
Dave

I have photo elements 3 and mastered that til I got a new computer and that darn Vista screws it up . So I went ad tried one that was on my new computer and it is layed out almost like element 3 so I felt at home so I bought it.It works with vista and it is Corel Paint Shop Pro X1.Luv it. It cost about $118 ---Canadian funds.

[pkdoll]

Wow Dave!! What a great depiction of words and examples!!! I am going to subscribe to this thread so as to use your post as a reference post in the future when looking for another program to use with SBM! I currently have elements 4, but like a lot of others still don't know how to use it. Have lots of tuts tho and will some day find the time to sit down and self teach myself. As for a scrapbooking program-SBM is the best, easiest and most generous with their content and added content by members. I will never give up my SBM!!

[AmeliasMuma]

Wow Dave indeed. What a fantastic post. I think you have said everything I was thinking [good writers tend to do that for me ]. I started with PSP 5 many years ago for graphics playing then got TrueSpace 6.6 to make models for a 3D chat browser. Then got SBM for making Scrapbooks.

Basically for scrapbooks .. SBM is the best for me. I tried a few others but some just didn't have the versatility [I couldn't even rotate an element or photo] or they had way too many things on there that I already had with Paint Shop Pro. Now you may be asking "well why did I buy ScrapBook Max if I already had PSP?" The main reason is its ease of use. I can produce a page in SBM in a 5th of the time I could in PSP and that was before I discovered drag n drop. What takes 2-3 steps in PSP will take 1 in SBM.

Hope that has helped. Not as well written as the post Dave put in LOL but tis the reason why I use SBM. Oh the price won me over to.

[Marion]

I am not a writer, so my answer to you is simply "Yup!" It really is the best!

[Kizzie]

Thanks for all your input!! I hope to be joining you soon as the newest owner of SBM!!

[MaggieMae]

I just wanted to add that before I found SBM I got thoroughly confused with ps elements. I bought 2 or 3 dedicated scrapbooking programs - Scrapbook Explosion and Creating Keepsakes - oh, and HP Scrapbook Assistant. None of them compared to SBM and they cost about the same. And they were huge memory hogs on top of it all! For scrapbooking, I don't think you can go wrong with SBM! If you want to do really sophisticated graphics you can use other programs to create and then bring them into SBM for the ease of making scrapbook pages!! As you can tell, we're a dedicated bunch!!

[Granny]

Dave, my dear friend... Are you the same old wingbag from the old place?

[sacannon]

Wow Dave, that was some explanation! (Claps hands)

It is simple, SBM is the best you can do for scrapbooking.

I have Photoshop Elements 2. It is hard to learn, but I prettymuch have it figured out. It is great for making things to add to scrapbook pages, and I use in together with SBM. I have other programs as well. Photo Explosion, Perfect Scrapbook, MGI PhotoSuite + others. I occasionally use these for something different, but I always bring the creation into SBM. It is so much better for scrapbooking itself.