Scrapbooking has always been a great way to organize photos and memories, but traditional scrapbooking is gradually being replaced by digital scrapbooking. That’s because there are distinct benefits of virtual scrapbooking compared to the more traditional options, but only if you choose the best platform.
Capture has over 20 years of experience preserving memories, so our experts know everything about scrapbooking platforms that have come and gone over the years. That’s why we put together this review of the top 6 virtual scrapbooking platforms to ensure you pick one that’s easy to use and offers all the design tools you need for your project.
Keep reading to learn about electronic scrapbooking, creative ideas, and the best digital memory-keeping platforms including Canva, PhotoMix, Scrapbook Flair, iScrapbook, Artisan, and Smilebox.
Jump to:
- The Rise of Digital Memory Albums
- How Capture.com Enhances Your Scrapbooking Experience
- Top 6 Virtual Scrapbook Sites Reviewed
- Creative Ideas for Your Virtual Scrapbook
- The Future of Digital Memory Keeping
The Rise of Digital Memory Albums
A virtual scrapbook is simply a digital collection of memories complete with designs, images, videos, colors, and so much more. The end result is very similar to a physical scrapbook, but there are some major advantages to a digital version.
First, learning how to scrapbook with physical supplies means you’ll spend lots of time and money getting paper, stickers, and physical copies of your most precious memories. With digital, you only need to choose a good platform and you’ll have what you need.
Second, while a physical scrapbook can become damaged over time by water, heat, sunlight, and other elements, a digital scrapbook can be saved to the cloud or other devices to extend the project's life and preserve your memories forever.
This also means it’s easy to share with loved ones over email and social media! There are also more design elements you can use, including videos that would be impossible to add to a traditional scrapbook. This ensures no memory gets left out.
Finally, if you make a mistake on digital scrapbook pages, you can simply hit undo, which means more control. Plus, you don’t have to deal with messy glue or painstakingly cut out each individual image, photo, or embellishment.
How Capture.com Enhances Your Scrapbooking Experience
The main things you’ll need for your virtual scrapbook are the family memories themselves in high-quality digital format. Whether you have old Kodachrome photos, home movies, or 8mm film camera memories, Capture can digitize them so you can use them on your scrapbooking project.
Not only that, but our state-of-the-art digitization facility and security system monitor your priceless memories through every hand and all the way back to you. That means you get digital memories as well as the physical copies with minor repairs as needed.
Follow these easy steps to digitize your memories at Capture.com:
- Check out our services and select the type of memories you want to convert to digital. We offer touchless photo album scanning, digital scanning, photo digitization, film transfer, and video conversion.
- Select the quantity of film, photos, videos, or other memories that you need to use to digitize and place your order.
- Mail in your order using the included pre-paid shipping label
- Receive your digital memories and original versions in less than 30 days, complete with a satisfaction guarantee!
That’s it! Now you can use the high-quality digital copies for your digital memory album using one of the best web-based scrapbooking platforms.
Top 6 Virtual Scrapbook Sites Reviewed
Not all online scrapbook platforms are great and there are tons to choose from. These are the top 6 platforms and the features that make them a good choice. Keep in mind that some are better for beginners while others offer more in-depth photo editing and scrapbook design features, so make sure you choose the best option for your personal DIY project.
Regardless of which digital picture scrapbook brand you choose, you can use Capture to digitize the memories and get them ready for use.
1. Canva
Canva is one of the most popular design platforms available, and it’s great for creating a virtual scrapbook. The user-friendly interface is one of the easiest to use, especially when you consider the massive collection of scrapbook templates that you can choose from for each page.
Additionally, they offer tons of different fonts, graphics, and other design elements while also giving you the ability to upload your own. Unlike traditional scrapbooking, Canva automatically saves your scrapbook as you progress, so you never have to worry about losing the scrapbook design you created.
Pros
- Tons of free templates
- 3000 free and paid fonts
- Auto-save function
- Easy to use and share
Cons
- Creating a 100% original and custom design is not as easy with Canva
2. PhotoMix
PhotoMix is a great option if you have little experience with digital scrapbooking. It’s fast and easy, so you can use it to create last minute Christmas gifts for Dad, Mom, or other loved ones. There are a variety of basic editing tools and borders, backdrops, illustrations, ClipArt, and other design elements to choose from.
However, it won’t allow you to upload videos, so you won’t be able to include your old video camera memories. Plus, it doesn’t offer the breadth of photo editing tools like Photoshop or features that other top platforms offer.
Pros
- Easy to use and perfect for beginners
- Can create a scrapbook quickly using borders and backdrops
- Supports JPEG, GIF, and BMP images
Cons
- Does not support video files
- Limited tools for the price ($29)
3. Scrapbook Flair
This often-overlooked platform is entirely free to download on their website and you can even order a free CD to download individual backgrounds, embellishments, and templates. They also have a community to help you create your virtual photo book including forums, groups, and galleries.
That being said, while the templates and collections look fantastic considering the $0 price tag, it is a little restrictive and doesn’t provide the tools of bigger name platforms.
Pros
- 100% free
- Great designs and embellishments
- Supportive community
Cons
- Basic compared to other alternatives
- No video capabilities
4. iScrapbook
iScrapbook is the best e-scrapbook software for Apple users and offers great features for both beginners and experienced scrapbookers and journaling pros. What’s so great about this platform is that it allows the user to do everything from creating the first page design to organization, color schemes, and photo editing.
Whether you want to use scrapbook layouts for birthdays, graduations, holidays, vacations, or specific family members, this platform allows you to do so with ease. Plus, the tutorials are very helpful, but you might have guessed that it’s only a good option for Apple users.
Pros
- Comprehensive platform for personal use
- Easy tutorials
- Color-matching features
- High-resolution elements
Cons
- At $49.95 it’s more expensive than most options
- Won’t work for Microsoft users
5. Artisan
Artisan is one of our favorite online photo journal software options. It offers over 70 free PNG templates and thousands of paid extras. Plus, the photo editing tools are some of the best and easiest to use and allow you to crop, remove red eyes, add filters, and restore pictures.
The main downside is the high price tag of $129.99, but you can see how great it is with a free trial. Plus, the designs are printable which means you can use them to create a physical scrapbook, greeting cards, and other keepsakes.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Tons of great customizable templates
- Some of the best photo editing tools
- Printable pages
Cons
- More expensive than all other options on our list
- Doesn’t accept videos
6. Smilebox
Smilebox is a great scrapbooking software that offers free online creations. Professional artists upload free and paid templates that you can choose from and customize for your own virtual scrapbook.
If you want to create a photo collage, this application makes it super easy, while also having the ability to edit pictures, text, doodles, backdrops, and even audio. Storage is another advantage because it includes safe, data protected storage within the platform.
Pros
- Offers lots of free templates
- Great for photo collages
- Can add audio to your scrapbook
Cons
- Not so easy for detailed scrapbook pages
- Many features cost $40 per year for the premium version
Creative Ideas for Your Virtual Scrapbook
To help you create a beautiful scrapbook or moodboard, here are some tips that you might find useful!
- Plan First: Make sure before you start, plan out how you want the pages. You can organize photos and pages based on specific events, chronologically, by family member, or anything else, but planning first will help the whole project go smoothly.
- Don’t Overdo It: The memories are the main focus of your scrapbook, so try not to distract from the photos and videos with too many embellishments.
- Add Text: Add text recalling your experiences with the photos and videos on your pages
- Use High-Quality images: Add high quality photos, especially if you are planning on raising them for the scrapbook. Capture can create high quality digital copies of your photos, home movies, and film reels.
- Get Creative: Make your scrapbook your own with audio, video, and deeply personal memories. You can even get loved ones to help you!
The Future of Digital Memory Keeping
Online memory books are getting better and better each year and as AI develops, it’s expected that it will soon become part of virtual scrapbooking. AI could help you create an interactive photo album or to speed up the photo editing process.
In addition, you can use newer technologies to create artwork out of memories, to easily organize by color scheme, and more. However, as we mentioned before, regardless of the changes to digital scrapbooking, the main focus is the memories themselves.
Capture.com has always been an industry leader and we continue to preserve memories that can be used in digital keepsakes for families all around the world. Additionally, like scrapbook software, we keep evolving and improving to meet your every need.
Conclusion
Have you ever wondered, “How can I preserve my memories forever?” Online scrapbooking is a great way to upload your own photos, get creative, and create a lasting keepsake that can be instantly shared over email and social media.
If you’re ready to get started with the top virtual scrapbook platforms, click here to choose Capture to digitize your analog memories like VHS tapes, film reels, Polaroid photos, and more!
