What software do you use to digi scrap?

I started with power point! lol cause I had it on my machine and knew how to use it...long long ago.
my husband got me PSelements 2? or4 and I was just amazed at shadowing and layers. Then I fell into a deal with Creative Suites 5 thru a homeschool free to have...swoon..and that is why I use it! lol
I do remember Illustrator? was it an Adobe product too?

 

I use a combo of Scrapbook Max and Gimp (free). After being away for several years, I suspect both are out of date so gonna read posts here with interest!

 

It still is. It's aimed at designing vector-based graphics, and many scrap designers use it, but I've never heard of anyone scrapping in it.

Photoshop was created for editing photos that already exist. Scrapping is mostly about editing papers and elements that already exist. People choose Photoshop and PSE because the purpose is pretty close to what scrapping is about, and they're extremely powerful. Software aimed specifically at scrapbooking tends to have a less steep learning curve and be able to do the most common scrappy things very easily, but is not as powerful. So it's a trade-off. Many people would rather do basic stuff easily, and others would rather spend time learning and be able to have complete control over every single pixel.

In essence, I use Photoshop because I'm a control freak. And because I'm the kind of person who doesn't mind diving in and figuring things out, googling for tutorials, etc. If there's something I want to do, I assume Photoshop can do it and I just need to figure out how, and then I go figure it out. I enjoy that.

 

PSCS 5 here!

 

Honestly, my reason for using Photoshop as opposed to a dedicated scrapping software is because that's what I learned with. But now that I've read Lorry's answer, I see I had even more reason than I realized. I love that I can do anything and I think I'd feel limited by dedicated scrapping software.

Now, because I'm a documentarian and love journaling, I'll list all the programs I've ever scrapped with.

2004 -- My very first ever efforts, after hearing about this thing called "digital scrapbooking" in a magazine (if I remember correctly how I learned about it; I actually don't know for sure) I used my husband's old copy of full Photoshop 5. Yes, that's not Elements, but a very early version of full Photoshop. I never actually got very far with it, but I completed a few pages.

2006 -- I tried Lumapix Fotofusion, a photo collage program that also allowed me to drag in elements I was starting to collect (mostly freebies) from digiscrap stores. Its power of creating a collage at the click of a button was awesome, but it was a bit clunky. Then, for my birthday in November, I got my first copy of Photoshop Elements; whatever was new that year, I think. Version 5 maybe.

2007 - 2015 -- I upgraded Photoshop Elements about three times. Whichever one allowed text on a path is the one I was most excited about. The last version I got was PSE10. Early on, I took a few classes at Scrapgirls and all along I have loved reading tutorials and learning new techniques. For a long time, I had no interest in full PS because I hadn't mastered everything in PSE and almost never felt limited by it.

May 2015 -- Having read that Lightroom (which I started using in 2011) might be moving to the Adobe cloud system, I decided to trial the photographers' Creative Cloud $9.99/month plan, which includes full Photoshop and Lightroom. I loved it and I have been using PS CC ever since. I still have a lot to learn, but I'm doing pretty well with it I think.

 

Pse 12
Started with pse 4, and upgraded to 12. I took a class on photo shop cs4 or cs5, and wanted to get it, but can't afford it. I never went with scrapping software because I didn't really know about it when I bought pse4, and then having spent the time in pse and learning photoshop, there's no way I was going to alter my work flow to a new system later.

Except GIMP. I used gimp on my laptop because it was Ubuntu/Linux and pse12 wouldn't work on it. My laptop died last summer, so I switched back to my pse 12 desktop.

 

I am also a GIMP user, and for me it is fine. i just do layouts for memories, no CT or design usage.
I started with GIMP because that is what my daughter used and she could show me step by step. I still call her occasionally if I am trying to do something new. I also own PSE, but use it mostly for the organizer. I have occasionally done and extraction, but I am more familiar with GIMP so I find PSE confusing. My daughter did do some designing with GIMP (now retired) and still uses it for scrapping.

 

I started in 2006 and have only ever used Photoshop. My husband was a graphic designer and was always playing around in PS, so I asked him to show me how to do some basic things and that's how I stumbled upon digiscrapping. From there, I learned to do everything on my own through tutorials. Like @lorryfach, I enjoy learning new things, googling tutorials, and figuring it out. I know that even after all this time I have barely scratched the surface of what PS can do.

 

I started with StoryBook Creator when it first came out, and I've been using it - and it's variations - ever since. I currently use both Artisan 4 and Artisan 5. I have no desire to use anything else, even though I know I can't do everything I'd like on it. It's so simple to use. And besides, I've hundreds of templates and many old Creative Memories kits that I couldn't convert over to another program. So, financially it wouldn't make any sense.

 

Craft Artist Professional from Serif. Seems to do nearly all the stuff that PS does. I love it, it's so user friendly

 

^ this. This is me to a 't'

I started with PSE 7 when it came with the desktop we ordered. After I started using it- I upgraded often. I think I used PSE 7, 9, 10 & 12 before just making the switch to Photoshop CC (the subscription based). I find that I NEEDED to be able to do the things that only Photoshop CC could & PSE was holding me back. Prior to the subscription option- I would never have justified spending that much on my hobby

 

I started with PSE 5 and used that for a LONG time, before upgrading to PSE 9. Then I upgraded to PSE 11. I still use it.

I also have a subscription to PSCC/Lightroom.

 

I started in PSE - version 3.0 if I remember correctly (it was 2005) - because that's the program my sister-in-law had and she showed me the basics. From there I have upgraded about every other version and am currently using PSE 13. I don't think they even had software just for scrapping back then...

 

I'm currently using PSE12 and thinking about either upgrading to PSE14 or taking the leap to CC.

 

Started with a scrap software that didn't have shadows. Drove me nuts. Jumped to PSE... realized I couldn't do the Text on a Path or put my shadows on it's own layer (this was 2010)... so 3 months later I jumped into PS. Self taught, and similar to Lorry. @lorryfach I want to learn, and figure it out and I enjoy that a lot. I haven't made the jump to CC, I just don't want to have to pay monthly.

 

I started with Photoshop Elements (I can't remember which version). My hubby had it for some of his web design work. He and a friend taught me how to use it (although I think it's safe to say I surpassed them both with my knowledge of photoshop). Then I moved onto CS3 and now I use CC. You don't have to have internet to use it. You just need it when you update it. I use illustrator to do some of my design work, but my scrapping is specifically done in Photoshop.

 

I started scrapping on GIMP. Personally, I really liked it, it was all I knew. I started with that because it was FREE and I was trying to explore this hobby without spending any money! That ship has sailed Anyway, I got PSE10 for Christmas a few years ago and now I use that. I mostly switched so that I could use actions and styles. Some of them I could get to work in GIMP but not all of them. I did just download the newest version of GIMP to take a look at some of my old pages so I'm interested to see how it's changed. There are a few things I'd like PS for, that PSE can't do but I'm just too cheap.

 

Years ago I used Photoimpact, but then they stopped creating the software.
Since that I use Photoshop, actually PS CS6. I love it.