I've recently started scrapping on my phone; since having my second baby I don't get much opportunity to scrap otherwise. I do miss out on using elements but there will be a season again for that. I wanted to share some apps that I found in case anyone was interested. It's hard figuring out what to use if you're just getting started. It's really great being able to use my digital elements and papers on my phone. Until recently, I couldn't find good quality apps. The biggest problem was saving resolution not being up to scratch, and also the lack if layers. Cloud storage has really openned up possibilities by making my supplies available on my phone.
PixelLab - amazing app. You can create large layouts and save in high resolution. The best thing is that I can use my digistash, I'm not limited by poor quality app stickers. There's a background tab where you can choose your paper and then an objects tab where you can add elements and photos. It supports png formats. The text tab allows you to also add your own fonts. It supports layers. You can add shadows to your elements. The text can have a stroke border or a background fill colour. I can do most of what I need with this app. It does lack clipping mask ability and blending. But there are other apps that can do blending. I haven't found any apps that can handle clipping masks. PixelLab also works well for photo personalisation so you can add frame overlays, journalling tags or stickers, and wordart from your stash, or type your own text.
Eraser app - you can create any png file from any image. I often open up a wordart jpg and make the background transparent. I can also cut around shapes to make my own stickers. Very easy to use and the resolution is great.
Photolayers app - easy to use app that supports layers. Not much other functionality though
Picsart - lots of free stickers etc and very customisable, but not so easy to use and it flattens the image with each new element you insert, so you can't adjust placement later.
Rhonna's designs - nice stickers, borders, text, etc. Not free
Photofy - great tool for text especially with preset wordart formats
Snapseed - my go to photoeditor. I usually brighten photos or add a date with text.
Project Life app - I use this a lot. There are a lot of free Project Life journal cards if you scroll through the kits and look for them, such as neutrals, cherry, strawberry, basic overlays, etc. I do find the app itself very limiting. But you can get around some of it by adding in an outside journal card or whatnot as a photo. Great saving resolution, but lower than PixelLab. I often create a pocket layout and then export it to PixelLab for embellishing.
Hope it helps someone
Great tips Justine! I've been wondering if people were scrapping on their phones. It seemed likely, although I couldn't imagine how they were doing it. Thanks so much for sharing your process with us. Out of curiosity what phone are you using? I think mine might be a bit too old and slow for this kind of work.
I've got a Galaxy S7.
I know those on iOS often use Letterglow or Over to create layouts.
If you want to see the kinds of things people are doing on their phones, there's a facebook group called Scr(app)ers - getting creative with the Project Life app, and a bigger one called App scrappers Project Life. They're both more geared towards project life, where a layout is made primarily in the Project Life app and then embellished or matted in a different app, but now and then someone shares something really nice that they made in Over or PixelLab alone.
thanks for sharing!
Wow! Thanks for all the info. You really did your research. I purchased the Project Life app for my iPhone and am sadly disappointed. I wasn't expecting a full digital kit, but at least being able to journal (without having to pay more). To me, it just had some basic cards & templates that I felt I could have done with a free app. (You have to buy more cards & layout templates). And it didn't seem that it gave me the ability to save a page anywhere else but through their site, where again, you pay to have it printed. Maybe I didn't play around with it long enough to check out all the features, but I feel disappointed it.
thanks for sharing, Justine. will go check out the other apps, as I only have the snapseed app among the others you mentioned.
picstitch has numerous collage templates, if anyone is interested
Thanks for all the info!
Hi! Sorry for the delayed response. I was also disappointed by limited functionality of the project life app, but their aim is to keep it simple and to that end many people love it.
Regarding your questions: You can save a layout to your gallery and then print it elsewhere, it doesn't have to go through the app. And Regarding journal cards, they add new ones every month, so the variety has expanded. Kits in the app are a lot cheaper than the digital versions on the becky higgins site. There is also a list on the app scrappers facebook group file section of all the free kits hidden in the app. So if you make the effort to scroll through the kits and find the free ones and download them it helps. There's at least 10 free kits I know of for journalling. I do find the fonts to be too limited, and only a few support umlaut fonts, which is annoying as my daughter's name is Zoë with the dots. But if you save your layout to your phone and then open with Over or Letterglow on iOS you can add journalling that way using your own fonts.
If you join the facebook group you will be amazed at what you can with the app despite all its limitations.
At least it saves at a good enough printing resolution, unlike many other collage apps on the market
OK...so I how found a workflow for Android so I can scrap on my phone (Samsung Galaxy Note 5), too, AND I can use my OWN kits!
I use Photo Transfer App to add a folder with my kit in it to my phone. (Free but worth paying the $4.99 to remove the limitations). (I got the instructions by joining the Scr(app)ers-Getting Creative with Apps! Facebook Group and the "How to Utilize Digital Kits..." document in the Files section there.)
Then you can use the Project Life - Scrapbooking app to start a basic layout using their template and you just add your kit items to that like you would add a photo.
Then I use PixelLab to add elements, shading, creative text, etc. You COULD use PixelLab solely and create a layout from scratch if you'd rather. It supports layers, has emboss, shadows, curves and a host of other useful tools!
Thanks, Justine, for giving me the motivation to go research and figure out how to do it!
Thank you Tina! I've been looking for one app to use in my Android based tablet and PixelLab is wonderful for that!!
Has anyone else tried the Adobe apps? The Mix, cut-out, combine, create app supports clipping masks and if you are an Adobe user, there's little to no learning curve. There is also Photoshop Express. If you sign in with your Adobe ID, you have access to some premium features as well as your Adobe creative cloud.
I use Snapseed for editing my photos. I love that app! I may need to try out the other apps as well.