If you are using any kind of photo editing program, you’ll be able to add special effects to your digital scrapbooking pages quite easily. It’s a fun way to get out of the scrapbooking rut and can be done with just a click or two of the mouse. I’m going to show you several cool effects here. I personally use Adobe Photoshop, but most decent photo editing programs will have filters or effects that you can use as well.

Why Special Effects Rock

The great thing about changing your photos with special effects is that you can create a whole new theme for your scrapbook pages that doesn’t just involve the papers and accessories that you use. Even the photo can be a part of the theme.

Sometimes you might have a great photo, but it’s just not completely in focus and you don’t want to put something imperfect in your album. Well, you can add some texture to it and presto, you get the cute effect of the photo without anyone ever knowing that it wasn’t perfect to begin with!

If you don’t have a lot of time to work on your scrapbooking pages then you might want to use special effects to add character to pages without having to include a lot of stickers or other additions to the page. You can also use your special effects photos as your background paper and place other photos on top of it to create a fun look for your album page.

The Painted Look

This is a neat one. You can choose from a variety of different types of paint. Even if you have no artistic talent at all, these filters will make it look like you are able to paint amazing portraits.

Watercolor Effect

Dry Brush Effect

Dry Brush Effect

Paint Daub

Paint Daub

Why not do a watercolor photo of your little one for the cover of a photo album? These types of special effects photos are also great for making your own greeting cards.

Adding Texture

Texture can really be a good thing to play around with. In Photoshop, you have a lot of options and can tweak them to get just the right look. This is great for when you have a specific theme for your scrapbooking page. Imagine a country style scrapbook theme with a picture of your baby on canvas? Or how about a brick textured photo for a city block theme? Let your imagination go wild!

Burlap

Burlap

Grainy Texture

Grainy Texture

Other Fun Effects

I’d encourage you to try out the different filters available to you, but here are a few others that can be fun to try out.

Glowing Edges

Glowing Edges

Also, if you aren’t interested in filters but would like to add a little something to your photo, why not add a talk bubble or little hearts? You can do this by using the Custom Shapes option in Photoshop or by copying and pasting shapes you have opened in a new window.

A Fun Thought Bubble

A Fun Thought Bubble

There’s nothing like adding a little spice to your scrapbook pages in record time. None of these special effects takes more than a minute to set up . . . unless you’re like me and get distracted while playing with the settings! It’s a quick way to turn regular photos into something special.

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