Scrapbooking has always been a great way to organise 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. 

A virtual scrapbook is simply a digital collection of memories complete with designs, images, videos, colours, 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.  

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, videotapes, Capture can digitise them so you can use them on your scrapbooking project. 

Not only that, but our state-of-the-art digitisation 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 digitise your memories at Capture.hk:

• Check out our services and select the type of memories you want to transfer to digital. 
• We offer touchless photo album scanning, digital scanning, photo digitisation, digital media digitisation. 
• Select the quantity of photos, photo albums, videos, or other memories that you need to use to digitise and place your order. 
• Schedule a drop off appointment for your media
• Receive your digital memories and original versions within 14 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.  

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 digitise 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.

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.

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.

Capture Videotape Digitisation

HK$200/ tape (Regardless of the duration)

Digitise Now

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 organisation, colour 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.

5. Artisan

Artisan is one of our favourite 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.

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 customise 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.

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 organise photos and pages based on specific events, chronologically, by family members, 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! 

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 organise by colour scheme, and more. However, as we mentioned before, regardless of the changes to digital scrapbooking, the main focus is the memories themselves. 

Capture 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. 

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 digitise your analogue memories like VHS tapes, Polaroid photos, and more!