Around the 19th century, the hobby of scrapbooking came into its own with the help of themed journals marketed by paper companies.http://www.takegreatpictures.com/HOME/Columns/Scrapbooking/Details/A_History_of_Scrapbooking.fci Today, it has become a popular past time that allows people from all levels of society to collect their cherished memories, moments and wishes in one decorative item that they can share with their loved ones. With the invention of the Internet, people can move beyond the traditional physical scrapbook to an online version they can share with family members and friends all over the world with one click. The process is made even easier since digital cameras are so common in society.

This How to Create a Scrap Book Online article can be completed by all skill levels. It should take around 30 minutes to 1 hour to create one scrapbook page. However, it can take a few days to finish a whole gallery of images for the Web. You need to have a paint program such as Adobe Photoshop or PaintShop Pro to make your project. In this how to, the examples are created with Photoshop. Yet, most of the principles are universal.

In this tutorial, you will learn scrapbooking fundamentals like creating layouts, deciding on colors, picking backgrounds and sorting pictures. For those who need inspiration, you find the names of sites that offer templates and backgrounds that make the process even simpler. Beyond the traditional issues, you learn how to prepare your finished pictures for a Web gallery so that you can show off your finished project.

Before you begin, you need to sort your photographs by theme. So that you can only have related images on one page that tells a cohesive story. Once you decide on the theme that you want, pick one image to stand as your centerpiece. It should be the largest photograph on the page. Then, choose a few other pictures to compliment it. They should be noticeably smaller than the focal point.

Now that you have a selection of pictures, you need to decide on a layout structure. Below are a few ways to organize your layout:

1. Remember the rule of thirds. Naturally, the most interesting areas of an image are at the four intersections of a 3 x 3 grid. So, place your centerpiece at one of these points and flank with your accent photographs.
2. Use a strong graphical line (especially a diagonal line) to lead the viewer's eye over your whole layout from your focal image to your secondary images.
3. You can also use strong geometric shapes like the triangle and arc to frame your compositions. It adds instant balance and visual interest at the same time.
4. Mix up the size of elements so that the layout doesn't become stale.
5. Try to stay away from even numbered items. Odd numbers are more visually compelling. Notice that example 1 shows just 3 photos of various sizes centered around a "rule of thirds" intersection.
6. If you find it too difficult to create your own layouts from scratch, visit scrapbook layout sites or stock photography sites like Fotolia. They offer ready made layouts to use. Example 2 demonstrates masking out soccer balls and replacing the areas with photographs to make an instant finished product.

Text: Don't forget to add text to your pages. You can add random thoughts, quotes or just titles to enhance your photographs. Remember to follow the same layout tips when placing your text block.

Read the How to Crop Photos for Scrapbooks page to learn more about cropping and manipulating masks.

It's very important to have color harmony and backgrounds that work well. These can ruin a great layout quickly.

• Color Schemes:

Using the common red, yellow and blue color wheel, you can easily find colors that work well together by using color theory. Remember that the tints and shades of the hues mentioned in each of the color schemes below are included. You should always have a mix of light, midtone and dark in your color scheme. This makes a nice contrast.

• Monochromatic: This consists of a color scheme created from one hue, its shades and tints. *Example: red, light red and dark red

• Achromatic: This is the family of white, black and greys.

• Analogous: This is groupings of colors that are right next to each other on the color wheel.
• Example: red, orange and yellow

• Triad: This consists of three colors equal distances from each other on the color wheel.
• Example: orange, green, purple or red, yellow, blue

• Complementary: This consists of a hue plus the color opposite from it on the color wheel.
• Example: red and green

• Split-Complementary: In this color scheme, you take one hue and find two other colors on either side of its complement at even increments.
• Example: orange, blue-violet, blue-green

• Double-Complementary:

This color scheme consists of two hues and their complements.

• Example: red, green and yellow, violet

• Note: Triad and double complementary schemes create the most intensity. However, they can look garish to some eyes. Monochromatic and analogous are extremely safe, but may lack excitement for some layouts. Split complementary usually makes the best balance.

Backgrounds: Many scrapbookers like to use various fabrics as backgrounds. You can buy your own fabrics, buttons and ribbons at stores such as Joann Fabrics and scan them yourself at 600 or 300 dpi. Alternatively, you can buy these items already scanned, color corrected and squared at resources such as Daz 3D. You need to use the word search "digital fabric".

If you decide to make a fabric collage from material you have scanned or bought off the Web, be sure that you understand how to combine the right patterns together.

1. First, pick one fabric to be your main pattern. Note the top 3 colors in it. This will be your anchor.
2. Next, pick a secondary pattern that has one of those colors as the main color. However, this pattern should not have the same size pattern. For example, if your main pattern has large flowers, use a secondary pattern with small or medium stripes to compliment it.
3. Likewise, if you use a third pattern, its main color should be the other color from your main fabric. Vary the size of the pattern as well.
4. Try not to go beyond 5 patterns on one page. Optimally, stick with 2 or 3 patterns with solid areas mixed in.

Once your finish making your whole scrapbook page, you have to convert it into a file format that balances quality with a small file size. Despite the fact that many Internet users have high speed connections, you should still make your images as small as possible without sacrificing too much quality.

Different types of images should be saved in various formats. Photographs and gradients are best saved as a .jpg. However, if you have a page that is mostly lineart or flat color, save it as a .gif or .png for best results. Also, make sure to save your image as 72 dpi for the Web. If you use Photoshop, use the Save For Web option. It will show you the size of the file and the estimated time it will take to download. Aim for 25 Kb for normal imageshttp://sixrevisions.com/web-development/10-ways-to-improve-your-web-page-performance/ and under 100 Kb for whole scrapbook pages.

If you want your finished scrapbook page to sit in the middle of the screen without scrolling on the average monitor, try to keep the total size of your image around 560 x 410 pixels.http://www.boutell.com/newfaq/creating/imagesize.html Keep in mind that most users dislike horizontal scrolling. So, it should be avoided. If you want family member to be able to access very large copies, offer them a downloadable version.

After you have saved all your images, you need to create a Web site page for them. For those who aren't experienced with HTML, you can make an online scrapbook by simply using the gallery function on Blogger or Wordpress. These point and click widgets allow you to just enter your pictures then the program writes the code and even makes thumbnails. If you can script, just make a slideshow with Javascript or a simple gallery of thumbnails that link to the larger versions.