PDN for Digital Scrapbooking
PDN is short for Paint Dot Net, a FREE photo editing & image creating software.
A BASIC BEGINNER TUTORIAL FOR A SIMPLE FIRST
LAYOUT SUITABLE FOR YOUR HOME INKJET PRINTING
This complete tutorial can be downloaded in its entirety in a .pdf file (here .pdf).
This is where we will assume you have installed Paint Dot Net (PDN) version 4.06. Maybe there are many ways one could begin this process in Paint Dot Net and if so, please make a website on how you use PDN for digital scrapbooking. The following is how I do this process, but I am always open to learning more about PDN.
Here is a link to an online Overview/Features of Paint Dot Net http://www.getpaint.net/doc/latest/index.html
Step One:
Once you have installed PDN you should see a blue PDN icon on your desktop computer screen. Most people will be able to open the application by placing their mouse pointer on top of the Paint Dot Net icon then double clicking on it, or place your mouse pointer on the icon, right click, and when a drop down menu appears choose, "Open".
Step Two:
Once you have opened PDN look in the top left corner of PDN and find the words: "File, Edit, View, Image, Layers, Adjustments, and Effects".
From here out that area will often be referred to as the "Menu Bar.
Step Three:
Move your mouse arrow/pointer to the Menu Bar in Paint Dot Net (top left area), click on the word "File"....when a drop down menu appears click on "New".....Now a new box, likely in the middle area of PDN, should have appeared.
This is the box that should be showing itself after you clicked on "File" then clicked on "New".
Step Four:
On that New box that now appears, click on the rectangle button where the blue arrow is pointing to. You can choose the size of your layout in inches or centimeters. I often use "inches".
On the spaces to the left of the button that says "inches", change that top number (your width) to an "8" by clicking on that area in order to be able to change it. In the box below (your height), change it to a "10". Now click the button on the very bottom of that box that says "OK".
Congratulations! You have just started your 8" x 10" layout. (If you wish to do a 12" x 12" layout first, change the "Width" and "Height" again to 12 and 12.)
For the most part, this is what your screen should be showing.
Hopefully those directions were easy for you to follow. If you were confused go back to the beginning and read through it again, over and over if need be. For now you can close the PDN program by clicking on the "X" in the very top right CORNER of Paint Dot Net. To open PDN again, follow the easy steps 1- 4.
You can change those settings in the "PRINT SIZE" section of that New box to different sizes for printing on your home computer (Shown in Step Four).
At the very top middle area of PDN will be a tiny version of the layout you just made. If you want to get rid of the canvas you just created, to practice this section a few more times, you can delete it by clicking your mouse/arrow on it. A small red "x" will appear. Click on the red “X” and your newly created blank white layout goes away. Repeat the beginning directions to make your 8” x 10” layout again. Practice that a few times.
In the next section I'm going to show you where to find some FREE kits that incredibly awesome and talented people have made for others to use. How cool is that?!
Step Five:
I found a lovely lady named Catharine at “Pumpkins and Posies” website. Catherine graciously offers nice free mini kits perfect for this tutorial. Thank you Catherine!
Here is the link to Catherine’s website (click on the link. When her website appears, scroll down and view her various free kits):
http://www.pumpkinsandposies.com/free-digi-scrap-kits.html
Step Six:
Pick whatever free mini kit you want at "Pumpkins and Posies" to use in this tutorial. I’m going to select her mini kit titled “Cottage Romance”. Just below each mini kit is the word “Download”. Click your mouse on the word “Download” under the kit you want. (If you want to download all of her mini kits you can but keep each kit in its own yellow folder. Mixing up kits makes a mess and is time consuming to sort through.)
Step Seven:
Once you have clicked on the word “Download” a new website will appear. The name of the website is “Box”. You should see the name of the kit you selected at the top left side of the new page. Also at the top on the right side is a blue button that says “Download”. Click on the blue button that says “Download”.
Step Eight:
A box will now appear showing you the name of the mini scrap .zip file you selected. I chose the "Cottage Romance Mini Kit". The name of the .zip file in bold letters next to a yellow icon also says "Cottage Romance Mini Kit.zip". Click on “Save File” then click on "OK".
After you click on "OK" a new window on your computer might opened or maybe you have a place where all of your downloads are saved to automatically.
Wherever your download was saved to on your computer is where that zip file you just downloaded is at.
Before we go on, in case some of you do not know much about .zip files, I explain that simple information a little more in the next step.
Most digital scrap kits you download will be in a “.zip” file so you will need to use a zip application to “unzip” files. It’s a no-big-deal thing so don’t let that worry you.
(To see if you need to install a .zip software program, locate your new digital scrap mini kit zip file that you just downloaded. Once you have found it put your mouse/arrow on top of that zip file then right click on the .zip file. If a menu appears and you see something that says “.zip” or “.7-zip” you don’t need to do anything else accept to “unzip” (open) that file.
Zip files are a common part of digital scrapbooking. If you are not sure about what a zip file does here is a link that explains it. http://www.openthefile.net/extension/zip
Step Nine:
Here are two different places to get free .zip software to open .zip files. I suggested two below but you only need one or find one of your own choosing. As with any download, scan it with your virus protector before opening or installing it.
7-Zip
(Newer computers usually have a 64 bit system. If you are not sure about yours then Google/search “How do I find out if I have a 32 bit or 64 bit operating system”.)
PeaZip
http://sourceforge.net/projects/peazip/?source=dlp
(click on the green download button at the website to download it.)
Step Ten:
If you chose to download one of the above .zip file applications (7-Zip, PeaZip, or one of your own choosing) you will need to locate that application on your computer. Once you do, double click on it and follow the instructions that will then appear to install it.
If you chose to download 7-Zip onto your computer, the name of the file for you to double click on will likely be something similar to "7z920-x64.msi" If this is the one you downloaded, double click on it once you find it on your computer. Follow instructions telling you how to easily install it.
If you chose to download PeaZip onto your computer, the name of the file for you to double click on will likely be something similar to "peazip-5.8.0.WINDOWS.exe". If this is the one you downloaded, double click on it once you find it on your computer. Follow instructions telling you how to easily install it.
After you have successfully installed a "zip file opening app" onto your computer you will then go back to the digital scrap mini kit you downloaded. Once you locate that file, and in my case it would be the "Cottage Romance Mini Kit.zip" file, place your mouse/curser/arrow on top of the digital scrap kit you chose to download from Pumpkins and Posies website. Right click on that file. A dropdown menu should appear just below your mouse/curser/arrow. Once the menu appears select either “Pea zip” or “7-Zip” (whichever one you installed), when you click on the zip file you installed one more menu will appear, when it does select “Extract Files” or “Extract Here”. This will "unzip" (open) the contents of your zipped up digital scrapbook mini kit, so that you now have a normal yellow file folder for you to be able to access and use its contents to make a scrapbook page layout, in addition to the mini kit.zip file. After you have unzipped (extracted its contents) the .zip file you may delete it. You no longer need it because you have the same mini kit in a normal yellow file folder.
The zip software removed the actual normal yellow file folder from inside of the mini kit.zip download.
Digital Scrapbook Tutorial Using Paint Dot Net
Questions or comments may be directed to pdnscrapbooking @ gmail dot com (Due to spam everyone is sick of, I didn't write it the traditional way.)