Welcome to Part 3 in the Digital project Life Series. If you're just joining us, Make sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2!
Now that you know what Project Life is and how to navigate the Project Life App, it's time to make your first spread!
Starting off with Project Life may seem a little overwhelming at first, but once you understand how to create spreads, it really enables you to make adorable pages you can be proud of. So let's begin with learning the ins and outs of creating a spread in the Project Life App!
Set up Your Template
At the top of the screen in the left corner is a little square icon. Clicking this will allow you to change the background color and the template. Once you click this, the bottom of the screen will have more template options that you can choose from, and the top of the screen will have your background options. Scroll horizontally to view your different selections. Once you select a template that you like, we can begin inserting our cards and photos.
Template Sizes
Project Life Started with only 12x12 templates but has since added 6x8 templates as well. These sizes are found in the "Extra Layouts Pack 7".
Pocket Sizes
The main pocket sizes are going to be 3x4 and 4x6. There are many other sizes featured in various templates, such as 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, 6x6, and more.
NOTE: Once you click the template option, it will take you to the default template. We show you how to change the default template in this post.
Add Photos
Select the pocket that you would like to edit. Once you select this pocket, two icons will pop up in the upper right-handed corner. The left-sided icon is used to select pictures. Pictures can be imported from your gallery, files, (SDCARD?).
After you select your picture, you can change its position to make it fit. Doing this is fairly simple: Pinch to zoom in and out, hold and drag to position. You can also rotate and edit pictures in-app. The in-app editing options are limited, though, so I'd recommend finding a good photo editing app.
Add Cards
Cards are added similarly to photos. When you select a blank pocket, and the two icons pop up in the corner, you will select the journaling icon on the right. This will open up the kits that you have, and also show you the kits available for purchase. The app comes with free kits, you can download more free kits, or you can purchase additional kits for $0.99- $1.99.
Keep in mind when adding cards, they are not one-size-fits-all. There are different card types and sizes and this will limit where you can put them:
Title Cards: These cards will only come in 4x6 format.
First/Last page Cards: Originally intended to be one-sided to be used on in the first or last page, but in the app, they function as filler cards.
Filler Cards: These cards feature some sort of design, pattern, or other focal points.
Journaling Cards: These cards come in a variety of sizes, and feature an area for journaling.
Add Text (Optional)
When you input a journaling card into one of the pockets, you can enter text on top of it. A pen icon will appear in the middle of the card, and you can click this to open up your keyboard. After you have the text option opened, you can change the font and size.
You can also add text to photos and non-journaling cards when you pay the one-time $2.99 upgrade for free form text. I would highly recommend this option, because there are many things you can do with the free form text option, besides just adding text. You can read more about that here.
Substituting Cards and Photos
If you place a card or photo into a pocket and decide later on that you don't want that particular card/photo to be in that position, just tap the card again to bring up the icons in the upper right-hand corner again. Just select the option you need, and insert a new card or photo.
If you want to just move the card or photo, the easiest way to do this is to zoom out so you can see the entire page, and then you can just drag and drop cards and photos to rearrange them!
Once you have your spread completed, you can begin to think about how you wish to display your creations. The next post in our series will discuss your options for that. So be sure to sign up for our newsletter to get notified when that post goes live!
Don't forget to leave us a comment and let us know what you think so far about digital scrapbooking with the Project Life App!