Organizing Digital Scrapbook Supplies with Microsoft Expression Media

Organizing digital scrapbook supplies on a Mac can be done in many ways. Many Mac users prefer to use the built in Finder, while other prefer organizing digital scrapbook supplies with some kind of software.  Microsofts Expression Media has become my favorite since I “converted” to Mac in 2007. I used ACDsee on my pc like many other scrappers and loved it, and I got really disappointed when I discovered that they didn’t have a mac version.

UPDATE! Now they have. ACDsee just released the Mac PRO version. Check out the FREE 30 DAY TRIAL and see if you like it!

So I have been testing Bridge, Shoebox and MediaDex(not available anymore) and several others, but now I am finally “home”. Microsoft Expression Media is quite expensive if you buy it as a “stand alone” application(299$), but these days a lot of Mac users buy Microsoft Office 2008 and get Expression Media in the box without even knowing it. I got my version from an ebay seller, that didn’t need the “extra disc” for only 19$. Let me show you some screen shots!

I have chosen to use Filetype, Style, Author(Designer) and Keywords in the Catalog Field because thats what suits me best. You can add a lot of of other categories here if you want too. I have set my preferences to open the files in PSE when I doubleclick a thumbnail in a catalog. You can also select a lot of files and open by right clicking them, of course.

PNG Files

This is how Expression Media shows my png files, on a nice white background(you can choose another color if you want to.)

One thing I really liked about ACDsee was the photo bin, and how you couldcreate a text file from the files you had in there to make credits toyour designers. I found a similar way to do it with EM.

All my screenshots are in Norwegian, but if you download the English version(free 60days trial!!) of EM I guess you’ll see rather easily what the same features are in English.

Ok, here is what I do. I open the Expression Media NoteBook and drag and drop the files I want to use inmy layout in to it. If you don’t finish your layout, you can save this notebook(with comments) for later use.

When my layout is finished I select all the files in the notebook(cmd+a) and doubleclick them. Then they open in a new window.

Then I go to create text file, and EM opens a new window that gives you several options.

I simply choose filename like the screenshot below.

And then, you have a text file that makes it really easy to give credit when you publish your layout. I usually just edit the text in this file, and then I save these text files with the same filename as my layouts.

That way I can just open this text file and copy and paste the text into the gallery website I am posting my layouts too.

Quick and easy

This is my way of organizing digital scrapbook supplies!