scrapping using acdsee?

I'm such a kit scrapper and have been for awhile. I am just starting to tag my stuff in Acdsee in the hopes that it will help me expand my scrapping style/skills. Have any of you former kit scrappers that have made the jump to using acdsee seen a difference/improvement in your own scrapping style? or do you still primarily kit scrap?

Yes, I have.

There are two designers, in particular, who have been designing for over 3 years and I own 85% of everything they have ever made. I can't possibly remember every single thing they have created in this time, but pulling them up in ACDSee and getting to see all their goodies (which all work together as their quality and output has remained consistently good over time) at one time helps me to mix 'n' match their things together in a very aesthetically pleasing no hassle way.

ACDSee also helps a lot when you know you want to use this specific paper pack you own, but have no idea which alpha, for example, you want to use with it. Pre-ACDSee, I never used my paper packs simply because I didn't want to waste 30+ minutes wading through all my alpha folders, element folders, etc. trying to pull together my own kit as it were. Post-ACDSee, you can pull up the paper pack you want, get the paper(s) into PS, then pull up all your alphas at one time, and so on in a very efficient streamlined way. At the end of creating a page in this way, I feel so much prouder of what I have accomplished as I know I really looked through my stash and picked out the best alpha and elements possible rather than taking the lazy way and using whatever was most handy.

:thumbup: What she said! :w00t:

thanks ladies! I'm getting overwhelmed tagging all this stuff just wondering if it's going to be a waste of my time in the long run. I know it will help me, but the reinforment and knowing that it's really helped others is encouraging to hear.

It really hasn't changed how I scrap. But it has allowed me to keep track a little better of what I already have, so I can find things a little easier. I was just getting a big enough stash that I couldn't always remember what I had. And just being able to say - I want to use a tag, this kit doesn't have one, which tag would I want to use - and have all the tags come up is a big deal.

I'm still mostly a kit scrapper, but all kits can't have all things for everyone, so I do need to shop from my stash occasionally, and this lets me do so without using the same piece on every layout.

I am still a big time kit scrapper--it's just quicker and easier for me.

So my advice is just not to make super specific categories right now... get familiar and used to using ACDSee and if it goes well, you can make it more specific!

I like using it in the same way as Darcy. It lets me use stuff I might otehrwise not. Or at least it will when I get more stuff tagged, lol.

I tag everything but I am still mostly a kit scrapper. I mostly use ACDSee for finding alphas, doodles and frames, but I like knowing that if I wanted to I could pull stuff from a dozen different kits easily.