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If you are thinking of purchasing a digital camera in the near future, there are a few things you should keep in mind. If you also enjoy scrapbooking and are planning a project using digital photos, the quality of your images is especially important.

Getting the right digital camera is vital for that professional looking scrapbook. For crisp and clean photos, purchase a camera with a minimum of 3 to 4 megapixels. A megapixel is one million pixels, which are the small dots that make up an image. The more megapixels a camera has, the more detail your photo will have.

When looking for the right camera, pay attention to the optical zoom. A 3x optical zoom is the minimum you need for framing shots. Optical zoom is not the same as digital zoom, which will magnify only a portion of the captured image. The photo quality of the image will be poor, leaving close-up shots blurry.

Macro mode is also an important feature to look for. Macro mode is used for extreme close-ups. Other extras that are great are red-eye reduction and direct printing. (This bypasses the use of the computer)

Photo editing software is another 'must have' when preparing photos for your scrapbooking project. Features for photo editing will allow you to crop, colorize, resize, rotate and fix red-eye effects. Most good digital cameras provide a program of their own which can sort, view and fix certain elements in your images.

To print your digital images many home and small office color printers will do a good job of printing photos. But, if you want a top-notch printer or need to print a lot of photos, consider purchasing a printer designed specifically for photo printing. Always use coated paper designed for photo printing and finishes like matte and high gloss for the best quality printed images.

There are many things to consider when planning a scrapbook project, especially when it comes to using digital photos. But, the time spent in searching for the right products and some creative planning will surely improve the outcome of your scrapbooking endeavor.