Choosing color palettes for scrapbook pages

Pull colors from your photos

The easiest way to build a color palette is to look at your photos. Your pictures already contain the colors you need for a cohesive layout. Start by picking two or three colors that naturally appear in your images. You might spot a bright blue sky, a red shirt or a painted green wall.

Use these colors to select your digital papers and elements. If your photo features a lot of green grass, a green background paper will make the image look right at home. Black and white photos are highly versatile and work with almost any palette you choose. If you are working with sepia photos, they look best when paired with warm, muted colors.

Here is a simple process to match your supplies to your pictures:

• Open your photo in your software.
• Identify two or three prominent colors in the image.
• Select background papers that match your main chosen color.
• Pick embellishments that match the remaining colors.

Color wheel basics

Understanding the color wheel helps you pair colors that look good together. You can create different moods on your page based on where your chosen colors sit on the wheel. This is a core part of layout design basics.

Complementary colors sit opposite each other on the color wheel. Blue and orange are a classic example. Using complementary colors gives your page a strong contrast and a vibrant, energetic feel.

Analogous colors sit next to each other on the color wheel. Yellow, orange and red are analogous colors. These combinations feel calm and harmonious because the colors naturally blend into one another.

The 60-30-10 idea

Once you pick your colors, you need to decide how much of each to use. The 60-30-10 idea is a simple rule to keep your page balanced. It prevents your colors from fighting for attention.

First, choose one main color for 60 percent of your page. This is usually your main background paper. Next, use a second color for 30 percent of the design. You can apply this secondary color to paper blocks, wide strips or large frames.

Finally, use your third color as a small accent for the last 10 percent. This accent color works perfectly for small elements, ribbons and your page title.

Calming the page with neutrals

Bright colors are fun, but they can easily overwhelm your photos. Neutrals calm a busy page and give your eyes a place to rest. Colors like kraft, cream, linen and gray are excellent neutral choices.

Neutrals suit any kit and blend well with both complementary and analogous color schemes. If your layout feels too loud, try swapping a bright background paper for a neutral one. You can find versatile options in our kraft and linen basics collection.

A gray or cream background lets the bright colors in your photos and accent elements take center stage. They provide a solid foundation for any digital scrapbook page.

Mixing patterns without the clutter

Color is only half the equation when choosing your supplies. Digital scrapbook kits often include many patterned papers. Too many patterns compete with each other and distract from your photos.

To keep your design clean, limit the number of patterns you use on a single page. A good rule is to mix one large pattern, one small pattern and a solid color. The solid paper gives the patterns room to breathe.

Remember that standard digital scrapbook pages are 12x12 inches at 300 pixels per inch, which equals 3600x3600 pixels. At this size, large patterns are very visible and need solid colors to balance them out.

Using a kit palette

If you struggle to mix and match colors, digital scrapbook kits do the hard work for you. Most kits are designed around one specific color palette. Because the designer already matched the hues, papers and elements from the same kit will always look good together.

When you download free kits, you get a coordinated collection of supplies. The papers are typically JPG files, while the elements and alphabets are transparent PNG files. You can read more about file types in our guide to PNG vs JPG.

You can safely mix any JPG paper and PNG element from the same kit without worrying about clashing colors. This is a great way for beginners to practice page design before mixing supplies from different kits.