Digital Photography & Imaging: Week 03
Adena Tan Sue Lynn (0345769)
Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media
Digital Photography & Imaging
Lecture
Today, Mr Fauzi taught us the basics of Adobe Photoshop.
Firstly, he briefed us the importance of using layers while editing.
- For non-destructive editing
- Never destroys original image
Figure 1.1 Layers
Figure 1.2 Toolbox
Figure 1.3 Marquee Selection Tools
Then, Mr Fauzi explained to us the lasso tool. It basically allows one to draw and pinpoint specific areas of a document. It's better to use with a graphic tablet as it allows for a better flow when drawing and making selections.
Figure 1.4 Lasso Tool
After that, Mr Fauzi explained the pen tool. It's the most common option when creating a path from scratch. Using it, one can add points and the way the tool is dragged when creating points determines the look. It is to note that the lesser points, the smoother the path. It can create precise shapes and paths. However, it was not made as a 'selection tool'.
Figure 1.5 Pen Tool
Practical
For Practical, Mr Fauzi made sure to showcase him creating three collages. I wrote down some notes whilst he was presenting and found that his presentation was very thorough and helped me understand Adobe Photoshop and creating collages even more.
- Best way to start a collage is to play with layers, but it is better to start with a minimum of four first.
- A4 size document, resolution : 100 & rename the file to 'W3_Practical' for easy finding.
- To zoom in, it's CTRL +, To zoom out it's CTRL -
- When making shapes, the decreasing the opacity can help us see the behind layer.
- When scaling, we should scale proportionally instead of freely. This will keep the object intact.
- CTRL while clicking on an element selects it
- When saving, save for web and then save as JPEG.
- When building a collage, the rule of thirds is helpful at staring a collage, but the Golden ratio is helpful for the end.
With that, I got started on working on the collages. At first, I had trouble trying to deal with Photoshop as my application kept glitching. I wasn't entirely sure why, but I didn't let that stop me and continued with my work.
Composition #01:
Figure 2.1 First composition
"For this first composition, I wanted to use the images with people. Then, I decided to include the picture of the factory as it really intrigued me. Finally, I decided to add the photo of the mountain as I thought it was really ironic to implement a nature element into a mostly man-made element collage."
Figure 2.2 Second composition
"Next, I decided to play around with the elements I wasn’t entirely sure of, to test my abilities. Firstly, I had the idea of the building to come out of the typewriter, as if it were paper. Then I decided to add the background, for some visual intrigue. Next, I added the shark. As a way to balance it, I added the paper airplane, allowing for smaller focus from the left to a larger focus to the right."
Composition #03:
Figure 2.3 Third composition
"For my final composition, I first dumped the four elements I wanted to use; the television, the walkway, the projector as well as the rubber plant. Following the type writer idea in the previous composition, I thought it would be interesting to make it seem like the walkway was emerging from the television. Then, I arranged the projector beside the television to show the difference between then & now. Finally, I added the background image to give some more visual interest."
Feedback
10/09/2021 (Friday): Mr Fauzi left me a private comment, "This is a good series of digital collage. COMPOSITION #1 is the best. Good job Adena, thanks for your efforts. Keep it up!"
