CSPD 300 Photoshop I

Photoshop I covers the basic tips and techniques in color correction, retouching, montaging, and image manipulation. Students will work with brushes, layers, masks, styles, blending modes, and more to create unique imagery. Best practices will be covered in working, managing, saving, and exporting Photoshop files for use in Adobe Creative Cloud applications.

Prerequisite: basic knowledge of computers is required for all computer classes.

Bonus: experience with drawing, painting, color theory, design, sculpture, photography, light & shadow, psychology of art & human emotions, art therapy, and how the Universe works will be to your benefit :)

Recommended materials/supplies: students should bring a notebook and pen/pencils, as well as a USB Flash drive to transfer digital files to & from class. You are welcome to bring and use your own laptop computer with Adobe Photoshop CC installed.

Food & Drink: students are encouraged to bring food and drink to class. We'll have a break during our sessions.

Adobe Trivia: Illustrator and Photoshop are siblings, with Illustrator being the big sister and Photoshop the little brother (Illustrator was a 1987 Adobe creation/release with Botticelli's Venus as it's icon (female) and Photoshop as an acquisition by the Knoll brothers (Thomas & John, both males) in the late 1980s. (Thomas Knoll is still involved with the development of Photoshop and John Knoll is Chief Creative Officer at Industrial Light & Magic for Lucasfilm, LTD.) Adobe thought Photoshop would be second to Illustrator, but they were mistaken – Photoshop took off and proved to be the more popular of the two applications due to it's unique capabilities in manipulating photographs (bitmap images). Both applications work extremely well together in being able to produce vector graphics & raster images (bitmaps) for artists, designers, photographers and other creatives around the world.

InDesign was the late comer into the Adobe family in 2000, an acquisition from Aldus in 1994 (formerly Aldus PageMaker, then Adobe PageMaker – aka RageMaker among designers and pre-press technicians due to the multiple work-arounds needed in order to print the digital files correctly) and is viewed as a baby sister to the two older siblings. Adobe released InDesign 2 in 2002 and in an interview with an Adobe representative I was asked what I thought of the new version (since version 1 had numerous issues). I excitedly answered, "It's Adobe Illustrator on page layout steroids!" InDesign has many of the same capabilities Illustrator does, with it's strength in being able to layout multi-page documents and process type (lots of type!) effortlessly.

Schedule at a glance (subject to revision)

September

October

November

December

Inspirational Things

What are you looking at?

Since we don't live in a void, we must be looking at things around us. These things we look at influence us one way or the other, good or bad. The things that interest us may include audio, visuals, written words, news, events, etc. They are the things of our world that inspire us to be who we are. These things feed our minds and souls, give us hope and take it away, amuse us and anger us. These things make us feel something, which lead us to think about… things!

Click here to share your inspirational things.

We're looking at (listening to, reading, etc.)…

In the Beginning, There Was Photoshop

Create by Adobe

I am the New Creative

Creative Layer: Where Technology Meets Imagination

Erik Johansson – photographer & retoucher

April Greiman – artist, early adopter of digital imaging

NASA: On the Typography of Flight Deck Documentation – PDF 1.6 MB

Inventions of Photography (George Eastman House) – video: 63:49 in 12 short parts

Dark Ages II: When The Digital Data Die – Bergeron

20 Things To Remember If You Love A Highly Creative Person – share this link with your non-creative loved one to help explain why you are the way you are.

Copyright Infringement? What do you do when ISIS steals your photo?

Apple Introduces iPhone 7 & 7 Plus (12MP Dual Cameras) on September 7, 2016 (controversial ear bud jack issue, OMG!)

13 Mind-bending Thoughts About Photography

Photographer Matthew Rycroft put together this video containing 13 strange, random, and mind-bending “facts” about photography. These are short and seemingly obvious statements that may make you stop and think. Read more on PetaPixel…

Project One

10 Digital Paintings: Exploration & Exploitation of Adobe Photoshop

Due: October 1st

Project Brief: What will you create using Adobe Photoshop?

Starting with 10 new files, explore Photoshop's tools, commands, panels, filters, layers and more. Feel free to step outside your comfort zone – be daring, exciting, delve deep into your creative mind. Keep in mind all of your previous training while creating new images in Photoshop; composition, design principles, color theory and aesthetics. This project is about warming up to creative thinking, software & hardware, and conquering the blank canvas syndrome. Have fun and be exceptionally creative.

Project Parameters:

• Anything goes – be creative
• File Properties – work at 300 ppi resolution and in RGB color mode

Getting Started:

1. Launch Adobe Photoshop and create a new file,
2. Explore & exploit Photoshop's tools, commands, panels, filters, layers and more,
3. Save your file in the Photoshop format,
4. Repeat steps 1–3, nine more times.

Bring your master PSD files to our next class for additional processing and critique.

• Elizabeth Gilbert: Your Elusive Creative Genius
  Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses — and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.
• How To Be Creative | Off Book | PBS Digital Studios
  Creativity has always been essential for our cultural growth, but there are still many misconceptions about this elusive process.
• Photoshop Help / Save and export
• Photoshop Help / File formats
• Photoshop Help / Workspace
• Photoshop Help / Workspace basics
• Photoshop Help / Tool galleries
• Photoshop Help / Use tools
• Photoshop Help / Default keyboard shortcuts
• Photoshop Help / Preferences

Project Two

Retouching & Repairing Digital Images

Due: October 8th

Concept: Retouching and repairing scanned photos with Adobe Photoshop.

Project Brief: Explore Adobe Photoshop's retouching tools to repair scanned photos. Use the Spot Healing brush and Clone Stamp tools with destructive and nondestructive methods as demonstrated in class. Adjust contrast and color as necessary using Levels. The more you do, the easier it gets. Rescue those family photos!

• Photoshop Help / Image essentials
• Photoshop Help / Image size and resolution
• Photoshop Help / Retouch and repair images
• Photoshop Help / Nondestructive editing

Project Three

Compositing Imagery

Due: October 15th

Concept: Composite photos and graphics in Adobe Photoshop.

Project Brief: Explore Adobe Photoshop's layers, masks, blending modes and more while you composite imagery to create your art. Be creative!

• Photoshop Help / Layer basics
• Photoshop Help / Mask layers
• Photoshop Help / Layer opacity and blending
• Photoshop Help / Blending modes
• Photoshop Help / Transform objects
• Photoshop Help / Work with Smart Objects
• Photoshop Help / Apply Smart Filters

Project Four

Layer Effects & Styles

Due: October 29th

Concept: Work with layer effects and styles in Adobe Photoshop.

Project Brief: Shadows, glows, overlays and more are effects you can easily apply to layers in Photoshop to create incredible imagery. Effects are live (infinitely editable) and can be saved as styles that you can apply with a click of a button. Explore using layer effects and see what you can create.

• Photoshop Help / Reveal layers with clipping masks
• Photoshop Help / Layer effects and styles
• AdobePress / Layer Basics
• Intro to Photoshop's Layer Styles
• 750+ Free Photoshop Layer Styles

Project Five

Typography

Due: November 12th

Concept: Work with typography in Adobe Photoshop.

Project Brief: Adobe Photoshop has a long history of being the go to application to create incredible typographic effects. Text styled with blending modes and layer effects can be used to create unique typographical imagery. Have fun playing with type in Photoshop.

• Getting Started – Typography is all around us – everywhere – really, everywhere. On products in our homes, books and magazines, websites, email, ads on TV, movie and show titles & end credits, digital displays, posters, billboards, packaging, and the list goes on and on. Start to carefully look at type examples to see how it was crafted.
• The History of Typography – Animated Short – video, 5:09
• Photoshop Help / Text
• Photoshop Help / Line and character spacing – leading & kerning information
• Photoshop Help / Create type effects
• Photoshop Type Essentials
• 55 Ridiculously Cool Photoshop Text Effect Tutorials
• 10 Type Tools You Probably Aren’t Using in Photoshop
• Typography: Anatomy – JPG 917 KB
• Brief Intro to Typography – JPG 1.8 MB

Project Six

Playing with Color

Due: November 19th & 26th

Concept: Practice and explore coloring art and photographs in Adobe Photoshop using a variety of techniques.

Project Brief:Explore Adobe Photoshop's layer blending options, brushes, masks and other techniques discussed in class and from personal research in adding color to imagery. It's all good :)

• Getting Started – Find photos to scan or shoot new images to play with color in Photoshop. Use subject matter that's interesting to you.
• Work in Layers – Working with Layers in Photoshop (and other applications) allows you incredible flexibility in image creation. Layers can have their visibility turned off, can be masked, blending modes and opacity changed, and they can be trashed if necessary. Layers provide a non destructive workflow, leaving the underlying image untouched.
• Photoshop Help / About color
• Photoshop Help / Painting tools
• Photoshop Help / Adjustment and fill layers
• Photoshop Help / Adjust hue and saturation
• Change color and saturation – video, 06:00
• Change the color of an object – video, 07:00
• Photoshop Help / Blending modes
• Blending modes 101 – video, 04:24
• Photoshop Help / Layer opacity and blending – blending options
• Photoshop Help / Blending modes
• Photoshop Help / Layer effects and styles
• Photoshop Help / Create and modify brushes
• Photoshop Help / Create textured brushes
• Photoshop Blog – Keep Creating: A Guided Tour Through the Latest Photoshop Updates
• Adobe Creative Cloud – Kyle T. Webster’s Photoshop Brushes Now Available in PS Sketch
• KYLEBRUSH.COM – Premium Photoshop Brushes & Training for Professional Digital Artists

Project Seven

Images in Motion

Due: December 3rd

Concept: Using your photographs/video (and any supporting imagery) create animations using Adobe Photoshop and the GIF format.

Project Brief: Images in motion, cinemagraphs, slideshow, movies, animated GIFs – it doesn't matter what you call it. In the end, it's a digital image file using the Indexed Color mode with a limited color palette of 256 (or less) unique colors, saved in the GIF format (Graphics Interchange Format). While the color palette is limited, this format supports frame by frame animation and is anything but limited. The sky's the limit with what you can create – to infinity and beyond!

Build animated GIFs in Adobe Photoshop using techniques covered in class and from personal research – file size and duration are completely up to you.

• Start with Research – Get to know your subject by searching for cinemagraphs, animated GIF, frame by frame animation and more in your web browser. Read through the search results and view the image results for inspiration. Drag images to your desktop to build a collection of inspirational resources.
• Project Visualization
  The pros know they face grueling deadlines, limited budgets (time & finances), project expenses (talent, materials, equipment, travel, lodging, meals, etc.) and the job still needs to get done on time and within budget! With this knowledge at hand, pros don't blindly jump into their projects – instead, they write, scribble, doodle, and/or sketch their ideas on everything from cocktail napkins, sticky notes, loose sheets and pads of paper to journals, sketchbooks and tablets. Sketching allows them to work through their ideas before grabbing their cameras, sitting at their computers or working with traditional media. It's a sure-fire approach to rapidly work through their thoughts before expending time and money into a project!

  Concept sketches also provide a great method of communicating with everyone involved in the project. People really appreciate seeing what you're describing to them! Visuals greatly assist others in understanding what you're working on and if necessary, what they need to do in order to assist with completing the project (the final product may end up looking like the concept sketch or not, it doesn't matter, the concept sketch is simply the beginning of the process, not the end!).

  Concept sketches can be extremely valuable, beyond their original purpose. Some artists (Christo) fund the larger project by selling their concept sketches to collectors. Other artists (Tim Burton) have exhibitions and publish books of their concept sketches, which yield additional income and exposure for the artist. Concept sketches also have a historical value – they provide a look into the artist's mind.

  Start sketching. It's an easy and efficient way to visualize your ideas before committing to the bigger picture!

  Bonus Tip: If you feel that your writing or drawing skills (or anything else for that matter…) are lacking, sign up for a workshop or class to expand your knowledge and hone your skill set. Learning is a lifetime achievement. It only ends when you stop it!

• GIF Pronunciation – The Graphics Interchange Format or GIF was developed in 1987 by Steve Wilhite while working at CompuServe, the first United States commercial online service. The creators of the format pronounced the word as jif with a soft G as in gin. Wilhite claims the intended pronunciation deliberately echoed the peanut butter brand Jif®, and CompuServe employees would say "Choosy developers choose GIF", spoofing Jif's television commercials. GIF is also pronounced with a hard G as in gift. Both pronunciations are accepted by the industry, so there's no need to argue about it anymore :)
• Dissecting Animated GIFs – Open & inspect animated GIFs in Adobe Photoshop –  use the Layer panel to see the layer structure and the Timeline panel to view the frame sequence and duration
• Masks & Layers – Layer masks can animated (be sure to break the link between the layer & mask thumbnails in the Layers panel) and layers with color, blending modes, opacity and more can be used for creating incredible special effects
• Flipbooks – An early animation method mechanized
• File Formats – JPG, PNG & GIF are the digital image file formats used for web graphics. They compress images into smaller packages for distribution to devices. GIF is the only format that offers animation.
• Saving Animated GIFs – Adobe Photoshop can save files in the Compuserve GIF format and can export in the GIF format, but these are not animated GIFs. To save an animated GIF, use the menu, File > Export > Save for Web (Legacy)… or Command + Option + Shift + S (PC: Control + Alt + Shift + S) and select GIF from the optimized file format menu located at the top right of the window. Note: Save for Web… (and its variations) is under the File menu in earlier versions of Photoshop. This is a leftover from Adobe Imageready, Adobe's web graphic preparation app and the code behind it is outdated and no longer being developed in favor of new technologies.
• File Size & the Web – Simply put, smaller is faster & better. The game is to get the best looking image at the smallest file size so it downloads quickly to devices. 21st Century attention spans are short and the audience may not wait for a large download and click-through to another site, missing your beautiful contribution to the art world :(
• Photoshop Help / Create frame animations
• Photoshop Help / Create animated GIFs – tutorial
• Photoshop Help / Video and animation overview
• Photoshop Help / Color modes see Indexed Color mode

Final Project

Reason to Create!

Due: December 10th

Concept: Showcase your skills using Adobe Photoshop!

Project Brief: Use Adobe Photoshop and create 3 or more artworks with techniques covered in class and from personal research & experimentation. Have fun and create something exciting!

• Getting Started – You wanted to learn Adobe Photoshop for a reason. Think about that reason and let that inspire you to create in Adobe Photoshop. Feel free to take inspiration from the world around you and have fun with the creative process!
• Adobe Photoshop CC Tutorials – From Novice to Expert
• Creative Pro – more tips & insight on design and the Adobe Creative Suite
• Tuts+ – more tutorials with the Adobe Creative Suite
• Adobe Photoshop CC 2018 (version 19) October 2017 Release New Features Summary
• Photoshop Help / Default keyboard shortcuts – Mac & PC
• Adobe Create Magazine – online resource for art, design, illustration, photography & more…

Specifications: Adobe Photoshop format