Final Exam Project

Create an instructional tutorial that includes at least 2 functions of Photoshop CS3. Examples could include, but do not have to include items in the list below. Create a tutorial relating to things you have learned in the course, and teach other students how to learn things like the following

• Layer Masks
• Line Art Selection
• Color Correction Techniques
• Layer Adjustments
• Quick Mask
• Channel Selections

The tutorial can include blog posts, youTube videos (less than 5 min in length), handouts, illustrations, images, etc. DO NOT CREATE 2 SEPARATE TUTORIALS. This is to be one tutorial that explains all the steps and will include at least 2 Photoshop CS3 functions that create a desired image result. I will be grading on clarity of instruction and the steps to produce the desired effect along with what a student would learn from the tutorial and why this tutorial is useful for that purpose. Post your tutorial to your blog (or a link to your outside instructional material) by April 30th 11:59pm - no later. When posting your tutorial, include the Tutorial title, a brief description of what the student will learn by completing the exercise and any useful introductory information.

Example Post to Blog:

Working With Quick Masks
This tutorial will go through the necessary steps to teach you how to create a quick mask for use in selecting portions of an image. The student will find examples on how to build a library of selections by saving these selections as alpha channels.

(Tutorial or links begin here)

Final Exam Written Test

The Final Exam Written Test is posted as a link on the right for download

Project 7: Layer Masks

Project 7 is an exercise in experimentation, with Layer Masks. Follow the video tutorial on YouTube, here, and download the handout listed under Images / Project Files at the right. Create 2 to 3 creative layer mask images after you've watched the video and read the handout.

Project 6: Photo-stitching and Text application

The Project 6 assignment is to take 3 or more photos from your personal collection and “stitch” them together to make a single photo using layers, adjustments and some of the tools from the tool menu.

Those of you who were part of the eLIVE class on the 23rd saw a demonstration of this process in action where I stitched together a set of photos of the shoreline mountains, taken from an AK ferry. For those of you who missed this class, it is strongly advised that you view the recorded class from the UAS Central website archive to get an idea how this process is done. This will not only teach you about layer properties, but it will also give you a framework to experiment with some of the adjustment menus and tools in the toolbox.

You do not have to do a landscape as I did. Try your skills at stitching together a variety of other subjects. For example: it often will happen that the platen area of one’s scanner is not as large as the piece one wants to scan. This has happened to me many times over where I need to scan the same image, in different sections, and stitch the separate scans together to make one image.

Below is a duo-stitched image (I actually used pieces of a third) of a very large group of people at a conference I attended. I took the photo in three separate shots, positioning myself as directly in from of the area that would fit in my viewfinder. This repositioning of the vantage point was to eliminate as much perspective distortion as possible. To try and fit all of them in one photo would have made everyone tiny. There were a few people missing from the original, including myself, since I was taking the photo, so I took separate shots of them and “Photoshopped” (that word is bound for the dictionary yet) them in. Can you find them all? (hint - I am #128)

Original Photo / Right

Original Photo / Left

Selection Mask Channel - notice that I did not use a straight selection outline here. I selected around individual people since their position may have changed from one photo to the next. In the demo, where I worked on a landscape, there was little or no movement from one photo to another.

Final Stitched Photo

Identification Outline (traced in Painter X)

Once you have stitched your photo together, give it a title of some kind and apply the type to the image and set it in place as I did with the image above and the Alaska beach panorama that adorns our blog homepage. Post your original images and the stitched final WITHOUT the text first. Then apply the text and post that separately.

If you have any questions, please contact me as soon as possible so I may address them – possibly for the rest of the class.

Midterm Assignment

Using the link on the right, download the CIOS 152 Midterm Assignment PDF and read carefully before beginning. In a separate document, list each tool group as a heading for the tools that are contained in each of their fly out menus. List the individual tool’s name along with a brief, one line description of what the tool is used for. And yes, there is no "X". We were so close to 26 tool groups that it seemed more appropriate to use Z for the Zoom tool.

Project 3a: Selection Mania

Try and duplicate the selection outline and then fill it in (Edit > Fill) with a color (any visable color) and post on your blog.

This is a 5 step process:

1. Create a new document (File > New)
2. Set the size to 8in X 8in @ 72dpi and white background
3. Define your entire selection area
4. Fill the defined area with a color (any visible color)
5. Save as jpeg and upload to your blog with comments

Points will be subtracted for cheating (yes, I can tell).
You cannot:

1. Use Layers
2. Select and fill an area more than once
3. Select and delete an area to drop out the color inside an area

Hint:

• Add to your selection by holding down the shift key
• Subtract from your selection using the ALT key (option on the Mac)

If you have problems, post early and I will help.

Project 3b: Doing the PS-CS3 dance

Using either of the old B&W dance images (posted on the right under Project Files) as a base, take a personal head shot of yourself (in the appropriate position) and superimpose it on the base image of one of our dancers. Be thoughtful of lighting and expression to make the transition as realistic as possible.

You may also choose a base image of your own, but appropriateness and good taste will need to be thought out and applied. I am interested in the display of quality and skill more than humor or personal statement.

Steps for success

Choose an appropriate base image Obtain a quality head-shot of yourself using a camera or other means (existing photo acceptable if it fits the pose). Select your head from one image Transfer your head to the base image Adjust and flatten the image (Layer > Flatten) Save as jpeg Upload to blog with comments (2 original images and compostite)

Project 2: Adjustments and Color

Color Adjustment
Often we are faced with a less than perfect image, where it becomes our job, as digital image editors, to right the wrongs of poor lighting, uneven exposure, and substandard equipment to name a few. We are given the impossible with expectations of turning it into the possible, or at least our best attempt at the most probable. This project presents just one of those cases.

Here we have an original image of a colorful retro styled hotel room that has lost its life and dazzle due to an extreme temperature shift in the white balance and exposure of the image. I am referring to the Kelvin temperature in relation to Photography. Our question, when analyzing the image is whether or not it is possible or even probable to reclaim the spark of true color through the magic of Photoshop? That is the question and this week's assignment; to explore the possibilities embedded in the adjustment tools to bring this photograph back to life.

Below you see the original image, the target adjustment, and my best attempt using only the adjustment tools found under the Image > Adjustments menu list.

Original Image

Target Image

Best Adjustment (so far..)

Class Officially Begins

Greetings and Welcome to CIOS 152, Graphic Design for Computer Applications

Today class officially begins today

By now I should have received all enrollment confirmations from students that are in my class. After today I will not be using the UASonline enrollment system to send announcements and will only be sending out announcements to those students that have followed the confirmation instructions. If you have not sent an email confirming your enrollment, to me, at jrfehringer@uas.alaska.edu , you will not receive important announcements regarding class assignments, projects, meeting times and lesson resources. It is your responsibility to keep accurate and timely communication ongoing between you and the instructor.

New Students
If you are new to the class it is your responsibility to read through the announcement archive at https://uascentral.uas.alaska.edu/online and get caught up with the rest of the class. If you have any questions about what is expected of you, after you read the class syllabus and timeline, email me immediately.

Elluminate Live
Due to the update to Blackboard, UAF is having difficulties getting Elluminate live up and running correctly. For this reason, we will use the UAS Elluminate system instead. Login and test your connection to the system at

https://uascentral.uas.alaska.edu/online

Once you are logged in, select your class and navigate to the Communication Tools in the left column and click on Web Meeting. If you haven’t already downloaded the Elluminate software, you will be prompted to do so and taken through the steps.

Tip: Before you come to the online meeting it might be wise to restart your computer and clear off your desktop. Occasionally I will switch control to a student so they can demonstrate a process, which means that student’s desktop will be visible to all other participants. There may be information on your computer within sight that you do not want anyone to have visual access to.

For those of you using the Photoshop CS3 key server software from UAS: Before signing on to the meeting, start your VPN client and THEN start Photoshop CS3. You cannot do this in reverse order and will only delay your participation.

If you have a separate monitor (this is NOT a requirement), this will be a good way to follow along with any demonstration and try the process in conjunction to watching through Elluminate. Due to some of Elluminate’s limitations, it is often difficult to simultaneously view the demonstration and try the process yourself. Your software will often block your view to the demonstration on a single monitor system. When time permits, I will give folks time to try a process before moving on.

Blackboard and Blogger
I will be using both Blackboard at http://classes.uaf.edu/ and Blogger at http://cios152.blogspot.com/ as the central hubs for our class. The information needed to participate in the class instruction will be posted on both sites in order to eliminate difficulties that sometimes arrive in gaining access to one or the other. You are responsible to check in with both sites for your class, frequently during the week, to stay current. I have set up an RSS (Real Simple Syndication) feed for the class blogger site in order to streamline the process in notification when there is an update. You can link this feed to some of your favorite newsreaders and be kept up to day with a subscription to all Posts and Comment updates, if you like.

If you have not set your personal blog-folio up yet, do that very soon. I expect them to be up and operating with the URL link sent to me before our meeting on January 22nd. Do not wait until the last minute. Blog-folio URLs that are submitted late will have points deducted from their total set-up score.

That’s it for now. I look forward to our meeting next Thursday.

Welcome to CIOS-152 Blog - Photoshop CS3

Welcome to the CIOS-152: Photoshop Class Blog. This will be the central hub for all your portfolio work and the place where you all will share your images and thoughts throughout the class. On the right there will be a list of links to each class members personal blog - Yes, you will be creating a blog too. I encourrage you to use this site to reflect on what you are learning in this class and what it feels like, for you personally, to tackle a program like Photoshop.