Photoshop Tutorial Project

This assignment was to try 2 different Photoshop tutorials from the magazine or website. I looked for the articles that had the most interesting looking results but weren’t too difficult and didn’t have too many steps. I settled on a lens flare trick and a way to create custom linetypes. I decided to use a picture of the beach because it is a bright, sunny place and worked well for the lens flare. For the custom linetype I used the paw print, as did the magazine. I didn’t really have control over principles of design since I was following steps, but the lens flare project used mostly shadow and color to create this effect. This was a fun but challenging project, as it required that I try many tools I have never used before. The lens flare went smoothly, but the line trick was slightly more challenging. I would look for as detailed instructions as possible in the future, because these projects require you to do exactly the right thing for a good result.

Advertisement Project

The advertisement project assignment was to create an advertisement for a real or fake product and include some sort of creative text in the image. I mostly wanted to use colors and create an ad that would grab the eye, as most real ads do. I decided to choose one of the most marketable and marketed products in the world: Coca Cola. Mani mages of different coke cans appear on the internet, so after some searching through Google Images I found exactly what I wanted. I used color to make the words and cans stand out, spacing/ organization to control the balance of the different elements of the picture, and perspective to layer all the coke cans on top of the entire globe. I am satisfied with my project, but if I had more time I would’ve made a larger image including more cans, and possible even write the same slogan I thought of in several different languages. This was a fun project, and it gave me creative license unlike many other projects. 

Kaleidoscope Project

 

     The goal of the Kaleidoscope Project was to cut out a right triangle from an image and recreate it 7 more times to produce the “kaleidoscope effect.” For both projects I wanted to use an original image that wasn’t too complex, and thus it would appear as one cohesive image in the final creation. I wanted to choose something cool like a car or motorcycle for the first project, which I did, and for the second I chose a picture of a pattern of pebbles that I took in Italy. I used texture in the second project because the pebbles give dimension to the project. I also used perspective in the second project, and the final image looks like a tunnel. In the first project I used color to contrast the white, black, and red of the motorcycle. I loved this project; it was my favorite so far. I found it very easy to come out with satisfying results using almost any image. The only thing I would do differently is making sure the angle is exactly 45 degrees so that there aren’t any diagonal lines on the final images. 

Inside-Out Project

     In the inside out project, the assignment was to take an image of the outside of an object such as a computer and blend parts of this image with parts offering a view to the inside, such as view of the inside hardwiring of the computer. I decided to do something with the body, but the face seemed too common of a choice, so I settled on a hand. I looked through google images until I found pictures of hand muscles and a hand that matched each other. I used color to blend the muscles and the skin so that instead of a sharp line appearing, it looks like a transition from skin to muscle. Doing so also required use of value. I attempted to use perspective to make the fingers and hand appear on the same layer. I am satisfied with my work. If I could spend a little more time blending the fingers and hand it might have turned out slightly better, but that is my only comment on my work. 

New Photo-editing sites

I used splashup to edit this landscape scene and make a few changes to the lighting. This sight is very similar to Photoshop and appears to be designed to mirror it as closely as possible. However, it is more difficult to use and doesn’t include nearly as many useful tools as Photoshop. Its target audience would be someone looking to utilize the tools of Photoshop without having to pay for the program. I don’t think a link should be included because it is basically a worse version of Photoshop that is harder to use.

I edited this image on aviary. It offers basic photo editing ability in a format that is very easy to use. You couldn’t do advanced picture editing on this sight like you could on Photoshop, but it does have some fun features such as stickers that can be pasted on top of an image. Its target audience would mostly be kids or people looking to just make some fun easy alterations to pictures. I think a link should be included because if you are looking for an easy way to make a few changes to a picture without all the hassle of advanced Photoshop tools, this is the sight to use.

I altered this screenshot of myself on Taaz. To be honest, this site is just plain creepy. It is difficult and monotonous to use, and the results are scary, even when I used a picture of a woman and not myself. It has nothing in common with Photoshop; this site makes edits for you to uploaded pictures of faces. It is more an advertising site than anything else, showing you what you would look like wearing certain brands of makeup or wearing the hairstyle of certain celebrities. Its target audience is probably young women, but it seems like a scam and the results of the edited pictures creep me out. There should definitely not be a link.

I created this picture of myself on picmonkey using the same screenshot as on taaz. I like this site because it is easy to use and has even more effects than aviary. There are numerous cool filters to put on pictures, and it also does the basic editing functions such as crop and rotate. It doesn’t have as many advanced features as Photoshop, but at the same time it is easier to use. It targets the general, basic level photo-editor. I would recommend uploading a link to this site because it is different from Photoshop but it offers some cool and easy to use tools.