Kia Ora

ACTIONS AND TYPE SETTING

DIGITAL MEDIA




WOW! It has been a challenging week with assignments coming up to their due dates....breathe everybody...it's going to all be fine :)

So this week we covered Batch Processing by way of creating an "Action" in Photoshop, which in short is giving the computer a set of instructions of what to do with an image and then commanding it to repeat the process on your chosen images. Very handy if you have shot images at the same exposure and are wanting a custom look for the lot.

I did get slightly overwhelmed this week, I will use the word slightly because it sounds much kinder than saying my brain felt like it was going to explode into a million pieces and leave the cleaner with a sad face at the work load ahead. And look at that. I said it anyway :)

For me it's learning all the short cuts to do these amazing changes and movements with images that I find a challenge. Being computer literate in the digital and design world is at times a challenge for me but something I become more comfortable with as time passes and I find that it is an area that I would like to gain more experience in.

Anyway. Back to the work we did this week.
We took a number of images and created a contact sheet with them to choose the images that we wanted to alter.
Next step was to set up an "Action" in Photoshop. This was done by choosing one image and making the changes wanted. Creating an Action causes Photoshop to record the changes you are making and in turn you can then use that set of instructions on any other images you would like to which saves valuable time and allows you to keep a record of any creative gems you manage to make along the way.

We also had to show that we could use a typesetting within our finished Contact Sheet.

And here is what it looks like when done.

ADJUSTMENTS,LAYER STYLES AND FILTERS

DIGITAL MEDIA

Howdy y'all.
I hope life is being kind to you :)

This week it's all about making adjustments to your images using layers and filters to achieve a dynamic look or create an atmosphere different to the one your image was actually photographed in. Think of it as turning winter into summer with the help of a change in warmth of colour.

This is definitely one of my favourite aspects of Photoshop and being creative but then again there isn't much that I don't enjoy once I get a grasp on it. It is usually in ignorance that we struggle most but can also do the greatest amount of growing if we allow ourselves the opportunity.

With just one change you can create a whole different feel to your image and portray quite a different aspect or invoke a differing emotion to what may have been felt within the original image.

I had fun with this...let's take a look...

  

SELECTIONS AND MASKS

DIGITAL MEDIA


Howdy everyone :)

This week the work is all about clear cutting, which means to cut an item or items out of an existing image. Think of it as physically cutting out part of an image for making a collage. 

Now Photoshop and I do not have an easy relationship at the best of times but as all relationships go it's a work in progress and progress I like to make.

We were given a few different images to clear cut and also had to use a range of tools to achieve this task.
Something from my previous interactions with Photoshop must have sunk in because I actually felt comfortable with this exercise and found a new appreciation for this program.

I have seen some absolutely atrocious clear cutting in my time of surfing the web and have always thought it to be something of an art form. Turns out that it is not so hard with Photoshop. The hard part about it is being particular and taking the time to produce a precise and clean image that doesn't appear like it has been cut from another picture.

I can talk about the in's and out's of clear cutting but when it comes down to it I'm still learning and when running hard on assignments and trying to just get an assessment completed to keep up with the work load my ability in being precise is thrown a little by the way side, definite room for development in my time management skills so I can achieve in all aspects of my work. But hey, we're all learning right?! :)

Anyway...I will show you what I am talking about...

This image is of lolliepop tops removed from their sticks and background.  

This image of a spoon was cut from it's background.

RETOUCHING AND RESOLUTION

DIGITAL MEDIA


Hello again :)

This week is all about repairing images and finding the appropriate technique to do so.

We looked at spot healing and using the healing tool as a means of repairing skin blemishes in an image. Seems easy enough but you can actually be the difference between the person in your image looking like a superstar or burn victim.

The key I found is to keep a slow and steady pace when healing areas of the image.
Another great tip is to make sure you are zooming out on your image to check in that those tiny alterations you are making are not in fact creating more damage to your image. It's amazing what a few misplaced pixels and change in pigment can do from a distance.

I really enjoyed playing with the concept of photo repair as it was not something I had done before but felt I would definitely like to do more of. That was until I had a go at repairing a childhood photo of myself and my dad.
I found this photo a challenge to work on and in all honesty feel that I could eventually repair this image to a higher quality than what I have done but I am still pleased with the work I have achieved on it at this point.

And in all seriousness photo repair and restoration is an aspect of the creative world that I would be happy to gain a greater skill base in. Imagine being able to restore a photo of a special person or memory for somebody whom that means the world to. We often don't realise that even what may be perceived as mediocre or small to some may end up to be life changing for others...that's what I love about life and being creative...you never know where it's going to take you...xxx

P.S. Here's the before and after of my Dad and me.
The original photograph is not much bigger than this. 

                                

 Skin smoothed using a layer mask with blur.

A WHOLE NEW WORLD

Hey everyone,

Welcome to where I share my creative journey with the world…ok, at this stage not the world but eventually I will get to share with a large number of people and who knows where things could go…anything is possible! :)

It’s the beginning of a new study year and one that I am VERY excited about.

Loads of hard work to be done but also a lot of great learning to be achieved and fun to be had through the creative journey.

So once again, WELCOME!

Join me as I learn more about the Creative work world and explore my own personal application of the skills that I will be collecting through the year ahead.

:)

"STILL IMPROVING"

DIGITAL MEDIA

Hey everyone...

Our first project of the year is titled "Still Improving".
This project involves using a range of skills to complete manipulative work within a digital image.

Now, I know many of you are probably really familiar with these techniques and have been working on images for a while but I myself am pretty new to digital transformation so please bare with my learning and progress through the year. Your support means a lot to me :)

I'm hoping that by the end of this semester I have a good handle on Photoshop and can start to use the program as a means of enhancing my already great photos and creating some awesome art work.

Enough jibber jabber from me.
Lets begin this crazy creative journey :)