digital photograms

making digital photograms using the threshold tool

1. Open Photoshop

2. Open your image by going to the File menu and selecting Open.

3. Choose File and click Open

4. Make sure the Layers Palette is visible, if not go to Window - > Layers

5. Copy your background using the keyboard shortcut CNTRL + J (Command J)

6. Click on the "Create new fill or adjustment layer", choose "Threshold"

7. Adjust the slider until it is about 116-125

for advanced students:

1. you can use the magic wand tool to select particular areas and then press delete to remove the threshold layer.

2. or use the wand tool and then the eraser tool to gradually remove parts of the threshold layer

3. you can also use the wand tool to select areas and then fill them with the brush or paint bucket.

Save the image:

Save your image by going to the File menu and Save As (Choose JPEG for finished images and PSD for unfinished images). For JPEG save the image at the highest size (Size 12).

***REMEMBER YOU CAN ALWAYS GO BACKWARDS ONE STEP WITH THE KEYBOARD SHORCUT CONTROL + Z or COMMAND + Z***

making digital photograms using the posterize tool

1. Open Photoshop

2. Open your image by going to the File menu and selecting Open.

3. Choose File and click Open

4. Make sure the Layers Palette is visible, if not go to Window - > Layers

5. Copy your background using the keyboard shortcut CNTRL + J (Command J)

6. Click on the "Create new fill or adjustment layer", choose "Posterize"

7. Adjust the slider until it is all the way to the left.

for advanced students:

1. you can use the magic wand tool to select particular areas and then press delete to remove the threshold layer.

2. or use the wand tool and then the eraser tool to gradually remove parts of the threshold layer

3. you can also use the wand tool to select areas and then fill them with the brush or paint bucket.

Save the image:

Save your image by going to the File menu and Save As (Choose JPEG for finished images and PSD for unfinished images). For JPEG save the image at the highest size (Size 12).

***REMEMBER YOU CAN ALWAYS GO BACKWARDS ONE STEP WITH THE KEYBOARD SHORCUT CONTROL + Z or COMMAND + Z***

For advanced students:

making a digital photogram collage

1. Open Photoshop

2. Open your images by going to the File menu and selecting Open.

3. Choose File and click Open

4. Make sure the Layers Palette is visible, if not go to Window - > Layers

5. Copy your background using the keyboard shortcut CNTRL + J (Command J)

6. Use the selection tools (marquee, lasso, or wand to select areas of the image you want)

7. Use the Copy & Paste tools or the Move tool to bring the parts of one image into the other

6. Click on the "Create new fill or adjustment layer", choose "Threshold" or "Posterize" to make it into a photogram.

Save the image:

Save your image by going to the File menu and Save As (Choose JPEG for finished images and PSD for unfinished images). For JPEG save the image at the highest size (Size 12).

making photograms with curves & threshold

making digital photograms using curves & threshold tool:

1. Open Photoshop

2. Open your image by going to the File menu and selecting Open.

3. Choose File and click Open

4. Make sure the Layers Palette is visible, if not go to Window - > Layers

5. Copy your background using the keyboard shortcut CNTRL + J (Command J)

6. Click on the "Create new fill or adjustment layer", choose "Threshold"

7. Use the shortcut CNTRL + E (Command E) to merge down the Threshold layer into the Background Copy Layer

8. Make another copy of your background (CNTRL + J or Command J)

9. Click on the "Create new fill or adjustment layer", choose "Curves"

10. Adjust the points on the histogram

11. Merge Down the Curves layer into the Background Layer below it.

12. On the Top Layer, draw out Marquee Shapes (Oval or Rectangle)

13. Click Delete on the keyboard to remove parts of the top layer.

abstraction links

MOMA

http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/1098

http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2010/abexny/

videos about the exhibition:

http://www.moma.org/explore/multimedia/videos/123

Pollock Krasner House

http://sb.cc.stonybrook.edu/pkhouse/index.shtml

Aaron Siskind Foundation:

http://www.aaronsiskind.org/images.html

contemporary photographers working with abstraction

Hiroshi Sugimoto

http://www.sugimotohiroshi.com/seascape.html

http://www.sugimotohiroshi.com/praise.html

Vik Muniz

http://www.vikmuniz.net/www/index.html

Adam Fuss

http://www.cheimread.com/artists/adam-fuss/#

Laurent Millet

http://www.robertmann.com/artists/millet/image_01.html

Alison Rossiter

http://www.alisonrossiter.com/index.php

Wendy Small

http://www.wendysmall.net/photograms/?x=about

Silvio Wolf

http://www.robertmann.com/artists/wolf/image_01.html

Christopher Bucklow:

http://www.chrisbucklow.com/guests.html

Workshop: Abstract Photography

Workshop: Abstract Photography

From Man Ray’s Rayographs to Aaron Siskind’s Abstract Expressionist images and Silvio Wolf’s color field photographs; we will use the camera to make photographs inspired by painting and other non-photographic forms. We will look at the influence of photography on painting and vice versa, with the following artists as a few of the examples: Laurent Millet, Harry Callahan, Richard Misrach, Alison Rossiter, Adam Fuss.

Students will be asked to create abstract photographs on their own outside of class and bring work to class for discussion (approximately 10-15 images each week).

* Note: It is essential that students bring artwork to class to share for critique. They may show printed images or digital images on a projector (using either on a flash drive or a disc).

Course Plan:

Class #1 (Oct. 27)

1. Introduction to the course, student and instructor introductions.

2. Slide presentation of abstract photographs part I.

3. Review technical elements of student cameras, materials they plan to use, and technique.

4. Questions and comments. Brainstorm subject matter students would like to work on over the week.

Class #2 (Nov. 3)

1. Students present work for group critique.

2. Slide presentation of abstract photographs part II.

3. Group discussion and brainstorming for the upcoming week’s project.

Class #3 (Nov. 10)

1. Students present work for group critique.

2. Slide presentation of abstract photographs part III.

3. Group discussion and brainstorming for the upcoming week’s project.

Class #4 (Nov. 17)

1. class trip

Class #5 (Nov. 24)

1. Critique: Students share progress towards final project.

Class #6 (December 1)

1. Critique: Students share progress towards final project.

Class #7 (December 8)

1. Students share progress towards final project.

2. Students prepare for final presentation by editing their work.

Class #8 (December 15)

1. Final Presentation of students finished images.

2. Group critique.

3. Review of all topics covered

Workshop: Photoshop (Creating Abstractions)

Workshop: Photoshop (Creating Abstractions)

This 8-week course will cover basic Photoshop concepts and techniques, including introduction to the tools palate, layers palate, adjustment layers, various file formats and creating a work-flow that works for you.

There will be a special focus on the tools and techniques for creating abstractions, including Hue/Saturation, Brightness/Contrast, Levels, Curves, Invert, Posterize and Threshold adjustment layers, as well as Patterns, Gradients, and Filters. We will also use the brush tool for digital painting techniques.

It is suggested that this course be taken simultaneously with the Abstract Photography class, but either class may be taken independently.

* Note: Students should have access to a computer where they can practice working on Photoshop outside of class.

Students will also need a flash drive or external hard drive for saving their work.

Course Plan:

Class #1 (Oct. 27)

1. Introduction to the course, student and instructor introductions.

2. Introduction to the Tools Palette

3. Working in Adjustment Layers (Threshold)

4. Save, Save As, JPEG, PSD

5. External Hard Drives and Flash Drives

Class #2 (Nov. 3)

1. Review of Week 1

2. Keyboard Shortcuts

3. Invert Adjustment Layer

4. Using Selections

Class #3 (Nov. 10)

1. Review of week 2

2. Layers/ Adjustment Layers (Hue/Saturation, Brightness/Contrast, Levels)

Class #4 (Nov. 17)

1. class trip

Class #5 (Nov. 24)

1. Review of week 3

2. Marquee Tools

Class #6 (Dec. 1)

1. Review of week 5

2. Filters

Class #7 (Dec. 8)

1. Review of week 6

2. Gradients & Patterns

Class #8 (Dec. 15)

1. Review of all techniques covered

2. Digital Painting Techniques

bibliography

In Defense of "Abstract Art"

L. Moholy-Nagy

The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism

Vol. 4, No. 2 (Dec., 1945), pp. 74-76

Published by: Blackwell Publishing on behalf of The American Society for Aesthetics

http://www.jstor.org/stable/426079

Ideas in Photography

Aaron Siskind

Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University

Vol. 39, No. 1/2 (1980), pp. 4-27

Published by: Princeton University Art Museum

http://www.jstor.org/stable/3774626

photocollage with all of the tools learned!

Instructions for making a photomontage using the clone stamp, magic wand, lasso tool & move tools.

1. Open Photoshop

2. Open your image by going to the File menu and selecting Open.

3. Choose File and click Open

(repeat steps 2 and 3 to open the additional files)

4. Make sure the Layers Palette is visible, if not go to Window - > Layers

(The image of beach chairs will be your background layer. You will be adding parts of the other two images on top of that background layer).

Use the Clone Stamp Tool to fix the top right corner of the background image:

5. Select the Clone Stamp Tool from the Tool Palette (the stamp, keyboard shortcut is the letter S)

6. Choose the settings for the Stamp at the top

(size of brush = 200, hardness = 0%, opacity = 100%, flow = 100%)

7. Hold down the ALT key (you will see the target appear while you hold down ALT)

8. Click on the area to the left of the white area (in the top right of the image).

This is the area you would like to sample (you will be adding that area to the white area to cover it). You can let go after clicking once on the area.

9. Click and hold down the mouse while moving over the white area to cover it with the surrounding information.

(you are using the clone stamp within one image to sample from one area in the image and paint on to the other area within the same image).

Add the 1st selection:

10. Select the Magic Wand Tool from the Tool Palette (the wand, keyboard shortcut is the letter W)

11. Set the tolerance for the wand at 30 (located in the upper panel). Click on the picture with the silhouette.

12. Click on the area of the picture with the shadow. The shadow will be selected.

13. Use the Shift + Lasso to add the bench into the selection.

14. Use the ALT + Lasso to subtract areas of the selection. Use the Shift + Lasso to add areas to the selection.

15. Use the keyboard shortcut CNTRL + C or Command + C to copy the selection.

16. Click on the background image (beach chairs).

17. Use the keyboard shortcut CNTRL + V or Command + V to paste the selection.

18. Use Free Transform (CNTRL + T or Command + T) to adjust the size of the selection. Click and drag the corners out to change the size. Hit the ENTER/RETURN key to apply the transformation.

19. Select the Move Tool from the Tool Palette (it looks like an arrow and the shortcut is the letter V).

Use the Move Tool to change the placement of the top layer.

20. Adjust the Opacity of the top layer in the Layers Palette by selecting the top layer and then dragging the opacity slider to the left.

Add the border:

21. Click on the image of the border.

22. Select the Magic Wand Tool from the Tool Palette (the wand, keyboard shortcut is the letter W)

23. Set the tolerance for the wand at 30 (located in the upper panel).

24. Click on the black area of the picture.

25. Use the Copy and Paste Shortcuts to bring the border onto the background image.

26. Use the smudge tool to smooth out any edges.

Save the image:

Save your image by going to the File menu and Save As (Choose JPEG for finished images and PSD for unfinished images). For JPEG save the image at the highest size (Size 12).

***REMEMBER YOU CAN ALWAYS GO BACKWARDS ONE STEP WITH THE KEYBOARD SHORCUT CONTROL + Z or COMMAND + Z***

images for oct. 20

The Flow Slider/Selection Box

The Flow Slider/Selection Box

The Flow Slider/Selection Box.

A lot of people are confused when it comes to the difference between "Opacity" and "Flow", and it's not hard to see why. However, they really are two completely different things, although Flow is somewhat related to Opacity.

What "Flow" does is control how much paint your brush puts down when you paint over an area with your mouse, which technically is exactly what Opacity does, hence the confusion. The difference though between Opacity and Flow is that with Opacity, as long as you don't lift your finger off the mouse and then click again to continue painting, your brush will add exactly the amount of "paint" you've specified in the Opacity value, and no more. No matter how many times you paint over the same area, as long as you don't lift your finger off the mouse and then click again to continue painting, your brush will never add more paint.

With Flow, that's not the case. If you have a value of 10% specified for Flow, the first time you paint over an area, you'll lay down 10% of your paint. But here's the difference. The next time you move your mouse over the same area, you'll add another 10% on top of the original 10%, even if you haven't lifted your finger up off the mouse. Paint over the same area again, and yet another 10% will be applied. That's the difference between Opacity and Flow. Opacity keeps the paint % value the same no matter how many times you paint over the same area (with the mouse button still down), while Flow increases the amount of paint in an area by the % value every time you pass the mouse over the same area.

If you're not confused yet (and hopefully you're not but if you are, the easiest way to see the difference between Opacity and Flow is to experiment and try them out on your own), here's one final thing you need to know about Flow. Flow is limited by the value you've set in Opacity. What I mean by that is, Flow can never, no matter how many times you paint over the same area, never ever add more paint than the value you've specified for Opacity. In other words, if you've set an Opacity of 50% and set Flow to 100%, Flow will only add 50% of the paint to the canvas because it's limited to 50% by the Opacity value. It can't go beyond that. You can paint over the same area until the cows come home but if you're Opacity value is set to something less than 100%, Flow can only add paint up to the % value you've specified for Opacity.

If you're now completely confused about the difference between Opacity and Flow, like I said, the easiest way to see the difference is to simply grab a brush, pick a color, change the value in Opacity and start painting. Then change the value again and paint again. Once you're comfortable with what the Opacity value is doing, set Opacity to 100% and start changing the Flow value while you paint. It won't take long before the difference between the two becomes clear.

Again, there's several ways to change the value in the Flow option box, which are all exactly the same as they are for the Opacity option, so I won't bother repeating them here. Simply check them out in the description of the Opacity option above if you haven't already.

http://www.photoshopessentials.com/basics/brushes/photoshop-brush-options-bar.php