universitysettlementphoto

The focus of this course will be improving straight images, particularly images you have already taken and have problems with that you would like to resolve.

This is a great course for orienting yourself with Photoshop and also if you want to improve on the skills you already have.

It is highly recommended that you have access to a computer with Photoshop to practice.

There will be weekly lessons posted on the class blog, and I would like everyone to practice the lesson at home and bring in an example of their work each week.

Keyboard shortcuts will also be on the class blog.

Week 1 (March 9)

Introduction/Review:

Workflow – planning and organizing

Photoshop Tools Palette – Crop Tool, Zoom, Hand Tool, Burn, Dodge, Eraser,

Photoshop Essentials- Opening files, Undo (History), History Palette Snapshot, Layers Palette, Brushes, Save, Save As

Week 2 (March 16)

Working with Adjustment Layers: Levels, Curves, Hue/Saturation, Brightness/Contrast, Threshold, Invert

Working with Selections:Marquee Tools, Magic Wand, Lasso, Feather, Adjustments to selections, Copying & Pasting selections

Sponge

Week 3 (March 23)Paint Brush, Paint Bucket, Eye Dropper, Default colors

Move, Blur, Sharpen, Smudge, Merge Down, Merge Visible, Flatten Image, Filters

Week 4 - (March 30)

Retouching: Clone Stamp

Week 5 (April 6)

Masks, Quick Masks, Channels

Week 6 (April 13)

Retouching: Pattern Stamp

Week 7 (April 20)

Retouching: Healing Brush, Patch Tool, Pen Tool

Week 8 (April 27)

Review of all lessons ₊Type Tool

Monday, February 28, 2011

Syllabus: Constructing a Narrative

University Settlement Digital Photography

Instructor: Christina Freeman

christinahfreeman@gmail.com

class blog: www.universitysettlementphoto.blogspot.com

Syllabus: Constructing a Narrative

Learn how to use photography to tell a story- whether it be truth or fiction. Students will explore narrative both through individual images and series. We will discuss narrative both in documentary photography and in staged fine art photography by referring to works that have shaped the medium. Some of the photographers we will discuss include: Sebastiao Salgado, Nikki Lee, Sophie Calle, Cindy Sherman, Alessandra Sanguinetti, Kelli Connell, Graciela Iturbide, Duane Michals, Sally Mann, Nan Goldin, Collier Schorr, Jeff Wall, Phillip Lorca Di Corcia, Dawoud Bey, Lorna Simpson, Hank Willis Thomas.

This workshop will address the following questions:

Is the narrative about a person(s) or culture?

Is the narrative about a place or other inanimate object?

What is the time span of the narrative? (5 years, 30 years, 1 day?)

Is the narrative fiction or non-fiction?

Who or what inspires the narrative?

Will it have a specific order (sequence)? Will it have a non-traditional structure? Will it start in the middle or at the end?

Will it be made of straight photographs or images constructed in Photoshop? Or a combination of both? Will you use found imagery?

What form will it take? One single image or a series? Very small photographs or very large ones?

Why is this narrative important to you?

Subjectivity vs. Objectivity: from whose point of view is the story told?

Course Outline

week 1 (march 9): what is narrative?

outline for the workshop

documentary narrative vs. constructed narrative

slideshow of artists

brainstorm of ideas

week 2 (march 16):

slideshow of artists

students present outline for project

discuss student ideas and look at preliminary images

review technical elements of photography

week 3 (march 23):

slideshow of artists

discuss student ideas

week 4 (march 30):

field trip

week 5 (april 6):

slideshow of artists

group critique

week 6 (april 13):

slideshow of artists

group critique

week 7 (april 20):

slideshow of artists

group critique

week 8 (april 27):

students present final project

Sunday, February 27, 2011

images for march 2

March 2: Filters, Preparing the image for print, Image Size, Border, Canvas

Week 8 (March 2)

Filters

(After right-clicking the image from the blog and saving it to your desktop)

1. Open Photoshop (From your Start Menu> Programs> Adobe CS2)

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. Go to the Filter Menu > Filter Gallery . . .

7. Open the drop down menus by clicking the triangles

8. Choose a filter and adjust the sliders to modify the effect

9. Click OK to commit the changes.

Preparing the image for print, Image Size, Border, Canvas

1. Go to the Image Menu > Image Size

2. Uncheck Resample Image, check Constrain Proportions and set the dimensions, 300 dpi at 6.75 inch height and 9 inch width

3. Click OK

4. Go to the Image Menu > Canvas Size

5. Set the Canvas at 8 inch height and 10 inch width

6. Set the Canvas extension color

7. Click OK

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

layer masks

Layer Masks

(After right-clicking the image from the blog and saving it to your desktop)

1. Open Photoshop (From your Start Menu> Programs> Adobe CS2)

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. Choose the Picture of the Dog

6. Go to Image > Rotate Canvas > Flip Horizontal

7. Select All by using the shortcut CNTRL + A or COMMAND + A

8. Copy the image (CNTRL + C or Command + C)

9. Click on the Picture of the Car Dashboard and then Paste the image of the dog (CNTRL + V or Command + V).

10. Use the Move Tool (V) to move the dog to the left side of the image.

11. With the top Layer selected click on the Layer Mask button.

12. Fill the Layer with Black, by going to Edit > Fill, choose Black.

13. Paint White with the paint brush to reveal the Dog. Use Black paint to make touch-ups.

14. Use the move tool (v) to move the dog and make it look like the dog is driving.

The End.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Adjustments to selections, Copying selections, Merge Down, Flatten Image

Adjustments to selections, Copying selections, Merge Down, Flatten Image

(After right-clicking the image from the blog and saving it to your desktop)

1. Open Photoshop (From your Start Menu > Programs > Adobe CS2)

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)

Magic Wand

6. Click on the Background Copy and Click on the Magic Wand (keyboard shortcut is W).

7. Set the Magic Wand Tolerance to 20. Select the hot spots in the photo (the sky and other light areas) by clicking on an area and adding additional areas with shift+click. Feather the selection by 10 pixels (either Right Click > Feather or Refine Edge > Feather).

Levels

8. Click on the Cookie and select Levels. Drag the Black slider to the bottom left edge of the histogram. Adjust the Gray slider as you choose.

9. Click CNTRL + E (Command + E) to Merge Down (Or choose Merge down from the Layers Palette Menu).

Hue / Saturation

9. Click on the Background Copy and Click on the Marquee Tool to select the skyscraper on the middle of the left side.

10. Click on the Cookie and select Hue/Saturation. Drag the Hue slider to +25 and the saturation to +35. Click OK.

Invert

11. Click on the Background Copy and Click on the Wand.

12. Use the Wand to select the turquoise areas on the ground. Shift+Click to Add areas.

13. Click on the Cookie and select Invert.

Curves

14. Use the Magnetic Lasso Tool to select the building and billboards on the left side of the photo.

15. Click on the Background Copy then Click on the Cookie and select Curves. Use the 3-point system to increase the contrast. Click OK.

Paint Bucket Tool

16. Click on the Background Copy.

17. Choose a new foreground color.

18. Click on the Paint Bucket Tool (G). Put the paint bucket mode in Dissolve. Opacity = 80%.

19. Click on the sky areas to fill with color.

Copy and Paste Selection

20. Use the Rectangular Marquee Tool to select the Kodak sign. Feather the selection 10 pixels.

21. Copy (CNTRL + C or Command + C) and then Paste the selection (CNTRL + V or Command + V).

22. Use the Move Tool (V) to move the selection to the other side of the building, so that the two are parallel.

Flatten Image

Choose Flatten Image from the Layers Palette Menu

The End.

images for feb 16

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Paint Brush, Paint Bucket, Eye Dropper

Paint Brush, Paint Bucket, Eye Dropper

(with selection tools)

(After right-clicking the image from the blog and saving it to your desktop)

1. Open Photoshop (From your Start Menu > Programs > Adobe CS2)

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)

Magic Wand

6. Click on the Background Copy and Click on the Magic Wand (keyboard

shortcut is W).

7. Set the Magic Wand Tolerance to 20. Click on the top left corner of the

photo to select the area with the wand. Click on Refine Edge to Set the

Feather to 10 pixels.

Eye Dropper

8. Click on the Eye Dropper Tool. Click on the top left of the photo to select the

color.

9. Click on the Foreground Color to adjust the color. Move the circle to change

the color slightly.

Brush Tool

1. Click on the Paint Brush (keyboard shortcut is B)

2. Set the Mode to Normal. Opacity = 45%. Flow = 100%. Hardness = 30%

3. Cover the selected area with the new color. Click CNTRL or COMMAND + D

to deselect the area.

Paint Bucket Tool

9. Click on the Paint Bucket Tool (keyboard shortcut is G).

10. Set the Opacity to 70% and the Tolerance to 30.

11. Click on the area on the right side under the arm.

12. Set the Paint Bucket to dissolve and click on the area under the other arm.

13. Click on the Create New Layer Button.

14. Choose a new foreground color and keep the paint bucket mode in dissolve.

Opacity = 80%. Fill the new layer by click the paint bucket on the layer.

15. Drag the new layer behind the Background Copy.

16. Click on the top layer in the layers palette.

17. Choose Clear for the paint bucket mode. Set the Tolerance to 40.

18. Click on the figure, to clear the pixel information in that part of the layer,

revealing the layer beneath.

19. Choose another foreground color. Set the tolerance of the bucket to 20.

Mode = Dissolve.

20. Click on the bottom shadow to fill with color.

The End.

image for february 9

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

homework: photoshop & digital photography

photoshop:
1 picture with rectangular marquee + an adjustment layer
1 picture with eliptical marquee + an adjustment layer
1 picture with magic wand + an adjustment layer
1 picture with lasso or magnetic lasso + adjustment layer
1 picture with blur/sharpen smudge

bring the original & the finished pictures

digital photography:
bring in 10 photos using framing

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Marquee Tools, Magic Wand, Lasso, Feather Selection, Move, Blur, Sharpen, Smudge

(After right-clicking the image from the blog and saving it to your desktop)

1. Open Photoshop (From your Start Menu > Programs > Adobe CS2)

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)

Marquee Tools

6. With the Background Copy Highlighted, Select the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M = Marquee, Shift + M to toggle through the menu)

7. Click and drag out the Rectangular Marquee to fit the size of the bottom middle window. Let go of the mouse. (No Feather)

8. With the Background Copy Highlighted, Click on the Cookie and choose Hue/Saturation. Drag the Saturation slider all the way to the left. Click OK.

9. With the Background Copy Highlighted, Select the Oval Marquee Tool (M = Marquee, Shift + M to toggle through the menu)

10. Click and drag out the Oval Marquee to fit the window with the red curtains. Let go of the mouse.

11. With the Background Copy Highlighted, Click on the Cookie and choose Levels.

12. Drag the highlights triangle to the bottom right side of the hill in the histogram. Clikc OK.

Magic Wand

13. Click on the Background Copy and Click on the Magic Wand (W).

14. Set the Magic Wand Tolerance to 20. Set the Feather to 20 pixels.

15. Click on the sky area. With the Background Copy Highlighted, Click on the Cookie and choose Curves. Make a Curves adjustment using the three point system.

Lasso

16. With the Background Copy Highlighted, Select the Lasso.

17. Click and drag the mouse to draw around the head in the bottom left. (Feather 10 pixels)

18. Click on the Cookie and choose Brightness/Contrast and then Adjust the Brightness (as you wish). Click OK.

19. Choose the Move Tool (V). Click and drag the head over next to the original.

Blur/ Sharpen/ Smudge

20. With the Rectangular Marquee Tool, Select the building in the back left.

21. Use the Blur Tool (R ) to blur the building

22. Use the Sharpen Tool (R ) to Sharpen the Windows.

23. Use the Smudge Tool (R ) to pull the building up. Click and Drag the top of the building to make it taller.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

homework assignments for this week

photoshop
- edit 5 different pictures, adjust the levels on all of the photos and then edit each one using a different adjustment layer from our lesson (exposure, contrast, black/white, saturation, curves)

digital photography
- take 5 pictures using the rule of thirds
-take 5 pictures on the macro setting

Monday, January 17, 2011

Image: Brushes, Stamp Tool, Zoom, Hand Tool, Burn, Dodge, Sponge, Eraser

before

after

Brushes, Stamp Tool, Zoom, Hand Tool, Burn, Dodge, Sponge, Eraser

Brushes, Stamp Tool, Zoom, Hand Tool, Burn, Dodge, Sponge, Eraser
(After right-clicking the image from the blog and saving it to your desktop)

1. Open Photoshop (From your Start Menu > Programs > Adobe CS2)
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)

Brush Tool
6. Click on the Brush Tool in the Tools Palette (keyboard shortcut is B)

7. Select the foreground color by clicking on the box, move the cursor over the image to use the color picker. Choose a blue area of the sky. Click OK.

8. In the Tool bar, Set the Opacity of the Brush to 50% and Flow at 100%. Set the Hardness of the brush to 30%. Set the Size (Diameter) of the brush to 100 pixels.

9. Click and hold down the mouse to paint the blue color over the clouds.

10. Use the bracket keys to increase and decrease the size of the brush.

left [ = smaller and right ] = bigger

Stamp Tool

11. Click on the Stamp Tool in the Tools Palette (keyboard shortcut is S)

12. Choose 100 px for brush size, Hardness = 15%, Opacity = 100%, Flow = 100%

13. Click and hold down the ALT key with the left hand, while holding down ALT, use the right hand to click on the top corner of the row of bushes that leads from the center of the image down to the right corner. Just click once and let go of all keys & mouse (you are setting your target).

14. Move the mouse over towards the edge of the garden. In one motion, click and hold down the mouse and drag the stamp tool over the edge of the garden (you should be painting the same exact row of bushes from where you set the target).

Zoom/Hand/Burn/Dodge

15. Click on the Zoom Tool in the Tools Palette (keyboard shortcut is Z).

16. Click the Zoom Tool on the darker area on the right corner of the picture.

17. Zoom in until you reach 100%.

18. Now click on the Hand Tool in the Tools Palette (keyboard shortcut is H).

19. Click and move around the image with the Hand Tool until you find a lighter area that you would like to Burn in (trees for example).

20. Now click on the Burn Tool in the Tools Palette (keyboard shortcut is O). You may have to hold down the tool until all options pop up.

21. Set the Burn Tool. Hardness = 0%, Diameter = 200 px, Exposure = 20%, Choose Midtones in drop down menu.

22. Click on the area you want to Burn (trees) until it more closely matches the surrounding area.

23. Click on the Hand Tool (keyboard shortcut is H) and move to a darker area of the image that you would like D dodge.

24. Now click on the Dodge Tool in the Tools Palette (keyboard shortcut is O). You may have to hold down the tool until all options pop up (it may be under the Burn Tool). You can also toggle between the tools by holding down SHIFT + O

25. Set the Dodge Tool. Hardness = 0%, Diameter = 250 px, Exposure = 20%, Choose Shadows in drop down menu.

26. Dodge the Trees in the background.

27. Now Zoom Out. Click on the Zoom Tool in the Tools Palette (keyboard shortcut is Z).

28. Choose the minus sign in the tool bar and click on the image until you can see the entire image on your screen. (You can also use CNTL + plus and CNTRL + minus on the keyboard or Command for Mac; You can also use CNTRL + 0 or Command + 0 for fit to screen)

Sponge

29. Now click on the Sponge Tool in the Tools Palette (keyboard shortcut is O). You may have to hold down the tool until all options pop up (it may be under the Burn Tool). You can also toggle between the tools by holding down SHIFT + O

30. Choose Saturate in the dropdown menu. Brush Size = 300, Hardness = 0%, Flow = 50%.

31. Click and drag the Sponge over the sky to Saturate the sky.

32. Click and drag the Sponge over the front of lower part of the image (foregroud of the landscape).

33. Choose Desaturate in the dropdown menu. Brush Size = 150, Hardness = 0%, Flow = 50%.

34. Click and drag the Sponge over the horizon line to create a desaturated atmospheric affect.

Eraser

35. Now click on the Eraser Tool in the Tools Palette (keyboard shortcut is E).

36. Brush Size = 45, Hardness = 0%, Mode: Brush, Opacity = 80%, Flow = 50%.

37. Use the Eraser to remove the top edge of the bushes you added with the Stamp Tool. (making it look more natural)

If working on your own computer SAVE your work!

THE END.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

snow day!

no class tomorrow (january 12) !

snow day!