Creating Reality with Photoshop Elements
This unit explores images....how to take digital pictures, how to put them on your computer, how to "fix", edit, manipulate and adapt them....how to ethically use images from the Internet....how to create graphics from "scratch" for advertising purposes or other....how to recognize "real" from "created", and how to "create your own version of reality". The first thing you must do is learn to be responsible when working with images and other multimedia (videos, songs, sounds, etc.) Just like words are protected by law, so are all these creations. They are protected through "copyright".
NOTE: Teachers have let us take their pictures to use in learning Photoshop. It is nice of them, and they did it with the understanding that the pictures are to be used only in school, and only printed with permission.YOU DO NOT HAVE PERMISSION to print or post any of them on your Facebook or other page on the Internet.
Standards: BIT:
- MLB-1.3 Differentiate among operating systems, application software, and the Internet
MLB-2.1 Use hardware devices and software applications to enhance learning
MLB-3.4 Design presentations and projects using text, sounds, images, video, and animation
MLB-17,6 -Create promotional materials for a new or existing product or service
MLB-17.8-Design a new product or service, or find a way to improve an existing product or service, to meet customer wants
Introduction: We are bombarded with images everyday. They are used to entertain us, educate us, and persuade us to buy products. Sometimes we can believe what we see, and sometimes we can't. . Take the quizzes at museum of hoaxes, and see if you can distinguish real from fake. Just like there are reliable sources for information, images can be used to inform....to confuse...or to fool you! Then see Mrs. Vest's PPT examples. (sorry. too big to link..we'll see in class) It will show you several ways that pictures can be changed,
When creating with images, you will need to learn some new vocabulary. File formats and Tools have names that may be completely foreign to you. Keep up with your notes on the "Editing Images Vocabulary" paper. You will see a "Visual Communications PPT" for your notes. Be religious about writing down what tools look like, and so on... Our lessons will build on themselves.
Choice Tutorial: Try some of these simple tutorials for Photoshop Elements. Please give yourself permission to "fail" a few times before you "get it right". Photoshop is the choice of professionals....it has hundreds of options, and it takes practice, some artistic talent, and "stick-to-it-ness" to master. You are just getting an idea of what the program can do. Choose from the "basic" tutorials (ones that I pretty much demonstrated in class) to the "Intermediate" (ones that may have tools we didn't predominantly use...or its a tutorial that takes more time, and has more steps). A few of you may have experience with Photoshop CS, and may want the challenge of the "Challenging" tutorials. Daily, graphic artists create advertisements, information, flyers, and other visual products that we see. Many of these "Choice Tutorial" products are really based on actual advertising methods.
ASSIGNMENT: SHOW ME what you’ve learned in all this PE practice. You will have 4 days to do the PE choice tutorials for 40 points. It is important that you READ the tutorial and follow it. Don't just make up something on your own (although you are free to use whatever pictures you want). I am testing that you can use the tools that I taught you, and that you practiced last week, so you must follow the tutorials. Only do the "challenging" ones if you have experience, and only as a 2nd tutorial, not your first (You don't want to ruin your grade, so do one that is easy for you first). You may pick from any below.
Again, Use your own choice of pictures, BUT follow the tutorials. Do not “do your own thing” on this assignment. Some are “basic”, meaning if you follow the directions, you will notice its almost exactly what I had you practice in class….and some are “intermediate”, meaning they go beyond. Make sure you save them correctly: NONE should end up as a psd file.
Here is the grading scale:
*20-21F+: Attempts, but none finished according to tutorial
*22-26D: 1 basic one finished correctly
*28C-: 1 intermediate finished correctly
*30C: 2 basic finished correctly
*31C+: 3 basic
*32B-: 2 basic/1 intermediate
*34B-35B+: 1 basic/2 intermediate or 4 total (depending on creativity)
*36-40A: 4+ projects: Saved for those with 3-4 in great detail and creativity (or challenging parts) or any 5+ done and accepted.
(Advanced Tutorials do not count for MORE, I just included them for people who already know how to use Photoshop for a challenge.
Choose from these Choice Tutorials for Photoshop Elements
- 1. Basic: Try my tutorial on doing an oval picture with smudged edges. (Framed picture)
- 2. Basic: Cartooning with shapes and brushes
- 3. Basic: Text with a lot of freedom.
- 4. (Used as example: Don't do)Basic: Text: You can do the "frozen man" or "icy" text using this tutorial.
- 5. Intermediate to Challenging (Check with me): Do any ONE text tutorial from my symbaloo page on images, video, sound. (You have to go to my classpage, left links, and look for the one that says "4. video/images. You can do any one from the sites in the bottom right corner that involves text. Just make sure you tell me what it is.) http://www.photoshoproadmap.com/Photoshop-blog/the-best-80-photoshop-text-effects-on-the-web/ These are from the symbaloo page:
http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/video-images (Intermediate/Challenging: May have some tools you haven't learned, and show regular Photoshop tool/areas instead of Photoshop Elements...just warning you) - 6. Basic to Intermediate: Make a music album cover (Please be sure to put both the original cover AND your interpretation of the cover in your portfolio)
- 7. Basic: Photoshop is used in many logos for companies. Take a look about one of the most famous American graphic design artists, Martin Glaser. The logo you've seen for sure is the "I Heart NY" logo.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Love_New_York (<This link will show you what a logo is)
***Use this tutorial to make a new logo for a company you'd like to start. Be creative. (No fair using I heart GMS) - 8. Basic/Intermediate: Editing pictures to make them color AND Black &White (In advertising, called "Monochrome" technique.) Do 1 for basic and 2 for intermediate.
- 9. intermediate/challenging: This project models the techniques of Andy Warhol, the famous artist. You don't have to do as many as the example. Try for 9. The Grid project for filters
- 10. Basic/Intermediate: Pictures Collage. Take 3 or more of your favorite pictures, and gather them onto one sheet. Use all you know (text, selections, effects, filters, gradients) to make a cool picture collage.
- 11. Intermediate: https://youtu.be/ZOxDc3aFN24 (overlaying a picture for effect)
- 12.Intermediate: Making a ninja guy for video games (You must use the tools he does, so make sure you can draw a circle and shade. You CAN change his clothes or weapon. I will be looking for your shading from the sun.)
- 13. Challenging: The vampire eye color (Please do NOT try this without permission. It has many tools that you haven't learned. Its for people who know how to use Photoshop)
- 14. Intermediate: Ghost trail effect. (Uses tools we haven't)...please include the original picture AND your ghost project on your portfolio.
- 15. Intermediate: Cosmetic surgery: changing a face...and you thought those models were all just naturally beautiful. (Use a different model, and save BOTH for comparison)...Please include the original picture AND your project on your portfolio, and show evidence of the healing AND clone tools.
- 16. Intermediate: Making A Simple GIF animation: Make a mouth open and close, or a cartoon walk. Different colored texts. (You must make a number of versions of the picture in layers before trying to save.)
- 17. Basic to intermediate to challenging: Cartooning: Use one of these sites, (intermediate/challenging) http://www.instantshift.com/2013/02/01/50-great-photoshop-cartoon-tutorials/ or easier(basic) http://www.ehow.com/how_10044887_make-photographs-look-like-cartoons-photoshop-elements.html to do cartooning (or cartoon yourself). Use this to "Cartoon" yourself. http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-Yourself-Into-a-Cartoon/
- 18. Basic: Try this tutorial to make a monster or space character using the tools in Distort|Liquify. (you MUST use a WHOLE body, not just a face.)
- 19. Intermediate: Tattooing: Use this tutorial to give someone a painless tattoo. (Not intended to promote tattooing. I have none.) You will have to adapt from Photoshop CS, so it is intermediate. Here it is (Also look on Youtube for videos that describe this process)
- 20 Challenging:(This was made in Photoshop CS, and the tools are REAllY hard to adapt. I have not done it successfully. Not for the faint of heart...just a warning) Make an OBAMA style "Hope" poster (simplified) Here is the tutorial. If you'd rather try one by an actual GMS student (Conner Peckinpaugh), you can click this link.
- 21. Challenging: Turn summer https://youtu.be/AuazqdFrAlA into winter. Easier one (intermediate) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUKmkkhZWU
- Saving your project has a few more steps than usual...at least, here at school. There are about 4-5 steps. I have given you a sheet of those steps, but if you have lost it, you can still download it above. :) Whatever it says anywhere else, make sure here at school that you save it to your fileserver folder.
- *I know this seems harsh, but SAVING CORRECTLY, and being able to open it, and use it in something is part of the grade. You must know all the picture formats to know which is the best to use for each project. Even the most wonderful artwork is moot unless its usable. SOOOOO....for each tutorial, expect me to ask you to open it and insert it in Word, or PPT...or for you to be able to find it and open it from your fileserver directory. If there are technical difficulties, it is part of your job to figure them out. Then you should include it in your Images Portfolio.
GMS Advertising Layer Assignment: Assembling parts that didn't start out together.) Your first step is your "CONCEPT" (IDEA). What are you trying to make?...What are you trying to say? You might even want to start with a scrap piece of paper to outline what you want to make.
This year you can choose from 3 themes:
1) Marketing the GMS product, with a flyer or poster advertising a team, club, or GMS in general, or promoting an ideal we want to uphold (ex: no bully zone)
2) Redoing a Movie Poster (If you are using SuperHeroes in Science, how about creating one of those??)
3) Redoing a Magazine Cover to be a GMS one. (Please be positive)
Here is the Grading score sheet I am using.
*45-41: A: Very creative concept. Promotes or advertises something. Really awesome and believable..above expectations, more than 5 layers or parts, use of other tools we have gone over in the Choice Tutorials. fulfills use of image size, copy/paste, merges visible layers, uses undo history, healing/fixing tools, able to save correctly. Wise choices in pictures, and using your own pictures instead of just mine. (Just throwing random layers will not work for an A. The layers must be part of the concept. A movie poster or Magazine cover works well for this)
*40-36: B: Creative concept. Promotes a movie or etc. Realistic, at least 4-5 parts or layers, fulfills use of image size, copy/paste, merges visible layers, uses undo history, healing/fixing tools, able to save correctly.
*35-32: C: Layers on a page, but not much “concept”. Not as realistic, 3 parts or layers, problems with some tools mentioned above
*31-27: D: You made an effort, but had major trouble, less than 3 layers
*26-below: F: You didn't try or didn't turn one in.
NOTE: TEXT is a repetitive action, so it will be counted as 1 layer (for simple) and 2 (for difficult)....Also, the background will not count as a layer.
FAQ:
Hint*-You need to find pictures about the same size...or resize them to fit together. How to see the pictures' sizes? Go to image|resize|image, and look at how many pixels or inches it is, and compare! (PS: To retain good quality pix, its usually better to shrink a big picture than to expand a teeny one.)
Hint*- Sometimes I combine the head and body first, merge those layers, and save it...then open that resulting picture to put into the different landscape. " Please look at your "images vocab" sheet if you are not sure what to save a certain picture as. Most will be jpg in this project.
Hint*-Sometimes you can combine two layers easily together by going to LAYER in the menu, and clicking on "MERGE VISIBLE". That will put a selected head and body together 9 times out of 10. You can also right click with your mouse on top of the layers palette.
Hint*- You must actually select something if you want to edit|copy and edit|paste it.
Hint*-If you want to rotate a selection, go to IMAGE|ROTATE, and choose the appropriate one from the options. (Your quess is as good as mine...just try a few until you get the one that does what you want it to do.
Remember, you can use any of my pictures in your D drive. You have my permission. Any pictures you get off the Internet, you must cite "Source: _____", and have read (and can tell me about, should I ask) the author's conditions for using.
Your final product is worth 45 points. It must include a head and body, each from a different source, and you must insert it into a landscape picture, and make it look at least somewhat "believeable". You are encouraged to use more tools and effects, but you have to at least have the 4+ separate parts for an A or a B.
**Extra Project: My Cool Pic Tip Project: In this project, its YOUR turn to create anything you want in Photoshop.
Use any of the tutorials from "Editing, Modifying, and Manipulating Images", under "Class Links", or just start from scratch and explore. (Just don't retell any of the tutorials we have already done in class...like the Lesson 3 Head/body/landscape one.) Liquify in "effects" is really cool, and try changing colors, or cutting out shapes to make a collage....there is no end what you can do in Photoshop Elements, along with a little imagination.
Keep track of what you are doing "Step by Step" because you must create a tutorial explaining how you did it. (See the "Past student's tutorial" or any other tutorial if you need ideas on how to express directions in a step by step fashion.)
You should use PowerPoint to make a step by step tutorial of how you created your picture. Click here to download a copy of instructions for that PowerPoint. (Please follow this paper, as it is the scoresheet from which I will grade you)
To get "full points" (60 points) on this assignment, you must show present your explanation to the class (5 points), along with the image (s) you began with, and the final result. Try to be original and creative. This is a chance for you to teach other students about what you've learned, and it will be so much more fun if you all present different ideas!
This year you can choose from 3 themes:
1) Marketing the GMS product, with a flyer or poster advertising a team, club, or GMS in general, or promoting an ideal we want to uphold (ex: no bully zone)
2) Redoing a Movie Poster (If you are using SuperHeroes in Science, how about creating one of those??)
3) Redoing a Magazine Cover to be a GMS one. (Please be positive)
Here is the Grading score sheet I am using.
*45-41: A: Very creative concept. Promotes or advertises something. Really awesome and believable..above expectations, more than 5 layers or parts, use of other tools we have gone over in the Choice Tutorials. fulfills use of image size, copy/paste, merges visible layers, uses undo history, healing/fixing tools, able to save correctly. Wise choices in pictures, and using your own pictures instead of just mine. (Just throwing random layers will not work for an A. The layers must be part of the concept. A movie poster or Magazine cover works well for this)
*40-36: B: Creative concept. Promotes a movie or etc. Realistic, at least 4-5 parts or layers, fulfills use of image size, copy/paste, merges visible layers, uses undo history, healing/fixing tools, able to save correctly.
*35-32: C: Layers on a page, but not much “concept”. Not as realistic, 3 parts or layers, problems with some tools mentioned above
*31-27: D: You made an effort, but had major trouble, less than 3 layers
*26-below: F: You didn't try or didn't turn one in.
NOTE: TEXT is a repetitive action, so it will be counted as 1 layer (for simple) and 2 (for difficult)....Also, the background will not count as a layer.
FAQ:
Hint*-You need to find pictures about the same size...or resize them to fit together. How to see the pictures' sizes? Go to image|resize|image, and look at how many pixels or inches it is, and compare! (PS: To retain good quality pix, its usually better to shrink a big picture than to expand a teeny one.)
Hint*- Sometimes I combine the head and body first, merge those layers, and save it...then open that resulting picture to put into the different landscape. " Please look at your "images vocab" sheet if you are not sure what to save a certain picture as. Most will be jpg in this project.
Hint*-Sometimes you can combine two layers easily together by going to LAYER in the menu, and clicking on "MERGE VISIBLE". That will put a selected head and body together 9 times out of 10. You can also right click with your mouse on top of the layers palette.
Hint*- You must actually select something if you want to edit|copy and edit|paste it.
Hint*-If you want to rotate a selection, go to IMAGE|ROTATE, and choose the appropriate one from the options. (Your quess is as good as mine...just try a few until you get the one that does what you want it to do.
Remember, you can use any of my pictures in your D drive. You have my permission. Any pictures you get off the Internet, you must cite "Source: _____", and have read (and can tell me about, should I ask) the author's conditions for using.
Your final product is worth 45 points. It must include a head and body, each from a different source, and you must insert it into a landscape picture, and make it look at least somewhat "believeable". You are encouraged to use more tools and effects, but you have to at least have the 4+ separate parts for an A or a B.
**Extra Project: My Cool Pic Tip Project: In this project, its YOUR turn to create anything you want in Photoshop.
Use any of the tutorials from "Editing, Modifying, and Manipulating Images", under "Class Links", or just start from scratch and explore. (Just don't retell any of the tutorials we have already done in class...like the Lesson 3 Head/body/landscape one.) Liquify in "effects" is really cool, and try changing colors, or cutting out shapes to make a collage....there is no end what you can do in Photoshop Elements, along with a little imagination.
Keep track of what you are doing "Step by Step" because you must create a tutorial explaining how you did it. (See the "Past student's tutorial" or any other tutorial if you need ideas on how to express directions in a step by step fashion.)
You should use PowerPoint to make a step by step tutorial of how you created your picture. Click here to download a copy of instructions for that PowerPoint. (Please follow this paper, as it is the scoresheet from which I will grade you)
To get "full points" (60 points) on this assignment, you must show present your explanation to the class (5 points), along with the image (s) you began with, and the final result. Try to be original and creative. This is a chance for you to teach other students about what you've learned, and it will be so much more fun if you all present different ideas!