project 3 - original image

this is the image i will be using for project 3.

i will recreate this package using illustrator and the tools we have learned in the class.

illustrator classwork

Today in class we continued our tutorials on Illustrator.  We worked on methods of coping and duplicating for create images such as the clock, daisy and the blocks. Using methods such as keyboard shortcuts and toolbar options we were able to create images that are perfectly duplicated and at the right angles. Also, we learned how to distort an image (such as the daisy above) and to transform parts or all of am image (such as the block and some of the minute markers on the clock). These new skills will become very handy with our next project of recreating a product design. By being able to duplicate shapes, we can make perfect shapes that are still the same which matters if you want to make a very exact image. 

Project 2

for the second project, i created a message to be added to packaging for a way of transportation to get the message out to the people. So i created an ad to buy meat from Cruelty-Free Farms where animals are treated more fairly then most mass produced meat. I created this image to go on a large Beef Patty box because I thought the box would be large enough for create a very bold image and also stick around in the consumers house long enough to leave an imprint on their mind. My first idea for this product was to do a "dont't eat meat" ad, but the thought of putting that on a meat product seemed hypocritical since the consumer would have to buy the meat to read "don't eat meat". Then I thought of creating a sticker that could go on any meat package, but for this class a simple paper ad worked best. The idea to create cute characters to send out this message was to pull at the heart strings of the consumer but to also get kids to notice it and be interested in at a young age. On the ad i added information for both regular meat farms and cruelty-free farms, making the better of the two very obvious. Then i put a message for the consumer to act upon the message and get this 'good' kind of meat. At the bottom is a website where a person can go to to learn more about farms and meat products.
I enjoyed doing this project because I thought it really required a knowedge of photoshop that we learned in class and also to think about packages and all that goes into designing one.

intro to Illustrator

Today in class we began with Illustrator. We spent a good while just learning the format of the program and the different windows and options that Illustrator provides. From the new tool bars to adjusting the view of the screen, we were learned the very basics of Illustrator. We also learned of the different types of documents that you can open in Illustrator and how to save them properly. 

But the most fun we had in class today was learning how to make vector shapes/lines and fills. While all of the images made in Illustrator are vector images, we played around with the pen tool to create different shapes and draw images of our own. I created a "happy Halloween" image using the fill color of orange and the outline of black (i set the stroke to a larger size, so the outline became more of visible) With the pen tool, you can draw straight lines, but also hold and pull to create curved lines to your liking (much like the pen tool in photoshop) So with that knowledge, i made a round pumpkin to add to my image. 

The pen tool is a little tricky at first, learning about how the line connect together in selection, but with a few tries, I was able to get the hang of it to create an image. I really like the vector image compared to the bitmap image, because with drawing on the computer, with pixels you can loose so much quality, but with the vector image, the quality is always the same (even if it takes more time to upload)

I'm excited to see what else we have to learn with Illustrator.

classwork 10/15 -- filters

here is an image that i altered using different filters. While this image started off as the stock photo of the "superhero army" using different filters together, i was able to create an abstract image. With the help of the tutorial, I started off adding Gaussian Blur, Noise and Polar coordinates. Then, to add to it, I added a Lens Flare, which I actually really like. I think that filter will be fun to add to photos to make them more aesthetically pleasing. However, I also added a Smudge Stick filter to give the colors some texture and played with their highlight intensity to make it colors more pastel and brighter, something I just think makes this image look more nice and joyful.

With the other filters we learned today, I learned how to make water ripple effects and to liquify an image, which will be fun to play with in images of friends! 

once again, more stuff from 10/8

here we have the use of the Pen tool to cut out the figure.

while its not perfect, its pretty good for a first try. I find the pen tool a little confusing to use, but this i will defiantly use again, so with time i feel i can master it!!

it makes cutting out things a lot easier and more forgiving if you mess up. 

classwork 10/8 - continued 2

and once again, with more practice, i edited this image in a more subtle matter. I created a more Surrealist image by creating headless men, a woman with see-through legs, another woman with 3 legs and a person without a shadow. I also played with the cloning tool to make the building in the the background multiplied and the one building have a larger front. I also made the fountain taller then it really is, and i added more clouds in the sky.

Once again, i mainly used the cloning tool, but i also used the spot healing tool to help disguise some of the elements in the image.

classwork 10/8 - continued.

here again is another before/after image.

in this one i used the spot healing brush to help take out the sign posts that were in the image before. But with the spot healing brush, i also used to clone tool to help delete the image even more. 

I also used more the the same tools as before (healing, pattern and cloning) to further edit this image. I made the grass on the side of the road larger, the trees now have a stronger texture, and the fog on the mountains come down further along with the longer bridge.

By using these tools, you can edit any image to pretty much be whatever you want to image to look like. 

I feel very comfortable with the clone tool, since i have used it in the past. However, the other tools I am not too clear on the perfect method to use them, I think they make the image look heavily altered and not something I would use in editing my own photos. But I will stay optimistic about these tools and hopefully with more practice with them, i will find a way to use them that will be very beneficial to my work. 

classwork 10/8 - healing, patch & clone tool

above is the original image i found online.

below is the image enhanced with the clone, patch and healing tool.

these tools are very useful for eliminating part of the image you don;t like (such as the small sail boat that was in the back), extending an image further (like what i did to the pier, i made it longer) and also to add texture to certain parts of the image (such as what i did to most of this image)

I used the majority of the pattern tool to copy the patter and texture of the sun, so it become doubled and faint in the distance.  I also did this on the beach, so make the texture of the sand go across the entire beach so there would be an interesting pattern throughout.

However, just for fun, i played around with the healing tool to make it known that i  did use it. Randomly in the middle i used the healing tool to create a fun play on color with the image. I feel like it made the colors more contrasting and vibrant using this tool.

Brushes and Color Editing

During class today, we had a tutorial about color editing and using brushes. I found this tutorial pretty interest, compared to the others. I actually learned things that I did not know and found very useful. I was able to take the above image and brighten it up to look more spring like, to which i added flowers too (which were a brush that was very fun to play with!) The white bubble type texture added on the photo is actually a brush I made. I always new it was possible to make your our brush, but from today's tutorial, I finally got it! This image was just fun to create and fun to use different brushes in.

This image is one that I didn't use brushes in, but all color editing. I learned how to better use the burn and dodge too, but  I also learned about the sponge tool. That tool turned out to be very helpful to create this image because I was able to saturate and desaturate certain parts of this image to draw the viewers eye to the most important part of the photo. 

Today was the first time in class that I learned something new and something very useful. All the the new ways to edit a photo and the different brush options (and short cuts via the keyboard) were interesting to learn about and things that I will most certainly use further in photoshop. 

animation

with extra time in class, I found this tutorial on how to make an animated count down in photoshop. 

Project 1 -- Movement and Variety Collage

  Variety is the element that captures the viewers interest by changing elements within artwork, but still maintaining harmony. The way I played with Variety in this collage is by keeping the rectangle/square shape but playing with its shape and proportion. I also included images that also had the element of variety in the original piece. And to top it off, with the knowledge of text we learned today, I added variety in the text with color and size, yet maintaining a common ground to keep the text in harmony.  
 Here is explored with the element of Movement.  I first found images that clearly portrayed Movement with shapes, repetition and color value. These images directed the viewer's eye to a certain spot in the image but using the element of movement. By putting all of these images in a collage, it shows how so much movement with only a few images really makes the collage seem busy and crowded, as if you were in the middle of a large crowed. With so much going on and so much movement in each image, you can see how strong the element of movement is. And with this collage, I was able to use every tool we have learned in Photoshop. From all of the select tools, text options, transform techniques and cutting and pasting, I was able to place every image into one collage. 

class work -- Transform tool

   Here we have an image that I applied different transform tools to. By selecting a certain part of the image (in this case, the children on the donkey), I was able to rotate, stretch, distort, warp, skew and change the perspective of that image. This option in Photoshop will allow you to take any image and form it in the way to wish, making every image your own invention. Personally, this is not my favorite feature in Photoshop. While this helps with sizing of images and rotating them, the quality of the image isn't very good and the image becomes pixelated and blurry. However, this is a neat tool to learn and could make for a funny photo of friends and family!

What we did today in class ---

In class today, we learned basic select tools on Photoshop. From the basic "marching ants" to more complex masking and painting methods, we were able to learn how to select different parts of the image we want and to get rid of parts we did not. By learning these methods we can edit each image to how we want. For example the header I made was part of a bigger image, but thanks to what we learned in class, I was able to use each method to cut away unnecessary parts of the image to just get the design I wanted. 

Each method we learned had different levels of difficulty added to them. Such as the "Marching Ants" tool, we learned out to select our image but then we also learned how to add more to the selected area or delete part of the already selected area. 

While doing all the this, we became more familiar with photoshop and mac computers at the same time, since we became familiar with the tool bar and different formats to save each image (jpg or psd)