You Are What You Eat Project: Step by Step Tutorial

Searching for High Quality Images and Opening Files in Photoshop: It is very
important to use high quality images when youre creating artwork meant for printing.
PPI (Pixels Per Inch) is essentially the amount of information contained in an inch of
your image. If you have a very small image and you try to stretch it out to make it larger
on your screen, the image will appear fuzzy and pixelated because there isnt enough
information within each inch of that image to give a clear picture.
1. Create a new folder on your desktop and label this folder: Last name Food Images. (ex.
Peairs Food Images). To create a folder,
simply right click on your desktop and select
New Folder.
2. Open Google and use Google Images Search to
search for whatever food item you plan on using
for the base of your face. (You will need HIGH
QUALITY photos or else your final project will
look pixelated.)
a. To ensure the images youre searching through
on Google are large enough to use for this
project:
b. Select Search Tools Size Larger than
1024x768.
3. Once youve found a LARGE image you would
like to use either drag the photo into your image folder, or:
a. Right click Save image as... find your folder on the desktop and save the image
inside the folder. IMPORTANT* NAME YOUR FILES! (example: Cauliflower, radish, lollipop,
etc.)
4. Keep searching and saving more LARGE images in your folder. Keep in mind your theme and
think about 1) interesting shapes 2) color 3) scale.
5. Once you have a variety of food images in your image folder, open Photoshop.

6. Open a new file: (This will be the space where you will assemble your digital collage.)
a. File New Name your file Last name Food Face
b. Adjust your settings to match the following:
i.
Width: 8.5 inches
ii.
Height: 11 inches
iii.
Resolution: 72 pixels/inch
iv.
Color Mode: RGB - 16 bit

c. Click okay.
7. Now, open the food images that you found.
a. File Open find your image folder and select all of your food images Select Open

Using the Lasso Tool and Making Selections: There are a variety of ways to make

selections.
8. Set your workspace to the default setting. This will ensure that these directions match your
workspace.
a. Window Workspace Essentials (Default)
9. Select one of the image files that you have opened in photoshop.
10. Now, with the image in front of you, find your layers panel on the right hand side of your
workspace.
11. Make a copy of your image:
b. Select your Background layer and hold/drag it onto the new page icon at the bottom of the
layer panel. (The new page icon looks like a paper with a folded corner.)
c. Once youve made a copy of your Background layer, label the copy. (ex: cauliflower, bacon,
donut, etc.)
12. Find your toolbox. The toolbox should be on the
left hand
side of the workspace.

13. Find the Lasso Tool ( shortcut key= [L]).

14. Click and hold or right click on the Lasso Tool to see more hidden lasso tools. We are going
to use the Polygonal Lasso Tool.
15. Zoom in on your image by using the shortcut keys, [command] + [+]. (To zoom out you can
use the adverse shortcut keys, [command] + [-].)
16. With your Polygonal Lasso Tool, SLOWLY click along the perimeter of the food item you
want to select.
d. If you make a mistake while tracing the image, use the backspace or delete key to go back.
e. If you run out of room while clicking and you want to move your image without deleting the work
youve put into your selection, simply hold down the spacebar and move the image where you
need it. Once you have given yourself more room to keep tracing, proceed.
17. Once youve made your way around your selection, a small circle will appear above the
cursor if you hover above your first point. That little circle indicates that youve found your
beginning point and you can close your selection.

18. Tadaa! What youll see next is what the industry refers to as marching ants. This is just a

pulsing black and white line that indicates the outer edges of your selection.

Moving Selections Between Files

19. Once youve made your selection, go to your tool box and find the Move Tool (shortcut
key= [V]).
20. Once youve selected your Move Tool youll see a small frame appear around your
selection. Each corner, and within each side of this frame there are little boxes. These little
boxes allow you to expand, shrink, and rotate your selection.

21. Now, move your selection into the blank file you made and titled Last name Food
Face. To do this, using your Move Tool simply click and drag the selection into your blank
file. This will move your selection into your Last name Food Face file and into its own
layer...
22. Once youve moved your selection into your Last name Food Face file, LABEL YOUR
LAYERS. (ex: asparagus, cauliflower, bacon, donut etc.). This will help keep you
organized when you have multiple layers in your document, and it will also help prevent your
head from exploding with frustration.

Copying/Resizing/ Rotating/ Reflecting Selections

TO REFLECT: If you want to reflect your selection horizontally or vertically:
a. go to Edit Transform And then select how you would like to reflect the image.

TO MAKE A COPY: If you want to make a copy your selection, you can go about using either of
these methods:
1) Using the Move Tool click on your selection and go to:
a) Edit Copy (shortcut key=[command] + [C])
b) ...followed by Edit Paste (shortcut key=[command] + [V])
OR, using the Move Tool simply hold the [option] key and click, hold and drag your selection
to make a copy.

This icon will appear while you do this and it indicates that you are making a copy.
TO ROTATE: To rotate your image simply use your Move Tool and hover just outside of the
corner of your selection. A small curved arrow will appear like the
one you see on the right. This arrow will allow you to rotate your
image!
TO SHRINK OR EXPAND: Using your move tool, hover above
the corner of your selection. Hold down the Shift key before
you click and while you resize to keep your dimensions if you
want to avoid distorting the shape of your selection (this is
known as constraining).

Repeat this process for each of the items of food you decide to use for your face collage! Try
and think of interesting types of food to convey a message, or to make your face look

interesting!

PHOTOSHOP CHEAT SHEET: (Why? Because I care.)

Function

Keyboard Short Cut

Copy

[command] + [C]

Paste

[command] + [V]

Undo/ Redo

[command] + [Z]

Undo Again

[command] + [shift] + [Z]

Zoom In

[command] + [+]

Zoom Out

[command] + [-]

Deselect

[command] + [D]

Reselect

[command] + [shift] + [D]

Screen Mode

[F]

FAQ:
1. Q: I used the move tool to rotate my
selection, and now Im stuck. What
do I do?
A: always make sure after you alter a
selection with the move too you apply
your transformation. Simply press
[enter]. This is your way of telling
photoshop, okay im done adjusting
this for now!
2. Q: I keep trying to move one of my
selections with the move tool but It
wont do anything. What now?
A: Check three things:
i.
Are you on the correct layer?
ii.
Is your layer hidden?
iii.
Is your layer locked?
3. Q: I was halfway through making my selection and I accidentally deleted all of my work!
What the heck?!
A: Fear not, young padawan. Simply undo [command] + [Z]. WHEN IN DOUBT [command] +
[Z] or [command] + [shift] + [Z]!

CHEAT SHEET CONTINUED: (Because I care that much.)

Other Selection Tools

1.
2.
3.

1.
2.

>>>
Magnetic Lasso Tool: This tool is ideal for using when the object you are trying to
select is against a flat, contrasting background.
Right click on the lasso tool and select Magnetic Lasso Tool.
Slowly, and without clicking, move your cursor along the outer edge of the item you are
selecting. If the points arent plotting where they need to be, you may click and plot your own
points to help it along.
The Magnetic Lasso Tool will automatically plot points along the edge of the item youre trying
to select. If there isnt enough contrast between the item youre trying to select and its
background, this tool will plant random points where it thinks the edge continues.
>>>
Traditional Lasso Tool: This is the traditional lasso tool. It is ideal for making small
selections and cleaning up existing selections.
Right click on the lasso tool and select Lasso Tool.
Click, hold and draw out your selection using your cursor.

>>>
Elliptical/ Rectangular Marquee Tool: These can both be found within
the same marquee tool hidden menu. You can use these to make selections of basic shapes.

Magic Wand: The magic wand makes a selection of anything that is of (or close to) a particular
color. This is ideal if the shape you are selecting is against a plain background.

Cleaning Up Your Selection

In the upper left hand corner you will find a series of icons that look like overlapping
squares. These icons are tools you can use to clean up your selections. You can:
| a. | b. | c. | d. |
a.
Start a new selection.
b. Add to a selection.
c. Subtract from a selection.

d.

Intersect with a selection