Assignment 1 - Adobe Photoshop

ENVIRONMENT - BODY - CULTURE

Project Overview
Design an encompassing digital narrative. Your image will visually comment on one of the
following themes. ENVIRONMENT, BODY, CULTURE. Interpretation is up to you.

Your designs may be vast, intimate, perplexing, or designerly.... Try to find a unique perspec-
tive or approach to your subject matter. Consider a variety of imagery, including photore-
alistic, illustrations, newspaper/ magazine articles or other text sources, blueprints, maps,
people, graphic forms, and hand generated imagery or textures. This will require research
and patients.

Option 1 (for the newbies)

Create a single image exploring one of the above themes

Option 2 (for the more experienced Photoshop users)

Create a small series of images exploring one of the above themes

Requirements:
+Work at 2000 X 1500 pixels, vertical or horizontal, at 150 ppi per image.
+ You must use Adobe Photoshop (not Gimp, Paint, etc)
+Hand in 1 single flattened .jpg name file YOUR NAME_Project1.jpg (you keep the .psd)
+Watch Introductory Adobe Photoshop tutorial videos from www.linkedin.com/learning/login
to review software. I will cover software during in class demonstrations...but I will move
quickly. www.linkedin.com/learning can reinforce what you have learned.

Conceptual Notes
Present a meaningful concept. You may be personal, social, political, philosophical, envirion-
mental...whatever. Do not glorify or present cartoons, anime, manga, video game characters,
or your own personal characters. You may create a self portrait however if you wish.

Aesthetic Notes
Allow your idea to evolve as you work. In addition to using self-shot photographs of spaces
and objects, use scanned images from books and magazines as well as images appropriated
from the internet as your source material. You may also consider self generated imagery and
found textures or spaces.

Don’t be afraid of negative space in your composition. What you don’t include and the visual
space you don’t occupy should be considered just as much as the space you do occupy.

Technical Notes
+Save often and to multiple locations. Name files with your name and project name.
+Be sure to work in labeled layers. Also folders (within PS layers) can be organizationally
beneficial.
+When scaling an image, hold the Shift key when dragging a corner to maintain proportions.
+The Command Key (next to the space bar on Mac) in conjunction with other keys serve as
shortcuts. In time you will find them helpful.
Command + S = Save File
Command + Z = Undo recent function
Command + C / V = Copy / Paste
To discover a new problem is
Command + + = Zoom In
as important as discovering
Command + - = Zoom Out
the solution of an old one.
Command + A = Select All
— Thomas de Quincey
Command + D = Deselect

+Filters can be a strong tool when used sparingly and subtly. Filters can make your work look
‘canned’ or ‘overproduced’ when used aggressively.
+Periodically rest your eyes and don’t look at ANY screen, including your phone. Get up and
walk around or stretch. Talk with your peers
+The History panel can be a life saver. Window > History
Assignment 1 - Adobe Photoshop
ENVIRONMENT - BODY - CULTURE

Basic tools, terms, and techniques:

Adobe Photoshop

What is a Pixel?
Brush tools
Eraser
Layers
Color Palette
Document setup
Saving, File formats
Move tool
Canvas
History Panel
Zoom in / out
Eye dropper
Paint Bucket

Edit menu
Transform and Free Transform
scale
rotate
distort,etc
Layer blending modes
Keyboard commands
Cropping tools
Marquee tools
Lasso tools
Magic wand
Pen tool, etc
Feathering / tolerance
Filters
Image Menu
Adjustments> color correction
Clone stamp
Text tool
Layer Styles
Alpha Channels

Composition
Resolution
Opacity
Bytes and MegaBytes
flattening an image
.psd .jpg

Orientation
Scale
Juxtaposition
Eye flow / Narrative
RGB and CMYK

Visual hierarchy
Clarity
layering and collaging
Photoshop Artwork Examples
Photoshop Artwork Examples
Photoshop Artwork Examples
Photoshop Artwork Examples