End of Term

During this term of Computers class, my proposal was to create a number of image edits using Photoshop. I set out in my proposal that I would make at least one picture with overly bright colors. My best example of that is in the bottom left photo of Filter Collage 1. I also made multiple pictures with false colors, such as the ones in Filter Collage 2 and False Color Leaf. The three photos I made by combining multiple shots were Flower Hand, Basketball Flower, and Alice in Wonderland. The one retouching picture was Leopard.

In this term, I learned a lot about color and image filters in Photoshop. I mostly used the multiple brush settings with the color of 0, 57, 153 in RGB. I also found distortion settings and lighting controls. Some of the more interesting filters I found were Outlines, Palette Knife, and Color Dodge, though they all were useful.

I learned a lot about the challenges of combining more than one photo throughout my work in Photoshop. The most difficult part is choosing photos with the same shadow directions, so they look like they could have gone together. Also, it is difficult to cut the edges of at least one photo so that it does not look pasted in and yet is not missing anything important. I did learn, however, that by adding one filter over the entire picture, the pieces can look more uniform.

Overall, I believe I completed the requirements I set out in my beginning proposal. I created the amounts of photos that I wanted to make, although the photo combinations were not quite as realistic as I would have hoped. I think I finally figured out how to blend them well in the last photo, where I used a dark filter over the entire image, but the previous ones were not quite as well put together.

I posted all of the photos that I have posted throughout the term on the sidebar of my blog, though they were not all of the photos I made. Others, that I did not like quite as much, are stored on my computer.

I just completed my third and final picture which combines more than one photo. I believe it is the most realistic that I have made through this term, and I titled it Alice in Wonderland:

Week of May 27th–31st

This week, I put together this small picture out of some photos I found on my computer:

Since basketball is not a personal favorite, I don't like the subject of this photo very much, but it was an interesting challenge nonetheless.

Here are a few edited photos from earlier this semester which I recently located:

Week of May 27th–31st

This week, I used iMovie to put together videos of lower school students talking about what they want to be when they grow up. The finished compilation was shown in the lobby at the show Working.

Week of May 13th–17th

I worked with some new image filters to create this abstract piece:

The filter on the left side is Palette Knife and the one on the right is Neon Glow.

Also, I made a compilation of some of the filters I frequently use:

From top to bottom, left to right, they are Difference, Multiply, Screen, Exclusion, Black & White, Overlay, Luminosity, (adding) Brightness, Hard Mix, Pin Light, Color Dodge, (adding) Contrast, Hue, and Saturation.

Week of May 6th–10th

This week, found some lighting effects filters, such as lens flare. That one makes a bright spot of light, and adds the rings that some cameras often have after it. I also found directional lighting, where you can adjust a spotlight of light on your photo. I'm still working with the distort filters, such as twist.

Week of Apr. 29th–May 3rd

Today, I tested using the twist distortion with a feathered edge, to create this:

Previously, I have tried using the twist feature with selections, but the edges always seemed too abrupt. With feathering, however, it looks more natural.

Also, while testing selection tools, I found that it is possible to move selections.

The color in the empty space is the background color.

I tried some techniques for spray painting in Photoshop today, and created this:

Week of Apr. 22nd–26th

I worked with the twist feature this week, along with the feather feature, to make swirls of color in Photoshop such as this one:

I didn't have time for any other projects this week, as it was short, but I will next week.

Week of Apr. 15th–19th

This week, I discovered some of the image adjustment filters which can be used to alter the whole image, like in the squirrel photo. Mostly, they work to make a photo look instead like a drawing. I think these filters can be used to help make two photos look like one drawing, which could be more realistic.

Working with some of the more unusual of filters in Photoshop, I made this one:

Week of Apr. 8th–12th

This week, I finished my color adjustments to the photo I posted last week. Here is the finished photo:

I used some of the color editing techniques I have been working on lately, along with some cloning to remove the light spots.

Next, I am going to start another project which combines more than one photo.

Week of Apr. 1st–5th

I worked on more small color adjustments this week, then started retouching a bad picture. I have currently modified the colors, but have not yet started taking out dots and other things obscuring the photo. Here is the original:

Next week, I will continue editing this photo.

Week of Mar. 18th –22nd

I worked more on my picture combination, though it did not turn out exactly as I intended—as I stated earlier, my history does not save when I close the document and I don't have enough time in the computer class to complete the shading. However, I did incorporate the flower and I did my best to make it appear like part of the photo. Here is the final:

Next week I will work on some of the other things I set out to do in my initial proposal.

Week of Mar. 11th–15th

I did a bit more with layers this week, working with more than one at a time. I also finally got the second picture for my project:

I will first be modifying the colors to make it blue-tinted, then I will add the flower. I have all of the color modifications written down, including the RGB colors to use, but I need a bit of time to put them together without having to close the document and lose my history settings.

This is one small project I've been working on just to test out colors. The edges aren't very well done, because I don't have the history ability after I save—so I needed to finish it during one class. The first photo is my original.

Week of Mar. 4th–8th

I finished two more filter collages this week, which I posted earlier in the sidebar:

The originals are in the upper left corners, same as the last one.

I chose a photo to use in my next project, though I will need a photo of my hand to combine with it. I haven't had enough time this week at home to take the picture, but I will definitely get it over the weekend. This is the flower photo:

I identified the sun as coming from the upper left of the photo, so I can line up the shadows in the next picture.

Week of Feb. 25th–Mar. 1st

This week, I worked with the photoshop filters and created an idea for a new photoshopping project incorporating more than one photo. I put some of my filter-modified photos together to create this experimental collage:

The one in the top left is my original picture.
Next week, I will take some pictures necessary for my next project and start putting them together.

Week of Feb. 18th–22nd

This week, I worked with various color filters in Photoshop. I experimented with layering different images and aligning shadows, though I did not get any good pictures out of that. In the end, I ended up with this photo using the Linear Burn filter with a vague blue color.

Impermanence

Next week, I plan to spend some time looking through photoshop ideas. I will draw out some sketches of what I want to make and find photos to make them with.

Week of Feb. 11th–15th

This week, I continued my work on the galaxy project. Right now, it still looks fake, but it is going much better than it was earlier. Currently, it looks like this:

I've been taking a bit of a break from the galaxy and experimenting with different shading and overlay brushes. Right now, I have one project that I just need another photo to complete. I should be ready to post it next week.

Week of Feb. 4th–8th

This week, I started creating a galaxy photo to use in other works. Within this project, I am only going to use my own photos, so I am trying to create my own outer space design. I started with a photo of the daytime sky, for a bit of gradient:

I took out the trees and houses, then started to darken the sky. Now I have this background to start building a galaxy on:

Next week, I plan to start putting the galaxy shape together.

Proposal

In this term's computer project, I am going to explore the uses of Photoshop in making abstract and surreal images. I will take all of the pictures myself, and I will be using Photoshop CS4 to adjust them. By the end of the term, I plan to have at least one photo with overly bright colors and at least one with false colors. Also, I will work on at least three with images blending together, and one with retouching a bad picture. I hope to get more pictures for each category, but these are my minimum amounts.

I would like to be evaluated at the end of this term on whether I create at least the amounts of pictures I stated above, as well as the general quality of the pictures, such as how the shadows and pieces fit together.