PROJECT 1 - COLLAGE & DIGITAL IMAGING

April 04, 2023

PROJECT 1 - COLLAGE & DIGITAL IMAGING

3rd April 2023 - 12th May 2023 (Week 1 - Week 6)
Lim Jia Zhen / 0349294

Digital Photography and Imaging / Bachelor of Mass Communication (Hons) in Advertising and Brand Management

Project 1 / Collage & Digital Imaging

WEEK 1 (5/4/2023)

Lectures: Subject Outline and Expectation

The module introduces digital visual and imaging manipulation as tool to express student’s vision and creative reinterpretation of the world through digital visual imagery.

We will undergo practical assessments in the form of projects and exercises throughout the semester. will undergo practical assessments in the form of projects and exercises throughout the semester.

The Importance of Photoshop for the Graphic Designer

Express your creativity
Create graphic design
Restoration of old images
Integrate graphics with text artistically
Make use of brushes
Change the colour of the photo
Rectify mistakes in photographs

Photograph Manipulation

Photographers combined multiple images on one negative
Photograph manipulation involves the transformation or alteration of a photograph using various methods and techniques to achieve desired results.

Digital Imaging

Digital imaging converts the printed text, artwork, and photographs into digital images using a digital scanner or another imaging device.

Top Ten Tips of Successful Graphic Designer

Follow the tutorials
Experiment
Memorise all keyboard shortcuts
Try to replicate others work
Participate in design competitions
Subscribe to online galleries
Smart objects for smart designers
Scaling Artworks and Proposition
Use actions to personalise work
Organise the files properly

Practical:

1. Create your E-Portfolio blog.

https://youtu.be/Q9H-8-MQKpc?t=41

E-Portfolio Link:

https://limjiazhen.blogspot.com/2023/04/dpiproject1.html

2. Register Pinterest

Pinterest Board (DPI):

https://www.pinterest.com/limjiazhen11/dpi-lim-jia-zhen-0349294/

3. We are required to list down our 3 favourite graphic design work from Pinterest and explain why we like the designs.

Design #1:

https://pin.it/4mGP3ty

Description: When I first saw this poster, I was impressed with the message of climate change concerns being conveyed in a creative, illustrious manner in the form of a melting ice cream on a cone.

This poster expressed:
This illustration is for the environmental campaigning organization “Friends of the Earth UK”.
The theme of this poster is the earth facing climate change with the title “`Melting Away”.
The concept is global warming causes the earth to heat up and temperature rises.
The ice cream melting symbolizes that global warming is causing the earth’s temperature to rise and melting away the Arctic ice glaciers.

Design #2:

https://pin.it/wf4q4Wq

Description: When I first saw this poster, I was impressed by how a simple illustrious movie poster could relay the plot of the movie.
This illustration is for the movie poster of Home Alone.
The concept of this movie poster is that a boy is left alone at home during the Christmas Holidays where the robbers tried to break into his house.
The main character staring in the ornament and having a shocked face indicates he saw the two robbers looking inside his window, planning to rob his house.
The ornament and Christmas decorations depict that it is during the Christmas Holidays.
The hanging paint cans and Christmas ornaments lying on the floor emphasizes that the boy did his own booby traps to stop the robbers.
The robbers with an evil smile looking in the window depicts they are trying to rob the house.

Design #3:

https://pin.it/25XBCz9

Description: The first impression of seeing this poster was that it used a creative and fun way to convey the message of using a sunblock and literally showed people getting “block” by the sun.
This illustration is a sunscreen product for the skincare brand Floslek Laboratorium.
The theme is sunblock campaign.
The concept is “ Have fun in the sun and enjoy your day at the beach without worrying about sunburn by using this sunblock’.
The sunblock emphasizes the particular sunscreen of the company and the sunblock’s shadow casting over the people is used as a metaphor that they are protected by sunburn by using the brand’s sunblock.
It shows an island with a beach where people are gathering there.

WEEK 2 (8/4/2023)

Lectures: Introduction to Composition

1. Introduction to basic composition

Focal Point: A key element to any good composition is a strong focal point, as it helps your viewers’ eyes naturally settle on the important pieces of your design first

Scale and Hierarchy: Scale is often used to help communicate hierarchy by drawing attention toward and away from certain elements.

Balance the Elements: A good technique for mastering asymmetrical balance is to think of each element as having a ‘weight’ to it.

White Space: White space can help balance the main focus of a composition by balancing out the more complicated and busy parts with space that helps it breathe.

2. Rule of Thirds: The process of dividing an image into thirds, using two horizontal and two vertical lines.

The Rule of Thirds is a way to:

Use composition techniques that are in line with what’s naturally pleasing to the eye.

Creatively use negative space.

Create conversation between the subject and background.

3. Golden Ratio:

It is commonly found in nature, and when used in a design, it fosters organic and natural-looking compositions.

It creates and appreciates a sense of beauty through harmony and proportion

Provides a sense of artistry.

A useful guideline for determining dimensions of the layout.

A simple way to apply the Golden Ratio is to set your dimensions to 1:1.618.

4. Composition (Framing and Cropping)

Framing: the process of selecting a part of the scene to capture within the camera's viewfinder or on the sensor. It involves deciding where to place the subject within the frame and what visual elements to include or exclude from the image.

Cropping: The process of trimming or removing parts of an image to create a tighter composition or to focus attention on a specific area or subject. It is usually done during post-processing and is a useful tool for improving composition and enhancing the visual impact of an image.

Practical:

We are required to choose and identify our collage's design elements to be cut out and compose it into our own concept & story.

We should pre composite our collage's design elements into a composition.

Reference: https://youtu.be/2KqXGMf0HNk

Work-in-progress:

Before creating my own physical collage, I went to Pinterest to find some inspiration. I've chosen the 2010 movie "Black Swan" as my theme for my physical collage.

Figure 1.1 References for Physical Collage

Elements that I have found on pinterest and google that I will be using for my physical collage.

Our lecturer instructed us to use 5 elements for our physical collage and these are the elements that I'll be using.

Figure 1.2 Elements for Physical Collage

1. PRE-COMPOSITION #1

2. PRE-COMPOSITION #2

3. PRE-COMPOSITION #3

I decided to move on with pre-composition#2. I decided to add more elements in my physical collage because I thought it looked a bit plain.

Work-in-progress:

These are the elements that I'll be adding.

Figure 1.3 Elements for Physical Collage

Final Outcome:

Final Outcome - Physical Collage

WEEK 3 (23/5/2023)

Lectures: Introduction to Photoshop 2

Lasso tool:

Allows you to draw and pinpoint specific areas of a document.
It is great to use with a graphic tablet because it is similar to a pencil.

How to use the lasso tool:

Open Photoshop and select the Lasso tool from the toolbar. It's located in the same section as the Magic Wand and the Quick Selection tool.
Click and drag the cursor around the edges of the object or area you want to select. Try to stay as close to the edges as possible.
Once you've made your selection, release the mouse button. You'll see a dotted line around the selection.
If you need to refine your selection, you can use the Add or Subtract from selection buttons in the toolbar to add or remove areas from the selection.
Once you’re done with your selection, you can copy and paste it into a new layer or use it to apply adjustments or filters to just that area.

Pen Tool:

The pen tool is the most common option in creating a path from scratch,.
The way that you add these points and the way you drag the tool as you create the points determines how they will look.
The fewer points, the smoother a path will be.

Open Photoshop and select the Pen tool from the toolbar. It's located in the same section as the other shape tools.
Click on the canvas where you want to start your path. This will create the first anchor point.
Click and drag to create a curved path, or click to create a straight path. The path will appear as a series of anchor points connected by straight or curved lines.
To create a curve, click and drag one of the anchor points. The direction and length of the handle you create will determine the shape of the curve.
To adjust an existing path, use the Direct Selection tool (the white arrow) to select one or more anchor points. You can then move them, adjust the handles, or delete them.
To close a path, click on the first anchor point. The path will be complete and you'll have a closed shape.
You can fill the shape with a colour or gradient, stroke the shape with a brush stroke, or create a selection from the shape.
To create a selection, right-click on the path and choose "Make Selection" from the context menu. You can then use the selection to apply adjustments or filters to just that area.

Layering

Layers are different images stacked on top of each other.

You can use each layer without affecting another one to make adjustments.

You can use layers for non-destructive editing.

Your adjustments in Photoshop will never destroy the original image.

The layers contain all the extra information and/ or images you want to add to the original file.

Practical:

We are required to:

1. Download all of the images here to your computer:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1cGcbENrjSksAaMQK9np2jb6ZaM7Y-81l?usp=sharing

2. Follow this tutorial demo as reference to create your digital collage: https://youtu.be/BlW7F-fTsbE

3. Create 3 different composition digital collages from the images that you’ve downloaded.

4. Create A4 canvas size (vertical) on Photoshop and start to do the compositions.

Work-in-progress:

Once I've downloaded all of the images provided by our lecturer, I went to photoshop to use the magic wand tool to select and mask objects from the images.

Figure 2.1 Magic Wand Tool Example

These are the cut out images that I'll be using for my digital collage.

Figure 2.2 Masked Images

1. COMPOSITION #1

2. COMPOSITION #2

3. COMPOSITION #3

WEEK 4 (10/5/2023)

Lectures:

Adjustment Layers:

A group of a super useful, non-destructive image editing tools that add colour and tonal adjustments to your image without permanently changing its pixels.

You can edit and discard your adjustments or restore your original image at any time.

Tools that are available in the adjustment tool layer.

Brightness / Contrast: The brightness slider is for adjusting the highlights in your image and the Contrast slider is for adjusting the shadows in your image.

Level: To modify the tonal values in an image by adjusting the levels of the shadows, mid-tones, and highlights.

Curves: Let you adjust as many points as you want throughout the entire tonal range of your image, and is the most powerful and precise tool for editing the tones in an image.

Exposure: Exposure will adjust only the highlights of the image, Offset adjusts the mid tones and Gamma will adjust the dark tones only.

Selective Colour: Selectively modifies the amount of a primary colour without modifying the other primary colours in your image.

Filters: This feature allows you to apply various artistic and creative filters to your images.

It includes a variety of artistic filters that can make your image look like a watercolour painting, a sketch, a stained glass window, and more.

It includes filters that can add texture to your image, such as the Craquelure and Texturizer filters.

It includes filters that can adjust the color of your image, such as the Color Balance and Hue/Saturation filters.

It includes filters that can add blur and distortion effects to your image, such as the Gaussian Blur and Ripple filters.

It includes filters that can create a 3D effect on your image, such as the Extrude and Spherize filters.

You can apply multiple filters at once in the Filter Gallery tool and adjust the order of the filters to create a unique effect on your image.

Practical:

We are required to improvise our WEEK 3 digital collage into WEEK 4 by using Adjustment Layers & Filters on Photoshop.

WEEK 3 - PEN TOOL EXERCISE - (BEST COMPOSITION)

Figure 3.1 Final Composition

DESCRIPTION:

I wanted to create a world where plants and animals are larger than humans, and the animals are floating in the air. To create this image, I have acquired the skill of utilizing the quick selection tool and the magic wand tool to efficiently remove the background of challenging images like the fish, leaves, and the building. The technique is simple to use and it saves me a lot of time. Additionally, there are numerous things in the subway image and I want to be more precise with the edges, so I use the pen tool to construct a path makes it simple to create a mask or precisely composite an object into a new background. I’ve learned that the pen tool is a versatile and strong tool that is helpful in photo editing where accuracy and precision are crucial.

Work-in progress:

I decided to lighten the background to create contrast because I felt that the colour of the leaves look a bit similar to the background,

Figure 3.2 Lighten Background

Then I darkened the image to create more depth.

Figure 3.3 Darken the Image

I then used the selective colour tool to increase the reds in the image.

Figure 3.4 Selective Colour "Reds"

I wanted to make the image appear more vibrant by increasing the vibrance and hue of the image.

Figure 3.5 Vibrance and Hue

I added a warm photo filter to make the image have a vintage/retro vibe.

Figure 3.6 Warm Photo Filter

I changed the hue of the blue fish to yellow because I think blue was kinda dark for the overall image and yellow suits the image better. Then I went to filter gallery to apply smudge effect for the big cyan fish to create contrast.

Figure 3.7 Hue and Saturation, Filter Gallery

WEEK 4 (ADJUSTMENT LAYERS & FILTERS)

Figure 3.8 Final Outcome

DESCRIPTION:

There are many tools available under the adjustment layer tool and all of the tools have enhanced the colour and quality of my image. I have learned to use the selective color tool to adjust the specific color ranges in an image, such as the red, yellow, green, and cyan to make it look more vibrant. I’ve also learned to adjust the image's color balance by adjusting the amount of red, green, and blue in the image. I’ve also use the photo filter to apply an orange color filter to the entire image to create a retro, warm, nostalgic vibe. Then, I used the brightness / contrast tool to adjust the overall brightness and contrast of an image. I used the smudge stick filter tool from the filter gallery to smudge and smear some of the darker parts of the image and also the rough pastels filter tool to make the fishes look a little blurry. I also used the hue and saturation tool to change the fish colour because I though it looked better in yellow.

WEEK 5 (11/5/2023)

Lectures: Digital Photography

Exposure Setting

Exposure: The amount of light which reaches your camera sensor or film.

The main parts of the camera:

Camera body: Shutter, Image sensor, and LCD screen
Camera lens: Aperture/ Iris

The shutter speed and aperture affects the "luminous exposure" of an image whereas the camera ISO affects the brightness of the image.

Iris: Iris/Aperture controls the flow of light entering the lens. It is measured by f-stop, indicated by sequence of f-number: f/1, f/1.4, f/2 , f/ 2.8, f/ 4, f/ 5.6, f/ 8, f/ 11, f/ 16 .... The lower the f-number, the larger the lens opening.

Shutter: a small plastic sheet that opens and closes to allow light onto the film or prevent light from reaching the film. Shutter speed is measured in seconds: 1/1000 s,1/500 s,1/250 s,1/125 s,1/60 s,1/30 s,1/15 s,1/8 s,1/4 s,1/2 s,1 s, 2 s, 3 s…

ISO: Refers to the sensitivity. the signal gain of the camera's sensor. The common ISO camera settings are: 100, 200, 400, 640, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400…. The lower the number of ISO the less sensitive your camera is to light and the finer the grain

Lens Perspective

The are wide angle lens, standard lens and tele lens.

Appropriate lens provided desire framing, lens choice affects angle of view.

Lenses can be categorised by focal length.

FOCAL LENGTH:

It is the measurement (in millimeters) from the optical center of a camera lens to the camera’s sensor.
The shorter the focal length, the wider the angle of view and vice-versa.

DEPTH OF FIELD:

The proportion of the image that is reasonably sharp and in focus.
The smaller the aperture you use, the greater the depth of field.

Different lenses are designed for different for different purposes.

Wide angle lens:

Ideal for fitting a large area into your frame.
Useful for landscape photography or street photography.
Almost everything is in focus unless your subject is very close to the lens.

Standard lens:

Offers a fairly accurate representation of what the human eye sees, both in terms of visual angle and perspective.
Images are perceived as more natural.

Tele lens:

Great for isolating a subject that is far away.
Allows you to photograph subjects from a distance thanks to their magnification.

DSLR vs Smartphone

Smartphones vs Cameras = Convenience vs Quality

DSLR cameras are designed to capture images. Phones are designed to carry out a multitude of functions.

Entry-level DSLR have much larger lenses and sensors than mobile phones do.

Practical: Hearst Mansion Exercise

We were instructed to follow the demo video that was provided by our lecturer and edit the Shazam into the background picture given.

Shazam

Hearst Mansion - Background

Work-in-progress:

I went to select and mask Shazam by using the magic wand tool and changed the brightness and hue of him to match with the background.

Figure 4.1 Masked Shazam

The I used the brush tool and lower down the opacity to create shadow for Shazam.

Figure 4.2 Add Shadow for Shazam

Then I duplicate Shazam and flipped it upside down to create a reflection for him. I dimmed down the brightness of the shadow to make it look more realistic.

Figure 4.3 Add Reflection of Shazam

Lastly, I used a brush tool to create a shadow for Shazam's reflection.

Figure 4.4 Add Shadow for Shazam's Reflection

Practice Outcome:

Figure 4.5 Practice Outcome

Part 2: My Reflection

In this exercise, we are required insert our own photo to replace the SHAZAM’s layer.

Figyre 4.6 Me

I chose a picture of myself that is considered taken at eye level for this exercise. Then I inserted my picture into the My Reflection composition and applied the Shazam's exercise technique.

Work-in-progress:

I went to select and mask myself by using the magic wand tool and changed the brightness and hue of myself to match with the background.

Figure 4.7 Masked Myself

The I used the brush tool and lower down the opacity to create shadow for myself.

Figure 4.8 Add Shadow for Myself

Then I duplicate myself and flipped it upside down to create a reflection for myself. I dimmed down the brightness of the shadow to make it look more realistic.

Figure 4.9 Add Reflection of Myself

Lastly, I used a brush tool to create a shadow for my reflection.

Figure 4.10 Add Shadow for My Reflection

Final Outcome:

Figure 4.11 Final Outcome

WEEK 6 (17/5/2023)

Project 1B - Part 1: Recolouring Black and White

We are required to turn a black and white photo into a coloured photo.

Before:

Figure 5.1 B&W Photo

Work-in-progress:

I used the brush tool to apply a beige tone to the skin and applied soft light effect to create a more natural look.

Figure 5.2 Add Colour to Face

Then I used the brush tool to apply a yellow tone to the woman's hair to create blonde hair for her.

Figure 5.3 Add Colour to Hair

I then used the brush tool to apply blue colour to the woman's eyes and red for her lips.

Figure 5.4 Add Colour to Eyes and Lips

I then used the brush tool to apply blue colour to the coat.

Figure 5.5 Add Colour to Coat

Lastly, I used the magic wand tool to select and mask the woman so I could apply the background colour.

Figure 5.6 Add Colour to Background

After:

Figure 5.7 Final Outcome

We are required to recolour a black and white photo at an advanced level.

Before:

We are required to turn a black and white photo into a coloured photo using .

Figure 5.8 B&W Photo

Work-in-progress:

I used the two photos that are provided by our lecturer as reference to be the skin colour and hair colour for the B&W photo.

Figure 5.9 Choose Skin and Hair Colour

Then I selected the face with quick selection tool and refine the selection in select and mask.

Figure 5.10 Select and Mask Face

I dragged and dropped the face layer mask to new solid layer to replace layer mask. I then used the eyedropper tool to apply the perfect skin colour for the B&W image, and selected SOFTLIGHT (BLENDING MODE) to make it look natural.

Figure 5.11 Add Colour to Face

I did the same process for the eyes, lips and teeth.

Figure 5.12 Add Colour to Eyes and Lips

Then I selected the hair with quick selection tool and refine the selection in select and mask.

Figure 5.13 Select and Mask Hair

I dragged and dropped the hair layer mask to new solid layer to replace layer mask, I then used the eyedropper tool to apply the perfect hair colour for the B&W image, and selected SOFTLIGHT (BLENDING MODE) to make it have a natural look.

Figure 5.14 Add Colour to Hair

I did the same process for the coat.

Figure 5.15 Add Colour to Coat

Also did the same process for the background colour.

Figure 5.16 Add Background Colour

After:

Figure 5.17 B&W Photo

Then we are required to select a black and white photo from the folder that our lecturer provided and recolour it. At last, I chose the late Queen Elizabeth's photo to recolour.

Before: