Here you will find all of the information (appropriate links (including Dropbox folder links for homework), notes, reminders, etc.) for Photoshop 101 (Photoshop Basics for Artists) Week Eleven.
HOMEWORK RESULTS FROM WEEK 10 (total 8 points w/bonuses):
JC: 4
DC: 4
JH: 4
CY: 4
NOTE: Please respect the work, rights, and privacy of participating artists. You may view the uploaded homework efforts from the class within the Dropbox folder, but you may not download or manipulate their work in any way. Anya and I will be downloading uploaded homework or classwork images when needed/appropriate, but we will never share anyone’s images outside of the class without express permission from the author. All files in the Dropbox folders will be deleted at the end of the course. In addition, please know that classes will not be recorded to respect each participant’s learning experience.
If there are files required for the week’s homework, then they will be available in a folder called “WeekX_Resources” in the appropriate week’s folder. You will need to download to files in this folder to complete the week’s homework. However, please be sure not to remove or add anything to this folder.
Here are a few notes for today’s class:
PS Basics for Artists Week Eleven – Some Useful Tools…
Smart Object:
- Smart Objects are layers that contain image data from raster or vector images, such as Photoshop or Illustrator files. Smart Objects preserve an image’s source content with all its original characteristics, enabling you to perform nondestructive editing to the layer.
- Raster (or bitmap) images are described by an array or map of bits within a rectangular grid of pixels or dots.
- Vector images are described by lines, shapes, and other graphic image components stored in a format that incorporates geometric formulas for rendering the image elements.
Smart Object advantages and disadvantages
With Smart Objects, you can perform non-destructive transformations.
You can scale, rotate, skew, distort, perspective transform, or warp a layer without losing original image data or quality because the transforms don’t affect the original data
Work with vector data, such as vector artwork from Illustrator, that otherwise would be rasterized in Photoshop.
You can perform nondestructive filtering. You can edit filters applied to Smart Objects at any time.
Apply a layer mask that’s either linked or unlinked to the Smart Object layer.
Try various designs with low-resolution placeholder images that you later replace with final versions.
You can’t perform operations that alter pixel data—such as painting, dodging, burning, or cloning—directly to a Smart Object layer unless it is first converted into a regular layer, which will be rasterized. To perform operations that alter pixel data, you can edit the contents of a Smart Object, clone a new layer above the Smart Object layer, edit duplicates of the Smart Object, or create a new layer.
Creating a 2D transparency tool for checking drawings or contours::
First, make sure to have good contrast and convert to black and white.
Here are tools you can use:
(Under Stylize)
- Trace Contour Finds the transitions of major brightness areas and thinly outlines them for each color channel for an effect similar to the lines in a contour map. Note: Lower outlines where the color values of pixels fall below the specified level, and Upper outlines where the color values fall above.
- Find Edges Identifies the areas of the image with significant transitions and emphasizes the edges. Like the Trace Counter filter, Find Edges outlines the edges of an image with dark lines against a white background and is useful for creating a border around an image.
- Threshold: The Threshold filter converts grayscale or color images into high-contrast, black-and-white images. You can specify a certain level as a threshold. All pixels lighter than the threshold are converted to white, and all pixels darker are converted to black.
- Posterize: Posterize is an image effect available in Adobe Photoshop that reduces the number of colors in an image. The effect is named for its similarity to the printing process called “posterization,” in which a limited number of colors are used to produce an image
Photocopy, Note Paper, and Stamp are great simplification/abstraction tools however Photocopy is my go-to for generating contour transparencies
Creating a Printable Grid
Fortunately, artist Rodney Davis has created a great walkthrough for this here:
Homework: (3 points) Create a transparency for the basket still life for the supplied still-life image. Keep the transparency in place, as demonstrated in class, and reduce the transparency layer to 50% so that we can see alignment. Upload the flattened image.
Homework: (5 points) Create a printable 1x1” white grid over the supplied still-life image. Upload the flattened image.
Homework BONUS: (10 points) Let’s say that you have been tasked with teaching a Photoshop class for traditional painters. Every now and then, when trying to explain some subtlety regarding a certain effect or tool—the printed explanation seems inadequate. One such issue did arise in regard to the Trace Contour filter with its upper and lower settings relative to the level. As such, you decide that you will create a single graphic, using Trace Contour, that can clearly show the difference between these two settings with the SAME LEVEL. Please upload your solution to this dilemma.
LINK for this week: Dropbox