Intermediate Digital Photography Class 2
Advanced depth of field, filters, color theory, pre-visualization and digital book layouts
Pre-Visualization
- Planning an image before shooting
- Knowing what you camera and print materials will do
Filters in Digital Photography
- Most digital photographers adjust small color changes in Photoshop Elements rather than with filters
- Automatic White Balance will correct and remove minor color filter effects
- Filters such as gradual grays, neutral density and polarizers are difficult to impossible to re-create digitally
- Some pocketable cameras without filter threads offer an add-on accessory for filters
Advanced Depth of Field:
- As explained in Beginning Digital class, more useful with large sensor camera
- New info: DOF decreases with close focusing and increases as you approach infinity
- Macro or closeup DOF can be adjusted by focusing ½ way between “subject close” and “subject far” points
- Nearer to infinity DOF can be adjusted by focusing 1/3 from closes subject point
- Apparent DOF can be decreased by using a telephoto lens setting and increased by using a wide angle lens setting
Color Theory
- Scenes with analogus colors are typically soft and calming
- Scenes with split complimentary colors hold moderate excitement
- Scenes with complimentary colors are typically exciting and even “jarring”
Photoshop Elements Digital Books
Alternative (probably better) options to PSE5 are My Publisher and Apple's iPhoto
- Launch Adobe Photoshop Elements 5
- Select "Make Photo Creations" mode in first screen
- Make sure you are "Full Edit" rather then "Quick Fix" mode (in upper left of screen)
- Select “Create (below the “Windows” menu), then select "Photo Book Pages"
- After pages are setup by PSE, you will be looking at a black page 1. Click on the words "Click here to add Photo" and navigate to "Desktop > Intermediate Digital >Book". Select your choice of image for page 1 of your book.
- Notice the size/crop slider above your image. This allows you to resize the image “within” the existing frame. Hit the “check mark” when you are done or the “X” to cancel what you’ve done. You can return to this tool at any point by “right vclicking” on an image and selecting “”Position Photo In Frame”.
- Once #7 is completed, you will see the typical PSE layer bounding box. This allows you to resize, rotate or move the entire image. Once you are done, hit the checkmark. Notice that your image is now a separate thumbnail in the layers panel.
- Select page 2 in the lower “Photo Bin”. We are going to put 2 images on this page
- Repeat steps 6 – 9 with one new image
- Open the second image you want on you page (File > Open). It will open in a separate window. Arrange your workspace so you can see both the new image and your book page. Click on the new image (to make it the active window) and drag the thumbnail of the new image onto BLANK SPACE of the book page window. Do not drag the thumbnail onto your existing page 2 image. You can now close the new image window
- Arrange and size the two images as you wish. You will notice that each image has a thumbnail in the layers panel. You can re-arrange which image is on top by dragging the thumbnails within the layers panel.
- Click on your page and enter your text
- To adjust the size or font, click once within the text with your type tool. Then click twice quickly to select an entire word, or click 3 times quickly to select the entire sentence. Once the text is selected you can adjust the size. Weight and font face with the Tool options near the top of the screen.
- To adjust the placement of the text, switch to the “Move Tool” (4 way arrows at the top of the tools panel). Make sure the text thumbnail is selected. Make sure “Auto Select Layer” is turned OFF in the tools options (under “Full Edit), you can now click and drag your text.
- Repeat above to add text under your second image
Photoshop Elements Lasso Tools for Selection
- Choose one layer in your book with person or item you would like to isolate from background
- Select that layer (make sure it is blue in the layers panel)
- Select the "Magnifying Tool" from the tool panel, second tool from top. Drag over the image area you want to work on (to make it view larger on your screen)
- Select the “Lasso Tool” from the tool panel, sixth tool from top. Hold the triangle in the lower right of the tool and you can chose any of 3 options. The plain "lasso" (free hand selection), the "magnetic" (tries to guess the edges) or the "polygonal" (straight line – connect the dots)
- Using the lasso tool and your mouse, draw around the edge of the area you want to keep
- Optional: Use Select > Feather to soften line. As a starting point, 1 or 2 pixels of feathering often makes a more natural looking cut, 16 pixels makes a soft/artifical selection
- Invert the selection (Selection > Invert), You have now “selected” everything except the area you outlined
- Cut the unwanted background off your layer with Edit > Cut
HOMEWORK:
- One or more prints deliberately using a large or small DOF
- One or more prints deliberately using color theory
- One or more more pages setup for book (printed on inkjet is fine, no need to have book printed!)
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