How to Create A Multi-Layered Panoramic Poster

Posted on December 7, 2011 by

HOW TO CREATE A MULTI-LAYERED

PANORAMIC POSTER

 1: CREATE A FOLDER FOR YOUR IMAGES

On your desktop, create a folder for your Project images (the ones you took), if you haven’t already.

2: OPEN ALL IMAGES IN PHOTOSHOP

In your folder, select all the images and drag them to the Photoshop icon on your dock at the bottom of your desktop.

3: CROP AND RESIZE IMAGES

Crop: Crop out any wasted space.  You can use the Crop Tool or select the area with the Rectangular Marquee Tool and go to Image > Crop.

Resize: Once you have cropped all your images, you need to resize them so they have the same height.  Go to Image > Image Size.  Make sure that the boxes for Constrain Proportions and Resample Image are checked.  Also make sure that the image resolution is 300 ppi (pixels per inch).  Then select the height you want in inches.  The recommended height is 5 inches.  The width will vary and will set automatically as long as the Constrain Proportions is selected.

4: CREATE A NEW IMAGE FOR THE BACKGROUND

Once all of your images are the same height and converted to Black and White or left in color, now you can create a new image that will serve as your background.

Go to File > New.  When the dialog box pops up, change to the following:

Width: 40 inches

Height: 10 inches

Resolution: 300 ppi

Color Mode: RGB Color, 8 bit

Background Contents: White or Background Color.

Click OK.

5: CREATE A BLACK OR COLORED BACKGROUND (OPTIONAL)

In the Tool Bar located on the left side of your workspace, click on the Paint Bucket.  Then go to the bottom of the tool bar and select the Foreground/Background Color square.  A dialog box will appear and click on the color you want to set as the background.  Once selected, click OK.

6: USE THE RULERS TO CREATE MARGINS ON YOUR POSTER

Go to View > Rulers and make sure there is a check mark next to the Rulers so the grid will appear.  Using your mouse, click on the ruler at the top and drag down a guideline to leave an even space at the top.  Then, click on the side ruler and drag a guideline to leave space for a right margin and another for the left margin.  The margins should be even—perhaps 2 inches.  Then click on the top ruler and drag a guideline down for the top margin and the bottom margin.  The margins should be even—2.5 inches for the top and bottom.  There should also be margins between each photographic image.

 

7: DRAG YOUR IMAGES ONTO THE BACKGROUND IMAGE

Once the Margin Guidelines are in place, start dragging over your images (make sure you have the move tool selected).  All of the images should still be open in Photoshop.  Keep the background image on the left side of your workspace and drag the current photo, your image, on the right.  Click on the image and drag it over to the background image.  Move it into place.  Then return to the original image and close the file.  Then repeat the same steps with the remaining images.

8: MOVING THE LAYERS INTO PLACE

Go to Window > Layers and make sure there is a check mark next to Layers.  The Layers window should appear on the right side of your workspace.  Each image that you dragged over is a separate layer so you must click on that layer in order to use it.  Click on the layer and click on the Move Tool (1st tool in the left side Tool Bar).  Using your ruler guidelines, make sure all the images are in a nice, spaced out alignment.  You should have equal space between the images.

9: ADDING TEXT TO YOUR POSTER

Once all the images are in place and you have even margins all around, you can now add text to your poster.  Click on the Horizontal Type Tool in the tool bar.  Select the area where you want to place the text and beginning writing your text in the text box.  You can give the poster a title (optional) and put your name on the poster.  There is a text formatting tool bar at the top of the workspace that will allow you to change the font, text size and color.  When you have finished with your text, go to Layer > Rasterize > Type.  If you need to move your text around, you can use the Move Tool, located in the tool bar to move the rasterized text to the desired location.

10: CREATING ONE LAYER

Once all of the images have been dragged to the background and are in alignment, you need to merge all the layers by flattening the image.  To flatten the image, go to Layers > Flatten Image.

11: SAVING FILE

Go to File > Save As.  When the dialog box appears, pick your desktop as a place to save your image.  Change the name from untitled to your name and select JPEG as the Format.  Click Save.

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How to Create a Multi-Layered Poster: Alphabet City Test

Posted on March 9, 2011 by


Alphabet City by Abba Richman

1: CREATE A FOLDER FOR YOUR IMAGES
On your desktop, create a folder for your Project images.  Rename the images to correspond to the letter they represent.
2: OPEN ALL IMAGES IN PHOTOSHOP
In your folder, select all 26 images and drag them to the Photoshop icon on your dock at the bottom of your desktop.
3: CROP AND RESIZE IMAGES (AND CONVERT TO BLACK & WHITE)
Crop: Crop out any wasted space in the image so the implied letter fills the frame.  You can use the Crop Tool or select the area with the Rectangular Marquee Tool and go to Image > Crop.
Resize: Once you have cropped all your images, you need to resize them so they have the same height.  Go to Image > Image Size.  Make sure that the boxes for Constrain Proportions and Resample Image are checked.  Also make sure that the image resolution is 300 ppi (pixels per inch).  Then select the height you want in inches.  You will have to do this for all 26 images, making sure they have the same height.  The height of 4.75 inches is what was used on the Alphabet City poster.
Convert to Black and White: You can keep all the images in color or you can convert them to Black and White.  Black and White looks more artistic and makes the letters stand out more.  It is your choice as an artist.  Refer to the Convert Color to Black and White handout for the different methods for conversion in Photoshop.
4: CREATE A NEW IMAGE FOR THE BACKGROUND
Once all of your images are the same height and converted to Black and White or left in color, now you can create a new image that will serve as your background.  Go to File > New.  When the dialog box pops up, change to the following:
Width: 24 inches
Height: 36 inches
Resolution: 300 ppi
Color Mode: RGB Color, 8 bit
Background Contents: White or Background Color.
Click OK.
5: CREATE A BLACK BACKGROUND (OPTIONAL)
In the Tool Bar located on the left side of your workspace, click on the Paint Bucket (12th one down).  Then go to the bottom of the tool bar and select the Foreground/Background Color square.  A dialog box will appear and click on the color you want to set as the background.  Once selected, click OK.
  
6: USE THE RULERS TO CREATE MARGINS ON YOUR POSTER
Go to View > Rulers and make sure there is a check mark next to the Rulers so the grid will appear.  Using your mouse, click on the ruler at the top and drag down a guideline to leave an even space at the top.  Then, click on the side ruler and drag a guideline to leave space for a right margin and another for the left margin.  You can drag down as many guidelines as you need.  On the Alphabet City Poster, there are 2 inches on the Top, 0.75 inches on the Left and Right Margins, and 0.25 inches between the rows. 
7: DRAG YOUR IMAGES ONTO THE BACKGROUND IMAGE
Once the Top Margin and Side Margin Guidelines are in place, start dragging over your images.  Starting with A.  All of the images should still be open in Photoshop.  Keep the background image on the let side of your workspace and drag the current photo, your image, on the right.  Click on the A image and drag it over to the background image.  Move it into place.  Then return to the original A image and close the file.  Then repeat the same steps with the B image and so on until you have all the letters on the background image.
8: MOVING THE LAYERS INTO PLACE
Go to Window > Layers and make sure there is a check mark next to Layers.  The Layers window should appear on the right side of your workspace.  Each image that you dragged over is a separate layer so you must click on that layer in order to use it.  Click on the layer and click on the Move Tool (1st tool in the left side Tool Bar).  Using your ruler guidelines, make sure all the images are in a nice, spaced out alignment.  You should have equal space between the rows.  Use the Alphabet City Poster as a layout reference.
9: CREATING ONE LAYER
Once all of the images have been dragged to the background and are in alignment, you need to merge all the layers or flatten the image.  To merge the layers, go to Layers > Merge Layers.  To just flatten the image, go to Layers > Flatten Image.
10: SAVING FILE
Go to File > Save As.  When the dialog box appears, pick your desktop as a place to save your image.  Change the name from untitled to your name and select JPEG as the Format.  Click Save.

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Convert Color to Black and White in Photoshop

Posted on March 9, 2011 by

Method 1: Converting to Grayscale
1: At the top navigation menu, go to Image > Mode > Grayscale.  A dialog box appears asking, “Discard color information?” Click OK or press Enter.  Your color image will be turned into a black-and-white one.
2: The drawback to this method is that it performs the operation with no other variations or options, and the results are usually kind of dull.  This might be the fastest way to create a monochrome image, and it sometimes works very well, but it is also the least flexible.  This is not the method to use for the photographer who wants control.
Method 2: Using the Channel Mixer
1: The Channel Mixer is a better approach.  This is a method with more control, and includes a way to approximate the effects of using color filters with black-and-white film.  On the top menu bar, go to Image > Adjustments > Channel Mixer.
2: At this point, the Channel Mixer dialog box appears.  First, check the box marked Monochrome to switch your image to black-and-white mode.  Next, there are three sliders inside the box marked red, green, and blue.  On the right end of each slider is a percentage indicator.  When you adjust the sliders, you have to maintain a total percentage for all three sliders of 100 percent, although you can set different amounts for each one, as long as they all add up to 100 percent.
  • Choose one of the following combinations to optimize a black-and-white image:
 Simulated Filter Effect                                    Channel Mixer Setting
Red (High Contrast)                                  100% Red
Yellow                                                          50% Red, 50% Green
Orange (Medium Contrast)                       75% Red, 25% Green
Cyan                                                            50% Blue, 50% Green
3: Yellow and Red are great for landscapes with blue skies.  The last setting, Cyan, is especially effective for images of foliage.  Once you have decided on the combination that works, click OK.
Method 3: The Hue/Saturation Method
1: Open an image in Photoshop
2: Make a duplicate layer.  Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation.  This will create a layer.  Label it Hue/Saturation 1 and click OK.
3: Make another duplicate layer.  Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation.  For this layer, set the Saturation slider to –100 percent, which turns the image to black-and-white.  Label this layer Hue/Saturation 2 and click OK.
4: Click on and highlight Hue/Saturation 1 in the Layers Palette.
5: In the drop down menu in the upper left-hand corner of the Layers Palette, change the mode from Normal to Color.
6: Double-click on the Layer Thumbnail to bring up the Hue/Saturation dialog box.  Move the Hue slider back and forth to see the image change in tonal value, and stop when you see what you like.
7: Adjust the Saturation slider to make further changes to the image. Click OK when you are finished.  Proceed with normal image processing.


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Adjusting Exposure

Posted on October 25, 2010 by

Recently, many of my GCC students have been asking me the same question–”If my pictures are overexposed or underexposed, how do I decide which part of exposure to adjust?  The aperture or the shutter speed or the ISO?”

The Answer: It all depends on what kind of picture you are trying to take. 

Do you want full depth of field or shallow depth of field?  Do you want a lot of detail in the photograph?  Is your subject moving around?  Do you have a tripod available?

Here are a few examples of how you would adjust your settings based on what type of photograph you want to take:

If you are trying to take a picture where you want to keep a lot of detail and depth of field (like Landscape and nature photographs), then you would adjust the shutter speed.  Why?  To keep the quality high, you want a slower ISO like 100 or 200.  To capture all the detail in the foreground, middle ground and background, you need a smaller Aperture.  So ideally, you would be using a tripod so that means you can have a slower shutter speed since your subject isn’t moving–therefore Shutter Speed is where you would make the adjustments if your photograph is underexposed or overexposed.

For Sports, you want to keep a fast shutter speed to stop the action and you want a fast ISO but not too fast that you will get too much visual noise so you often adjust your aperture.  In Sports, it is preferable to have a shallow depth of field so you can use an Aperture wider than F5.6.  Typically, sports photographers use Shutter Priority mode so they can set the camera to a fast shutter speed and the camera will automatically adjust the aperture for you.

Posted in Aperture, Exposure, ISO, Overexposed, Shutter Priority Mode, Shutter Speed, Underexposed | Leave a comment

The Standard 3-Point Lighting Technique

Posted on July 31, 2010 by

The Three Point Lighting Technique is a standard method used in visual media such as video, film, still photography and computer-generated imagery. It is a simple but versatile system which forms the basis of most lighting. Once you understand three point lighting you are well on the way to understanding all lighting.

The technique uses three lights called the key light, fill light and back light. Naturally you will need three lights to utilize the technique fully, but the principles are still important even if you only use one or two lights. As a rule:

  • If you only have one light, it becomes the key.
  • If you have 2 lights, one is the key and the other is either the fill or the backlight.
Key Light
This is the main light. It is usually the strongest and has the most influence on the look of the scene. It is placed to one side of the camera/subject so that this side is well lit and the other side has some shadow.
Fill Light

This is the secondary light and is placed on the opposite side of the key light. It is used to fill the shadows created by the key. The fill will usually be softer and less bright than the key. To acheive this, you could move the light further away or use some spun. You might also want to set the fill light to more of a flood than the key.

Back Light
The back light is placed behind the subject and lights it from the rear. Rather than providing direct lighting (like the key and fill), its purpose is to provide definition and subtle highlights around the subject’s outlines. This helps separate the subject from the background and provide a three-dimensional look.

Source: http://www.mediacollege.com/lighting/three-point/
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Composition

Posted on July 19, 2010 by

Composition
The arrangement and relationship of the different parts that make up the whole image.

In visual art terms, composition is divided into two areas:

1. The elements of art: the composition’s individual visual parts (the subject)

  • These are the real, tangible parts of the artwork
  • These parts include lines, shapes and form, value, color, space and texture

2. The principles of design: the composition’s organizing ideas

  • These are the intangible plans and blueprints for creating and arranging elements
  • These plans should show balance, unity, variety, movement and rhythm, emphasis, proportion and pattern

Two principles of design are:

1. Filling the Frame
This means that you fill the entire frame with your subject.  There is no wasted space in the photograph.  These can also be considered DETAIL SHOTS, meaning they can focus on just a part of the subject rather than the whole.  Examples would be a picture of someone’s eyes or a Gargoyle perched on the side of the building.  These pictures can also appear ABSTRACT depending on the VIEWPOINT chosen by the photographer.

2. The Rule of Thirds
This means that you divide the frame into sections of three, making sure the subject is never in the dead center, as a bullseye, leaving lots of dead space (wasted space) in the photograph.  There are numerous ways in which you can divide the frame into threes:

Points of Interest: Dividing the frame into three equal part horizontally and three equal parts vertically, creating four intersecting points known as the points of interest.  You would want your subject placed at one of the points of interest.

Three Equal Parts, Horizontal: You divide the frame into three equal parts horizontally.  This works best with landscape photography.

Three Equal Parts, Vertical:  You divide the frame into three equal parts vertically.  This works best with landscape or group pictures (of three people).

Fractions of 1/3 to 2/3: The frame can be divided into fractions where it is one third of one thing and two thirds something else.  This can be vertical or horizontal.  An example would be one third of a mountain and two thirds of a cloud–very much like the composition in a lot of Ansel Adams work.  It could also be based by color, depth of field/focus, light vs. dark shadows, and textures.

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Film

Posted on July 17, 2010 by

Color Vs. Black and White
On Digital Cameras, all photographs are shot in color and changed into black and white in an editing program either on the camera itself or on a computer. It is up to the individual if they want to change it to Black and White or keep the color.

*Color – Used for commercial purposes
*Black and White – More artistic
Memory Cards
The larger the memory card, the faster the photographs will be processed on your digital camera. You also have to be aware of the write-speed of the memory camera. SanDisk and Lexar tend to have faster write-speeds than generic brands. Frye’s Electronics tends to have very good deals on Memory cards and their store brand cards have a decent write-speed.

Film Speed
This tells you how sensitive the film, or memory card, is to light.

There are three types of film speeds
1. Slow – 25 to 50
2. Medium – 100 to 200
3. Fast – 400 or higher

Different speeds need different amounts of light.
*Slow speeds need more light
* Fast speeds need less light

The detail varies in the different film speeds.
*Slow speeds are good for capturing the most amount of detail. Their colors are richer and more saturated. Details are sharper. These are great for still-life and landscape.
*Fast films are great for low-lighting situations but the colors are not as rich and the details can appear coarse, grainy.
*Visual noise (looks like Red, Blue & Green specs in a digital image) appears with speeds 800 or faster. It becomes more apparent the faster the speed.
*Medium films are good for portraits and casual shooting. They are a good compromise between capturing rich colors and sharp detail.

Posted in Film, GCC Class, ISO | Leave a comment

Filters

Posted on July 17, 2010 by

Filters
Glass or plastic adapters added to the camera lens to modify the scene in front of you.

*When you use a filter to create a photograph, the results are permanent. They are very different from the Photoshop filters and you must keep that in mind when you experiment.

*Most cameras have built-in light meters and automatic exposure to adjust to the reduced amount of light coming into the lens caused by the filters.

 There are three basic categories of filters:

  1. Color Effects
  2. Black and White Effects
  3. Special Effects

Color Effects

These filters help to change the color given off from your lighting sources.

  • Flourescent lighting gives off a green tone and can be reduced or eliminated with a FL-D filter
  • Incandescent lighting gives off an orange tone and can be reduced or eliminated with a deep blue 80A filter.

Black and White Filters

These filters enhance the quality, tones, highlights, textures, etc. of a black and white photograph.

  • Red filters can be used to greatly increase the contrast in a black and white photograph.
  • Orange filters enhance the contrast in a black and white photograph.

 Special Effect Filters

These filters are used to enhance or create special effects in both color and black and white photographs.

  • Polarizing Filters will reduce or eliminate reflections in shiny, non-metallic surfaces like glass windows or doors. They can darken a blue sky to increase the separation between clouds and sky.
  • Neutral Density filters help to slow down the shutter speed and increase subject motion blur on moving objects. A Neutral Density filter, often combined with a polarizing filter, is often used on waterfalls to create a misting effect.
  • A Haze filter is used to help eliminate the haze in the photograph (or smog around Los Angeles).
  • Cross Screen filter is used to make lights appear more star-like in a photograph instead of a dot of light. This is often used on Christmas Lights.

  

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Lenses

Posted on July 15, 2010 by

The Normal Lens – The lens that most closely matches the view of the human eye in terms of area, perspective and the relative size of objects.

  • Most companies have settled on the 50mm lens as their normal lens.
The Wide-Angle Lens – This lens includes more of the scene and makes objects look farther away than a normal lens.
  • These lenses range in focal length from 6mm to 35mm
  • These can create dramatic perspective effects like a fish-eye or perspective distortion.
  • These lenses come in handy when taking pictures of large groups in small rooms, architectural photography and landscape photography.
The Telephoto Lens – This lens includes less of the scene and makes objects look closer.

  • These lenses start at 70mm and go up to 1200mm (or sometimes higher).
  • These lenses are great for sports or wildlife photography.
  • A 120mm lens is good for portraits where you want to lose your depth of field.

The Zoom Lens – This is a lens that varies in focal lengths.

  • The standard camera kit zoom lens is 18mm-55mm.
  • The “normal” zoom lens for sports or action photography is 70mm-200mm.
  • Nikon and Canon now have a Zoom lens that goes from 18mm-200mm.  They sell for around $600.  Or you can get the Sigma version for $400.
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Using Glowsticks to Learn about Exposure and Create Photographic Art

Posted on July 7, 2010 by

A great way to learn how Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO work together, aside from trying to create “Ghost Images” is to create photographic art by using glowsticks. 

Your objective for creating glowstick pictures is to have people in a dark room spin glowsticks while you try to create an image where the only thing that appears in the image is the glowstick.  Ideally, the background should be dark and there is no image of the person spinning the glowsticks.

HINT: This will be a long exposure so you will want to have a medium wide to small aperture to compensate for the slow shutter speed.  You may also want to compensate with a slower ISO as well to bring out the details and brilliant colors of the glowsticks.

Don’t be afraid to get creative!!  Try using different colors, trying writing letters or words, and most of all, HAVE FUN!
(THE GLOWSTICK IMAGES SHOWN WITH THIS POST WERE TAKEN BY MY PHOTOGRAPHY STUDENTS AT CLARK MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL).
Posted in Exposure, GCC Class, Glowsticks, Long Exposure | Leave a comment