Work with Rachael Weathers

So, I finally go to work with what I consider to be the best model in Memphis. I'm loving the results, soo.. take a gander!

Applying what we learned..

Chapter 5: Adobe Photoshop CS3: Notes

Chapter 5: Layer Basics

Chapter five was a basic overview of how to utilize layers to work on several simultaneously, organize artwork on layers and add text and layer effects.

For this project we created a collage for a scrapbook cover. To start there was five different layers with different objects like a letter, paper texture, shell, number two and the background. Starting with the background, we drug a separate photo file onto the background and erased the white borders. To do this, you would click the layer with the photo and make the rest invisible. You would then use the magic eraser tool, change the sensitivity to 22 and click the border to erase the white.

To get the objects layered on top of one another the way you wanted, you would simply rearrange the way they are ordered on the layers list. Also, if you wanted one part to be see through, you would change the opacity until it is just right. If you want to edit more than one layer at a time, you would link the layers by highlighting however many then clicking link layers.

We applied a gradient to the background to get a change in color. To do this you make a new layer called Gradient, click the linear gradient tool, select Foreground to Transparent and then choose the color you wish to apply in the color swatches palette. Once all these steps are taken, you would drag a line from the bottom right corner to the top left corner and release. To lessen the effects you would change the opacity.

It is also good to remember how to apply a layer style. You can enhance a layer by adding a shadow, glow, bevel, emboss or other special effects. To find this option, look in the layers box and click the fx.

Chapter 4: Adobe Photoshop CS3: Notes

Chapter 4: Working with Selections

In this chapter, we edited a photograph of several vegetables, a cutting board and an advertisement stick utilizing the different selection tool available.

To start, we used the magic wand tool to select the tomato. The magic wand tool is best for selecting parts of images that have solid or mostly solid colors. So, for the tomato, all we had to do was click once on the red and once on the green of the leaves. We then moved it to the bottom left corner of the cutting board and saved.

The second image selected was the lettuce. We again used the magic wand tool, buy this time we used the rectangular Marquee tool to zoom in on the lettuce, selected magic wand tool with the minus sign and clicked the white of the background which in turn selected everything but the white. This is good because the lettuce has many variations of greens.

The third image was a set olives that had an oval color surrounding it. For this we chose the eliptical marquee tool to draw around the oval. To do this you would start by creating a rough outline by dragging the mouse around the oval. Chances are you won't get it perfect with just that, so without letting go of the mouse you would additionally click on the space bar to add more adjustment. Releasing the space bar allows you to move the oval, but you can't stop depressing the mouse until the oval is lined up just the way you want.

We then added the Salads advertisement buttom. We selected the button with the elliptical marquee tool then dragged it to where we wanted it. Instead of stopping there, we added two more of the same button except larger each time. To duplicate the button you would select the Move tool, hold down Alt as you position the pointer inside the graphic. Continue holding down Alt and drag the duplicate down to the right. To make the selection larger, however, you would choose Edit > Transform > Scale then adjust from there.

Our next vegetable was the carrot which we zoomed in on to fill the screen. We started to highlight the curved part of the carrot with the lasso tool which is completely freehand, but changed to the polygonal lasso tool which creates anchor points each time you click. To switch from lasso to polygonal you would hold down Alt and then release the mouse button. We then dragged the carrot to the center of the cutting board, but chose to rotate it to better fit the composition by choosing Edit > Transform > Rotate.

Finally, we used the magnetic lasso tool which is fairly automatic and works well for solid colored images.

The "complicated" part of this lesson was in creating the seperate layers so that we can go back and edit individual parts of the composition. To do this, you would choose the quick selection tool to highlight each individual vegetable then click Edit > Copy > Edit > Paste. Once you have the new layer you can refine the edges to give a more realistic feel to it. In the tool options bar you would click refine edges, create a soft edge for teh shadows, edter a feather value of 7 pixels and expand value to 5%. By clicking the Black Matte button the background becomes black and by increating the Expand value the shadow increases.

You would essentially create a new layer for each vegetable and drag the edits you did on the first veggie to the layer of the next veggie to apply the same shadow and blur to the edges.

To view notes on the last part of the blog notes, look back on pages 126-135.

Chapter 3: Adobe Photoshop CS3: Notes

Chapter 3: Retouching and Repairing

In this chapter we started off by editing the Japanese stone garden lantern where the bottom edge of the photograph was torn. One way to heal the edge of this image is to utilize the Clone Stamp tool which uses pixels from one area of the image to replace pixels in another area. So, start by selecting the clone stamp tool in the options bar then click Alt so that the pointer becomes a target and allows you to sample a specific part of the image. You would then start at the top of the rip and drag the clone stamp tool across, resample and drag more until the tear is completely eliminated.

To erase the sprinklers that appear in the background, it is simple enough to use the spot healing brush since the area we are removing is so small and doesn't have a lot to detract from our sampling.

The second part of the lesson is an overview of removing grafitti off of a stone wall using the the healing brush tool by painting over the graffiti with the mouse. You could also use the patch tool which allows you to draw around the area you are going to erase, click the selection then drag it to another area that is similar to what you are wanting over the original selection.

It is suggested in the reading to edit the photos on a duplicate layer so that the original file is not damaged and/or because you can blend the edited version with the original to give it a more natural feel.

Chapter 2: Adobe Photoshop CS3: Notes

Chapter 2: Basic Photo Corrections

Chapter two is a cover of basic photo corrections. The chapter starts out with how to straighten a photo when it is crooked. To do this, draw a crop marquee vaguelly around the image then turn it until it lines up perfectly with the edges then click enter to select the chosen crop.

Our first assignment is to edit the photograph of the tulips in front of the statue. The Shadow/Highlights bar is one of the beginning edits.. this tool is fairly self explanatory. However, you can go into Levels to adjust shadows, middle gray and highlights. This is good for pinpointing one tone and adjusting it specifically.

The book suggests that you use Auto Color to get a more natural color, but from personal experience, I tend to dissagree with this and would rather adjust through other options over any auto adjustor.

The next edit was actually pretty helpful though: Replacing Colors in an Image. To do this you would draw a selection using the marquee tool around the color you want to change. For this photo we changed all the ywllow tulips. So, first you would select a yellow tulip then choose Image > Adjustments > Replace Color. Using the Eyedropper tool then use the Add to to sample other areas in addition to the first edit. It is good to drag the fuzziness slider up to 45 to increase the tolerance level slightly. As you move the saturation and hue bar you will eventually come to the red just like the other tulips in the background.

For the statue, a good suggestion would be to run over the figure with quick strokes using the dodge tool under the selection of highlights. To bring out colors, however, it is good to use the sponge tool under the saturate selection.