DPI Week 4 - INTRODUCTION TO PHOTOGRAPHY 3 & ADJUSTMENT LAYER & FILTERS

14 October, 2024 - 20 October, 2024 (Week 4)
TANG LILIN (0376668)
Digital Photography & Imaging

W4: INTRODUCTION TO PHOTOGRAPHY 3 & ADJUSTMENT LAYER & FILTERS

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LIST

• TUTORIAL
• LECTURE
• INSTRUCTION
• PRATICAL

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TUTORIAL

How to Remove Background in Photoshop CC - Using Pen Tool
This tutorial taught us how to use the Pen Tool to precisely outline the subject. For fine details like strands of hair, we used the Refine Edge tool in Photoshop, tracing them with a brush. In the end, we achieved a complete cutout of the subject, successfully removing the background.

How to Add an Adjustment to a Single Layer in Photoshop
This tutorial showed us how to use a Clipping Mask to separate the subject from the background. We applied the Vibrance tool to turn the background black and white while preserving the original color of the subject.

QUICKLY Fix Skin Tones in Photoshop! POWERFUL Photoshop Curves Adjustment Layer Tutorial
This tutorial taught us how to use the Curves Adjustment Layer to modify and enhance the skin tones of the subject in the image.

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LECTURE

 

Week 4：INTRODUCTION TO PHOTOGRAPHY 3 & ADJUSTMENT LAYER & FILTERS

In this lecture, Mr. Fauzi introduced us about Adjustment Layer and Filter.

Adjustment Layer are group of non-destructive image editing tools which we can edit and discard adjustment at any time.

Brightness: adjusting the highlights in the images

Contrast: adjusting the shadows in the images

Level: adjusting level of the shadow, midtones, and highlights.

Curves: is the most powerful and precise tool for editing the tones in an image.

Exposure: adjusting only the highlight of images.

Selective Color: selectively modifies the amount of primary color without modifying the amount of a primary color without modifying the other primary colors.

Filter refers to changing color, adding blur or create completely new image effects.

In the video of Filter Trick, I learned that we can change the color of the images, made  wonderful-colour effects to the images.

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INSTRUCTION

PROJECT 1B: Digital Collage review

EXERCISE
Working with layers.
Adjustment Layers & Filters.

1. Attach your best composition from WEEK 3 digital

   collage exercise below.

2. Using the same Photoshop file, improvise your WEEK 3 digital collage into WEEK 4 by using Adjustment Layers & Filters on Photoshop.

3. Explain what you’ve learned in the description section.

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PRATICAL

Preparation

Before I make a composition, I sketch out the elements I might use with the Pen Tool.

Pre-composition 1

First, I made the background for this composition. Combine "texture" and "texture3".

Add some buildings to the picture and invert them to make the world in the picture look consistent with the background color, darker and more bizarre.

Next, select an old couple, a subway, and a male character with a backpack from this picture. Use them as the main subject of the story. Use the pen tool to outline them.

Placing the subway at the entrance of the building makes it seem as if the subway is coming out of the building.

The overall picture tells the story of a young man who has grown up and must leave home to venture out into the world, while the old couple sees the young man off. The dark background creates an atmosphere of depression and anxiety. The bizarre way of building also conveys that the outside world is dangerous and full of difficulties.

Pre-composition 2

I continued the background of the previous composition, added this blue building, and used the Eraser Tool to erase the unnecessary edges so that the building blends perfectly with the beach in the background.

In this composition, I want to use the Golden Ratio template, so I use this blue fish head as my focal point.

Then, fish body parts of different sizes were used to surround the building in an arc shape.

From both photos, I selected the characters and outlined them with the Pen Tool. I placed them in the lower right corner of the beach.

Finally, add a camera in the lower left corner of the picture and tilt it. It is as if the fish above and the people below are projected by the camera.

In this composition, I want to convey that the fish are staring at people, and people are also staring at the fish. It is unclear who is staring at whom, who is the audience and who is the performer. The camera on the lower left shows that it is uncertain whether the fish is virtual or the crowd is virtual or both are just the result of the camera projection.

Pre-composition 3

Select this texture as the background for the composition

The inverted building is placed on the upper right, just like a fish looking at the building on land from under the water.

Place the fish in the lower left corner as the focal point.

I wanted texture in this image, so I used the lasso and quick selection tools to outline the texture and keep it. I placed it where it meets the sand and waves.And place another texture image on the building. Put the two texture images together and blend them together so that it looks like it is extending from the fish to the end of the building.

Then I added some details to my composition. I copied several buildings and scaled them down to different sizes.

Added another blue fish to the building parts and lowered their transparency

DESCRIPTION:

The story about my composition is :

The little fish looks up from the water and sees the towering human buildings.In his eyes, the reflections of the buildings swayed in the water.The little fish often gazed at these buildings and was filled with fantasies.It imagined itself jumping out of the water and flying between the skyscrapers.However, one day, a storm suddenly swept over the sea, with huge waves lapping at the shore.The reflections of the buildings become blurred in the water as the storm encroaches, until they disappear completely.The little fish realized that these beautiful reflections were just illusions in the water, changing rapidly with the fluctuations of the water.The fish itself, like the reflections, depends on the fragile water for its survival.Without the water, the little fish can no longer breathe, can no longer exist.When the storm subsides and the waters become more turbid, the little fish finally wakes up - those tall and glorious buildings in the eyes of humans have nothing to do with it.All it needs is pure water and a peaceful home.These, however, the prosperous world of mankind could not give it.

To reflect the story I did those following efforts.Invert the building at the top of the frame, reflecting the idea that the beautiful building the fish thinks he sees is not actually what he sees in the water.The right side of the building is made up of several small buildings, reflecting the idea of illusion and bubble.The black waves are used as the background in order to represent the fact that the fish is living in the water and the viewpoint is from the water looking at the buildings on the surface.The head of the fish is placed on the golden ratio as a good focus point. Texture_liquid is used to represent the small fish's attention and center of thought on the human building.

ADJUSTMENT LAYERS & FILTERS

Before

After

To achieve this effects, I change the filter to exclude and add the Curve like this.

Before

After

To achieve this color effect on the fish , I did the following efforts.

And change its color filter, add blue-purple and purple color filters.

And add the Level and Brightness/Contrast like this.

Before

After

To achieve this, I did those following efforts.

Change the filter to exclude and Add the Curve like this. And use silhouette to integrate it better than the picture

Add another texture on top of the fish layer and use the Multiply filter, using the Silhouette filter, to blend it into the picture, making it look like it is floating in the water.

About the adjustment, I did those following efforts.The overall color palette was changed to a darker color to go to reflect the tone of the story.The only distinctive color is the small fish, in order to highlight the subject.Used color filter to change the color and color scale, the tone blends better with the rest of the elements, and clarifies the relationship between light and dark.Change the filter on the main building to Exclude.The right side of the building is less transparent to reflect the illusion.Use a layer mask to erase some of the excess, or use a gradient in the layer mask to create a change from light to dark.Use curves to create shadows.Cover the fish with a layer of texture to make the effect richer and to reflect the state of the fish after seeing through the building as a mere shadow.