15/11/22. In this photoshop workshop, Alex went through basics and how to use the many tools in photoshop.
In photoshop, you don't have to create a new document, every time you want to do anything using an image. you can drag and drop the image, on the photoshop logo or on the home menu. This will open up the image in its original size, so that you can edit it or drop it into to another document to use.
The first tool that Alex went through in this session is the hue and saturation tool. the example above, is showing how the hue and saturation tool can be used to change the overall image and that it can be used to also manipulate sections of an image that you want to change.
This is the hue and saturation filter, that allows you to adjust the colour swatches, to adjust the overall saturation of the image. This tool is useful because you can mask out sections that you want to colour, if you don't want to adjust the whole image. Cmd U, allows the user to create colour filters on objects that are in the photograph. Also, when using saturation, you can create Black and White by lowering the swatch to 0.
Curves and Levels are other tools, that can be used to adjust the overall colouring and levels of an image. These tools allow the user to adjust the levels of colour and light in the image.
The spot healing tool is used to erase sections of an image and heal it with what's present around it. This is so that the section you have erased an object in, blends in with the rest of the image to make it look like the object wasn't there to start with. However, this tool can make an image look unnatural, if it is overused.
This photograph is an area in Sheffield called Devonshire Green. This is a popular area in Sheffield to go. I am going to experiment with the healing tool and retouch this image. I am going to remove people and objects from the photo to create a less crowded photograph.
In this image, I have started to remove people from the photograph. On the far left of the image, there was a boy, running around. I used the spot healing tool to remove him form the image. I decided to start with a smaller object, to experiment with the tool. I think it was effective because it is hard to tell, that there used to be a person in that section of the image.
In this section of the photo, used to be a rubbish bin. However, I decide to remove it so that more space was created in photograph. I also wanted to remove the bin because it felt like it was in the way and a distraction in the photograph.
I have also now removed the woman who was laid down, reading her book. The area. where she was laying, you can start to see patches of grass that look un natural. This is because it has tried to replicate the grass, where the woman was but lighting and texture hasn't matched correctly resulting in this patchy area.
These three images show the process of erasing the man out of the image using the healing tool. I broke the man down into sections instead of at once, so that I could capture the process but also try and make the grass look slightly natural. However in the final image, you can see the area where the man was laying because it is patchy from removing sections of the man separately. I think that if I removed him all at once, the grass maybe be a little bit smoother and less patchy.
Here is the final edited version of this photograph. There are areas in the photo, for example in the foreground where the guy was laying, that have noticeable patches in the grass from where the object has been removed. I feel that the foreground looks unnatural because the patches in the grass are extremely noticeable.
This next tools are the dodge and burn tools. These two tools can be used to adjust areas of an image, where you want to change the overall tone. The burn tool, allows you to darken areas and the dodge tool allows you to brighten areas. The image above is the original photograph before it has been edited.
This is a really bad example of an edit using the burn tool. This tool has been used to darken areas of the image to create the effect of sunlight on the ground. The tool has been more effective on the tree area.
Here are some examples of the uses of the object and quick selection tools. These tools can be used to select an object from the image and cut it out from the background. In these examples I have used this tool to cut out the object and duplicated it. You can either click "select object" or manually draw around it. The "select object option works effectively if the image has a solid colour background compared to a background with other objects present. The Lasso tool can also be used to remove objects in a similar way. When using the Lasso tool, if you go to edit- content aware fill, this can be used to remove objects and creates layers.
This is another way of removing sections from an image. This method is similar to the previous, However it uses the pen tool instead of quick selection tool. Using the pen tool, allows you to draw around the section that you want to cut out from the image. First you need to set you pen tool to create paths. In layers, you should be able to create a mask, and you will be able to use the object with out the background.
Above is an example of the use of the pen tool, to cut objects out of an image. However you can also inverse the image to change the background, behind the object. You can do this by using Cmd+shift+I.
Here is another useful tool that can be found in Photoshop. Skews and warping can be used to create mockups. If you can't find a ready to use mockup, you can create your own using the skew tool. This allows you to transform you object and to warp it into place onto the image you have selected. The image above is an image of London Underground mockup. Below I am going to present an example of how this tool can be used to create new mockups.
This image is an example of the use of skews and the transform tool. This example is a poster for the film "ready player one" that has been warped onto this tube station mockup.
This is another example of warping images onto another object. This is a book mockup. These two images present a book mockup being created by warping flat images onto the three dimensional image of the book.
Here is another example of a Tube mockup. This first image above documents how I have used the transform tool to warp the image onto the billboard. First you need to place the image onto the billboard and then place each post on the corners of the billboard. You then, curve the edges, so that the image tightly fits into the billboard space.
This is after the poster has been warped into place. This mockup, looks realistic. However I think that it needs, shadow to make it slightly more realistic.
Here is the mockup, with a shadow added to the poster. I personally think that this is more effective than the other version without the shadow. The shadow adds extra realism to the mockup.
Here, I have used the object selection tool, to cut out this picture of Katy Perry. This image, is going tone used, to recreate a cover of V magazine.
This is the recreation of the Magazine cover. The point of this exercise was to use the tools to recreate this cover. The "V" on the original cover smoothly crops around her face, However this is my version and it is very rough. I was finding it difficult to smoothly crop it. Also the section of the v covered by the hair uses the healing tool and a mask to cover it. However my version is also very rough because I was trying to get used to using this tool. I think that I am going to practice using these tools in my spare time, so that it will become easier to use over time.
Artist Research
Peter Saville-
Peter Saville is an English Graphic Designer from Manchester. He is famous for his designs for Factory records, who he Co-founded in 1978 alongside Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus (Wikipedia,ND). He was inspired by Jan Tschichold, chief propagandist for the New Typography (Wikipedia,ND.). He was also influenced by Malcolm Garrett, who was also a fellow student at the time. Garrett at the time was designing for the Manchester punk band "Buzzcocks" (Wikipedia,ND). Saville also stated "Malcolm had a copy of Herbert Spencer's Pioneers of Modern Typography. The one chapter that he hadn't reinterpreted in his own work was the cool, disciplined "New Typography" of Tschichold and its subtlety appealed to me. I found a parallel in it for the New Wave that was evolving out of Punk." (Wikipedia,ND.). This influenced him to evolve away from the Punk style as it was evolving out into New Wave, which was a large movement in the early 80's, as punk started to evolve. Saville has produced a lot of famous covers for musical artists like Joy Division, New Order, Martha and The Muffins, OMD, RoxyMusic, Ultravox, Brian Eno, Seude, Pulp and many others.
“Creative people have to believe in the value of their work. If you don’t have any belief then you can’t give anything—designing is an act of giving, and a belief in the value of the work fuels the desire to express something. It’s important to know what your values are and to take care of them.”- Peter Saville (Mubi,Saville,P. ND.)
"Technique" - New Order
This is the album cover for the British band New Orders fifth album "Technique". This album was released in 1989 on the Factory Records label. The album was influenced by the growing acid scene that was going on at the time (New Order,1989). Saville was influenced by consumer products, but decided to move on from that and find a new influence (Grundy. Saville, G. P. 2011). The main imagery on the cover is a Cherub statue he found whilst looking in an antique shop on Pimlico Road (Grundy. Saville, G. P. 2011). The statue was rented for the shoot. Saville described it as " It’s a very bacchanalian image, which fitted the moment just before the last financial crash and the new drug-fuelled hedonism involved in the music scene." (Grundy. Saville, G. P. 2011) Saville also described it as "It’s also my first ironic work: all the previous sleeves were in some way idealistic and utopian. I’d had this idea that art and design could make the world a better place. That even bus stops could be better. In some ways it’s also quite neo-Warhol. And before he’d even seen the sleeve Rob Gretton suggested ‘Peter Saville’s New Order’ as the title of the album. As in ‘Andy Warhol’s Velvet Underground’. That went down like a lead balloon with the band"(Grundy. Saville, G. P. 2011). I think that Saville sees all of his over covers as "Idealistic " and "utopian" because they feel modern and futuristic. However I think that he sees this cover as like he's stuck in this state where he feels like he's constantly in a drunken and dark place. I personally think that that this cover does have a feeling of being trapped in a place that feels old but everything and everyone is constantly evolving around you but you are stuck in the past. I also see a link between the influences of the album and the cover. This is because the album was influenced by the acid scene and I feel that the iridescent colours used on the cherub reflects this. I also feel like it reflects the state a person will be in when using acid at these raves, they will be trapped in this colourful day dream like state, whilst the outside world is stuck in the past. This also links to the drug use in music and culture at the time, which could also represent how they dealt with and escaping the financial crisis that was taking place at the time in Britain.
Personal Development
I was inspired by this workshop, to experiment with different filters and effects that can be found in photoshop. I decided to experiment with these filters and effects because I wanted to create some abstract and unique edits using images I have sourced from magazines and pexels. I was also inspired by Peter Saville's collection of pieces he created for the cover of "Technique" by the band New Order.
These first two images are edited versions of a photograph of Sam fender, I found in an issue of Rolling Stone Magazine. I decided to use this image because I was looking for a photo that had a plain background, but was a full scale portrait. This is so I could practice using the selection tools. I scanned it in using a scanner, to also get this reflected effect towards the top of the image.
This first edit above, uses the object selection tool, to create an offset outline on the left side of Sam Fender. I also have overlayed the image a few times to create this blurred effect. The main effects I used were the photo filter and the halftone pattern, that can be found in the filter gallery. I personally like this because it reminds me of images from old punk zines from the 70's. This is due to the cut out effect. The use of the object selection tool has allowed me to created a hand cut effect. I also think that the dark tones and the halftone print create a printed newspaper effect.
This is the other edited version I created using this Sam Fender photograph. This edit, uses layers of the images that utilise different effects and filters. The first layer, is inverted, which creates the bright grey tones that creates bright areas in the image. The second layer, is set to normal and it, balances out the tones of the previous layer and creates a neutral image. The third layer has a luminosity filter on it, that creates the colourful luminescent tones that can predominately be seen on the right side of Sam Fender's body. I also like this, because it reminds me of the colours and luminescent tones that are found on New Orders covers for "Technique", that were created by Peter Saville.
These next experiments, are all edits of images, sourced from pexels. I decided that I wanted to experiment with colour and how I can manipulate it to create abstract but aesthetically pleasing images. I originally created these as experimental album covers, because I am interested in music and album art.
These were all created by using layers of effects. For these images of the woman with the skull, I overlayed different adjustments like invert, Black and White, exposure, vibrance and Brightness and contrast. With these layers, I experimented with the different levels and how they can be manipulated together to create texture and experimental tones. To get the luminescent tone and texture, I used the overlays options that are found in the layers tab. I think that this experiment was successful because the texture that was created is interesting and I think that it also boosts vibrancy of the colours. Some of the tones remind me of existing album covers that have inspired my love for album art. The red and black images remind me of the alternate cover for Slipknots 2004 album "Volume 3: The subliminal verses". I think that this cover inspired this version of the edit because of the similarities of the use of the dark red tones and the harsh contrast against the black. I also think that the New Order cover for "Technique", inspired the other versions of this cover, due to their minor similarities from the use of the luminescent colours.
This is the Slipknot cover, that influenced the red and black versions of the woman and skull cover.
These skull covers also use layers of effects, similar to the other covers I have designed. I wanted to use these effects on this image, because I liked how it creates an X-ray effect. I think that it has created an interesting and unique aesthetic with the different levels of the X-ray effect. The first image feels like the object before the X-ray, then each of the other images are at different stages of the X-ray.
Here, I was experimenting with different colour filters. I like these, due to the iridescent effect that has been created by using different layers of filters. I think that the iridescent effect is interesting because it creates a glowing edge around the girl. Personally, I like this because it creates an abstract take on how you look at the image. This because the girl is underwater in the image, but these effects, change how the viewer can perceive the meaning behind it.
These edits of this woman, are my least favourite. This is because I feel that I have over edited them and have made them feel too overpowered by the texture and tones of the effects. However I do like, the motion blur effect that has been created on the woman face. I like it because it looks really abstract and creates the illusion of her face melting.
Personally, I think that these edits are my joint favourite with the first ones (woman with skull), this is because I think that the textures present in this image are really interesting. The texture from the filters, highlight the woman's natural imperfections, making them feel unique. I also think that all of these would be effective as album covers because they are abstract and make you think about the meaning behind the photograph. However, I do think that the darker the colour is, it takes the visibility away from the image and makes it hard to see the shape of the woman. The most effective versions are the Black and white, Silver, Gold and the red and blue textured ones. I think that the silver, Gold and black and white versions are visually the most pleasing, due to complex tones that define the curves and shapes of the woman's body.
Sources
Wikipedia. (N,D). Peter Saville (graphic designer). en.wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Saville_(graphic_designer)
Wikipedia. (ND). Peter Saville (graphic designer). en.wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Saville_(graphic_designer)
Saville, P. MUBI. (ND). PETER SAVILLE (Quote). mubi.com. https://mubi.com/cast/peter-saville
New Order. (1989). Technique (album). en.wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technique_(album)
Grundy. Saville, G. P. (2011). Peter Saville on his album cover artwork -Technique . www.theguardian.com. https://www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2011/may/29/joydivision-neworder
Grundy. Saville, G. P.. (2011). " It’s a very bacchanalian image, which fitted the moment just before the last financial crash and the new drug-fuelled hedonism involved in the music scene.". www.theguardian.com. https://www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2011/may/29/joydivision-neworder
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