(NO Face to face class on October 31- Work online this week - Assignment 10 due November 6)
A Cache Valley Winter - panoramic stitch by Nathan Smith
Objectives:
- Create panoramas with Photomerge
- Combine multiple frames
- Swap heads from one photo to another
- Create High Dynamic Range images with Photoshop
- Understand what the vector tools are and what they do
- Use the shape tools
- Use the custom shape tools
- How to add, delete, and save custom shapes
Review - Critiques - Share Techniques - Student Gallery for Lesson 9 - Photo Retouching
Sawtooth Panorama - by Nathan Smith
Many of the modern digital cameras have the ability to create panoramic images. However, you don't need to buy a camera that can do that if you have Photoshop. Camera Raw 9 or later has the ability to stitch together images into a panorama - and can save them as camera raw dng files with all the image data. Photoshop also has a photomerge feature that will not only stitch images together in a panorama, but use content aware tools to fill in transparent areas.
When taking photos to create a panorama, you will have the best results if you use a tripod. Take a photo - turn the camera enough so there is some overlap in the scenery between shots - take a second photo - and repeat that process as many times as you wish. If you don't have a tripod, that's OK - Photoshop and Camera Raw both do a great job at stitching images together. Just make sure you have a little overlap between each shot you take. You can either crop out the transparent areas or use Photomerge's content aware fill. Both the panoramas above were taken without a tripod. Watch the videos "Photoshop Playbook: Creating Panoramas" and "Create a Panorama in Camera Raw."
When taking photos to create a panorama, you will have the best results if you use a tripod. Take a photo - turn the camera enough so there is some overlap in the scenery between shots - take a second photo - and repeat that process as many times as you wish. If you don't have a tripod, that's OK - Photoshop and Camera Raw both do a great job at stitching images together. Just make sure you have a little overlap between each shot you take. You can either crop out the transparent areas or use Photomerge's content aware fill. Both the panoramas above were taken without a tripod. Watch the videos "Photoshop Playbook: Creating Panoramas" and "Create a Panorama in Camera Raw."
Video: Photoshop Playbook: Creating Panoramas (4:28)
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Video: Create a Panorama in Camera Raw (6:15)
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Exercise 1 (estimated time to complete - 15 minutes): Now you try it! Click here for a zip file of four photos that will stitch into the panorama below. You can choose to use Camera Raw or Photoshop's Photomerge. I used Photomerge on the panorama below. But I also used the camera raw filter in Photoshop CC 2018 to adjust it, sharpen it, remove noise, straighten the horizon, etc. Save this exercise as B10-01_Your_Name.PSD (or DNG if done in camera raw).
Wellsville Mountain Panorama - by Nathan Smith
One of the things you can do in Photoshop is to combine multiple frames or images together into a single action shot. For example, if you have a tripod, you can take multiple shots using the same background and combine them like the image below-right.
Exercise 2 (Estimated time to complete - 45 minutes): I've taken five photos of one of my employees in the Adele & Dale Young Education Technology Center. No tripod, but I leaned against the door frame to hold my camera steady. I have prepared a video for you with step by step instructions on how to do this. Click link or image above to go to the file. One step to remember, though. When you open all five images into layers, be sure to select all the layers, go to the edit menu and choose AUTO ALIGN LAYERS. This command does most of the work aligning things. The key to this is masking. Remember that painting with white on a mask reveals what is on that layer, whereas painting with black conceals and lets the layers underneath show through. Download the five images (zip file) by clicking here!
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Spend no more than 45 minutes on this! Since this is a repetitive process, having only 3 individuals showing will prove to me you know what you're doing. Save this exercise as B10-02_Your_Name.PSD
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Did you realize with the same masking skills, you can create double exposure images?
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Using basically the same process as in part 2, you can swap heads. Many times, if you're shooting a group photo, everyone will look great except for one person. If you have a few photos from the same shoot, you can swap heads from one photo to another. Watch the video, "How to Swap Heads in Photoshop."
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Video: How to Swap Heads in Photoshop (10:34)
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HDR is an acronym for High Dynamic Range. Most of you have taken photos and later said, "That's not how my eyes saw it." The sky is too light, the foreground too dark, details in the shadows are lost, etc. HDR is a way of combining bracketed exposures together to get the best from each. By bracketing, I mean that you shoot a shot a the correct exposure, then another that is underexposed by a full stop, and then one more that is overexposed by a full stop. Photoshop can then combine these three into a photo that looks just right - almost the way you saw it with your own eyes. For example, below are two photos I took at Montezuma's Well in Arizona. Here I've only used two photos, instead of three. The photo at the left shows good detail in the foreground, but the sky is blown out. The photo in the center has a good sky but the foreground is underexposed. In the image on the right, the two were combined using Camera Raw's merge to HDR feature. That's pretty amazing, isn't it? And not only can Camera Raw version 9 or later do this, but Photoshop has a Merge to HDR Pro feature as well.
Exercise 4 (Estimated time to complete - 15 minutes): Let's learn how to do this, then you can try it out on your own using these photos (zip file). Please watch "How to Merge HDR Pro in Photoshop" and "Create an HDR image in Camera Raw." Once you have the HDR image, you should use Camera Raw or Photoshop's adjustment layers to further enhance it. Save this exercise as B10-04_Your_Name.PSD (or DNG if done in Camera Raw).
Exercise 4 (Estimated time to complete - 15 minutes): Let's learn how to do this, then you can try it out on your own using these photos (zip file). Please watch "How to Merge HDR Pro in Photoshop" and "Create an HDR image in Camera Raw." Once you have the HDR image, you should use Camera Raw or Photoshop's adjustment layers to further enhance it. Save this exercise as B10-04_Your_Name.PSD (or DNG if done in Camera Raw).
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Video: Create an HDR image in Camera Raw (6:06)
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Video: Merging to HDR Pro - tutorial (2:45)
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Images can be created basically one of two ways: Bitmap images (also called Raster images) are pixel based images - images made up of dots or squares on a screen. You create or manipulate these kinds of images by working with these pixels. They work best in the size and orientation they were created. If you enlarge them too much, they become "pixelated" - in other words, you can easily see all the dots that make up the image. Images saved in GIF, JPG, BMP, TIF, and PNG formats are pixel-based images. Vector images are resolution-independent. Because vectors are mathematically defined they do not pixelate when enlarged. They are commonly saved as EPS, SVG, WMF, SWF, or PDF files. Because they are easily moved, aligned, resized, and distributed, shape layers are best for making graphics to be used in websites, clip art, signs, etc.
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Photoshop has evolved over time from being strictly a pixel-based image editor to including vector tools as well. For example, when you use the text tool, the text is vector, and will print perfectly no matter what size you choose to print it. But you can RASTERIZE a text or vector layer, and then it becomes pixel-based, and loses the advantage of being resolution-independent. However, it gains the advantage of being able to manipulate the pixels in ways you couldn't do with vector text.
Please take a few minutes and read this page - Photoshop Help | About Drawing It will discuss three drawing modes that Photoshop gives you when working with vector tools: Shape layers, Paths, and Pixels. It's important that you understand these three modes. Then watch the video, "Raster vs. Vector - What does it all mean?" |
Video: Raster vs. Vector What Does It All Mean? (2:32)
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The shape tools are the Rectangle Tool, Rounded Rectangle Tool, Ellipse Tool, Polygon Tool, Line Tool, and Custom Shape Tool. The shortcut key is "U." Holding shift while repeatedly pressing U will allow you to cycle through all of them.
All the shape tools are vector tools, meaning they create mathematically defined points and paths, and are resolution independent.
Let's learn how to use each of these tools...
All the shape tools are vector tools, meaning they create mathematically defined points and paths, and are resolution independent.
Let's learn how to use each of these tools...
Video: Live Shapes in Photoshop CC (7:28)
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Video: Photoshop: Introduction to the Shape Tools 01 (5:00)
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Video: Photoshop: Introduction to the Shape Tools 02 (4:00)
Exercise 6 (Estimated time to complete - 40 minutes): Watch the videos, "Live Shapes in Photoshop CC," "Introduction to the Shape Tools 1," and "Introduction to the Shape Tools 2." Then design your own layout using the shape tools, and creating something along the line of what I've created at right. Save this exercise as B10-06_Your_Name.PSD.
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Photoshop ships with a pretty good selection of custom shapes. But what if you want more? Or what if you want to delete some that you've never used? Or what if you want to save a copy of your shape collection to use on another computer or share with a co-worker? It's easy to do! Watch the video, "Photoshop: Loading, deleting, or saving custom shapes."
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Video: Photoshop: Loading, deleting, or saving custom shapes (3:47)
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OK, so now that you can work with vector shapes in Photoshop, what can you do with them? The graphic designs below were found on http://www.envato.com, an online shop for designers to sell their works. Look how they use shapes to form dynamic layouts. Think about semi-transparent shapes. Think how shapes can be combined. You've learned how to take a photo and "paste into" a shape. The vector shapes in Photoshop add powerful design capabilities. So, now you can create your own design templates, and sell them on Envato's marketplace.
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Lesson 10 Reading Assignment
The lesson 10 readings will be found in the Week 10 Module in Canvas.
Lesson 10 Assignment
The lesson 10 readings will be found in the Week 10 Module in Canvas.
Lesson 10 Assignment
- Complete the following exercises in this week's lesson:
- B10-01_Your_Name.PSD
- B10-02_Your_Name.PSD
- B10-04_Your_Name.PSD
- B10-06_Your_Name.PSD
- Create your next portfolio exhibit - your choice this week. If you're struggling for an idea, you may want to try out one of the McWade projects I shared with you. I also have some real world projects that need to be done which you would be welcome to help with! Be sure to detail the photoshop skills and design considerations in your portfolio. Save your portfolio Photoshop file as B10-YourName.PSD.
- Zip the four exercise files and your portfolio Photoshop file into a single archive named B10-YourName.ZIP and submit it to me in Canvas.
Video: How to Make Custom Shapes in Photoshop (19:52) This also covers the basics of most of the shape tools in Photoshop CC.
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This page last updated October 25, 2017. This lesson combines my own work (images, text, videos) which are ©2017 by Nathan Smith. All other images, videos, and cited text sources are curated from the internet, and are publicly available.
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