PROJECT 3: Photo Correction

In the project, three photos were enhanced using Photoshop. By using tools such as, Vibrancy, saturation, the Pattern Tool, etc, the images below were enhanced from their original state. This created and resulted in a more pleasing, professional-looking image. 

The first example is a photo of three pastries on a red surface. The original image dull, crumbs are everywhere, and the surface is scratchy and smudged. After using Photoshop (Vibrance Tool, Saturation Tool, Pattern Tool, etc) the final image is more vibrant and looks like a food ad.

BEFORE

AFTER

This second example is a photo of three birthday balloons. By simply using the Vibrance and Lightness  tools, the image looks more colorful and cheerful.

BEFORE

AFTER

This final example displays a view from a lighthouse in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey. The original picture was taken on a cloudy day, thus creating a dull image. to lighten-up the image, I used Vibrance, Saturation, and Auto-Correct. The final result was a more summer-like image, with strong blues. Though the image may not be realistic, the strong blues create a feeling of summer and allow us to visualize what we believe the beach is all about.

BEFORE

AFTER

MIDTERM PORTFOLIO

For my “Midterm Portfolio”, six pieces were chosen from a range of projects I we completed. All of them display skills used in Photoshop CS5. While some of the skills, such as the idea of “photo correction” might seem basic and simple, they produced a more eye-pleasing image. Compositions that took a longer time to complete, such as the combing of different images to create a new and composited image, was equally as interesting.

            I will begin with first piece displayed below. Unlike many of the other pieces shown in this “Midterm Portfolio”, this one in particular would be classified as a more graphic and abstract piece. I am a graphic design major, so I decided to make this particular piece very typical of a graphic designer. The irony is: the images used to compose this final piece were not abstract shapes or generated with a program such as Adobe Illustrator. The faces in the background was a single photo of a comic book-like painting, hanging on the wall in Holman Hall on the campus of The College of New Jersey. They were simply copy and pasted behind the blinds. The blinds were in front of a window, also located in Holman Hall. The only editing done to the blinds was the removal of a crooked blind to the far right, to keep the geometric flow more even.

            Moving on to the next piece, you can see a Georgian-style building, complete with plant-life and bushes in the foreground. This image was composed of three separate images: Green Hall (located on the campus of The College of New Jersey), a clouded sky, and bushes. The sky image was taken at Sourland Mountain Reserve in Hillsborough, New Jersey. Green Hall was kept the same (only the sky of the picture was removed). Finally, the shrubs were placed in front. The shrub in the front was slightly altered color-wise so it could show-up better. A slight blur was added, as well, to add depth to the final piece.

            The third image depicts stop signs placed in a simple geometric pattern. Like the first image, this one I wanted to do graphically, as well. This is a great example of how “simple is better”. It is simply a stop sign shape copy and pasted over again but placed in a geometric pattern. It also represents internal graphing, as you can see from the faint grey line. The entire image roughly forms an “x” shape image. The strength of the red sign against the white background was enough to allow me to not add more to this image.

            The fourth image brings us back to “real life” and more realistic images. It is a “before an after” piece, depicting a color change to make the photo look more pleasing. To begin, I used the Pattern Tool to erase the crumbs to make the image look cleaner. Next, a color change via saturation and vibrancy made the image more lively and appealing. It is important to note that image may not look 100% realistic. However, what is more important is that it looks more appealing. It looks like what we interpret “realistic” and “perfect” to look like. This type of image could be seen in a magazine ad, food poster, etc.

            Piece #5 is an ironic, but realistic image. The piece consists of two photos edited together to form a composite image. The first one was an image of a street and shops along that street in downtown Princeton, New Jersey. In the foreground is where the second image is located. The second image is that of lawn chairs, sitting in the snow. This image was taken on the campus of The College of New Jersey. The lawn chairs are seen sitting in the road and in snow. This is a very ironic picture because of the fact that summer lawn chairs are sitting in snow and that the chairs, which represent relaxation are placed in the hustle and bustle of one of New Jersey’s most exclusive towns.

            Finally, the last piece is a physical/digital drawing and painting. More specifically it is a self-portrait. First, I drew with a pencil, the basic outline of the face and features. Then I scanned the image into the computer. Using Photoshop CS5, I painted on top the pencil outline. I wanted to keep the colors light but make my eyes really stand out and be the focal point.

Self- Evaluation:

I started using Photoshop about a year ago and ever since I have grown to like it more and more. The pieces depicted in this Midterm Portfolio express the knowledge that I have acquired both in and out of the classroom.

Though I believe that the pieces are well done I always think there is room for improvement (no matter what the topic). Especially with a program like Photoshop, that is so complex and changing, it is impossible to learn everything at once. For the knowledge that I currently posses, I feel that the projects I have completed are completed in a clean and organized manor. I am happy with the projects I have chosen for this portfolio and feel that they represent the "best" of my work.

PROJECT 2: External Composite

For the second part of this project, images and graphics that I designed in Adobe Illustrator were combined into a composite. This external image is classified as such due to the Rule of Thirds. It displays a simple farm scene, complete with a barn and farmland.

PROJECT 2: Internal Composite

This piece displays internal graph composite. It consists of Stop signs followed by a Go sign. The red and white stripes in the background were designed and placed to add a purposeful, conflicting pattern. The stripes also serve as a different shape. This is internal due to the fact that the stop signs are roughly displayed in an "x" format.

PROJECT 1: Final Combined Images

The second part of this project, shows the combination of different images, to make one different or slightly different image. The first two would be classified as representational, while the last would be abstract. 

In this finished piece, we have Green Hall as the main viewing-point. Three separate images were using to compose this final piece. The first, being the clouds and sky. The second, Green Hall. The third, the bushes and plant life. 

This final piece take an image of downtown Princeton and an image from the campus of The College of New Jersey and merges them together. As you can see, the image depicts chairs resting in a snowy downtown street. It is quite an ironic place for chairs to be.

This point of this piece was to be graphic and bold. I wanted more of an "artistic" feel, rather than a "realistic photo" feel. The image consists of blinds and of a comic-book like face. The blinds were edited slightly to create a uniformed look. The faces were simply arranged in a an abstract order.

PROJECT 1: People/Portrait Photos & Digital Drawing

This final section of the first part of this project displays people. The first image, is an abstract, close-up view of a pop-art dot painting of a lady's face. The second image is one of me,  looking into a smudged metal sign (also abstract). Finally, the representational photo of the group is that of a girl standing in the doorway, outside of a building. The digital drawing is a self-portait of me. 

This first photo was taken in Holman Hall. On one of the walls of Holman Hall there are many graphic, comic-book like images of a woman's face. When I took this picture, I simply zoomed-in with my camera on the detailed dots, mouth, nose, and part of hair.

This image, also taken in Holman Hall features me taken the picture. The reflection was caused by the dirtiness and smudges of a sign. The bold number 3 creates grounding and contrast and helps create a more interesting image.

This phone-like image was taken outside of Holman Hall. The blurriness of the image adds to its style of allowing it to look like it was taken with a cellphone camera. The irony, being that the girl in the photo was also looking at her cellphone.

This piece was created using a standard pencil, and Photoshop. First, I sketched out a quick outline on paper, then scanned it into the computer. After that, I used Photoshop to paint the image, within the pencil lines.

PROJECT 1: Movement Photos & Digital Drawing

This next section consists of photos and a digital drawing that represent movement. Two of the photos, show movement through blurriness. These two would be abstract. The remaining photo is that of me walking, which would be described as representational. Finally, the digital drawing is a tree, whose branches are blurred with movement. The image seems to have an energetic feel to it.

This photo was taken in downtown Princeton, New Jersey. The original photo was that of some of the historic, upscale stores located in this town. To add a sense of movement and rush, I created a blur effect, using Photoshop.

This image was also taken in Princeton, New jersey but it was more specifically taken on the campus of Princeton University. The original image had no movement involved. The blur you see here was added using Photoshop as well.

Here we have a photo of me walking. The perspective was taken from where my head and eyes would be, thus creating a sense that the viewer is me, looking down.

This piece was generated using Photoshop. Many affects were used here but I wanted to keep the color scheme minimal. I stuck to black, white, and grays to get my message of a windy/stormy day across.

PROJECT 1: Environmental Photos & Digital Drawing

This category consists of photos taken of an environment, followed by a digitally produced drawing. The photos were taken around the campus of The College of New Jersey. The one consisting of summer-like chairs would be classified as "representational". The remaining two are classified as abstract. One is a black floor, while the other is an image of window blinds. The digital drawing is an image of an island.

This first photo consists of three chairs sitting in snow. I chose to take a photo of three chairs, due to the idea that an odd number of things is more pleasing to the eye. The photo, itself, is quite ironic because the chairs are summer-like but are resting in the snow.

This photo was a taken of sunlight sand shadows being casted onto a black tile floor. The pattern reminded me of a sleek and graphic design. The colors: black, white, and grey help keep this sleek look.

This photo was taken of blinds in Holman Hall. I was standing inside the building and looking out through the blinds. This created a geometric, graphic image, as well. The pattern of the tan blinds is broken-up by the naturalness of the outdoor nature.

This piece was painted, using Photoshop. It depicts an island scene with strong, unnatural colors. At first, this piece was meant to be more complex and more realistic. However, as I began, I decided to keep is unnatural and basic. The playing with positive and negative space is clearly seen in this painting.