Photoshop Workshop - Colour Modes and Adjustment Layers

We are going to learn the basics of Adobe Photoshop today. It is an essential part of being a graphic designer, and we have to learn it.

To work in a professional way, we need to work in a non destructive transformation. A destructive transformation is when something is irreversible. 

There are different paper sizes, print and web, that we can choose from.

When we make a new document it has to be the same size as the image that you are going to create/edit, as it does not work with vector graphics, but with bitmap. Bitmap is made out of pixels, so if you enlarge an image in Photoshop it will pixelate. 

Resolution
300 for print
72 for web

A billboard is made up of 48 sheets.
A bus advertisement is made up of 12.
Because these are such large scale, a bigger resolution than 300 would be used.

Retina displays now have a lot more pixels, meaning a lot more pixels are needed.

Colour Mode
RGB is colour made out of light 
CMYK is made out of ink and toner

A lot of the colours used in CMYK, are not available in RGB, so if working for both screen and print, it is best to use the RGB Colour option.

Another reason we work in RGB Colour, is that we are working on screen, so what we are seeing isn't CMYK, as the colours cannot be reproduced on screen.

When using a camera, it captures photographs in RGB, because it captures light into the lens.

A Proof is something that you can use to check what your ideas will look printed like in a quick and easy way. 

The Gamut is the range of colours that a colour model is capable of doing. 

This shows what parts of the image are out of gamut. 
To alter this in a non destructive way, we keep the gamut screen on, and make an adjustment layer. We can then change a lot of the options to reduce the gamut, which is how it would look in print.

We desaturated it a little bit, but to keep it bright we changed the colour to red as that works better. 

We then started to work on a different image, and this is the original:

We wanted to increase the detail in areas of the image.

We created an adjustment layer, and started to change the layers.
The black triangle represents the shadows
The grey triangle represents the midtones
The white triangle represents the highlights

As there are certain areas we want to change, we are going to create a layer mask, so that adjustment layer won't apply to those areas. Once we've done that, we can change the levels, and using the paintbrush, paint were we want that to apply.

Now there is a lot more detail in the image.

For the next image, we want to make the shadows a lot higher:

I used the Quick Selection Tool to highlight the statue, then added an adjustment layer. I chose Levels, and when I altered the highlights, it dramatically increased the lightness and detail in the statue. 

We are now going to make a panorama image in Photoshop. I went on File > Automate > Photomontage, and chose these settings:

Then I clicked okay, and it connects the three images like this:

I then cropped it:

OUGD405 - Printed Text and Reading

As part of our research project, we were put into groups and were given a chosen subject to research. Although part of a group, we have to research the topic independantly. Our research topic is printed text and reading.

Together we came up with a list of things that could relate to this:
Editorial
Magazines/books
Packaging
Different stock
Methods - woodblock/letterpress etc
Symbols as text
Colour
Readability/legibility
Point Size
Grid
Advertisements
Infographics
Warnings
Signs
Information leaflets
Travel Guides
Flyers
Environmental  

We then had to each pick one of these to research, and I wanted to do packaging. I chose this one because I am really interested in it, so I think I could produce a lot of research on it.

We have to create three design research boards - one with primary research, one with secondary research, and one with a direction that I will choose to go further with.

OUGD405 - What Is Reseach Pt1

Different approaches to the idea generation process

Stimulated Approach - Finding inspiration from surroundings - conversations, books, other designers work, walks etc to inform ideas

Systematic Approach - Based on systematic collection and modification of components such as structuring, restructuring, enlarging and reducing, combining and extraction, replacing and adding etc

Intitutive Approach - Thinking of an idea immediately, helps with short deadlines, but are limited because we only do what we know

A strategy for thinking through a problem. 

Phase 1 Assimilation
Accumulation and ordering of general information and information specifically related to the problem in hand.
Phase 2 General Study
The investigation of the nature of the problem. The investigation of possible solutions or means of solutions. 
Phase 3 Developmental
Developmental and refinement of one or more of the tentative solutions isolated during stage 2.
Phase 4 Communication
Communication of one of more solutions to people either inside or outside the design team

Research is the process of finding facts. These facts will lead to knowledge. Research is done by using whats already known.

Types of Research
Quantitive - facts/figures/measurements
Qualitative - people's beliefs/experiences/attitudes/subjective
Primary - generating new informtion in relation to a specific problem
Secondary - books/journals/internet

OUGD403 - Print Workshop

I had a print induction on screenprinting and lino printing, and here is what I produced:

OUGD403 - Self Evaluation

This is my self evaluation from my OUGD403 module.

OUGD403 - Illustrator Typeface

I had to create a full typeface based on one of the letterforms I produced for the Alphabet Soup: Visual Thinking task, and I chose the letterform Y that I created. I decided this would be the best letter to use because it was my favourite, and I think that out of all them, it would be the most useable and readable. 

Here is the Y that I made:

Although this image shows four Y's, the final piece was layered, so that when you lifted up the top Y, the one underneath it would be dissected as its serif and stroke weight were removed.

And here are the sketches for my typeface:

 I found it really easy to design this typeface, and I actually sketched all of it while creating the 10 letterforms we had to do for the previous task, because I liked the Y so much. Once I sketched these, I scanned them in and put them onto Illustrator. I usually trace whatever I scan in when I get onto Illustrator, but I didn't have to with these because they are quite simple letters, so I just looked at them for reference.

There were only a couple of difficulties I faced, when I first started the alphabet I did the Z first. However, I couldn't decide what weight to use for the thickest stroke as the Z, because I thought the thicker stroke worked better, but it wasn't the same one I used for the Y. In the end I decided to maake it the same weight, and for all the letters, so that it is consistent.

 

Here is my final typeface design. I think it is consistent, but I'm not entirely happy with it. I think it would look better if I added some more weight to the serifs where the stem is thicker, but my original Y wasn't like that, so I didn't add any.

OUGD404 - The Language of Graphic Design

These are my notes from todays design principles session.

Line length and distance affects readability as the more lines text uses, it makes you pause after each one, therefore if a sentence is just on one line it is easier to digest.

Script fonts are display fonts, and the amount of words affect readability as they are chaotic and take time to digest. When it is bodycopy it is illegible, but when there are too many words enlarged it is too chaotic.

Look and Listen are the two things that we need to be capable of as designers.

The solution to a problem of communication through design.

Semiotics
Sign
Symbol
Signifier

Apple -
Sign for Apple Mac
Symbolies an apple, not an actual apple
Signifies creativity, independence, quality and lifestyle

We will work with type, type and image, and type as image.

Visual literacy is multicultural and a global language.

Pictograms are found at airports because it is an international language.

For this weeks task we had to stick up the five fonts we collected in the most readable point size, and discuss them.

We then had to trace the letterforms that we bought in, and make them into thinner and bolder fonts.

OUGD404 - Typeface Family

Looking at the five fonts we brought in a couple of weeks ago, we have to find the whole typeface for each font, and experiment with different point sizes, finding the most readable point size and font from each typeface.

Bauhaus 
Bauhaus 93 only has one font in its family, which is Regular. However, there is a very similar font called ITC Bauhaus which has light, medium, demi, heavy and bold.

Here is Bauhaus 93 in point sizes 12, 32 and 72.

After looking at the different point sizes, I think it works best in 65pt as when it is too small it is illegible, but when it is too big it looks too cluttered, as even though it is in regular it looks very bold.








Courier
Courier had four different fonts in its typeface: Medium, Oblique, Bold and Bold Oblique. These are the fonts in that order, and in point size order of 12, 32 and 72.

I think it is most readable in 16pt, as it is a bodycopy text, therefore designed to be read smaller, but I think this is clearer than when it is in 12pt.

Georgia

Georgia also has four fonts in the full typeface: Regular; Italic; Bold and Bold Italic. Here are the four fonts in that order, and in order of point size 12, 32 and 72, with what I think is the most readable about the bottom.

I think that this is a very readable font in all of the point sizes, and the font I am using right now is Georgia, but I decided that it is most readable in Bold 24pt, because it stands out a lot more than Regular.

Lucida Handwriting
This typeface only includes one font, which is Lucida Handwriting Italic. I think it works well in Italic because it gives the impression of real handwriting.

 Here is the full typeface in 12pt, 32pt and 72pt.

I think it is most readable in 26pt because when it is 12pt it is incredibly small making it illegible, but when it is larger than 32pt it looks incredibly messy and chaotic because of the carefree appearance of the strokes.





Edwardian Script
There are four fonts in the Edwardian typeface: Regular; Bold; Italic and Bold Italic. Here are pictures of them in that order, in the point sizes 12, 32 and 72.

 

In all of these fonts, when they are in the smallest point size, none of them are legible, which is why I think the most readable font and point size for this typeface is Regular 59pt. I think it works best Regular because it is a delicate typeface, and I don't think it works as well in bold because it looks to chunky.

The second task was to find four more fonts, one Gothic, one Roman, one Block and one Script. We need to print the first three letters of the alphabet in upper and lowercase in 10x10cm dimensions.

 For the Roman font I chose Onyx.

For the Gothic font I chose Raavi. 

For the Script font I chose Palace Script MT.

For the Block font I chose Tondu Beta.