PS Lesson 1

INDEX

Create your Certiport Account

Test 1: Kahoot basic soft knowledge

Project 1a: Overview of Adobe Photoshop

Assignment 1 A: Cropping, Resizing & Image composition

Theory 1: Working in the design industry

Identify the purpose, audience, and audience needs for preparing image(s).

Project 1B: Layers & Selections

Assignment 1 B: Postcard Project

Study 1: LinkedIn Learning

Create your Certiport Account

In five weeks from now, we believe that you are ready to take your first test. You will need to create a Certiport account in order to log in on the day of the test. That's why you will create your account today, and let your teacher know what your account.

Watch the video below and follow each step.

When you've successfully created an account

Test 1: Kahoot basic soft knowledge

This is a new course with a variety of students. In order to set a starting point, we will start with a Kahoot test. The test contains basic questions about working with Photoshop. What do you know already and what do you need to succeed?

Project 1a: Overview of Adobe Photoshop

The Photoshop Interface
Photoshop Preferences
Photoshop Workspace
Customizing the Tool Bar
Custom Keyboard Shortcuts
Menu Customisation
Image File Formats
Image Size and Resolution
Image Production Workflow

What is Adobe Photoshop?

Even if you've never worked with images on your computer, you may have heard of Adobe Photoshop. Available for both Windows, Mac, and iPad Pro Adobe Photoshop is an extremely powerful application that's used by many professional photographers and designers. You can use Photoshop for almost any type of image editing, from touching up photos to creating high-quality graphics.

Adobe Photoshop loves working with pixels but can work with vector artwork too. You must know the difference by now, right?

Vector = An image created from points and curves
Bitmap = An image created by colored pixels on a grid

You can turn a vector image into a bitmap image quite easily by rasterizing the image. This process will convert the curves to pixels.

The Adobe Photoshop Interface

When you start Photoshop, it displays your Start screen from where you can set up the file that you are going to work with. Please note that there is a tab called "Learn". This is a location where you can learn new features through easy-to-follow tutorials. A great starting point.

New Document

By creating a new document you've got the option to select from a variety of presents. Make sure you select the correct preset for the job. Creating a print document with a final outcome on a website is wrong!

The test will most likely ask you to give your files a name from the welcome screen. This is something we don't do that much in classroom situations, but in order to work correctly, you should name your files here!

Tips:

Know which increments to use (cm, mm, inch, pixels)
Know the standards in resolution (72 PPI, 150 PPI...)
Know your Color Modes (CMYK, RGB)

Workspaces

You create and manipulate your documents and files using various elements, such as panels, bars, and windows. Any arrangement of these elements is called a workspace. (The workspaces of different Adobe creative applications share similar appearances so that you can move between the applications easily.) You can adapt Photoshop to the way you work by selecting from several preset workspaces or by creating one of your own. It's always possible to return to the original workspace by resetting it.

Image file formats

Photoshop format (PSD)

Photoshop format (PSD) is the default file format and the only format, besides the Large Document Format (PSB), that supports most Photoshop features. Because of the tight integration between Adobe products, other Adobe applications such as Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Premiere, Adobe After Effects, and Adobe GoLive can directly import PSD files and preserve many Photoshop features. When saving a PSD, the preference to maximize file compatibility is the default. This saves a composite version of a layered image in the file so it can be read by other applications, including previous versions of Photoshop. It also maintains the appearance of blended layers in the future. In Photoshop, 16‑bits-per-channel and high dynamic range 32‑bits-per-channel images can be saved as PSD files.

JPEG format

Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format is commonly used to display photographs and other continuous-tone images on the Web and other online services. JPEG format supports CMYK, RGB, and Grayscale color modes. It does not support transparency, alpha channels or layers. Unlike GIF format, JPEG retains all color information in an RGB image but compresses file size by selectively discarding data. A JPEG image is automatically decompressed when opened. A higher level of compression results in lower image quality, and a lower level of compression results in better image quality. In most cases, the Maximum quality option produces a result indistinguishable from the original.

It is a good idea to avoid saving JPEG images over themselves because they will loose quality over time. Save your JPEGs as a PSD to preserve their quality.

TIFF format

Tagged-Image File Format (TIFF, TIF) is used to exchange files between applications and computer platforms. TIFF is a flexible bitmap image format supported by virtually all paint, image-editing, and page-layout applications. Also, virtually all desktop scanners can produce TIFF images. TIFF documents have a maximum file size of 4 GB. Photoshop supports large documents saved in TIFF format. However, most other applications and older versions of Photoshop do not support documents with file sizes greater than 2 GB. TIFF format supports CMYK, RGB, Lab, Indexed Color, and Grayscale images with alpha channels and Bitmap mode images without alpha channels.

Photoshop can save transparency and layers in a TIFF file; however, if you open the file in another application, only the flattened image is visible. In Photoshop, TIFF image files have a bit depth of 8, 16, or 32 bits per channel. You can save high dynamic range images as 32‑bits-per-channel TIFF files.

GIF format

GIF, like JPG, is an older filetype, and one generally associated with the internet as opposed to photography. GIF stands for “Graphics Interchange Format” and employs the same lossless LZW compression that TIFF images use. GIF is by nature an 8-bit color file, meaning they are limited to a palette of 256 colors. An important note is that Grayscale images are by nature an 8-bit palette, so saving them as GIF is fairly ideal.

Apart from support for transparency, GIF also is supports animations, limiting every frame to 256 preselected colors.

PNG format

PNG stands for Portable Network Graphics (or, depending on whom you ask, the recursive “PNG-Not-GIF”). It was developed as an open alternative to GIF, which used the proprietary LZW compression algorithm discussed earlier. PNG is an excellent filetype for internet graphics, as it supports transparency in browsers with an elegance that GIF does not possess. Notice how the transparent color changes and blends with the background. Right-click the image to see. This is actually one image that is on four different background colors.

PNG supports 8-bit color like GIF, but also supports 24-bit color RGB, like JPG does. They are also non-lossy files, compressing photographic images without degrading image quality. PNG tends to be the biggest of the three filetypes and isn’t supported by some (usually older) browsers.

In addition to being an excellent format for transparency, the non-lossy nature of 24-bit PNG is ideal for screenshot software, allowing pixel for pixel reproduction of your desktop environment.

Image Production Workflow

If you shoot RAW, you will always have your original file preserved, since RAW is comparable to having a negative, from which you can make as many different prints as you want. If you need to, the RAW file can always have any changes made to it removed, so it returns to the “as shot” state. For permanent archiving, Digital Negative (DNG) is a file format that contains the raw image data from a digital camera and metadata that defines what the data means. DNG, Adobe’s publicly available, archival format for camera raw files, is designed to provide compatibility and decrease the current proliferation of camera raw file formats. The Camera Raw plug‑in can save camera raw image data in the DNG format.

If you shoot JPEG, then save your file as a PSD file - to avoid file compression. PSD files also preserve Photoshop’s layers or transparency in your file.

Generally speaking in addition to your original image (RAW or JPEG), you should have a PSD (Photoshop) file as your working “master”. Once it is finished in terms of being ready for output, you should keep this original and choose File > Save As to create a flattened (smaller) TIF or a JPEG of the final file for print.

If you are saving images for on-line presentation or the internet, use File > Save For Web to preview the quality of the image as you resize the image and compare JPEG, GIF & PNG file formats at different compression settings.

About file compression

Many file formats use compression to reduce the file size of bitmap images. Lossless techniques compress the file without removing image detail or color information; lossy techniques remove detail. The following are commonly used compression techniques:

RLE (Run Length Encoding) Lossless compression; supported by some common Windows file formats.

LZW (Lemple-Zif-Welch) Lossless compression; supported by TIFF, PDF, GIF, and PostScript language file formats. Most useful for images with large areas of single color.

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) Lossy compression; supported by JPEG, TIFF, PDF, and PostScript language file formats. Recommended for continuous-tone images, such as photographs. JPEG uses lossy compression. To specify image quality, choose an option from the Quality menu, drag the Quality pop‑up slider, or enter a value between 0 and 12 (Photoshop). For the best printed results, choose maximum-quality compression.

CCITT A family of lossless compression techniques for black-and-white images; supported by the PDF and PostScript language file formats.

ZIP Lossless compression; supported by PDF and TIFF file formats. Like LZW, ZIP compression is most effective for images that contain large areas of single color.

You can also have images saved as a Photoshop PSD or TIF file as uncompressed to avoid any reduction of quality.

Assignment 1 A: Cropping, Resizing & Image composition

Download the image from the assets folder
Follow the steps in the video and try to understand what you are doing. Know the theory behind it.
Make sure that the horizon is straight and that you've cropped the image in a 9:16 aspect ratio.
Place your image on your Spark page and describe briefly what you have done.

Theory 1: Working in the design industry

The first domain is often the most difficult one to master for students. This domain is mainly focused on theories and best practices from the design industry. Without any experience in the real world of being a media designer, this can get tricky. In this part, we will cover a set of words on which you could get questions during the test.

Identify the purpose, audience, and audience needs for preparing image(s).

Design brief

This is the first step in the design process. It includes a client profile and a written plan that identifies the purpose, target audience, outputs, content, technical requirements and constraints of a project.

Client Profile

Overview of mission, functions, organization, products, services, customers, suppliers, competitors, constraints, and future direction.

Goal, Objective, Purpose

A statement about what a client wants accomplished. Provides direction to a plan of action.

Target Audience

A specific group of people for which a message is intended.

Demographics

Characteristics such as age, sex, income, location, education, and religion of an audience.

Outputs

Could be a brochure, a website, a poster, an advertising campaign, etc.

Content

May include items such as copy, photographs, graphics etc.

Technical Requirements

Could include criteria such as size, amount, color/black and white, etc.

Constraints

Could include budget, technical requirements and deadlines.

Budget

A sum of money available for a particular project.

Deadline

A date when a project or part of a project is due.

Your client is designing a new brochure for a backpackers hostel. Which of the following images speaks to their demographics?

Project 1B: Layers & Selections

Overview Layers Panel

Photoshop layers are like sheets of stacked acetate. You can see through transparent areas of a layer to the layers below. You move a layer to position the content on the layer, like sliding a sheet of acetate in a stack. You can also change the opacity of a layer to make content partially transparent.

You use layers to perform tasks such as compositing multiple images, adding text to an image, or adding vector graphic shapes. You can apply a layer style to add a special effect such as a drop shadow or a glow.

A Blending modes

B Opacity

C Fill Opacity

D Vector layer

E Layer Effects

F Visibility button

G Grouped Layers

H Smart Object

I Hidden Layer

1 Link layers

2 Layer Effects

3 Layer Mask

4 Adjusment Layers

5 Group Layers

6 Add Layer

7 Trash Can

Blending modes

Learn the fundamentals of how Photoshop blend modes work and the best ways to use them to improve, enhance and creatively manipulate your images. The Program will cover what blend modes are, explain the basic blend modes, cover the most used blend modes for photographers and explain some blend modes to creatively enhance your images.

What are blending modes?

Basically, it's a way of combining pixels in Photoshop,! You can do this in numerous ways in Photoshop using layers, brushes, styles. All these elements use blending modes. Let's focus on layers first.

Target the layer:

Select the layer and scroll through the variety of blending modes. You will see a live preview.

With Shortcut: Select the move tool and the layer. Hold down the Shift key and tap on the + or - on your keyboard.

Disolve mode Effects the layer based on Opacity

Darken Modes Effect the darkness of the image

Lighten Modes Effect the lightness of the image

Contrast Modes Effects the lightness and darkness of the image

Comparative Modes Can invert your image

Composite Modes Effects the colours of your image

Assignment 1 B: Postcard Project

Download all the images from the assets folder
Follow the steps in the video and try to understand what you are doing. Know the theory behind it.
Make sure you follow the steps in the tutorial and the end result looks like the example below.

Study 1: LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn Learning

As a student at the GLR you are entitled to make use of LinkedIn Learning. Make sure to sign up and sign in with your "mijnglr" account details.

Watch the video's from "Cert Prep: Adobe Certified Associate - Photoshop" chapter 3.

Domain one is the most difficult because it's a lot of theory, but you must master it!

Note:

Add both projects and your notes from today to your Spark page.

Socials:

Leave an image from your work today on Instagram with use of the hashtags #AdobeEduCreative #GLRVibes #ACAChallenge

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