Introduction to Imaging

Easy Exercises

These exercises are simple easy touch ups and changes, the objective is to make the image look as natural as possible, as if it hadn't been changed at all. Popular tools to use here might be the select tool or magic wand tool, the eye dropper, the patch tool and the smudge tool, as well as image adjustments.

Image touch up and flaw removal

Take a rough image of yourself, a person or animal against a white background with a digital camera or phone camera. Adjust the image so that the image is level, adjust and optimise the brightness and colour. Using the patch or the smudge tool, remove any image blemishes in the background, such as stray hairs stains or cracks and lines.

Touch up old photographs

EZ1) Using the sample image of an old photograph supplied, straighten up the image and remove any creases or marks or blemishes.

Object re-colouring

EZ2) Using the sample image of an orange, select and adjust the colour of each segment to look like a rainbow. Note that darker colours may need to be inverted or have the white elements darkened.

EZ3) Using the sample image of the athlete, select and adjust the colour of an item of clothing, select and adjust the colour of the athletes trainers to the first item of clothing.

De-saturation; coloured objects on black and white background

EZ4) Using one of the sample images; either the phone box or the post box, de-saturate the background to look black and white, leaving the focal point of the image in colour.

Intermediate Exercises

These exercises will experiment more with cutting paths, making selections and layering objects. When working with layers, it can often be quite effective to include layers in front of your edited images as well as behind, this creates a more authentic and natural look.

Clipping paths and layering

Take an image of yourself, and draw a clipping path around yourself, then insert this image of yourself into another photograph. The more creative and surreal the better.

IN1) Take the three boots images, and put them together to create a single image, so that the boots are being worn on the bare feet.

Turning landscapes into a panorama

IN2) Place and edit the individual sample scenery images together to create a panorama. Note that some images will require more adjustment than others.

Inserting foreign objects into images

Find an old black and white photograph and subtly insert an item of modern technology into the image; such as replacing a sword with a "selfie-stick"

Do the same again with an old painting, editing your modern object to fit the same style as the painting. This can often be done by either using effects or by smudging the image.

Simple Image Merging

IN3) Merge the bald man image with the egg and spoon.

IN4) Merge the second bald man with the pill box to create a Russian doll of the man. Do this 3, 4 or 5 times and note the subtle changes between each image add to the effect of the image.

Difficult Exercises

These exercises could take a lot of experimentation; to make your images most effective consider how lighting and shadows will affect your images.

Merging and blending images; weird and wonderful hybrid animals

This is a fun and common exercise for people learning how to use imaging software such as Photoshop. Combine two different types of animals to make a hybrid of the two, such as a bird and a dog. Note that you can make a hybrid of anything, such as a banana and a swan, or a skyscraper and an arm.

See: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=photoshop+hybrid+animals for a range of tutorials.

Photo image blending

Find a side view image of an old car, and another of a modern car, then blend the two photograph images together allowing for as seamless transition between the two as possible.

This same method can be done on "then and now" images of towns or people.

Changing and enhancing weather conditions

TC1) Using the sample daytime image of London, and turn into a night scene, including a full moon and different sources of lighting.

Find a regular scenery photograph and enhance the weather, time or season; such as adding extreme weather or snow. creating a sunset or sunrise or changing the season to autumn or winter.

Filtering and dating images

TC2) Using the sample image of a man wearing a suit; edit the image to look like an authentic Victorian gentleman. This will include the removal of any modern technology such as zips or the plastic glasses frames and may include the addition of more common Victorian items such as a top hat or a pocket watch. Finally change the effects of the image to make it look dated, perhaps even include worn out edges.

Editing and re-purposing images

TC3) In this final exercise; there is an attached level 3 imaging assessment from City and Guilds that includes a full scenario and a list of individual tasks to create an image suitable for a shampoo marketing campaign. Click the dropdown below the button for the full step by step instructions.