DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY & IMAGING - WEEK 4

Muhaamad Baihaqi Desya (0377271)

Digital Photography And Imaging/Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media

TASK 4 / WEEK 4

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1. Lecture

Introduction to Photoshop

In Photoshop, Adjustment Layers are very powerful and non-destructive tools that can be used when images need color or tonal adjustments. Since these layers are non-destructive, it is always possible to edit the adjustment or even delete the adjustment later if needed. This is much more efficient than editing or creating a new adjustment every time, which is particularly important for a solid workflow.

Adding an adjustment layer creates a new layer above your image, along with a corresponding Properties panel based on the selected adjustment type. This panel lets you modify and play around with the adjustment, which then affects the appearance of the image.

A few of the adjustment layers in photoshop are:

1. Brightness/Contrast: Make adjustments to the tonal range of your image. 

2. Levels: Modify the tonal values in an image by adjusting the levels of the shadows, midtones, and highlights. 

3. Curves: Adjust as many points as you want throughout the entire tonal range of your image

4. Exposure: Adjust exposure levels with three sliders: Exposure, Offset and Gamma.

5. Selective Color: Modifies the amount of a primary color without modifying the other primary colors in the image

We can also alter the appearance of an image using filters to change colors, blur or create entirely new image effects. Photoshop offers a virtually unlimited variety of filters for this purpose. Using filters to edit photos is an essential element of Adobe’s graphics editor. 

2. Hearst Mansioin

Demo

For this task, I began by using the Select and Mask tool to isolate Shazam, applying the selection as a layer mask to maintain the integrity of the original image. Once the selection was refined, I brought Shazam into the Hearst Mansion composition, adjusted his scale and placement, and then matched the overall color tone to blend naturally with the scene. Referring to the tutorial, I proceeded to create his reflection in the pool, ensuring it aligned accurately with his posture and lighting. As the final touch, I added a realistic shadow beneath him to anchor him into the environment and enhance depth.

Exercise 1 

I captured a photo of myself with assistance from my wife and followed the demonstrated steps in the video. To refine the final look, I went a step further by adjusting Color Balance, Levels, and Curves. These adjustments helped integrate myself more seamlessly into the background and prevent the image from appearing overly edited or unnatural.

2, Recoloring B&W Images

Demo

Exercise 2