Digital Photo and Imaging - Course Outline

Digital Photo and Imaging 2 - Improvers

This course is planned over ten two hour sessions, designed to show you more useful information and techniques for enhancing your digital images, using Adobe Photoshop (versions CS and CS2). The course consists of useful information about digital images and working with them generally as well as easy to follow tasks. The resources on these pages cover working with Adobe Photoshop - the industry standard imaging program - primarily version CS2, but the tasks featured should be suitable for the CS version. Below is a brief outline of the course, session by session - which will be updated as the course progresses. Please feel free to request topics or tasks that you are interested in if they are not listed. Click on the links below to be taken to the information pages or tasks. Sample images used on the course may also be accessed from this page

Session 1	Introduction – enrolment, ILP's and student logons. Task 1 - Individual pictures, Initial Assessment and Personal profile Task 2 - Learning Styles Questionnaire you may do this in the session or at home. Introduction to Adobe Photoshop - for learners who have not completed a beginners course. Task 3 - Use the Clone tool in Photoshop Task 4 - Make an Evidence Print
Session 2	Resizing, Cropping and Canvas Size Digital image files and file saving Task 5 - Resizing an image Task 6 - Selections - a simple montage Cameras: Scene modes. Want a little help with those buttons and symbols? - click here
Session 3	Finishing the simple montage. Task 7 - finish the simple montage and produce evidence prints Task 8 - Investigating Sharpening Task 9 - Selective Blurring Learners' requests - what techniques are you interested in? Cameras: adjustable White balance - read this and check if your camera has it.
Session 4	More Filters and Adjustment Layers 1 Task 10 - Using an Adjustment Layer - Multiply (this was demonstrated in Session 3) Task 11 - Unsharp Mask. Sharpening the professional way Task 12 - Using Filters and Layer Modes Calibration Cameras: Using EV exposure adjustment. If your camera has it - use it!
Session 5	Adjusting colours, contrast and tones This week's tasks are all based around making adjustments to images, either straightforward adjustments or selectively using masks and adjustment layers. Task 13 - Adjusting skin tones using a mask Task 14 - Brightness and Contrast - using an adjustment layer or using Levels Task 15 - The 'Raven and the Abbey' task Free Images: Want some free images like the abbey and the raven? Click here
Session 6	Working with type Now you are into the second half of the course, try to practice some of the techniques you have used already, using different images. This week focusses on using type in Photoshop. Although it is not a desktop publishing program, its typesetting tools are quite good. Task 16 - The Family montage - using type, layers and masking Task 17 - Making a document with type
Session 7	Working with Type - Part Two and Practising Montages Keep practicing the techniques you have been learning, using different images from the samples page. Task 18 Type on a path - Starting to use the Path and Direct Selection tools Task 19 Another type effect using layers Task 20 Basic multiple image montage techniques Don't forget! - Please ask the tutor to include content you are interested in covering.
Session 8	Watermarks, Actions and Batch Processing Making a professional watermark, applying it and 'batch processing' groups of images with it. Task 21 Making a professional watermark artwork as a Custom Shape Task 22 Applying the watermark to an image Task 23 Using Actions to automatically apply the watermark Task 24 Batch processing images with a watermark.
Session 9	More Retouching - the second section on the Toolbar. Removing blemishes and reparing images. The 'traditional' photo retouching tools such as the Smudge, Dodge and Burn, Healing Brush, Sponge. The Healing Brush The Pencil and Brush The Clone Tools The Eraser Tools Blur, Sharpen Smudge Dodge, Burn and Sponge
Session 10	Go Create! Some ideas and quick techniques for your images Four new creative techniques for you to try here. Where to next? Keep practising the techniques - and apply them to you own images! For more ideas, free downloads (brushes, images, patterns, etc.) try some of these links: Dekepod - This is where the YouTube 101 Photoshop tips in 5 minutes came from Infinitee - A 'portal' for lots of tutorials, some are for later Photoshop, some video ones Gomedia - freebies, for Photoshop, and wallpaper etc. PSD Tuts - Loads of 'em. Some for later Photoshop versions but a source for geat ideas Photoshop lab - Good basic tutorials (this is where I checked out the Tools tutorial) Photoexels - some good basics tutorials - including for taking pictures Digital Arts - a magazine for design and imaging - and this one: Computer Arts Grafx Design - a simple site, but covering other apps such as Paintshop Pro Photoshop 911 - developed from a blog. Ignore the ad links and look down the left hand side If you've found something you think is useful for you on any of these sites or any others you have found - send them to me!

Important!	End of course feedback - please! Complete the course evaluation form (from the link on the left) and either print it out, hand it to your tutor or in at reception. Alternatively you may save it, then attach it to an email to DALS (N.B. this can only be done directly on your own email at home).

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