Meeting 8

Nella botte piccola sta il vino buono

Topics: Examples of creative work, artwork conversions using the Threshold command, Bridge, Creative #1

Files needed from the server:

Examples of creative work
Sam Spratt - http://samspratt.com

Make a graphic key (exploring Photoshop's Threshold command)
Open key_ig.tif and scribbl.tif  (Exercises 2).

The key picture was made by scanning a real key with a flatbed scanner. No intermediate photograph was involved. The scribble picture was a scanned sheet of rough paper with pencil marks on it (flatbed scanner).

Make the scribble.tif picture into just black and white pixels. Use Photoshop's "Threshold" command for this simple, 2-color form of posterization (choose Image>Adjustments>Threshold).

Choose the Magic Wand tool (W).

UNCHECK anti-aliased in the Options bar at the top.

Select a white area of the scribbl.tif picture with the Magic Wand tool.

Select>Similar to also select the "islands" of white pixels within the picture.

Choose the Move tool (V), an drag the selected white area of scribbl.tif onto key_ig.tif window. IMPORTANT: Move the selected WHITE area. Click on white pixels before you start the move. Don't make the mistake of accidentally moving the selection marquee itself to the key picture.

Name the new layer. (double click the layer to rename it)

Select the Move tool.

Adjust the new layer's position until it looks good positioned against the key layer.

Hide the scribble layer (click it's eye icon off)

Choose the background layer that contains the key (Click on the layer's name in the Layers Palette).

Image>Adjustments>Threshold and slide the control to make the key picture just black and white - no shades of gray.

Undo if this is unsatisfactory and the key needs "tweaking" (and it does!).

Dodge and burn around the lettering to make it more prominent. You can use the Dodge and Burn tools in the tool palette to do this. If you do use them, be sure to turn down the tool's "Exposure" on the Options bar so that the effect is gradual and controlled. (Optional - you can also dodge and burn using the lasso with a 3 pixel feather -- Select>Modify>Feather, 3 pixels).

Threshold again.

At this point, it probably looks OK, but needs work because some parts got too dark, while other were too light. The following section explains "tweaks" that will do a better job.

Perfecting the Graphic Key Illustration:
If further tweaking is desired to make the trademark more visible, etc, try the following steps:

Select just the logo area with a rectangular selection area then run Image>Adjustments>Threshold on this area all by itself. You may need to undo a couple of times to dodge and burn. Remember that dodging and burning should be done while the picture still contains gray tones. Don't try to dodge and burn an already-thresholded part of a picture.

One you are satisfied with how the logo area looks, do a Select>Inverse.

Threshold again changing settings for the rest of the image for the best appearance. (Make it GRAPHIC, and BOLD!)

There may still be some gray areas remaining at the feathered selection borders, so Deselect (Command-D) then run Threshold again on the whole layer to change the remaining grays to b/w.

Turn on visibility of the scribble layer, flatten the image, change the Image>Mode to Bitmap using any of the choices. Save as a TIF file.

Other Enhancements
Try adding gray airbrush strokes on part of the key and change to Bitmap using diffusion dither (Image>Mode>Bitmap) and back to grayscale (Image>Mode>Grayscale) a few times. Layers may have to be flattened to achieve this.

This technique can be used for type. If it interests you, see if you can devise a way to recreate the magazine's masthead shown below.

Using Photoshop's companion file browser named "Bridge"
Because it is a separate program in the Creative Suite, it can be launched by clicking on the program icon on the dock that has a "Br" in it.

In Bridge, picture thumbnails are larger than the usual Mac or Windows-generated icons for easier viewing -- and they can be made even larger or smaller using the size slider at the bottom of the thumbnail window. Bridge allows you to sort using keywords, user-chosen ranking (assigned using keyboard shortcuts command-0 through command-5), copyright information, and a host of other things not usually considered sortable. With the user-chosen ranking feature, you can elect to show only pictures that have a rank of 4 or higher, for example.

RAW File Processing
Most professional level cameras produce proprietary files called "RAW Files". This is not an option on many consumer point-and-shoot cameras until you start getting into their advanced models. Most pro photographers prefer to shoot RAW instead of JPG for quality, but the disadvantage is that the files are very large and require higher capacity memory cards for the cameras. Another disadvantage is that RAW files must be converted to a more readable format (TIF, JPG, etc.) before they can be used in page layout programs, are viewable via email, etc. However, the potential for a higher-quality pictures generally outweighs the disadvantages for most photographers.

Bridge reads and adjusts camera RAW files to maximize quality. It is easier to tone a photo in Camera RAW than it is in Photoshop. Double click a camera RAW file in Bridge to open it in Adobe Camera RAW for toning. After this toning, the picture can be opened in Photoshop with the toning changes "baked in".

File name extensions produced by various cameras include NEF (Nikon), CRW (older Canon), CR2 (newer Canon), ORF (Olympus), ERF (Fuji), IIQ (Phase One), 3FR (Hasselblad), and ARW, SRF, SR2 (Sony). There are dozens of others, each proprietary to their respective manufacturers. New raw formats keep appearing, while others are abandoned which may lead to un-openable files. An Adobe DNG file is also a RAW file. It is non-proprietary, and a handful of camera companies use this openly published file specification.

One major advantage to using camera raw is that exposures that might be clipped if you were shooting JPG may still remain in the RAW file. It may be possible to reveal hidden detail in a blown-out exposure of a white dress, for example.

Drag copy the file _D3A0970.NEF (Exercises 8) to your desktop (do NOT try to open it from the server because some functions may not work if multiple users access it at once). After drag copying the file, point Bridge to your desktop and it should display a thumbnail of the blown-out photo. Double click it in Bridge to open the file in Camera RAW in an attempt to fix the clipped highlights using the Exposure slider, with maybe a little tune up in the Highlights and Whites section.

.Copying "Develop Settings" from one file to others
One time-saving feature when toning a batch of photos is being able to copy the toning corrections ("develop settings") from one picture to others. This is useful if some or all of the photos need the same overall corrections.

Sample files can be found on the server in Exercises 4 > For Bridge > studio samples

• Double-click the first of your photo files to open it in Camera RAW for toning (see TIP just below this exercise to allow camera raw to open JPGs and TIFs). Make any adjustments you wish for color temperature, tint, contrast, tone, etc.
• Click the Done button.
• Control-click on the thumbnail of the file you just toned, and scroll to Develop Settings>Copy Settings. (Windows users, you can right-click to bring up the list of choices.)
• Then select the rest of the picture thumbnails you wish to tone the same way (click on the first one in the list, then shift-click on the last one in the list). It can be one additional picture, to a folder containing hundreds of files.
• Control-click on a thumbnail of one of the selected pictures you wish to tone, and choose Develop Settings>Paste Settings... This will pop up a dialog box where you can elect to apply only selected settings (rare), or just click OK to apply all the settings to all the selected files (common).

*TIP: You can set the Camera Raw Preferences in Bridge to open JPG files for toning in the Camera Raw interface if you prefer. On a Mac, choose menu item "Adobe Bridge CC" (top left of your screen when the program is open)>Camera Raw Preferences. In the JPEG and TIFF Handling section, choose "Automatically open all supported JPEGs" in the  JPEG list. TIFF (*.TIF) files can be opened this way also

Metadata addition and editing
You may batch edit the descriptions of multiple files, and quickly add common keywords to internal file information.  Metadata (digital camera exposure information, picture type, etc.) can be displayed for each file without opening it.

Keywords
Keywords can be quickly added to your document's metadata with the click of a check box. (Window>Keywords Panel). To add keywords, click the dialog button icon at the top corner of the panel to add keywords or sub-keywords..

Batch Rename
Finally there is a batch renaming feature (Tools>Batch Rename...) useful for photographers whose digital cameras automatically assign a numerical file name to each picture.

Batch Converting to Adobe DNG files for archiving and easy reading
I sometimes get emails from frustrated students whose brand-new camera RAW files are not yet supported in Photoshop/Bridge or Lightroom - especially the older versions. They can't open their files because the RAW decoders haven't been developed yet. In the case of older program versions, the capability will never be added. Here's a sample email...

One solution is to download the latest "Adobe DNG Converter" program to convert the RAW files to Adobe's open-architecture DNG format. New camera support is implemented in this free program first. Once the RAW files are converted to Adobe DNGs, then you should be able to open the DNG files in your older copy of Photoshop/Bridge  - and many other programs too. Adobe DNG files are a RAW file format, one that is open source (not proprietary).

It might be wise to convert all your camera RAW files to DNG anyway because of two reasons: 1) It's an open architecture that has published specifications. It's not dependent upon the whims of the camera manufacturer with proprietary file formats, and 2) the tweaks you make to the tone of your picture are stored within the DNG file instead of being housed in a separate "sidecar" file. You file won't become separated from the toning metadata when you copy them to another drive or upload them somewhere.

DNG RAW files can have toning, cropping, and other changes edited or reversed just like working with a camera manufacturer's own proprietary RAW files.

Image Processor
You can run some Photoshop commands within Bridge. One very useful tool in Bridge is the Image Processor, found under Tools>Photoshop>Image Processor. For example, it can be used to save TIF files to JPGs. It can also automate the resizing of one or many pictures for use on the web where you have a prescribed size constraint (in pixels) for each picture. For example, if you have a need for every picture to fit within a 200x300 pixel box, you can type in the height and width limit in the Resize to Fit part of the dialog box, and all files will be automatically opened and resized. In addition, you can tag each processed file with copyright information, and even run a batch action (introduced late in the semester) on the files are they are processed. This might be useful for adding a black outline, etc. to all the pictures.

PDF Slide Shows
NOTE: The Adobe Output Module may not have been installed in Bridge by default (it wasn't installed in Bridge CC 2017 on the lab computers when I checked on 2/1/2017. I have since sent a request to the IT department to have it installed in the labs). You may have to download the Output module and install it separately. Search Google for "Install the Adobe Output Module for Bridge CC 2017" for more information. Some earlier versions lacked the Output module too. It appears to be a continuing decision by Adobe to not install it by default for unknown reasons.

I make PDF slide shows from a selection of photos in Bridge by clicking on the Output button at the top right side of the screen, choosing PDF, and creating a 1 column x 1 row document at the pixel dimensions of the monitor or projector I will be using. In Seigfred room 306 for example, the monitor and projector were once configured  to display 1600x1200 pixels, so that's what I put into the Document field Width and Height fields.

In the Playback field, I then check Open in Full Screen Mode.

Here's a screen grab of my most recent PDF slide show settings...

Photomerge creates panoramas
Another nifty trick is to use Tools>Photoshop>Photomerge to create a panorama from a series of individual pictures of a scene. In Exercises 8, there's a folder of pictures called panorama exercise to experiment with.

For this particular exercise, the Reposition choice gives the most satisfactory panorama. The reason is because I held the camera fairly level for all four photos.

TIP: For best results, be sure there's some overlap in the scene edges in the separate pictures when you make them!

Other File browsing/database programs
I've recently become a big fan of Adobe Lightroom. It is a true database of your pictures so it will display thumbnails much quicker than Bridge. Adobe is positioning Bridge as a "jack of all trades" file browser that can show videos, etc, but at the cost of speed. It's being targeted now mostly at print and web designers. Lightroom is targeted to photographers. Like Bridge, Lightroom makes use of Adobe Camera Raw to tone photos. In Lightroom's case, Camera Raw is built into the main interface of the program. However, your workflow must be well-organized or Lightroom will be difficult to use.

Lightroom tip: If you desire to reset all the toning sliders to zero during a toning session, double-click the word "Tone" at the top of the sliders.

One feature I really like is how a user can convert all imported files to Adobe DNG files on the way in (at "ingestion").

Another feature I like is the ability to easily create a slideshow and incorporate music from mp3 files in Lightroom. I have put a couple of examples of Lightroom slide shows on the class server - one called THE SUMMIT.MOV created in Lightroom then converted to a MOV file for the conclusion of the Adobe Educator Summit in 2009, and another called dad_w_music.mp4 that I created to celebrate my father's 90th birthday. The mp4 is actually a video of a slide show, but you can also create pure slide shows in the PDF format, or a create a folder of JPGs resized to a fit on-screen using a slide show program or a device (like electronic picture frames, etc.)

A time-saving feature that I use continually is the ability to export toned/cropped files to JPGs for the web at whatever size is needed for a design. You can set up templates for export that specify size, file naming, JPG settings, metadata (or not), and what folder is to be used for the exported files. I have a number of web pages that use 100 pixel thumbnails, and when clicked, produce 800 pixel photos. To do this easily in Lightroom, I created two export templates  - one for the 100 pixel files that go into a "thumbnail" folder, and another folder for the larger pictures. When I edit a shoot down to a just the selects and tone them, I filter to show just the selects, select all, then export them twice - one for the 100 pixel thumbs, and again for the larger ones. This site  about building a loudspeaker was built mostly using photos exported from Lightroom.

For a suggested workflow in Lightroom (written by Adobe employee and all-round nice guy Eric Scouten), go to http://blog.ericscouten.com/2012/03/05/lightroom-technique-how-i-organize-my-catalog-and-why-2012-edition/

Apple's Aperture is a similar and competing program, but it's only for Macs.

Newspaper photographers will find that Photo Mechanic is in common usage, and offers speed that is needed in a news environment. The cost is reasonable.

-----------

 Picture copyright William R Schneider - All Rights Reserved

An editorial illustration is an illustration that accompanies a story (printed or online), and supports or resonates with the story's content. Do not confuse editorial illustration with news photography that show a specific situation or individuals. Editorial artists can be found at newspapers, some magazines, but much magazine work today is contracted to freelance illustrators. This link describes the requirements, deadlines, and pay rates for typical editorial illustrations done by freelancers.

Notes: Assets - All digitized content (scans, digital photos, etc.) used in the making of your creative assignment must be submitted in a separate "assets" folder named "lastname_assets" (substituting your own name, of course.)  If you create some graphic components in Illustrator or other program, please include all of those files. If you create the illustration completely in software, include some partially-completed steps in the assets folder. This folder is due on the same day that the assignment is due.
Please don't place your completed assignment into the assets folder though.

Some tips for a better grade...

Choose one of the following topics and create one editorial illustration:
---------

"The Problem of Light Pollution
Today, people who live in or near cities have lost much of their view of the universe. The view is substantially diminished even for people who live in smaller towns and rural areas. The spectacular view of the night sky that our ancestors once had on clear dark nights no longer exists. The great increase in the number of people living in urban areas has resulted in a rapid increase in urban sky glow due to poorly designed outdoor lighting, brightening the heavens to such an extent that the only view most people have of the Milky Way or most stars is when they are well away from the cities. This excess light in the sky has an adverse impact on the environment and seriously threatens to remove forever one of humanity's natural wonders -- our view of the universe..."
excerpt taken from the Darksky.org web site

For more research, go to the following sites for information:
http://www.darksky.org/resources/library.html
http://www.inquinamentoluminoso.it/dmsp/index.html
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/news/news/2016/2016-06-14-community-guidance-street-lighting.page

Here's a map of light pollution in the USA that I've archived on my web site:
light_pollut_map.html

A video demonstrating how light pollution affects the night sky and our view of the stars... https://vimeo.com/202697437

If you wish to use pictures of outer space, NASA makes copyright-free pictures available at http://nix.nasa.gov. The Hubble Telescope has also provided some space pictures for copyright-free usage at http://heritage.stsci.edu. Feel free to use them.

------or------

Identity Theft
A magazine is going to run an article about identity theft, a growing problem today. They want an opening illustration to run full-page opposite the first page of the story.   The article isn't written yet, but it is to be an information piece mostly describing the problem and steps people can take to reduce their exposure to it. Some web sites having information about identity theft are:

------or------

How Cities Boost Creativity
Most of humanity now lives in a metropolis. That simple fact helps to fuel our continued success as a species.

Crime, congestion, and pollution mar all cities, from Los Angeles to Mumbai. But another force trumps the drawbacks of urban living: cities bring opportunities for wealth and for the creative inspiration that can result only from face-face contact with others. In fact, the crush of people living in close quarters fosters the kind of collaborative creativity that has produced some of humanity's best ideas...

------or------

Running Out of Water
As demand for freshwater soars, global supplies are becoming unpredictable. Existing technologies could avert a water crisis but must be implemented soon.

A magazine is planning a cover story about how demand for freshwater is increasing, and how governments and policymakers must set in place infrastructure to water conservation.

This illustration is to run on the cover of the magazine as well as full-page opposite the story's opening page. The illustrations editor had mandated that it MUST be designed with a white background!

---------or----------

Erasing Painful Memories
The imprint of a traumatic memory may fade or vanish with a new drug and behavioral therapies.

A science magazine wants to publish a story about how new techniques can help patients recover from associations with bad events -  like PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) in returning soldiers.

The editor does not want a literal illustration that depicts any pills, or someone receiving therapy. Instead she wants to show recovery in a very symbolic way.

------or------

What to do about the bully in your life
Whether the victim is you or your child, help is out there.

We now know that whether it is online, in the hallway at school or even at the office, bullies are everywhere. We see heart-wrenching stories of children and teenagers who have committed suicide after cruel bullying by peers. The painful truth is that 15% to 25% of students in the USA are bullied with some frequency... (Victims) often don't seek help or even speak up. ...So what exactly can you do?... [advice to be given in the remaining part of the story].

------or------

Do high heels empower or oppress women?
Some say elevated look leads to success at work; others say lower is better

By Laura T. Coffey
TODAYShow.com contributor
Sept . 23, 2009

OK, ladies, think fast: Do high heels empower women in the workplace, or do they oppress us and ultimately harm us?

If your gut is giving you conflicting responses to that question, don’t worry — that’s normal. Depending on whom you consult, you could hear that towering footwear:

*can boost your career by transforming you into a confident, strident force to be reckoned with;
*can hamper your career by putting too much emphasis on your sex appeal rather than your brains;
*can wreak permanent damage on your feet and ankles, including — but not limited to — bunions, corns, calluses, shortening of the Achilles tendon, ankle fractures and nerve damage, and ...

more at MSNBC.com
 

------or------

Why Migranes Strike
Biologists finally are unraveling the medical mysteries of migraine, from aura to pain.

A widely-read scientific magazine has a feature story on migraine headaches scheduled for their August issue, and needs an accompanying picture that conveys the feeling of pain felt by migraine sufferers. Photo realism is NOT wanted by the illustrations editor.  She wants something more painterly, or more graphic.

It will run full-page opposite the story's opening.

-----or-----

Cyber Espionage Threats - An Alarming Problem

Cyber espionage is not a problem only the federal government deals with. Companies that rely on the Internet, both public and private, are being targeted as well.

Cyber attackers are becoming more skilled at stealing massive amounts of data over long periods of time, and many businesses are unaware of a breach in their computer networks until the damage is done. Cyber espionage sophistication and attacks are expected to increase; therefore, U.S. companies need to begin looking at their cyber security more in depth ...

-----or-----

Merging Man with Machine
Science has enabled remarkable longevity for modern humans, and part of the reason is the invention of mechanical replacements for aging or failed parts. Soldiers who have lost limbs from IEDs are able to recover part of their former function, and elderly patients live longer because of synthetic heart valves. From hearing aids to synthetic lenses for damaged eyes, the miracles of medicine and science are expected to continue at an accelerated pace.

Create a futuristic magazine cover illustration (just the picture, not the design!) that will attract reader attention. This is for a National Geographic magazine. Pay attention to the interests and tastes of the target audience. Part of your work is to determine who they are!

-----------

Create an editorial illustration to accompany one of the topics above. The illustration must be at least 5"  x 7", either vertical or horizontal, with a minimum resolution of 200 dpi. Do not resample resolution upward if you start with a low resolution scan or it will have inferior quality. If pictures do not meet the minimum size/resolution requirement or have been obviously "upsized", they will be given a failing grade!

Do not incorporate Photoshop-created text into your illustration unless there is a good reason to do so. Remember that you are to illustrate, not design. InDesign and QuarkXPress are far better tools for type and design than Photoshop.

Submit the file in JPEG format (Quality 7 or higher) to save server space, but be sure to also save the original layered Photoshop file for your own future needs.

-----or----

The Case Against College Athletic Recruiting
U.S. universities are misappropriating resources on sports—including some obscure ones.

http://education.newsweek.com/2010/09/22/the-case-against-college-athletic-recruiting.html

----or----

One Hundred Year Data Preservation
A 350 year old copy of Shakespeare is about as readable as a new one. But a 35 year old floppy? Preserving data is essential to digital civilization, but how?

Massive data loss can threaten civilization. The burning of the ancient Library of Alexandria, destroying hundreds of thousands of handwritten books, contributed to Europe’s Dark Ages as knowledge of ancient art, science and math were lost. The little recovered through Muslim scholars helped create the Enlightenment, but how much more was lost?

But the threat of digital data loss is far larger. Data is fragile. Threats include:

•Media/hardware obsolescence - even if you have an 8 inch floppy drive, there may not be hardware capable running the software required to read it, let alone the application to open the files on the floppy.
•Software/format obsolescence. Remember WordStar?
•Lost context/metadata. A document’s contents may appear mundane, but if it is from the President to the Secretary of State, its context makes it important.
•Disaster
•Human error
•Media fault
•Attack

We will lose information moving from physical to digital. And we can’t know what future generations will consider valuable. For example, scientists collect old hollow metal buttons because they contain air samples from when the buttons were made. Who dreamed 150 years ago that would be valuable?...[story continues]

----or----

Making Math Fun: Great Ideas to Get Kids Fired Up For Figures
This short story is geared toward parents of school-aged children. It's presented in a fun, activity-based way and an illustration style is needed to match the presentation of ideas.

----or----

If you have a story that you'd think would be a candidate for a good editorial illustration, you may choose that instead.
If you do, please provide some story text to put your picture in context.

------------

Place the picture and the folder of your digitized content into the Creative_01 folder by the deadline so that the assigned reviewers have a chance to assess the work. If the picture isn't submitted on time, the score is zero forever, with no remakes possible.

We will discuss the pictures and the student critic comments in Class critique. The early submission deadline is to allow time for everyone to prepare the critiques. See Class Prep assignment below.

Student critics 2400 TTh class

Student critics 5400 MW class