Welcome to GRPH 320: Digital Illustration

These pages are provided as an outline for GRPH: 320 Digital Illustration. At right you will find links to the material covered each week throughout the course, as well as links to each weeks assignments, distributed via Adobe PDF files when nessesary. Though this site is updated frequently, all materials and assignments are subject to change at Instructor’s (Todd Roeth’s) discretion.

Things to know, remember, and understand.

This material is a supplement to class and does not replace class attendance and participation. For more information regard attendeance policies, please refer to the Marietta Student Handbook.

Assignments for class are assigned on a weekly basis, and delivered as printable .pdf documents available at right. Due dates are assigned in class.

Required Materials

See Sylabus for complete details.

Class Textbook

This course is primarily technical in nature, and will follow closely the organization and order of the required textbook.

Adobe Photoshop CS3 One-On-One
by Deke McClelland

Epson Ink Cartridges

Each Assignment will need to be submitted to professional standards. Proper printing, trimming, and folding (when appropriate) is required for sucessful outcomes. Class assignments submitted for grade can be outputed to the Epson 1280 Printers available in the Classroom.

Students will be responsible for buying their own ink. Ink needs to be brought to class when needed. Students are responsible for loading and unloading their own ink from the printers. It is recommended that students store and carry their ink cartridges in an index card box.

Other Places to Buy Epson 1280 Ink

Information about Epson 1280 Printers

Handout

Read: Epson Ink Cartridge Handling [.pdf]

Epson Paper

The Classroom printers need compatibale paper to reneder the best quality projects. Students can purchase these papers locally at Parkersburg Office Supply by calling 1-800-525-1951 24 hours in advance and ordering over the telephone. Orders are shipped to the store in a day.

The following paper sizes are needed for the various Class Assignments:

8.5” x 11” (Letter)

13” x 19” (Super B)

Hard Drives

In all digital design classes, students are responsible of storing, organizing, and archiving their own work. Each computer in the class room has designated storage (Student Files on HD), however, keeping your only copies of files on the School Computers is not reccomended. Depending on your academic needs and digital mediums which you work in (Photo, Video, Print, Web) the amount of disk storage will vary. For this class alone, students will need a minimum of 2Gb of storage. (40Gb is recommended)

Suggested Hardware for Macintosh Users:

LaCie Firewire and USB 2.0 Mobile External Hard drive (60 GB)

Digital Workflow For Graphic Artists

This class is focused on Adobe Photoshop CS3. Photoshop is the industry standard for making and manipulating photographic artwork and is the core software for many designers and artists. – But Photoshop is only part the workflow to make printed art work and design, web graphics and fine art.

The Various Roles of Photoshop

Photoshop is a broad and complex application that servers many purposes to many people. The many professions who rely on it for particular aspects of its vast feature set. Here are some of the ways that photoshop is used.

• Digital Photographers
• Digital Illustrators and Artists
• Web Designers
• Film and Video Graphics
• Animators
• Prepress and Printing Production
• Architects and 3D Artists

General Computer Habits and Lab Etiquette

Working in a digital environment has it’s pitfalls. By developing good personal habits regarding your organization and method for working in this class, you will greatly reduce the risk of ruining, loosing, or erasing your work, and can work under much less stress. By consciously following these suggestions, you will get more sleep, take less aspirin, be a happier person. There are no excused or extended deadlines for lost or late work.

File Saving

Save your work, and save it often. Computers crash, the power goes out, and you will make mistakes that are easier to solve by reverting to a recently saved file.

Versioning Your Work

Do not save over your work. Save each progression of work as a numerically sequential file name. You will be exploring and experimenting during the class. Do not be afraid to try new techniques and features in software – save each incremental advance in a project as a new file. (e.g ‘filename01.psd’, ‘filename02.psd’ ... ) By practicing this, you have no need to worry about ruining your current work. If an experiment fails, all you need to do is ‘Revert’ to the most recently saved file or close your work and open a previous version, and no love – or time – is lost.

Backing Up Your Work

Back up your work on multiple drives, and do it often. Hard drives fail, other people accidentally delete files many people share these computers), and you will work on different computers in different locations. At minimum, save you work on the school server in the space alloted to you, and also on your personal hard drive you keep in your possession.

Introduction To Bridge

Bridge is a supplemental program provided by Adobe. It’s purpose is to provide an easy way to visually browse and inspect image files of any format before opening them in Photoshop. Like the name implies, the software serves a ‘bridge’ between the various Adobe programs in your workflow.

Bridge will be used in this class often to sort and browse files.

Watch: Bridge Video Tutorial

Introduction To Photoshop

Photoshop has a similar UI as many other Adobe programs. The layout is highly customizable. Don’t be confused if you sit down a particular computer, launch Photoshop and it looks different. there are many windows that can be shown or hidden and rearranged depending on the user’s preference.

In-Class:

Movie – 01_navigation.mov (12.54)

Output Dictates Input

As illustrated in the digital workflow map from the previous lesson, there is a process that needs to be decided before even the first steps of a project commence. Depending on how the final artwork is intended on being displayed, the original material will need to be scanned, photographed, or imported at particular resolutions and color modes.

Pixel Resolution

Photoshop is the industry standard for Rastered artwork. In recent years it has also begun to include features that allow for the creation of some Vector artwork. Both of these file classifications have different technical aspects that effect printing.

Rastered files are composed pixels and are also referred to as bit-mapped art (also: bitmaps, bitmap files). They are generated in Photoshop are bound to the metrics between pixel resolution and document dimension.

Read: Image Resolution

When a bit-mapped image changes size, the relationship between it’s pixel resolution (measured in pixels per inch) and it’s pixel dimensions change. When an image is scaled bigger (the pixel dimensions become greater), the image will loose quality (the pixel resolution becomes lower).

When bitmap files are scaled above 100% the resolution lessens, resulting in what is referred to as ‘pixelation’ – a loss in visual detail.

Vector artwork is composed of visually presented mathematical equations. They are primarily generated in Adobe Illustrator and sometimes with the vector tools offered in the later versions of Photoshop. Vector files and are resolution independent; they can be scaled up or down infinitely with no loss in detail.

RGB vs. CMYK

Color is reproduced differently on computer screens than it is on paper. The fundamental discrepancy means that ‘what you see is not what you get” in term of color reproduction on paper from your computer monitor. (See Color Management below for more.)

RGB
Red, Green and Blue are the three colors of light used to produce the visible spectrum of color on a computer screen.

CMYK
Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black( K) are the four primary colors of ink used to produce color on paper.

All computer monitors display color in RGB. All printers use CMYK ink-sets to remake the colors on screen to images on paper. While many desktop printers now accept and print files with RGB color values, these values are still converted to CMKY during the printing process.

To understand the differences between RGB and CMYK the difference between additive and subtractive color theory needs to be examined.

Resolution & Color Modes for Printed Artwork

Artwork whose output is via a printer needs to be saved in CMYK format*, and be much higher resolution that that of art displayed digitally. Typically all files bound for printing are made and saved at a minimum 300 ppi

*Note: Nearly all desktop printers (like the ones used for class) are ‘pro-sumer’ level printers, and are designed to accept RBG files to reduce user error, which are converted into CMYK when printed. For more about this topic visit: photo.net – Epson 1280 etc. CYMK or RGB printer?

Resolution & Color Modes for Screen and Web Art

Artwork whose output is to a computer screen (via the Web, CD/DVD, iPod, touch screen kiosks [ATMs, self check-outs, Airport check-in…]) needs to be saved in RGB format and require a resolution of 72 pixels per inch (72ppi or a ‘resolution of 72’)

Acquiring Artwork Via a Scanner

Nearly all scanners can be accessed within Photoshop, using a protocol known as TWAIN

Careful attention should be paid when scanning to create both the proper resolution and target size.

There are two types of functionality that most desktop scanners can provide – reflective – or flatbed scanning, and transparency – or film scanning. Both still require the same attention to resolution and target size to create a technically suitable file to be sent to photoshop or saving.

Importing Art From Digital Cameras

Most digital cameras can interface directly with Macintosh computer without any additional software – the image files can be copied directly from the camera’s CF card or SD Card to your personal hard drive and accessed in Photoshop or Bridge.

Importing Art From Other Software

Artwork sometimes originates in software other than Photoshop, and can easily be imported, placed, or even pasted into a Photoshop file.

When importing vector files (Adobe Illustrator Files) or PDF files (Adobe Acrobat) the files will likely need to be ‘rasterized’. This process commits the artwork to a bitmap. Be sure to choose an appropriate resolution and dimensions – the art cannot be ‘upsized’ or scaled larger after this step.

Saving Artwork in Photoshop

There are several formats that Photoshop can generate. Each has it’s own qualities and serve different purposes.

Popular Image File Formats

PSD – the native format for Photoshop

PSD (Photoshop Document) is the preferred file format for artwork created or edited in photoshop. It the only file format that will respect all the editing features available, including layers, adjustment layers, layer effects, masking etc. It is an uncompressed format and is the best way to archive your work. It is likely not the best format for output except for direct printing to desktop printers – the files are incompatible with many other programs, and are far too big to use on the Web.

JPEG – A common multipurpose filetype.

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) files are a lossy format (in most cases). The DOS filename extension is JPG, although other operating systems may use JPEG. Nearly all digital cameras have the option to save images in JPEG format. The JPEG format supports 8 bits per color – red, green, and blue, for 24-bit total – and produces relatively small file sizes. The compression when not too severe does not detract noticeably from the image. But JPEG files can suffer generational degradation when repeatedly edited and saved.

TIFF – A larger file for printing

TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) is a flexible image format used for printing, and uses a filename extension of TIFF or TIF. TIFF files are much bigger in file size than JPEGs, but like JPEG, the TIFF format can be lossy or lossless. Some types of TIFF files offer relatively good lossless compression for bi-level (black and white, no grey) images. Some high-end digital cameras have the option to save images in the TIFF format, using the LZW compression algorithm for lossless storage. The TIFF image format is not widely supported by web browsers. TIFF is still widely accepted as a photograph file standard in the printing industry. TIFF is capable of handling device-specific color spaces, such as the CMYK defined by a particular set of printing press inks.

RAW – a robust format made by digital cameras

RAW refers to a family of raw image formats that are options available on some digital cameras. These formats usually use a lossless or nearly-lossless compression, and produce file sizes much smaller than the TIFF formats of full-size processed images from the same cameras. Unfortunately, the raw formats are not standardized or documented, and differ among camera manufacturers. Many graphic programs and image editors may not accept some or all of them, and some older ones have been effectively orphaned already. Adobe’s Digital Negative specification is an attempt at standardizing a raw image format to be used by cameras, or for archival storage of image data converted from proprietary raw image formats.

GIF – a compressed image for non-photographic for the Internet graphics

GIF (Graphic Interchange Format) is limited to an 8-bit palette, or 256 colors. This makes the GIF format suitable for storing graphics with relatively few colors such as simple diagrams, shapes, logos and cartoon style images. The GIF format supports animation and is still widely used to provide image animation effects. It also uses a lossless compression that is more effective when large areas have a single color, and ineffective for detailed images or dithered images.

PNG – an advancement over a GIF, for Images on the Internet

The PNG (Portable Network Graphics) file format is regarded, and was made as, the free and open-source successor to the GIF file format. The PNG file format supports true color (16 million colors) whereas the GIF file format only allows 256 colors. PNG excels when the image has large areas of uniform color. The lossless PNG format is best suited for editing pictures, and the lossy formats like JPG are best for final distribution of photographic-type images because of smaller file size. Many older browsers do not yet support the PNG file format, however with the release of Internet Explorer 7 all popular modern browsers fully support PNG.

BMP a basic image file for Windows compatibility

The BMP file format (Windows bitmap) is used internally in the Microsoft Windows operating system to handle graphics images. These files are typically not compressed, resulting in large files. The main advantage of BMP files is their wide acceptance, simplicity, and use in Windows programs.

Brightness, Contrast, and Levels

The most basic image adjustment tools in Photoshop are all concerned with an image’s Luminance. Luminance is the quality and relationship between brightness and darkness.

There are many ways to do similar tasks in Photoshop. The following offer different ways of adjustment.

Auto Correction and Brightness/Contrast

Like any automated processes, these features are easy to use, but often do not produce the best results.

Image→Adjustments→AutoLevels

Image→Adjustments→AutoContrast

Image→Adjustments→AutoColor

Correcting with Brightness/Contrast is a slightly more elegant way to improve an image, allowing brightness and contrast of an image to be manipulated independently. Better still is using two similar tools, Levels and Curves.

Image→Adjustments→Brightness/Contrast

Correcting with Levels

The better way to adjust an image are using Levels or Curves (next). This method allows for you to ‘calibrate’ the image by assigning whitepoint, midpoint, and blackpoint areas, and Output Levels

Image→Adjustments→Levels

Correcting with Curves

Curves are the best way to adjust brightness and contrast of an image because with Curves you can adjust highlights, midtones, and shadows, as well as any other area of an image Image→Adjustments→Curves

Read: What is the difference between Levels and Curves?

Channels

Both Levels and Curves in Photoshop allow you to edit the individual Color Channels of an image. Photoshop creates RGB images with three ‘channels of light’ – *R*ed, *G*reen, and *B*lue. When these three channels are viewed together, they create the intended image.

These channels can be adjusted independently within the Curves and Levels Adjustments and can be viewed separately in the Channels Window, Window→Channels

Correcting with Shadows/Highlights

This tool can aid in correcting big differences between over and under-exposed areas of a photograph.

Image→Adjustments→Shadows/Highlights

The Effects of Image Tone

Changing the tone of an image has significant effects on the ‘tone’ of the message the image sends.

Read: OJ’s Last Run: Time Covers It From All Angles

Hue and Saturation

Hue (sometimes referred to as tint) and Saturation are the two properties Photoshop uses to describe – and thus edit – an image.

Hue

Hue is the core color of an object. For example, in a rainbow, many pure hues are visible.

Saturation

Saturation can best be explained by the intensity of a given color, similar to the volume of music.

Fixing Color Cast

One of the biggest (most often performed) tasks a digital photographer or any photoshop user is to correct undesirable color shifts in photographs. There are several reasons why color cast can occur – improperly photographed image, errors in film processing, a bad scan, or and aged print are a few.

Regardless of the cause, color cast is a big issue: it can immediately affect the message of an image and dictate whether we like or dislike the image, and how we interpret the mood or meaning.

There are several methods to address the job of fixing color cast.

Image→Adjustments→Variations

Image→Adjustments→Auto Color

Image→Adjustments→Hue/Saturation

Each of these tools can be ‘faded’ or compensated by then applying the fade feature, Edit→Fade…

Using Curves to Adjust Color Cast

Curves can do more than adjust overall brightness and contrast as seen in the previous lesson. By manipulating individual color channels, the curves tool can significantly alter the color cast and tone of an image.

Colorizing a Grayscale (Black & White) Image.

As always, there are many ways to add color to a gray scale image. The Hue/Saturation command can be used to add color to an image, with a monochrome effect when using the Colorize Check Box.

Another method to employ is the Gradient Map. With this method, you can change the luminosity values (shades of gray in this case) with a specified color, in effect, swapping out a color for every shade of gray in an image, allowing for more compelling results.

Image→Adjustments→Gradient Map

Adjusting Color with Camera Raw

If a camera has the capability to capture an image in RAW format, photoshop can provide many adjustments to the file before opening it.

The RAW image format is a powerful way to gain control over nearly every aspect of an image – color temperature, tone, exposure, tint, saturation, sharpness, and contrast are only a few.

RAW image files incorporate non-destructive editing. This means that your original RAW file made at the time the photo was taken cannot be saved over. Only copies can be saved from the original, much like making prints from an original film negative.

Photoshop offers a variety of selection tools. In Photoshop, the term selection refers to the selection of specific pixels in the image.

Unlike many other graphic software, Photoshop does not deal with multiple objects, only one two-dimensional bitmaps.

Magic Wand

The magic wand tool (W) is a long time favorite for many Photoshop users. It works by evaluating the particular pixel the wand chooses, and then additionally selecting all pixels of similar color, according to these three main controls:

Anti-Alias determines the edge of your selection. Anti-aliasing offers a softer, feathered edge. Without anti-alias on, the edge of any selection will abruptly (but precisely) stop.

Tolerance determines the how much color difference will be accepted between pixels when the magic wand is used.

Contiguous refers to adjacent pixels to the pixel originally selected. When this setting is off, pixels need not be touching each other to be selected. In other words – separate areas of the image within the given tolerance, will also be selected.

Quick Selection Tool with Refine Edge

The quick selection tools works differently from the magic wand tool by evaluating contrasting edges of an image, not colors.

Quick Selection Tool uses a brush to select parts of the image. The brush diameter can be changed according to the image, then paint with simple strokes across the area to be selected.

Alone, the quick selection tool does not do a very graceful job. But in addition to using the Refine Edge Feature even intricate areas can be effectively selected.

Marquee Selection Tools

The Marquee Selection tools (M) in Photoshop offer geometric ways to select parts of a canvas. Additionally irregular shapes can be selected with the Lasso Tool and its counterparts the Polygonal Lasso Tool and the Magnetic Lasso Tool.

Making Selections with Path Tool

Additional Selection Tools and Options

Regardless of how you select any portion of pixels on a canvas, there are several additional options available to increase the precision or alter a current selection.