Lab #3 - Image Adjustments

          For lab #3, we used the application Adobe Photoshop CS6 in order to do image adjustments. In order to accomplish this lab we first went to Jupiter grades and saved a picture of our teachers dog. Next, we had to open Adobe Photoshop and go to File and then Place, and we placed the picture of the dog. Then, we had to use the skills we developed from our first project (The Melon Head) by using the tool we feel most experiments with. We had to use this tool to select the dog and then do image adjustments. In this case, I used the quick selection tool in order to select the dog and then do layer via copy at lesst 5 times, I copied the dog at least five times. And I resized the dogs to a smaller size and did this by pressing down on the shift key and dragging the picture, I did this so the picture could not change from its original form. I found this lab difficult because we had to select the dog and try to select every little piece of hair and select it will with no blue spaces. Our teacher taught us to use refine touch. Refund touch helps give an image a finishing touch. For instance, in this case we used refine touch to get rid if of the blue spaces. However, I failed to do so because when I used the refine touch to get rid of the blue spaces, the hairs of the dog (towards the top) looked pixelated. Due to the amount of time we had, I had to move on towards the next step.
        After selecting the dog, we had to do adjustments to the dog in order to fully complete the lab. We went to image and then adjustments, then we picked on which adjustments we wanted to make. I used Chanel Mixture, Vibrance, Exposure, Curves, Levels, Black and White, Hue/Saturation, Color Balance, and Brightness/Contrast. Once we finished doing the page adjustments, we had to take a screenshot of our layers by clicking on command+ Shift + 4 and using our mouse to drag the corner of the photoshop window up until where we want to take a screenshot. I enjoyed doing this lab, but I am not satisfied with my results. For example when I took a screenshot of my layers, one of my dogs (the black and white one) came out pixelated. I feel like I should have done better but I suppose the more I practice with the photoshop tools, the better I will become at making selections. This lab helped me learn more about the quick selection tool and it also taught me who to use the refine touch. I still have to practice using refine touch, nevertheless, I know i relax and concentrate much more I will learn how to do marvelous things. However, I still have to keep track of my time and not take a long time to complete labs. This lab will be beneficial to me in the future because right now we are practicing how to use tools such as quick select and later on we well have less time to complete our labs. Therefore, the more practice we get using the tools, the quicker we can complete labs or projects in the future.

Lab #2 - ( High Point, Low Point, Eye Level, Landscape, and Close Up)

       In our second lab, we previously learned about high point, low point, eye level, close up and landscape photos and how each word is defined. Therefore, after learning these terms we had to pick 5 pictures that would individually show a close up, one eye level, and one picture taken at a high point, and one taken at a low point, and one picture showing a landscape. We were able to obtain these photos due to lab #1, where we had to take pictures. Additionally, we used the application Adobe Photoshop CS6 in order to accomplish this lab. The steps acquired was to first go to file and click on a new file, making sure the width was 11 and the length 8. Next, we went to file and then clicked place, we then picked a picture and resized by holding the shift key down and dragging the corner of the picture. This allows the pictures quality be the same, without changing any resolution. Finally, after we placed all five pictures we used the type tool to show what each picture represents (either high point ,close up, etc...) I found this lab pretty easy to accomplish because we already had practice with the first lab. However, I had some difficulties finding a picture that could represent a high point and a low point because most of my pictures seemed like eye level picture or close up pictures. This would further help us improve skills because the more practice we get doing this process, the easier and quicker it becomes for us to accomplish a certain task.

HW- Creativity (Podcast)

                 After listening to the Ted Radio Hour Podcast, I know this podcast relates to web design because in web design you must have the desire to take risks. Meaning that an individual should just follow their curiosity and not fear of the possible criticism others might give them. Everybody is able to access curiosity and creativity if you put your heart into it. If you are left alone for a while, you can be capable of creating new ideas and let your fear get the ability to get out of your way.  Fear is one of the main reasons people are scared to use their creativity, but being fearless should not be believed because if you love what you are doing and suppress your whole brain from fear, you would only think about what YOU think is the best and well make you pat the back of your shoulder once you have completed your work.  For instance, if you are designing the layout of a webpage, you must use your creativity and be confident about the colors and subjects you use because YOU are the pro, you are the one who is creating a new great idea. This does not only apply to web design but to other careers such as sing writing. When you write a song you express the emotions you feel and no matter what other people think about the songs lyrics, you know its a great song because it the lyrics hold a specific meaning to it. This is the same for web design. At certain times individuals are afraid of not being able to over pass their previous works. For example, if your creation becomes a one hit wonder, but then you make another creation but it isn't that successful, the individual will lose confidence and will be afraid of using their creativity again. It is fine if you do not always top a creation one after another. Just as the Ted Radio Hour Podcast said, " Fear and creativity are like twins, fear can kill creativity."

HW- Lasso Tools

              After accomplishing my first project the melon head lab, I was able to experience using the different types of lasso tools. I used the magnetic and polygonal lasso tool. I believe the easier one to use is the polygonal lasso tool because unlike the magnetic lasso tool, I feel like the magnetic lasso tool does not always select a subject good enough. The magnetic lasso tool selects things based on the pixels in the subject but I prefer the polygonal lasso tool because you can control the lasso, However, its only best to use the polygonal lasso when you want to select/cut a polygon shaped subject. It is important to make selections carefully, without white spaces and rough edges because if you leave white spaces/edges, it takes the attention away from the subject. For instance, if someone looks at the subject they will only be focusing on the white spaces because it just standout from any other vibrating color, the colors contrast.  When making a selection you have to think carefully about what tool is the best to use on a certain subject in order to make a great selection, without any white spaces or edges.

Project #1 - Melon Head Lab

                  For our first project, the melon head lab, we used the application Adobe Photoshop CS6. In this lab we went to went to jupitergrades and opened up the file LB2 Base JPG. I saved this photo and then went to photoshop and clicked on file and then place. I placed the LB2 Base JPG. After this I had to cut each piece of the photo, the Melon, blueberry, macaroni, carrot, kiwi, pear, mushroom, radish, and orang/ orange peel, by using the lasso tool, rectangular marquee tool, elliptical marque tool, magic wand, quick selection, polygon lasso, and magnetic lasso. Since we had a short amount of time to accomplish this lab, I used the tools I believed would help me make a great selection and help me finish on time. I used the elliptical marquee tool to cut the melon, blueberry, kiwi, and carrot because these subjects have circular edges. Therefore, to make it easier for me, I used the elliptical lasso tool and if I wanted to make the circle more circular I held my finger down on the shift key while dragging the mouse. Then I used the magnetic lasso on the radish and orange peel, the magic wand on the orange and pear, and the quick selection tool on the mushroom. We had to cut these subjects from the original file and make sure we select them carefully without leaving any white spaces/ edges.

                 This project was a bit difficult for me, due to the amount of time we had. Especially because it was the first time we were experiencing using some of the tools in photoshop. Also, it turned out a bit difficult for me because by mistake I deleted my project and since I did not save my work beforehand, I had to start all over. However, even though I faced this problem, it did not stop me,  the following day I got busy and worked very hard and fast to finish the project in a decent way. Additionally, I found this project very fun to do because it was the first time I was using the wand. I had the most fun when I was rotating the fruits/ vegetables, trying to use my creativity. I do not believe I used my whole creativity due to me rushing, but I am proud of the work I did, I could have done better. As a result, after doing this lab, I learned how i should use my time wisely and learned how we have to save our work, taking a notice in the actions I make. I know this well help me make my preceding projects better in the future.

Color Scheme

             Color is important because imagine living in a word without color? Over centuries, people have believed colors are a way to express how you feel or give a person an idea of how your personality is. My color scheme wheel consists of the colors yellow, light pink, a light-baby blue, green and a pink-red color. I chose this particular color scheme because I believed each of these colors define a part of my personality. The color yellow represents how I am very energetic and have a smile on my face when I greet people. I always try to be happy because by smiling, it can create a more friendly atmosphere. The light colored pink represents how I can be as sweet as a candy. I chose this particular color and not a more darker pink because I feel like a more lighter soft pink denies me because to me a light pink represents someone who's really nice and friendly. The green color on my color scheme represents how I love nature. Ever since I was a small girl, I have always gone to the park with my friends to have fun and distract myself from any problems I am facing. I love feeling the wind and just looking at nature; nature is a part of my life. In addition, to these three colors, the color blue also represents me. I chose a light- baby blue color and not a dark bus color because I consider myself a calm serene individual. I do not like getting into arguments or fights no matter how awful the situation is. Also, I love helping people with any problems they are facing. Finally, the last color on my custom cored scheme is a pink-red color. This color represents part of my personality because I have a passion for the things I do, and I am confident on the work I accomplish. This color matches my personality because I love my family me members such as my mom, dad and sister very much and I would do anything to see them happy and proud. There can be other possible colors which can represent a part of my personality, but I feel that these five colors mainly represent my personality.

Rectangular Marquee vs. Elliptical Marquee

               The rectangular and elliptical marquee tool are both tools which can be found in Adobe Photoshop CS6. These two photoshop selection tools are designed for making selections based on simple geometric shapes and are often the most useful ones. The rectangular marquee tool is designed for making selections based on simple geometric shapes. Some common options that can be see to modify its rectangular shape is by defining its selections opposing corners of a drag motion, allowing a certain a sect ratio to be maintained, and allowing a specific hight/or width to be defined. On the other hand, the elliptical marquee tool is designed to allow individuals to draw oval or circular selections. If you know how to use the rectangular marquee tool, then you'll be able to handle the elliptical marquee tool just as well. To select a round area, you hold on to the shift key while clicking and dragging. I believe the rectangular marquee tool is the most favorable and easiest one to use than the elliptical marquee tool because they have sharp, non rounded corners, making it easier to select. Although, the elliptical tool is also good, people may have a more harder time using it based on its circular edges. Individuals may make more mistakes using the elliptical tool and it seems to me that this tool is barely used. Overall, both of these tools have its advantages and disadvantages, it all depends in the situation you are in.

What is Web Design?

           Web Design is the process of creating websites which can have simple or complex HTMLs. Web designing includes aspects such as webpage layout, content production, and graphic design. Webpages are made up of HTML's, which have tags that define the contents and metadata of each page. Some web designers can either hand code pages (typing HTML or CSS) to they can use a WYSIWYG editor like Adobe Dreamweaver. Applications alike Adobe Dreamweaver can provide a visual interface for designing the web paging layout because the software automatically generates the corresponding HTML and CSS code. Also, you can use management systems like WordPress or Joomla, which provide different website templates that can be used a s a starting point for a new website. Graphic Design plays a big role in web designing, except images must be created separately. An individuals creativity also plays a big role in creating webpages because the individual has to think about the layout and the quality of its page. They have to create a good quality webpage which have to fascinate and satisfy customers.

Rule of Thirds

Rule of Thirds: 

           Photography is all about being creative and exploring the different angles in which you can take a picture. The angle in which you take a picture is very important because it can make a photograph look more prominent. A method that can be used to take photos is by using the rule of thirds. You use this method by making sure the horizon line of the camera is at the top or lower third of the frame. Meaning if you want to take a picture, favorably choose something to focus on and make sure it is either to the top, bottom, right or left. Avoid placing subjects in the middle of the frame. There are other methods of taking pictures, but this method is a great method because you get to make a certain object or subject stand out.

7 Word Definitions

                                                           DEFINITIONS 

• Raw- a collection of unprocessed data. For instance, instead of processing the image captured by the camera, the data is left unprocessed and uncompressed until it is opened with a computer ( computer program).  It is the most popular format due to its small foe size and internet compatibility. 
• JPG or JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)- are a common file format for digital photos and other digital graphics. They are the most common file type for images taken with digital camera. Once JPG files are saved, the image quality os lost, as the file decreases. 
• PSD (Photoshop Document)- a layered image file used in Adobe Photoshop. Also, the default format that photoshop uses for saving data. It allows users to work with the image, even though the file has been saved. When an image is complete, users could flatten the layers and convert the flat image into a JPG,GIF,TIFF, etc.
• GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)- a commonly image file format, used for images on the web and sprites in software programs. GIF's do not lose the quality of its image, unlike JPG's. Each image can include a maximum of 256 colors. GIF's supports color and various resolutions. It is more effective for scanned images such as illustrations rather than colored pictures. can be used for animations. 
• TIFF (Tagged Image File Format)- are a common file format for images, especially those used on graphic design. TIFF files can be saved without compression , or they can be compressed to a lower file size. They work on operating systems such as windows and mac. In addition, these files are commonly used in print design and desktop publishing because they can store large, high quality images sun as photos. 
• PNG (Portable Network Graphics)- is commonly used on the web and is a popular choice for application graphics. It is used to replaceGIF's, but take up more disk space than GIF's. PNG files do not have any blurring and may include over 16 million colors. This format allows web developers and icon designers to fade an image to a transparent background rather than colored background. 
• BMP (Bitmap)- a commonly used raster graphic format for saving image files. It was first introduced on windows. The BMP format stores color data for each pixel in the image without any compression. With this method of strong image information, allows for high quality graphics and large file sizes. BMP images are often used for printable images, JPEG and GIF's can be bitmaps. 

Lab #1- Reflection Journal

                 As for my first lab, I used the software, Adobe Photoshop CS6. For this lab, I was a bit nervous but excited because it was the first lab I had to do and I did not want to do it wrong. Yet, I was edited because I really liked the photos I took and I wanted to see how they came out. Prior to this lab, we had to take pictures in which we had to focus on one certain object. This objective was a major part in lab number 1. In this lab, we had to pick four of our favorite pictures, from which we took, and add them to a new file of Adobe Photoshop CS6. I did this by first opening the application Adobe Photoshop CS6, next I went on the menu and clicked File and the clicked on new. Once a small window appeared, I named the file and changed the width to 504 and height to 360 and changed the unit to pixels. Once I did this, I changed the resolution to 250 and then went to file again. However this time i clicked on place and picked four of my favorite photos.

                  Once I picked a photo in order to not change the proportions of the photo, I had to hold on to the shift key and drag the corner of the photo into the desired size. When it was time to print out the lab, I was not too satisfied with my results because in the pictures you can see some pixels. I think I did not focus to clearly on a certain object. The objective of this lab was to give us an idea of how we can use Adobe Photoshop and what this application can be used. It gave us an idea of how we can further improve the photos in the future. This lab gave us some practice. This is related to web design because in web design we have to know how to make something have a good quality and have a great resolution, in order to attract the viewers attention. In the future, I know this lab well help later on in future labs because now we have a more clearer and broad idea on how to use Adobe Photoshop in one way and how we can further improve our work.