Photoshop Practice (For Ancillary Tasks)

In my research, I briefly used photoshop but I feel that I needed to practice and explore the program more so I could have an idea of limitations and photo manipulations I could use. I tried various techniques, including the filter gallery so I could see the effects  which look the most impressive and plausible for a digipak cover/poster.

The images I used were taken by myself from the local area. I chose these specific locations as I thought they had shapes and colours which could be adapted and changed on photoshop. This location stood out due to the graffiti, as I thought I could attempt to change the colours and add effects on the building (using the filter gallery. 

I used the magnetic lasso tool to select areas and change the colours of elements of the image. I also using the gradient tool for some of the strips for a differing effect. On the wooden boards, I used different filters to see how they look on real images. In addition, I sought some images from Google and placed them on the original photo and tried to make them look as realistic as possible. I found that the fill and opacity scales were effective in making images look as immersed as possible. I also played with smart objects, as I pinched the image to give it a fish eye look.

When making a final product, I would never use this many effects and manipulation as it can look over the top, instead I used this document as a chance of testing many.

In my final product I am considering using a blur filter and this gave me a chance to see the outcome. I think that is looks good and I will consider when fully planning my digipak. As I found when taking the image, I need the point of focus to be at the front of the photo, not in the background, as this gives a more realistic and better looking effect.

Another type of image manipulation I have seen it like the above. This fits the dance/electronic genre music more but it was good to see how the images occur and the processes used in Photoshop. This may be a good look fro tone of the inside panels of a digipak, however I need to be careful to keep my branding consistent and relevant to my Indie artist. After completing this, I feel that I could incorporate the type of design if needed in ancillary tasks.

Learning Comment 

Practicing these techniques will be crucial when I make my ancillary tasks. By doing these designs/manipulations, I have clarity of what works well and photoshop and what for avoid. For example, I like the blur effect and think this would look impressive on my products. However, I find that many of the gallery filters such as 'paint strokes' and 'ripple' look very poor and tacky for this type of task. I will be careful and restrict myself from using many filters, as this will also affect the quality of the product. Overall, this task has helped me work more efficiently on photoshop and I will be more confident when these skills are needed