Upload Adjustment Layers - Desaturate - Levels

Upload your Adjustment Layers work from last class.

The original color version
The Desaturated version (Black and White)
The Levels adjusted version

Assignment - Hue/Saturation and Levels Adjustment Layers

Post your examples of your work with Photoshop Adjustment layers. See the examples below to help guide you:


 Here is my original color image

Here is the Desaturated (BW) Image

Here is the image adjusted for levels. 
Shadows 21, Midtones .91, highlights 231

Levesls adjusted toward the shadows
Shadows 156, Midtones .81, Highlights 171

Levels adjusted towards highlights
shadows 15, Midtones .16, Highlights 65

Photoshop - Adjustment layers

Today I will demonstrate how to use Photoshop Adjustment Layers.

We will practice the following in class:

• Convert a picture from Color to Black and White using the Hue/Contrast Adjustment layer
• Adjust Levels using the Levels Adjustment layer

Creating adjustment layers

Do one of the following:
For Hue-Saturation (Converts to Black and White)

1. Click the New Adjustment Layer button  at the bottom of the Layers panel, and choose Hue/Saturation

2. Move the Saturation slider all the way to the left

3. Click ok

Here is a video showing how to do it.

For Levels (Adjusts Contrast in your picture)

1. Click the New Adjustment Layer button  at the bottom of the Layers panel, and choose Levels

2. Move the Shadows, Midtones, and Highlights Sliders to adjust the range of contrast in your image

3. Click ok

Here is a video showing how to do it.

This link will take you to a description of using Levels in Photoshop. The photo in the example is in color but it works the same in black and white.

We will try this for ourselves in class and post the results on our blog Friday.

Composing Your Photograph Using the Rule of Thirds

Today you will take pictures using the Rule of Thirds. You will need to post 3-5 examples of the Rule of Thirds to your blog. For each example write an explanation of how the rule of thirds was used in each picture.

The rule of thirds is probably the most often referenced photography rule of composition.  It is all about subject placement within the frame.

Imagine that your picture space is divided into thirds both horizontally and vertically, like a tic tac toe grid.

The photography rule of thirds tells us to align our subject with one of the points where those lines cross. That means our subject is one third of the way “into” the picture space – from either the top or bottom, and from either the left or right. And that means it’s not in the middle.



Here is an example of the rule of thirds for a landscape photo. The focus is on the land area rather than the sky so the bottom two-thirds of the photograph are filled with land and the top third is sky.

Here are additional links explaining and demonstrating the Rule of thirds.
http://digital-photography-school.com/rule-of-thirds
http://learnprophotography.com/rule-of-thirds
http://www.ultimate-photo-tips.com/photography-rule-of-thirds.html

http://www.photographymad.com/pages/view/rule-of-thirds

Photographer Research 1

Today you will create your first photographer research post. 

Pick one of the Photographers you  briefly reviewed earlier in the class and write a detailed post about them.

Please click the Photographer Research link above for detailed instructions.

Aperture - Depth of Field Excercise

Today you will experiment with capturing both shallow and deep Depth of Field.

Post your examples to your blog demonstrating both shallow and extended Depth of Field.

You should have 2 examples of both deep and shallow depth of Field.

 follow the format below for each picture:

This pic was shot at ISO 400, Shutter Speed 1/125, aperture f5.6. 
The DoF is very shallow:

This pic was shot at ISO 1600, Shutter Speed 1/60, Aperture f32. 
it has an extended Depth of Field.

Aperture and Depth of Field

Aperture is the opening in the lens that controls the AMOUNT of light that you allow to enter the camera. It is measured in a thing we call the F number.



As you decrease the size of the Aperture you increase the amount of the picture that is in focus. This is called Depth of field.

Watch the following video for a good explanation of how Aperture works. We'll began shooting in Aperture Priority and doing Depth of Field exercises later in class.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUbjkMm_v-A


Aperture Priority is when you select the aperture and the camera chooses the corresponding shutter speed. Both modes have advantages, but aperture priority ultimately gives you more control over the overall quality and visual focus of your images. 

Depth of Field is the amount of the image that is in sharp focus

Here is the a link that describes how and when to use Aperture Priority

Here's link that descibes how to take better pictures using Aperture Priority.

Use the Nikons to experiment with Depth of Field around the building. Take pictures with both Shallow and Deep Depth of Field. We'll post them next class.