CTE Academy Reflection

   Today on December 14, 2015, Mrs. Ramirez discussed with all CTE students on the dangers of having a job at a young age. It was an important workshop for her and for us since we are all at a age in which we want to go out and buy things without having our parents providing. Some teens really need the job at other times so any job offered to them, they would take. But all us teens have a right. To have a decent job with decent hours, low minimum pay and not suffer from injuries all the time. So, having a job is a very big responsibility! Mrs. Ramirez actually went through a slideshow slowly, explaining in detail what each slide meant. She introduced herself at first then showed us a quick video on how a 19-year-old was eager to work but didn't know how to be cautious of certain work tools. He ended up killing himself by making the wrong move! So what Mrs. Ramirez was trying to say was that before anything, you should always have proper training on how to handle situations, tools, the job itself and cleaning processes. There can be danger anywhere at your job so you should always be looking out for yourself. Afterwards, she explained the right actions being done by a teen at their job compared to the wrong ones. We didn't have much time for this meeting but we did learn a few more things about having a job at our age. It's good knowing we are always up to date and well informed by our teachers!

Queensborough Community College Trip Reflection

   On November 30, 2015, Mrs. Ramirez was nice enough to conduct another trip that would benefit us since the workshop would be web related. We were the first bunch she would be taking, so in that case, we didn't really know what to expect! We left somewhat early at around 9:30 or a bit later. It took 15-20 minutes on the yellow bus from our school to the college itself. We walked around the campus a bit before we actually entered one of the buildings! On that day, I remember it being really cold so I kept shivering outside waiting to be warm again! Once we got inside the building, we quickly entered a lab room. It was spacy and felt very comfortable. I liked the setting of the room itself actually! Anyways, we were presented Mr. Lawrence, who knew A LOT about photoshop software, applications and tools. His way of speaking felt very modest and he was really smart. He knew way too many things; he couldn't catch up on everything he kept speaking about! We then afterwards were introduced the topic of 3D Printing. I thought it would be lame but it was nothing like that at all! We then played around a bit with WaterWorks. It was an application like Photoshop CS6, in which we transformed a 2D shape into a 3D cylinder or any other 3D shape. It was really cool to be honest. We didn't get to print each of our creation out but the professor already had some beforehand, which was very cool. He then took us a mini tour of the machines that make 3D possible and how the job of each machine is vital and valuable depending on how or what you need in a piece. There are many substances to make the pieces too. We then finished up our work with the professor by watching videos about certain employees at companies explaining how 3D Printing has enhanced their lives and the way in which it is important. We then left to another building to eat pizza and meanwhile we were eating, a lady teaching at the college gave us an insight of her life and why science related subjects are huge to major on. It was great hearing stories from another being who has become successful in her life and is trying to motivate others to the same. She was really pretty, funny and very cool! She seemed really nice too! Overall, the trip was a great experience packed with much intel. It gives us a clue of what is waiting for us out there if we want to major in STEM areas.

                                       

Project #3 Reflection

   For this project, our objective was to repair a damaged photo provided by Mr. Attilio. Everybody in the class thought it would be somewhat easy if you knew the correct tools to use but it was nothing like that. We were given the photo by Mrs. Ramirez to begin with and there was no real instruction on how to fix certain aspects of it. We had to use our knowledge and common sense, which made it kind of more difficult then what the project already was. We used Adobe Photoshop CS6 as always to restore the picture. The main and biggest tools used by mostly everyone in the class were the Clone Stamp tool, the Patch Tool and the Spot Healing Brush tool. These were all useful to fix the basic elements of the photo. For example, the blue fading background. If you used the Clone Stamp tool for it, you could easily cover the whole background at a quicker pace instead of the Patch Tool. Unfortunately many, including myself, thought that this project was very hard, exceeding our practice and couldn't finish restoring the photo completely. I was very upset about it. Our time limit was also an obstacle in us finishing!
   Overall, the key to success in the project was taking it step by step, little by little, being patient and NEVER GIVING UP! There was no assigned tool for any specific detail of the photo, but I'm confident I tried my best to make my work look the best. I used the Clone Stamp tool for the background, the Spot Healing Brush tool for the face and skin parts, the Clone Stamp tool again for the bottom part of the photo which the cotton like stuffing, the Patch tool for the hair of the girls, and the Content Aware Tool for the water marks on the photo which surprisingly worked! For the Content Aware Tool, I had to circle a certain area with water marks and then clicked 'Edit', then 'Fill' and finally clicked 'Content Aware' and pressed 'Ok.' It worked fine for me, which I thought was great. But as mentioned before too bad I couldn't finish. I could use the skills learned here in the future by managing my time, knowing how to use common sense and putting my intelligence to challenge. I honestly like this project although it made want to rip my head off sometimes!

Before Editing

After Editing

                           

Lab #6 Reflection

  For this lab, like many others, we always go through a certain procedure to get an astounding result. In this lab compared to the ones from before, we actually used our own skills with varied tools to fix errors on pictures. There was 4 pictures given to us and we were given instructions on what had to be specifically fixed. The objective was to use photoshop on all 4 photos and make them look good as if they were originals. We were able to complete this task by using Adobe Photoshop CS6. The first image was "a.jpg", this one was of a tower like structure surrounded by grass-like surrounding. The flaws were two sprinklers and the bottom left edge of the picture was ripped off as well. We had to use the Stamp tool to fill in the sprinklers with grass by using the option key to collect surrounding grass sample. The same process had to be use to cover the ripped part of the photo on the edge with the Stamp tool. After we were done with the corrections, we had to separately save our work as "a_clone.jpg". Afterwards, we had to work on the second image, "b.jpg." This picture was of a mountain climbing lady. The flaws were the cracks in the mountains and the graffiti. They had to be covered up and then shift a few things around to make the mountains look as if they were very smooth and no rigid parts on them. The specific tools that had to be use was the Spot Healing Brush and the Patch tool. Same thing had to be done which was to save the fixed photo as "b_clone.jpg." The third picture was "c.jpg". In this one, we had to fix wrinkles on a somewhat old man with the Healing Brush Tool, Content Aware Tool and Lasso Tool. The fixed result had to saved as "c_clone.jpg." The last picture was "d.jpg". This picture was of a window on a house. We had to do modifications of color on different aspects of the picture with many tools to be mentioned. Once I was all done, I saved it as "d_clone.jpg."
   At the very end, we had to use the four photos with the corrections on them to create a collage with our name and everything else on it. This was the easiest part in my opinion because it was very quick and simple to resize and type up a few letters. The hardest part for me was on picture B since it required fine corrections. I overcame this obstacle with the assistance of my fellow peers! This lab  was somewhat difficult but fun to do. We explored many tools in just one lab, which is crazy to be honest. I would use these skills in my future labs and for future designing for companies.
 

Reflection on Myself

  My current grade for visual design is a 90. It was a 98 a few days ago actually but Mrs. Ramirez hasn't updated the jupitergrades, therefore critically lowering my grades. Honestly, I love this class and find it very interesting. It's fun to learn new tech tricks everyday or to just simply be around people who have a passion for web design like I do. I believe the category in which I best perform in for this class is classwork and engagement. I'm the best at this because I actually try to put in most of my effort into all the work I do during class and try to learn a lot in a little amount of time. I believe the category in which I have the worst performance is probably homework/blog. See, sometimes, I can't really post my work on time due to my internet always being cut off or I don't have somewhere from which to post from. I actually don't have a phone either. The days we usually do posts in our blogs are on Fridays; on Fridays I work as well. So, basically I have a tight schedule. I'm not missing any assignment at the moment; everything is turned in and all Mrs. Ramirez has to do is update the work and grades. I can do better by trying to do certain homework's earlier than due and putting in more effort and hard work to obtain better results! I have to keep my head in the game!

Lab #5 Reflection Journal

   For this lab, we basically used all the skills we already knew. The lab itself was quite simple but took time since we had to experiment with filters to our liking. The objective of this lab was to create a piece with 6 layers/photos. The first one on the top left had to be different from the other 5; the other 5 were the same picture but had to be changed with different filters. We did everything in the Adobe Photoshop CS6 application on the computers at school. The introduction to all labs are the same; the format and organized way you have to set up the file is very important. You always have to pay attention to the preset, measurements and resolution of the document before you do anything on the canvas. Saving the file is also another major factor, the way we name it is very precise and shows organization between the many labs we do. So, in this lab, we basically had to pick two pictures: one being a person and the other being an object or a person. The very first layer was the person picture; we had to use the Liquify Effect only and try to exaggerate the effects so that the changes would be really noticeable. Afterwards, for each duplicate of the second picture, it became a bit more fun honestly. We played around with filters, changing the settings for each one, making them look distinct and unique for each photo. Once I was done with all 6 layers, my last filter change was the background; I picked the color I liked and made it had a cloud filter. The very last thing to do was to label each picture appropriately and add my name, class, lab # and date on my work. I tried being artistic and creative with the color choice and font. There wasn't anything that was hard and didn't have any specific obstacle either, except for the time we had. But overall, everything was simple and easy and had a lot of peer review to advice me. I really enjoyed how we got to experiment with the filters for later use in the future. I would use these skills in any labs later on or in this class in general.

HW: Notetaking

   In our visual design class, the best way to remember the steps we do is through notetaking. To be honest, not many do it since we interact with the computers more than what we write. Sometimes, all the notes we need is already online somewhere or we go through the steps many times and remember them. But usually, the notes we take are for our background knowledge and for us to go back into if we have to remind ourselves of something specific. For example, the instructions to a certain format needed for a document, lab, project, etc. We also copy notes from the white board in front of the classroom or from a power point. In our school, Cornell Notes is reinforced so we usually try to put our notes in that specific style. Cornell Notes is somewhat helpful in a way, but I personally feel like it's the same thing as jotting down notes by bullets or by subheadings. If something is important or a term that should be remembered, I usually put a star next to it or highlight the word. I'm somewhat OCD, so I also like to keep my notes neat and organized by color-coding my work with different pen colors! The way you take notes is important because you can flow through them with ease but taking notes overall is also helpful since it provides information for later use.

Queens College Trip Reflection

    On Thursday, November 5, the visual design family including a few juniors, went on an exciting trip to Queens College for a STEM presentation. We didn't really know what to expect from a casual event but we knew we had to show the best traits of ourselves to represent Info Tech and us as students in general. We went in public transportation and it was my second time visiting. We went into a large building at first, as Mrs. Ramirez directed us, and ended up getting lost since we didn't find the ballroom on the 3rd floor. We left that building and had to go another one named 'Student Union,' where the event actually took place on the 4th floor. There were 3 elevators and the class total was 30+, so we had to split into groups using the elevator. The first two groups going up the elevator were fine, but the last third group (MY GROUP!), got stuck in the elevator on the 2nd floor! I honestly found it crazy but surprising because I would have never seen something like that happening. It was really hot and stuffy inside the elevator and I really couldn't stand being around 5+ sweaty people! I felt trapped in a corner but at the same time I wasn't worried about us being stuck. During the time that we were stuck, people from my school were cracking jokes, saying silly things which helped pass time. Soon, Mrs. Ramirez called for help and we were rescued at the second floor. I was most certainly glad because I was getting a huge headache since it was getting really warm. Afterwards, we got to the designated floor which was the 4th floor and were soon on line to get our name tags. Getting to the exact location was a struggle, but it was fun going on a mini adventure with my classmates.
   Once we got our name tags, we stepped to the side where they would escort us to our indicated tables. We each got a raffle ticket for the giveaways the sponsors were giving which were Google Nexus phones. I really wished I could've won one but I didn't even though there were three chances to get one. So, once we sat at our tables, more schools were coming in and there was very few time left for the event to officially start. I sat next to most of the guidance counselors and 4 other guys that I didn't really speak to. At the beginning of the event, a host came to greet us and explain to us why we were there, what it meant & what it was for. Afterwards, two captains were introduced to us and we got to know what they do for a living. They explained with such enthusiasm on how being a part of the Army and STEM programs have helped them grow into the person they are and what it really meant to them. It was great listening to inspiring words from elders who knew what they were talking about and the true feeling they feel towards the topic. Soon, one took the spotlight and mic and asked many questions that had thorough answers to them. He made us elaborate on what the definition of specific terms meant to him and us. He was very unexpected as well, since in the beginning he made us do a push-up each! I thought it was a crazy remark, but it was fun to do. Afterwards, we had lunch, ate a bit, and got the panel presentation. There were 4 really important & intellectual people in front of the whole room, on a stage. They went from one by one, asking each one a question which made them think and answer in a delicate manner. It took a while since each response was pretty long but detailed. It was really interesting hearing what each had to say. At the end, we took pictures as a group/school and the Army officers were giving away bags, pens, frisbees, etc to people who didn't get any during the event. It was so much fun being outside with my classmates. I was able to talk to them more then usual and get to know a bit more profound! There wasn't anything I didn't really like from this trip, a lot of the material and intel given during this event will soon become of use to me in the near future.

Project #2 Reflection

Lesli Cuamani Visual Design
November 2, 2015    Period 7
 Project 2 Warhol Portrait – Reflection Journal

   Andy Warhol (Andrew Warhola) was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 6, 1928. His parents, Julia and Ondrej Warhola, were immigrants from what is now known as Eastern Souvlakia in the early 1920’s. Warhol was a successful magazine and ad illustrator who became a leading artist of the 1960s Pop Art Movements. He experimented with a wide variety of art forms, including performance art, filmmaking, video installations and writing. In the late 1950s, Warhol began devoting more attention to painting and soon in 1961, he revealed the concept of ‘pop art’- paintings that focused on mass-produced goods. Throughout Warhol’s artistic career, he painted vivid celebrity portraits as well as everyday consumer products which created a major stir in the art world. Up to this date, his famous paintings can be seen at The Andy Warhol Musuem in his city, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately he passed away on February 22, 1987 in New York City. Viewing Warhol’s creations, I would buy his artwork because they capture simple colorful objects or people that are intriguing to the eye and make you reconsider your perspective on how it would look like before the mash-up. His artwork doesn’t necessarily remind me of something specific but it’s giving me a hint to be different personally and generally. Doing what others are doing is repetitive and soon sounds or looks dull; his artwork displays how you can become imaginative with small everyday things that are overlooked. It reminds me to show off who I am inside disregarding negative commentary. The association is both pleasant and important because his work just goes to prove that there is no real limit to being expressive.
Critics in pop culture discuss and evaluate any artistic activity and dramatize the art with the current meta, which is high-level analysis or commentary. However, criticism is made by people who generate informed and uninformed opinions to point out faults. An informed opinion is based on knowledge of the facts and carefully considered principles; it relies on evidence instead of limited personal experience. But an uniformed opinion is a statement with no real research or studies to support it. This is very similar to that of taste and bias. Taste is when one does not pick a side to an argument because they like it, but support it with reason, but bias is when a person is prejudiced in favor or against one thing or person usually in a way that is considered unfair.
Warhol’s protraits have somewhat of a similar aspect in terms of colors, shape, balance, etc. His color scheme in each portrait varies due to it being unrelated to the emotion the work gives off. He has many ways of making his works ‘pop out’ by having a complementary color scheme, which the colors that are used are opposite on the color wheel. Warhol uses a monochromatic color scheme as well, meaning he uses tints and shades of just one color and more. Just like color schemes, he also follows the Rule of Third since his portraits are not directly centered in the middle of the whole. Portraits are important to use because it displays a certain type of feeling or emotion that can be perceived in many ways. It shows you a bit of the artist, a bit of the viewer, and a bit of the world in general. The artist wants to persuade you in thinking like he/she did and make you feel deep down inside. Artists have been painting portraits throughout the ages to express a certain vision in the form of art, such as: paintings, drawings, photographs, etc. Apart from visualizing, they may be painting portraits to create a homage for a certain family member, person or celebrity (famous figure). Making a portrait like Andy Warhol makes me feel grand and was a really fun experience to play around with colors. It was very difficult because if you messed up in the beginning and didn’t go back to correct yourself, once you get to the adding color station, there will be a certain problem you might face so you have to start all over again. There were many steps taken during this project but as always, peers are always there to help you out and give you advice on how to improve your work. I can see myself using these skills in the future in schoolwork or when it comes to being artistic on computers. Knowing how to change colors to fit my personality is an advantage from the things I learned in this project.

Lab #3 Reflection

 
   For this lab, there were a few varied steps that had to be taken to create the replica's of Lancelot. The objective of this lab was being able to identify the specific tool that crops subjects out easily and smoothly and then using the duplicate, we had to use adjustments and make the original photo of Lancelot have twins. In all honesty, seeing the outcome seemed easy and could be completed in a period or so. But it wasn't like that at all. The very first thing we had to do was download the photo of Mrs. Ramirez's dog named Lancelot. It was a very cute attracting picture of him/her. We created a folder just for this lab like we do for all others and then we placed it on a new document in the Adobe Photoshop application. Everyone was given the freedom to use any tool they wanted that we already experimented, learned and honed our skills on. I used the Quick Selection Tool which in fact simplified my life. It was the only tool that actually took a matter of seconds in cropping Lancelot out and then we had to learn a new step after that. Mrs. Ramirez made it very clear at the beginning of the lab that she wanted every single strand of Lancelot's hair no matter how hard it was to crop them out. Using 'Refine Edge' from the Quick Selection Tool helped me with those little thin hairs. At the end, my duplicate Lancelot was fine with all her/his hairs and having no blue background from the sky around it. I was very pleased with my result. This was only half of the entire work given. After that, we had to make more duplicates of the cropped out Lancelot to then add adjustments to each one of them. This was quite simple though. We had to add 5 or more different adjustment colors to get a better and higher grade. Soon after we did this for all duplicates we made, we added them to the original photo of Lancelot and surprisingly, it looked very funny but professional. I was very excited with my final piece of work and it made me look forward for a lot more in the future with these labs.

   At the end of this lab, I was very, very happy with my work. Although I had missed a period due to a trip, I was still able to finish my lab with the limited time I had; this was an obstacle I had faced with.  I also found it somewhat difficult to refine edge using the Quick Selection Tool because I wasn't there during the period it was being taught. I was confused on how it had to be used and why it had to be used. But with the support and help of my peers, I understood it somewhat well and applied it to my work. Overall, I did enjoy the lab itself and changing the color of Lancelot multiple times. We used Adobe Photoshop CS6 for this lab and the skills we learn are relevant to Web Design because the work is made by planning and structuring to create an image that is pleasing to the eyes to others. I will use these skills in the future, generally in classes and for my future vocation.

Emphasis, Balance, Camera Angles and Framing

Emphasis

Balance

Framing

Camera Angles

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 courage to face challenges. An individual should be free to be unique and display who they are and what they love without fearing judging commentary from others. You don't become creative in an instant, for some it takes time, but everyone is able to think differently and create extraordinary things. It takes dedication and determination from the very inside of your heart, your soul. Sometimes your best traits are what you fear. Fear is a four lettered word that in itself holds great meaning. It is the biggest obstacle at times that prevents you from being creative and holds you back from the goals you want to achieve. Fear is an illusion to your feelings that blinds you heart which suppresses it from expressing your creativity and curiosity. Fear is also conveyed in Web Design because there will be times where you invent or create something online like a website or a collage or any other subject related as previously stated, and negatively minded people comment and it makes you doubt whether your work is good or not. Being confident is a solution to fear. Having support and positive advice from peers or mentors make you want to create more and it makes you believe that what you are doing is absolutely the best, amazing. You create one after another and sometimes the second work isn't as astonishing as the first and it makes you wonder whether you have the creativity or determination to keep inventing ideas. But that's totally fine, you always pick yourself up from each downfall. This can also be connected to Web Design because no matter how simple a task, you always put in your 100% effort into the work. You lose hope here and there because the final product didn't come out as you had perceived it to be but you always try afterwards to be better. Just as the Ted Radio Hour Podcast said, "Fear and creativity are like twins, fear can kill creativity." Deep intel was given through this podcast in my opinion.

Lab #2 Reflection

   For this lab, we used the pictures taken from the last lab to complete the objective for this one, which was being able to categorize a photo based on the image. We had the pictures saved already on the computers in the class and all we had to do was place them on a document in Photoshop CS6. But the real challenge was being sure we were categorizing the photos correctly without Mrs. Ramirez's advice. The placing of the images was simple; they were skills we had honed on since last lab so it wasn't any problem to us. We always start off by pressing File and then Place to select a certain picture; we usually pick pictures from our iPhoto library. We can resize the photo properly by holding down the Shift key and making it to the size wanted. Pressing Shift keeps the same shape size of the picture instead of making it too wide or too thin. After we know the size we want, we press Enter to have it on the page and then use the same process for the next picture. After much struggle, I honestly believe the step I had most complication with was knowing how to categorize. For each picture I chose, I had an idea of where they might belong, but sometimes I had self doubt and wasn't sure if I was right. The categorization overall was simple as well, including: High Viewpoint, Low Viewpoint, Eye View, Close-Up and Landscape. But at the end of this lab, I was content with my work and happily submitted the document. I overcame my self-doubt with confidence from my peers and enjoyed being able to express our opinions on each other's work/pictures. Labs are always fun but work-related. I can use the skills in this lab in the future for schoolwork in general and later jobs. We used Photoshop CS6 to complete this lab and this is relevant to Web Design because we're creating work that is influenced by planning.

Project #1 - Melon Head Lab

   For our first project of the first marking period, it can honestly be considered as a fun and interesting work. For this project, we used Adobe Photoshop CS6. The objective of this project was to learn which tool was necessary for a certain job and then learn how each one is used professionally. The very first thing we had to do, was as a class to download the file Mrs. Ramirez had posted in Jupiter Grades. We downloaded it, saved and placed it under the name of LB2 Base in the photoshop application. Mrs. Ramirez had left for homework a day before we actually started the project, to read the instructions on how to properly use each tool for that exact lab. So, I was personally more informed then others who didn't read it when Mrs. Ramirez went over how to cut out each fruit. I understood most and all of the steps needed to have a perfect fruit or vegetable cut out. Mrs. Ramirez also taught us some tips on how to deselect a selection or how to escape from the polygonal lasso tool or how to add or subtract more with each tool using the Shift Key or the Command Key. So once we started independently working on our projects, we made sure to open LB2 Base and then duplicate the layer of the background and called it "base work." This "base work" layer was the one we were going to do all of our cuts and selections on. There were many subjects that had to be cut out from the white background in the base work layer. They were the melon, blueberry, macaroni, radish, zucchini, orange, kiwi, carrot and the mushroom. All and most of these had circular edges which made it somewhat difficult to cut out all of the white space; especially with a short amount of time for the project. The Elliptical Marquee Tool came in handy when I had very round large objects like the melon as the head. The Lasso, Polygonal Lasso and Magnetic Lasso Tools came in handy for small round objects like the blueberry, carrot and the macaroni, which had zig-zags instead of curves. The Quick Selection and Magic Wand Tools came in handy for objects that were fat or couldn't exactly be cut out by the other tools mentioned before; the mushroom and the kiwi. Using the best selection for each fruit or vegetable either saved you time or made it look better without the white spaces on them. The project was very creative and I really enjoyed working with the tools and the application itself. I believe I put in all my effort so my artwork must look great!
   Personally for this project, due to the lack of time, some of the tools were hard to work with since it was my first time experiencing with them. Since I did read the instruction manual on this project, some things were clear to me and after every step I ALWAYS saved my work. I was pretty lucky the application never crashed on me. But no matter how frustrated I got because of me not properly cutting out the subject, I kept trying and trying. So I guess my determination helped me overcome the obstacle of having difficulty with the tools. As previously stated, I enjoyed working with the tools and communicating with classmates to better improve their or my work. I may use these skills later in the future if I want to take out a subject and paste it onto another bigger one, which is photoshop. I might also use these skills for business related jobs. 

Lab #1 Reflection

   For this lab, we had to use the pictures we had taken a few days ago during the field trip to create a collage of the ones we loved the most and then transfer them to Photoshop CS6. The objective was to properly learn how to resize the pictures using simple tricks on a Mac. We did this by first importing all of our pictures onto the computer in the school; afterwards we had them set in iPhoto, we opened the Adobe Photoshop CS6 application to start placing the pictures on the blank page. We started the process by clicking on File then opening a new one and named it using this format: LB1_YourName_vd. We then adjusted the settings by switching the unit of inches to pixels and changing the resolution to 250 pixels. A trick I learned during this lab was knowing how to make the page bigger by pressing command and the plus/addition button, which helped out during the process of the collage. After we changed the settings, we went back to File > Place and chose the 4 pictures from our iPhoto library and clicked place after each single one. After placing one picture, we realized it has a big X on top before clicking anything. The X indicates that the picture hasn't been placed on the page yet. But before we press Enter, we press the Shift key and from the corner of the picture, we resize the image making it either larger or smaller. Pressing the Shift keeps the same shape size of the picture instead of making it too wide or too thin. After we know the size we want, we press Enter to have it on the page and then use the same process for the next picture. After all the effort put into this lab, I believe the hardest step was to resize. Sometimes one forgets to press the Shift key while resizing so you mess up the quality and size of the picture and then start again from the beginning, which wasted time in class. I overcame this obstacle by carefully checking whether I was pressing the Shift key or not during the placement of a picture. I enjoyed being able to work with the application itself and knowing how simple computer tricks can enhance and make one's life easier instead of looking for the action itself in tabs. I can use this skill in the future if I ever learn how to make business cards or using this skill itself on schoolwork. We used Adobe Photoshop CS6 in this lab and this is relevant to Web Design because we're creating work that is influenced by planning.

7 Definitions

1. RAW (a.k.a Digital Negative) - an image file format used by many high-end and professional digital cameras; are considered to be the best form of image file, since it does not process the picture, leaving total control of the editing to the user; file size is much larger then .JPEG files, but is slightly smaller than .TIF file
2. JPG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) - a file extension for a lossy graphics file. The JPEG file extension is used interchangeably with JPG. 
3. PSD (Photoshop Document) - the default format that Photoshop uses for saving data; a proprietary file that allows the user to work with the images' individual layers even after the file has been saved
4. GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) - a file extension commonly used for images on the web and sprites in software programs; uses lossless compression that does not degrade the quality of the image 
5. TIFF (Tag Image File Format) - a common format for exchanging raster graphics (bitmap) images between application programs, including those for scanner images; can be identified as a file with a ".tiff" or ".tif" file name suffix
6. PNG (Portable Network Graphics) - a file format for image compression that, in time, is expected to replace the GIF that is widely used on today's internet
7. BMP (Bitmap Image) - is Microsoft's preferred image format for rasterized graphics; has little use on the web and there are better formats for saving and storing images (PNG, JPG, TIF, etc.)

Rule of Thirds

   The rule of thirds is an essential photography technique. It can be applied to any subject to improve the composition and balance of your images .A photo is more interesting if the subject is NOT directly in the center; placing it 1/3 to the left or 1/3 to the right or 1/3 from top to bottom.The horizon line should be top or lower third of the frame. One should also leave space for moving subjects.

Color Scheme

   I chose this particular color scheme because it expresses who I am. I'm a different person in many perspectives and I'm also very bipolar. I go from one mood to another in a matter of seconds. People that get to know me for me know how challenging it is to understand me sometimes but overall, I'm a very caring person who only tries to pull off jokes to see others with a smile on their face. Each color represents my feelings or my personality. The first color, gray, displays how I'm gloomy or not in the mood, There are days where I feel like everything in my life is heading the wrong direction and I want to change the path but I don't know where to start and I end up overthinking. The second color, red, displays how I'm feisty. I have an attitude when it comes to someone trying to argue with me or someone trying to show off they're better at me at something. I'm quick to action so I'll always have something to say if anyone tried to start problems with me. The third color, a bright shade of purple, displays how I'm bright or kind. Sometimes I'll act really mean depending on what I'm feeling that day, but most of the time, I'm always looking out for the people I care for. The closest friends I have right now are the ones I want to keep with me the whole journey onto college. Therefore, I'm always doing my best to be there for them when they need me. It also shows how I'm an intelligent student in different ways. The fourth color, burgundy, displays how there's a naughty/mean side in me. I had mentioned how I'm a kind person, but I'm also someone you don't want to start a conflict with. I will show my brute side if needed for anything I love or believe in with, with a passion. The last color, a shade of blue, displays how I'm "jiggy" or easy to get along with. I can honestly say, I'm someone you can easily become friends with. I'll open up to anyone with ease and show who I am and if others can do that too, then I'm really cool to talk or hang around with. I chose these colors by looking inside my personality.

Differences Between Marquee Tools

   The Rectangular Marquee Tool, one of Photoshop's basic selection tools that, along with the Elliptical Marquee Tool, is designed for making selections based on simple geometric shapes. As the name implies, the Rectangular Marquee Tool is perfect for times when you need to draw or crop a selection in the shape of a rectangle or a square.

   The Elliptical Marquee Tool, is nearly identical to the Rectangular Marquee Tool and works much the same way. In fact, the only real difference is that the Elliptical Marquee Tool allows us to draw or crop oval or circular selections. Working with The Rectangular Marquee Tool makes it easy to work with The Elliptical Marquee Tool but only with extremely rounded corners.

   I would prefer to work the Rectangular Marquee Tool since it's easier than the Elliptical Marquee Tool because all you need to focus on is to place/crop the section you want into a basic rectangle or square instead of worrying over whether the oval was too fat or too skinny. 

What is Web Design?

   Web design is a process of conceptualizing, planning, and building a collection of electronic files that determine the layout, colors, text styles, structure, graphics, images, and use of interactive features that deliver pages to your site visitors. There are two primary jobs involved in creating a website: the web designer and web developer, who often work closely together on a website.
                          

Reflection On Field Trip

   To begin on our adventure of web design professionals, Mrs. Ramirez was kind enough to take us on a mini field trip and explore the wonders hidden in the outside world. Seen from a variety of varied perspectives, places and things look and feel different. We were all given cameras that would help us fulfill the task of taking pictures around the school. It was honestly an amazing experience being able to capture the beauty behind nature and notice the little things we usually ignore. Around the school, there are many construction sites and tall buildings, which makes it feel like a mini Manhattan. The neighborhood creates a peaceful vibe to many; wanting to live around here sometimes. Overall, we were able to explore in depth how subjects look like through a camera's lens in different views. 

   Personally, I learned how to properly focus on an object. It was something I had trouble with in the beginning of taking pictures, but soon it wasn't a hassle anymore and got the hang of it. Another great tip I learned is that not all pretty things are the best to take shots of; taking quick pictures of buildings in the making was something extraordinary to see. 

Windows Vrs. Mac

   There are key differences between the general operation of the two operating systems: Windows and Mac. 

General
Function	Mac OS	Windows
Close dialog without any action	Esc	Esc
Contextual Menus	Control + Click	Right Click
Copy a file	Option + drag icon	Control + drag icon
Create an alias/shortcut	Command + M	Right Click and choose create shortcut
Create an alias/shortcut in a specific location	Command + Option and drag	Alt + drag
Item's Info or Properties	Command + I	Alt + Enter
Move a file	Drag icon to location	Shift + drag icon
Select additional items without deselecting previously selected items	Shift + Click on items	Control + Click on items
Select All	Command + A	Control + A
Send to Trash/Recycle Bin	Command + Delete	Delete
Startup with Extensions Off/Safe Mode	Shift	F8
Switch to next active application	Command + Tab	Alt + Tab

Deleting
Function	Mac OS	Windows
Backward Delete	Delete Key	Backspace Key
Forward Delete	Del Key	Delete Key

Editing
Function	Mac OS	Windows
Cut to clipboard	Command + X	Control + X
Copy to clipboard	Command + C	Control + C
Paste from clipboard	Command + V	Control + V
Undo	Command + Z	Control + Z

Quitting
Function	Mac OS	Windows
Quit a frozen program	Command + Option + Esc	Control + Alt + Del
Quit/Close a program	Command + Q	Alt + F4

Screen Shots
Function	Mac OS	Windows
Screen capture to clipboard	Command + Control + Shift + 3	Print Screen
Active window to clipboard	Command + Control + Shift + 4 + CapsLock and click	Alt + Print Screen
Create a picture of a portion of your screen to clipboard	Command + Control + Shift + 4	None
Create a picture of a portion of your screen to disk	Command + Shift + 4	None
Create a picture of a specific window to disk	Command + Shift + 4 + CapsLock and click	None
Screen shot to disk	Command + Shift + 3	None

Who Am I? Why Am I Here?

   Who are we once we enter the door that leads to class 237 and why are we here sitting through these nearly 40-45 minutes of 7th period? As once said by Mrs. Ramirez, these two simple questions can be easily answered. But when you give it some thought, these two simple questions become a bit more complex. The moment we decided, or in this case, I took the decision of applying for the academy of web design, I was signing up to fully dedicate myself on my growth as a student and enhance my web skills. Listening to students and fellow peers who were already in the academy had me doubting whether if I was prepared to take the course. But I pulled myself together and hope to have better things in the future so I knew I had to join the academies' family for my sake. Honestly, I'm proud of being one of the chosen to have been added to the academy. It's a big blessing knowing my hard work paid off in my grades, which pushed my luck a bit more. Therefore, I will try my best to succeed in class and grow as a person.

   So, who am I in class 237 alongside peers and others? I am a human, of course, that comes from a different background and has a different perspective compared to many. I am a somewhat average fourteen-year-old, almost 15 in December, preparing for rigorous learning from Mrs. Ramirez. I am a student like various others, who wants to succeed in life and become professional in an area of web design. I am a leader once it comes to teamwork; a fully cooperative person who likes to speak and teach instead of being taught. I am an intimate but expressive girl who can't share her work and thoughts to a class due to being nervous. And other from being someone who contains a trait from all that above, I am as well a sibling. A sibling to the family of web design who cares and wants to help herself and others.
    Aside from detailing who I am, I'm also in the same room for 40-45 minutes as well. Being in room 237 makes me realize I have a purpose. I'm there to learn and become someone professional in life. Mrs. Ramirez is preparing us to know certain things that might later become of use to peers including me. I am in the web design academy to structure myself. Having knowledge dealing with web design skills makes me look presentable to other fellow students. I am also in room 237 during 7th period because I grew a deep interest in the subject. Last but not least, being in this classroom was for me to be me and improve myself as a person.