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.