Tutorial Reviews for Week 8

I chose these tutorials with the Picture Book Assignment in mind…What I learn from these tutorials can possibly be an adjustment I make to my picture for my book…we will see….I do like these effects!

1) “Halftone Dots and Linear Light Tutorial” http://www.theshockzone.com/tutorials/halftonedots.php This tutorial was fun, fast, and easy. In this tutorial you learn how to transform your image into dots. By using a simple filter and adjusting size and contrast of the sketch halftone pattern, you can create a fun image.

Here is my before and after:

I spent most of my time adjusting and readjusting the size and contrast of the dots to see what outcome I liked the best.

2) “Fill a Photo with Photos” Tutorial
http://www.photoshopessentials.com/photo-effects/photo-fill/
This tutorial takes the last tutorial a bit further. In this tutorial you learn how to create a photo made up of many little photos. This tutorial has a nice flow that takes you through the steps of cropping and sizing the photos, positioning photos, Desaturating photos, making a pattern with the photos, and blending the photo layers. I could not believe how easy it is to make a photo out of photos…I used to wonder how it was done...and now I know!

3) “Easy Watercolor Painting Effect” Tutorial
http://www.photoshopessentials.com/photo-effects/watercolor-painting/
This tutorial teaches you how to apply different filters and blend layers to create a cool effect to your image. I thought it was interesting how this tutorial used the “cutout” filter to simplify their image. The precise combination of layer filters and blend options makes an awesome final product. I really like this water color effect; I think it looks great when vibrant colors are in the image.

4) “Create Sepia Toned Images!” Tutorial
http://www.tutvid.com/tutorials/photoshop/tutorials/sepiaToning.php
This tutorial begins with the narrator finding an image and then adjusting the images angles. It was interesting how he rotated the canvas to the angle he wanted by clicking Arbitrary. Next he shows you two ways to apply the sepia tone effect. First he used the Channel Mixer to turn the image from color to black and white used a mode to set it to grayscale. Then he uses Duotone options to apply a sepia color. Second he used a solid color adjustment layer. Lastly, he shows you how to add noise to give the image an aged look.

5) “Learn to Use the Curves Image Adjustment!” Tutorial
http://www.tutvid.com/tutorials/photoshop/tutorials/curvesAdjustment.php
I selected this tutorial because I wanted a better understanding of how Curves works and what the features in the Curves dialogue box represent. This tutorial explains the Curves dialogue box as well as uses it in Photoshop to illustrate the effect it has on an image. Curves make brightness, contrast, and color corrections in an image. The narrator is a good teacher, I enjoyed watching and listening to him explain the Curves tool.