Tutorial Reviews for Week 5

This weeks tutorials are all about Photoshop, from the tutvid website, and are videos…yay videos! Also, my selection of tutorials include how to correct color in pictures because we have been talking about photo editing in class this week and I want to be familiar with some techniques.

1) ”Editing Photo Colors and Coloring Black & White!” Tutorial

http://www.tutvid.com/tutorials/photoshop/tutorials/coloringReColoring.php

This tutorial is like 3 in one because it educates you on two ways to realistically change the color of a photo and how to transform a black and white photo in to color. The two demonstrations he used to realistically edit color in a photo involved the adjustment layers and the blend tool. Lastly he demonstrated the black and white to color transformation and I just have to say, “Wow!” I was seriously so amazed watching him transform a black and white photo into color. He made the process look so easy.

The following are screen caps from this amazing tutorial:

First he livened up a flower by changing the color.

Next he transformed a red car into a blue car.

Lastly, he transformed a black and white photo into color.
Aren't you amazed?....Crazy huh?!...
After this tutorial I was inspired to transform an image. I found this picture of an apple on google and decided to make this apple a radical color, for an apple that is! ( I love apple's, I practically eat one everyday)
LOOK! Its a purple and a blue apple!!! Crazy!!!...I could totally see the munchkins in Wizard of Oz eating these apples or the Oompa Loompas from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory manufacturing them!...

2) “Photo Edit: Vivid Skies and Bright Grass!” Tutorial

http://www.tutvid.com/tutorials/photoshop/tutorials/vividSkiesGreenGrass.php

This tutorial incorporates many tools to create a bright and beautiful sky picture out of dull sky picture. The tools the man used in his transformation include sharpen filters, adjustment layers, masks, blend modes, and the gradient tool. I also learned how to use the Hue/Saturation adjustment layer to make a big difference.

3) “Composite/Combine Multiple Images!” Tutorial

http://www.tutvid.com/tutorials/photoshop/tutorials/compositeImage.php

This tutorial teaches you how to composite images, use channels to make selections, and use some tools to edit the images. The tools the man who narrated the tutorial used included the copy, paste, masking, dodge, and burn tools. The tutorial also gives links the images he used so you can follow along.

4) “Color Correcting Images and Removing Color Casts via Curves!” Tutorial

http://www.tutvid.com/tutorials/photoshop/tutorials/colorCorrectAndCurves.php

From watching this tutorial you obtain a better understanding of RGB and CMYK and how they relate to one another, their differences, and how they are used when color correcting images. He uses levels to auto correct color and a curves adjustment layer to manually adjust color. I thought it was interesting that he used RGB for landscape adjustments and CYMK for skin tone adjustments.

5) “Create Black and White Photographs using Different Methods!” Tutorial

http://www.tutvid.com/tutorials/photoshop/tutorials/convertToBW.php

This tutorial teaches you how to convert a color image into a great black and white image. He starts out by showing you all the ways to convert an image and why they make the image look good or bad. Next he shows you the way he thinks is the best way to convert an image. He used modes, channels, levels, layers, channel mixers, adjustment layers, and paint tool to make a finished product.

Note: I am not sure if all the tutorials were explained by the same man or not ... but I do know that i was entertained watching these tutorials because the narrator was funny and I liked hearing their personalities come out!

Progress on the Chupa Chups Logo!

Here are the steps I took to recreate the Chupa Chups logo:

First I used the pen tool to make a fourth of the daisy shape...

Then I copied and pasted the shape to create a full daisy...
I made four daisies, each a different color and then combined them...
Next, I started on the text...I used the pen tool to outline each letter...
And here you have it...all the elements of the Chupa Chups logo combined! yay!

Thoughts....

The Art 120 blog is full of great links to many graphic design and advertising sources. Kate, our fabulous Art 120 teacher, recently supplied the link to the LOGODESIGNLOVE website. Logos are pretty amazing and this site is devoted to logos...so I think this site is really awesome.

I browsed through their site and there are so many interesting logo articles. One article that I really liked was about handwritten logo designs.  These handwritten designs range from beautiful and elegant to bold and simple. Here are a few that I really liked:

Tutorial Reviews for Week 4

1)“Useful Applications for the Clone Stamp Tool” Tutorial
http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/tools-tips/useful-applications-for-the-clone-stamp-tool/I choose this tutorial because I wanted to familiarize myself with the clone stamp tool because it is not a tool I use very often. I had so much fun playing around with the clone stamp tool. 

The tutorial has two parts, the first part teaches you how to “clone a baby car” and the second part teaches you how to “straighten the leaning tower of pisa”. Steps are provided in each part to illustrate process.

This is a picture I was playing around with on Photoshop with the clone stamp tool....

.....This is my creation using the stamp tool....

2)“You suck at Photoshop Part #3: Clone Stamp and Manual Cloning” Tutorial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWn0lxRNqos&feature=SeriesPlayList&p=D19BCF9D57320E03&index=2
I found this tutorial on Youtube because I wanted to try using a new source for information. I do not know if this tutorial is appropriate for class content, but it is funny and educational. I think that watching someone use the tools rather than viewing screen cap after screen cap with directions of the steps is smoother to follow. I liked this clone tutorial more than the tutorial above because I was able to listen and watch the steps take place.

3)“Getting to Grips with the Vanishing Point Filter” Tutorial
http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/photo-effects-tutorials/getting-to-grips-with-the-vanishing-point-filter/This tutorial is a combination of two tutorials that teach you how to edit photos by using the vanishing point filter. The two in one tutorial is divided into two parts: adding floors to a building and adding a picture to a wall. I think this tutorial is cool because you can turn a house into a skyscraper by adding floors using Photoshop tools. I think that the second part to this tutorial could have been helpful to me last term in Art 119 because I had an assignment where I had to design a 2D room.

4)“Photoshop’s Pen Tool: The Comprehensive Guide” Tutorial
http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/tools-tips/photoshops-pen-tool-the-comprehensive-guide/Since we are going to start working in Photoshop next week, I figured I would get freshened up on some Photoshop tools. The pen tool is a commonly used tool so I chose this tutorial so I could touch up on my pen skills. This tutorial supplies a free download of a “Pen Tool Exercise” that you can use for practice. Also, this tutorial is very informative, it describes and illustrates the pen tools functions, short-cuts, cursors, and much more.

5)“Creating Logos on Glass Surfaces” Photoshop CS3 Tutorialhttp://www.muymono.com/?p=37I chose this tutorial because it fit in with our latest Art 120 assignment, recreating logos. This tutorial illustrates the directions in seventeen easy to follow steps. A combination of adjusting different layers and using some effects is all you need to do to create a logo on glass. I think that this tutorial is really cool.

Logo Assignment

I am ready for our first group project.... I am part of a group that is recreating four existing logos. Those logos include; Chupa Chups, International Paper, Michelin Man, and UPS. We definitely have an interesting variety of logos.

Our group decided to each research one specific logo since there are four of us and four logos. The logo I chose to research was Chupa Chups.
Enric Bernat founded a Spanish lollipop company called Chupa Chups in 1958. He came up with the idea of a lolly pop "bonbon on a stick" from mothers cursing their children for getting sticky hands from their melting sweets and he wanted to design a candy "sweets" with children in mind. The company was an instant success and started selling their colorful lollipops internationally in the 1970's. By 2003, 4 million lollipops were sold yearly to 150 countries. Also, the Chupa Choops logo's design is based off of a concept sketch made by Salvador Dali. (wikipedia)

You can check out more fun facts about the history and product by going to theses sites:

Chupa Chups official website: http://www.chupachups.com/

(Their website is pretty snazzy)

Wikipedia Chupa Chups website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chupa_Chups

My Geoff McFetridge Postcards

I have here two Geoff McFetridge postcards....I cannot decide which postcard I like best because they are both pretty great ;)

I really enjoyed the postcard project.  It was fun to learn about a graphic designer and to become familiar with their style.  I was excited about making a postcard design that would resemble Geoff McFetridge's work and style.  I went crazy with sketches and ended up making five postcard designs and even wanted to make more.  I narrowed down my designs to the two pictured above so I could devote my focus to them and make improvements.  I had fun with every aspect of this project and look forward to future assignments.    

Tutorial Reviews for Week 3

1)“Complex Circular Design Techniques” Tutorialhttp://www.bittbox.com/illustrator/complex-circular-design-techniques/ I cannot believe that I have not known how to use the Rotate Tool to make a circular design, till now. This tutorial taught me an easy Rotate Tool trick that I can use whenever I want to make a circular design. This tutorial also goes over the steps of how to make a Custom Pattern brush, which is another way to make a circular design.
This is the awesome image the tutorial made...
The tutorial is very helpful and supplies you with the images they will be using so you can follow along.
This is the coolest trick...I cannot believe I did not know how to copy an image while moving it at the same time.
Learn how to make a custom brush to make a circular design.
This is the design I made with the tuttorial technique...I went crazy with circular designs!

2)“Illustrator’s Pen Tool: The Comprehensive Guide” Tutorial
http://vector.tutsplus.com/tools-tips/illustrators-pen-tool-the-comprehensive-guide/
The pen tool is so important and I could not wait any longer to learn how to function the intimidating and sometimes confusing pen tool. Learn how to make straight and curved paths (lines) with the pen tool. Directions and examples of the “add anchor point” tool, the “delete anchor point” tool, and the “scissors tool” are also explained. This tutorial includes shortcuts and a cursor guide to help you become quick and familiar with the tools functions.

3)“Quick Tip: How to Use Effects to Create a Cool Design” Tutorial
http://vector.tutsplus.com/tutorials/tools-tips/quick-tip-how-to-use-effects-to-create-a-cool-design/
This tutorial covers the “effects” feature in Illustrator. Through 16 easy to follow detailed steps you can create a fun design by starting with a simple shape. I think that you can save yourself time in future projects by becoming familiar with the effects tool.

4)“How to make an Eco Friendly Vector Poster” Tutorial
http://vector.tutsplus.com/tutorials/designing/how-to-make-an-eco-friendly-vector-poster/
This tutorial looked fun and the words “eco friendly” caught my eye. This tutorial has a lot going on, it makes a poster in 24 fast steps and uses a variety of tools and features. Each step is accompanied by an illustration which helps you make sense of the information.

5)“17 Tips that will save you time in Illustrator” Tutorial
http://www.bittbox.com/illustrator/17-tips-that-will-save-you-time-in-illustrator/
This tutorial suggests that your productivity will increase with the knowledge of their 17 key illustrator tips. They are actually really helpful tips on how to use tools, layers, and palettes. They explain the tip and why it is useful and can potentially save you time. I recommend that you look over this tutorial because it can help you out and answer questions you may have about a particular Illustrator feature.