Hello friends!

The competition deadline is approaching. The deadline is November 30th. I am so excited to see all of your designs. You will send your design to both of the following emails: watertonwildflowers@gmail.com and executiveassistant@mayanfamilies.org by November 30th. When you save your design, save-as (guardar como JPG) a jpg. Upload your photo to the email, and explain your design in the email. May the best design win!

It's Contest Time Folks!

I am so looking forward to seeing all of your ideas. Do good work, and may the best designs win!

Day One

Let’s start by making a new file for you to keep your work in.

1. Go to Desktop, or home screen

2. Right Click> New > Folder

3. Name your folder “(Your name here) Photoshop”

We will be saving all of your work here in this one place for easy access.

How to Open Pictures:

-Select “File” > “Open” > Find the image you want to open and hit enter

How to Create a New Document:

-Select “File” > “New” > Set sizes, set to RGB, set resolution to 300 dpi

How to Save a Document or Picture in Photoshop:

-Select “File” > “Save as” > To save a picture as a Photoshop image to continue working on later: save in PSD format; to save in picture format: save in JPEG format

-Remember to always keep saving your project you are working on from time to time. If your computer stops working or crashes and you haven’t saved your work, it could be easily lost. Keep saving!

The Basics of Layers:

Refer to the following picture:

-To unlock background layer, double click on “Background”, select “Okay”.

-To make a new layer click this button (1)

-To rename a layer double click on “Layer _”, and type new name in

-To delete a layer, select the layer and hit the trashcan at the bottom *picture

-To create a group of layers, hit this button (2), name the group, select layers by holding Ctrl and clicking on them with mouse, then drag layers into folder

-“Opacity” changes how much each layer shows through. Slide the opacity to the left to make the layer less opaque. Slide the opacity to the right to make the layer more opaque.

The Tool Bar:

-The number indicates the main tool that will show up when you open Photoshop  Any tools below labeled with letters can be accessed by right clicking on the main tool and selecting the other. In parentheses (_) is the shortcut for the tool. For example, on tool number one, if you hit the “M” on your keyboard, Photoshop will automatically select the Move Tool.

1)      Move Tool (V): Use this tool to move things, such as layers. To limit the movement to either vertical or horizontal hold the shift key while you move it.

2)      Elliptical Marquee Tool (M): Use this tool to make selections on your image in a circular or elliptical shape. To make a perfect circle hold the shift key while making the selection. To select the opposite of the inside of the circle hit “Ctrl>shift>I”. To undo a selection hit “Ctrl>d”.

2.A. Rectangular Marquee Tool: This tool functions in the same way as the elliptical marquee tool. To make a selection in a perfect square hold the shift key while making the selection. To undo a selection hit “Ctrl>d”.

3)      3. Polygonal Lasso Tool (L): Use this tool to make a selection in whatever shape you would like. Click new points in the shape of your desired selection, and close the selection by clicking again on the beginning point. To undo a selection hit “Ctrl>d”.

3.A. Lasso Tool: This tool basically functions as a free hand polygonal lasso tool. Click and while holding down draw your selection. To undo a selection hit “Ctrl>d”.

4)      Magic Wand Tool (Seleccion Rapida) (W): Use this tool to select a certain color range. For example, if you want to select all of the white in a photo, click on it with the magic wand. In the Options Bar at the top, you can change the Tolerance to make your selections more/less precise.

4.A. Quick Selection Tool: This tool functions similarly to the Magic Wand tool, but you need to drag the tool along to select the desired amount.

5)      Crop Tool (C): This tool changes the size of an image. If you need to size an image to “8 by 10” you can enter those restraints in these two boxes *pic*. To crop an image to no specific size press “Clear” located next to the boxes. When you have the image set to where you want it hit enter. To undo a crop hit “Ctrl>z”.

6)      Eyedropper Tool (I): The eyedropper tool allows you to select specific colors and place them in your color palette  For example, if you want to select a specific shade of red in an apple to use later, use this tool by clicking on a specific point to select that color.

7)      Spot Healing Brush Tool (J): This tool is useful to fix blemishes or mistakes. For example, it is often times used to clear red spots or freckles from people’s faces, or even to reduce wrinkles. To use this tool it is best to click and drag in small sections of the photo at a time.

7.A. Red Eye Tool: This tool will allow you to fix red eyes in pictures easily.

8)      Brush Tool (B): This is the basic paint brush. With this tool you can paint with any color. You can change the size of the brush, the opacity of the paint, and even what type of brush you are using. We will go into more details about brushes when we discuss painting.

8.A. Color Replacement Tool: This tool allows you to replace one color with another.

9)      Clone Stamp Tool (S): This tool allows you to copy part of an image and place the copied part again on either the same layer or a new layer. To use, select the layer on which the image you want to copy is on. Then hold “Alt” and a circle will show up. It will select the information from the image around the circle. Then click on the layer you want to transfer the information to. The more times you click, the more of the image will show up.

10)   Eraser Tool (E): This tool works like the eraser on a pencil. It will completely erase any information on the layer you are on and have highlighted to the right. Just like with brushes, you can change the size of your eraser, the type of eraser (like if it erases smoothly on the edge or harshly), and the opacity.

10.A. Gradient Tool: This tool will allow you to blend from one color to another. Here are some examples of what the gradient tool can do. *pics* The default gradient will blend between the two colors you have selected in the two boxes at the bottom of your Tool Box.In the top left corner of your screen, the drop down arrow below the color box will allow you to select from several different color options. The next four boxes to the right will apply different types of gradients, and the opacity works in the same way as the opacity bar for any given layer. To use a gradient, select the gradient tool and then click and drag in the direction you want the foreground and background colors to blend.

11)   Paint Bucket Tool (G): This tool will allow you to fill either an entire layer or a specific selection with one color. Select the tool and then change the color in the first box below the tools. Select the layer you want the color to be applied to and simply click where you want to apply it.

12)   Sharpen Tool:

12.A. Blur Tool (Decenfocar): This tool blends pixels and causes the image to become blurry. Click and drag to blur an image. You can also adjust the size of the tool.

12.B. Smudge Tool (Dedo) : This tool spreads and mixes content of image areas. You can adjust the tools strength at the to and the size of the brush. Simply drag the brush to mix the content.

13)   Dodge Tool (Sobreexponer) (O): Use this to on an area you want to lighten. For example, this tool is often used to whiten people’s teeth and make their smile appear more beautiful.

13.A. Burn Tool (Subexponer) : This tool will allow you to darken the content of an image, much like the dodge tool allows you to lighten it. Use this tool in the same way as the dodge tool.

13.B. Sponge Tool: This tool saturates (adds color) or desaturates (takes away color) of the pixels in an image. The pressure option controls how strongly the effect is applied.

14)   Pen Tool (P):. The Pen Tool can be used to create vectors. It will make shapes and fill those shapes in with colors. Click to add a point, and drag to bend the line. We will talk more about this tool and vector art on a different day.

15)   Horizontal Type Tool (Texto Horizontal) (T): This is the basic tool for adding text or words to your image. Click to start typing. You can change the font size, the font type, and many other things. We will go into typography on another day.

16)   Path Selection Tool (A): The path selection tool can be used to create more accurate selections. Click to add a point, and drag to bend the line.

17)   Rectangle Tool (U): This is the basic rectangle shape. Click and drag to create a rectangle  Hold shift while you are doing this to create a perfect square. You can change the color of this shape by double clicking on the color in the layer box and selecting the color you desire. Underneath this tool are other shape tools that function in the same way. For a perfect circle, select the elliptical tool and hold shift while you click and drag.

18.A. Custom Shape Tool: The custom shape tool will allow you to select from many different previously designed shapes. Once you have the tool selected there will be a box in the top right that is named “Shape:”. Click the drop down arrow to scroll through the shapes, click the shape you want, and then hold shift while you click and drag it onto a layer to maintain the shape’s proportions.

18)   Hand Tool (H): You can really make short work of your job with the Hand Tool. It’s for moving your entire image within a window. So if you’re zoomed in and your image area is larger than the window, you can use the Hand Tool to navigate around your image. Just click and drag. You can get to this tool at any time when using any other tool by pressing and holding the [Space bar].

18.A. Rotate View Tool: This tool allows you to rotate your image in order to work or view your image from a different perspective.

19)   Zoom Tool (Z): This tool allows you to zoom into your image. Click and drag the tool to the right to zoom in; click and drag the tool to the left to zoom out. Double click on the tool in the toolbox to return your image to it’s original view.

 A few important basics to remember:

1. To undo any action hit “Ctrl>z”. Alt>Ctrl>Z will allow you to go back more than one step.

2. To change the size of something click Edit> Free transform. The shortcut for this is Ctrl>t; this will be very important. If you want to keep the proportions the same while editing the size, hold down the shift key and drag the corner with your mouse to make it larger or smaller.

Day Two

The Basics of Brushes:

Brushes allow you to paint in Photoshop  You can also use them to add in designs, write words, retouch images and a million things more! To get started let’s go over the basics of accessing your brush tools.

First, hit “B” for easy access to your brush tool, or select it from the tool box.In the top left hand corner you will see a little box with a drop down menu. Click the arrow to see the full menu. Photoshop automatically gives you access to the basic brushes to begin with. Size affects how large or small your brush is. To make the brush larger, slide this to the right; to make the brush smaller slide this to the left. The shortcuts on your keyboard to change the size of your brush are [ (which makes it smaller), and ] (which makes it larger). Hardness affects how soft or hard the edge of your brush is. You can slide it to the right to make the edge harder, and slide it to the left to make the edge softer.

Try this:

1. Create a new document (8 inches by 10 inches; 300 dpi) *pic*

2. Unlock the background layer by double clicking on it and pressing okay.

3. Add a new layer (Layer> New> Layer), or click on this icon. *pic*

4. Select your brush tool.

5. Experiment with a basic brush by changing it’s size and hardness. Write your name or draw a picture. You can change the color of your brush by double clicking on the color box below the tool box and changing the color.

Now, in the same box that allows you to change the size and hardness you will see an icon in the top right hand corner, click on it. There are many different sets of brushes, and these are the ones you can choose between in Photoshop.

Try this:

1. Click through each different brush set and experiment with using them. Remember, you can add new layers and paint on separate layers so that you can move pieces around or add effects to what you have painted.

Now there is a lot more to brushes than just that.

To access more brush changing potential:

1. Click Window>Brush

The easiest way to find out what all of these buttons do is to click through them and experiment. Click on the word to change settings regarding that topic, and click the check mark if you want that topic to come into play when you are using the brush tool. Under “Brush Presets” you can choose which brush you want to customize, and under “Brush” you can customize it. Now try it!

How to Create Your Own Brush in Photoshop:

1. Open an image that you want to create a brush out of, or draw your own.

2. Select all or part of that image using a selection tool (Polygonal Lasso tool, rectangular selection tool, etc.)

3. Click Edit> Define Brush Preset

Your new brush should now appear in your brushes tool box!

Try this out by writing your name and then making a brush out of it. Create a piece of art by changing the size, hardness, and colors of the brush. Don’t forget to work on separate layers so that you can go back and add more things as we learn if you want to. Save this image as “Name Art” in your Photoshop file. Make sure to save it as a PSD so you can work on it later.

How to Download Brushes:

Go to a website with free brushes to download.

1. Go to www.brusheezy.com

2. Find a brush set you would like to work with.

3. Click Download.

4. Open the file that appears.

5. Double click on the icon with the name of your brush.

The brush should now appear under your current brushes, here. *pic*

The Basics of Typography:

Typography basically means the design of words. There are so many things you can do with simply words!

Select your type tool. The first drop down box will allow you to select what is called a font. The third drop down box will allow you to change the size of the type. The next drop down box allows you to choose a style for the letters. Next to that you will find these three icons.

The first will “left justify” your font which basically means the words will line up on the left. The middle option will center your font, and the third option will “right justify” your font. Look at the picture above to see an example of what that means in visual terms.The box next to those options will allow you to change the color of your font. This icon (look to the left)

will give you many different options to warp the text, or in other words, make the letters follow a certain shape.

Try this:

1. Select your type tool.

2. Type your name in a font of your choice.

3. Select the warping option and look through the drop down menu to try each option out and see what each does.

(You may have to rasterize your type layer in order to edit it. Right Click on the layer with your type and hit “Rasterize Layer”.)

Now let’s look at the character window. Click Window> Character. The top drop down once again shows you the fonts to choose from. Please refer to this picture to know which box I am 
talking about.

1. This allows you to change the size of the letters.

2. This allows you to adjust how much space is in between lines of words.

3. This allows you to adjust how much space is in between each letter.

4. This will bold or unbold the letters (This means it will make the letters look larger and stronger).

5. This will italicize the letters (make the letters look slanted).

How to Download New Fonts:

Sometimes you will want to use a font that cannot be found in Photoshop. There are many websites out there which will allow you to download free new fonts. The one I use most often is called dafont.com. Let’s go there and discuss how to download a font.

Try this:

1. Go to www.dafont.com

2.Select the Espanol option in the top right hand corner.

3. As you can see there are many different options to choose from when looking for a font. You can explore these options a little later, but for now find one font you like.

4.Click on the box to the right of the font that says “Download”.

5. Click Okay.

6.Double click on the folder that appears.

7. Double click on the font icon.

8. Install.

Your new font should now be located in the list of fonts in Photoshop  If it is not, try closing out of Photoshop and reopening it.

Layer Styles:

The easiest way to teach this is for you to try it out.

1. Create a document.

2. Place a shape of your choice, with a color of your choice in your document.

3. Now double click on the layer containing the shape.

You will be brought to a box that looks like this. 

 
If you check the boxes, these options will be put into affect for whatever is on that particular layer, in this case, the shape you just created. However, if you click on the word you will be able to change smaller details and customize the layer style.

Let’s quickly go over the different options.

·         Bevel&Emboss-Use this to create unique highlight and shadow effects on a layer’s content.

·         Stroke-Use this to create an outline on layer contents.

·         Inner Shadow-Creates a shadow on top of the layer’s contents.

·         Satin-Gives the layer contents a satin-like, glossy appearance.

·         Color Overlay-Fills the layers content with a solid color.

·         Gradient Overlay-Fills the layer contents with a gradient.

·         Pattern Overlay-Fills the layers contents with a pattern.

·         Outer Glow-Creates a glow behind the layer’s contents. This cannot be distanced like a drop shadow.

·         Drop Shadow-Creates a shadow behind the layer’s contents.

Now please try it out.

 Go through the different options and experiment with them. I will be coming around to help answer questions as needed.

Day Three

How to find good images to use:

The first way to find an image is through Google.

1. Go to www.google.com

2. Type Apple in the search engine.

3. Select “Images” at the top.

4. Under Search tools, change the size to large.

5. Choose a picture of an apple.

6. Save it in your file.

7. Open it in Photoshop.

8. Remember to unlock the background layer.

We will be working with this photo in just a minute.

Another way to find a royalty free image, or one that you are allowed to use to make money legally, is through this website: www.morguefile.com

Now, let’s talk about…

Color Adjustment:

Have you unlocked the background layer on your apple? If not, do that now. In Photoshop you can change just about anything, and one of the things that gets changed the most is color. You could make an apple appear more red, juicy and delicious. You could make someone’s brown eyes blue, or blue eyes red. You could change the color of someone’s hair, or even the color of the sky. The possibilities are limitless. So let’s look at the different color adjustment tools in Photoshop  and then we will practice by making your apple look red and delicious.

Please start by going to Image> Adjustments> Hue/Saturation.

Hue & Saturation:

Hue means shade of color. Drag this around and watch the hue of your apple change.

Saturation means how much color is in a photo. Drag this to the left to take color out of your image, and drag it to the right to put color into your image.

Lightness- Drag this to the left to add black to your image, and drag this to the right to add white.

Click out of this box by hitting cancel.

Now let’s move on to Image>Adjustments>Color Balance.

                Color Balance:

In this box your will see three different sliders. When you drag the arrow towards a color word, Photoshop will add more of that particular color into your image. Slide the first slider to the right to add more red to your photo. Now slide it to the left to add more blue. In the first box at the top please change that number to 0 to reset what you have just done. Now do the same thing with the bottom two sliders to see what they do.

Click out of the box by hitting cancel.

Now go to Image>Adjustments>Black&White

                Black&White

Black and white will allow you to take all of the color out of an image. The color above a slider will tell you which pixels are being affected. For example, the “Reds” slider will change all of the red pixels in your image. If you slide this to the right the reds will become more white. If you slide this to the left the reds will become more black. All of the other sliders work in the same way for each separate color. When you want to change an image to black and white, always go through this process and figure out what looks best. The results will be better if you go through this box than if you simply desaturate the image.

Close out by hitting cancel. Now go to Image>Adjustments>Vibrance and play with those sliders to understand their roles, and then close out by hitting cancel again.

Go to Image>Adjustments>Selective Color

                Selective color:

This works in almost the same way as the Color Balance Box. Slide the sliders to see what they do to your apple, and then close out by clicking cancel.

Lighting Adjustments:

This is one of the most important aspects of Photoshop  You can change everything about the lighting of a photo to make it appear more professional.

Please start by going to Image>Adjustments>Brightness/Contrast

                Brightness/Contrast:

Brightness will affect how bright the image looks. Slide this to the right to increase the brightness and to the left to decrease the brightness. Try this with your apple. Now place the slider back in the middle.

Contrast will affect the way your colors interact with each other. Slide this to the right to make it more contrasting, and to the left to make it less contrasting. Please try this with your apple to see what it does.

Click out of the box by hitting cancel.

Now let’s go to Image>Adjustments>Levels

                Levels:

Levels is one of the first things you want to check into when picking up a new photograph to work with. The arrow to the very left when pushed to the right will fix an overexposed photograph. The very right slider when pushed to the left will fix an underexposed photograph. Let’s see what this means.

Before we go back to our apple we are going to play with levels for a minute.

Try this:

1. Search “overexposed photograph” in Google images.

2. Save the photo.

3. Open it in Photoshop.

4. Unlock the background layer.

5. Image>Adjustments>Levels.

6. Slide the left slider to the right to begin to see the photograph.

Now do the same thing, but instead search “underexposed photograph”, and slide the right slider to the left. Not all images will need this dramatic of a change. Most images only need slight level adjustments, and now that you understand what these sliders do, you can use them to better the lighting of even a good photograph. We call this process “running the image through levels”. You want to run every image you work with through levels.

Now close out of those images, and go back to your apple image.

Let’s go to Image>Adjustments>Exposure

                Exposure:

We just took a look at overexposed and underexposed photographs. This is another way in which you can fix those problems.

Slide the exposure setting to the right to increase the exposure, and to the left to decrease it.

You will rarely use offset or gamma correction, but experiment with moving those sliders so that you can see what they do.

Now cancel out of the Exposure box and go to Image>Adjustments>Curves.

                Curves:

Curves take a lot of practice to master. This isn't a skill that is easy to explain or always works in the same way. But you can add points to the line and slide them up or down to change the lighting. To get rid of a change you have made, drag the point all the way to the bottom of the graph and release. Take a few minutes to experiment with this on your apple, and then cancel out of the box.

Okay! You have learned the basics of Color and Lighting Adjustments! Congratulations! Now let’s apply what we learned by changing our apple to make it look even more delicious. If you would like to go back and find a picture of a not so good looking apple and then try to make it look better, you are allowed to do that at this point.

NOW, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT, SO PLEASE PAY ATTENTION!!! When you are working with any image to adjust the color or lighting, always duplicate the image first. This means you are saving the original image underneath in case you need to go back to it. You always need a copy of the original image.

How to Duplicate a Layer:

This is really simple.

1. Right click on layer.

2. Click “Duplicate Layer”

And that’s it! Now make sure to work on the copy layer.

Try this:

1. Adjust the lighting of the apple first. Try using the lighting tools in this order: Levels, Brightness/Contrast, Exposure, Curves.

2. Adjust the color of the apple. Try that in this order: Hue/Saturation, Color Balance, Vibrance.

3. Use some of the tools we talked about on the first day to fix blemishes in the apple. Use the Spot Healing brush tool.

And you’re done! Hopefully you have one really good looking apple now.

Filters:

First start out by finding a picture of something on Google that you want to work with. It could be scenery, a person, or an object. Open this in Photoshop. Remember to duplicate your layer!

At the top of your screen you will find a tab named Filter. Click on that.

Filter>Filter Gallery

Now go through the different options to see what each does. There are also smaller adjustments you can make to each separate filter to customize it.

Beauty Retouching:

This is a major field revolving around Photoshop  Every magazine photo is retouched. Models almost never look the way they do in magazines as they do in real life. Let me show you why.

·         Skin- The first tool to use would be the Spot Healing Brush tool. This can get rid of spots, freckles, acne, wrinkles, and much more. Find a photograph on Google of someone with freckles or acne, and use this tool to get rid of it. Remember to duplicate your layer. Some retouchers even give the skin an overall glow. This is a bit more complicated, but if you want to go back and try this, here is how to do it.

                How to Give Skin a Glow:

1. Duplicate layer.

2. Apply a guassian blur. Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur.Adjust the settings and radius of this to make it only slightly blurred.

3. Erase everything but the skin from the blurred layer.

4. Now if the blur looks to be too much, you can always reduce the opacity of your blurred layer.

Eyes: Photoshop users often adjust model’s eyes. You can brighten them, change the color and make them stand out. Duplicate the layer you got rid of the freckles or acne on. Now try using the color replacement tool to change the color of your subject’s eyes. Next use the sharpening tool to brighten their eyes.

Try this (Pick One):

1. Change the color of hair! http://www.fotografodigital.com/2011/05/tutorial-cambio-de-color-de-pelo/

2. Change the color of eyes! http://www.fotografodigital.com/2009/03/dos-sencillas-tecnicas-para-retoque-de-ojos/

Now this is where beauty retouching gets really scary. You can change the entire shape of someone’s body. You could make a short person tall, a fat person skinny, a skinny person fat, and even change the shape of someone’s facial features. Please find a photograph on google images of a celebrity you would like to work with.

     Liquify:

Now go to Filter>Liquify.

1. Forward Warp Tool-This is basically the general move tool. You can move pixels in certain directions.

2. Reconstruct Tool-This is your eraser. It will undo the mistakes you make when liquefying.

3. Pucker Tool-This will make things smaller.

4. Bloat Tool-This will make things larger.

5. Push Left Tool-This tool, like the name implies, will push things left.

Now use what we just covered, and change the face of your celebrity!

Tutorials to Try

Metal Apple

http://photoshoptutorials.ws/photoshop-tutorials/photo-manipulation/how-to-create-a-photo-realistic-metal-apple-in-photoshop/

Day Four

What is vectoring?

Vector drawings, unlike pixel drawings, are done using the pen tool, which creates "paths" that are seen as points (like on an x and y axis) by your computer. Because of the fact that they are paths and not pixels, you could zoom in on a vector picture as much as you want without it getting that ugly pixelly look.

Here are some examples of things that have been done with vectoring:

Today you will be practicing working on your own a lot through different tutorials, and you will have more time to work freely on the project you choose.So to start off, let’s review the basics of the pen tool, as this is what you will be using.

Try this: 

Please read through this tutorial on your own and ask questions when you need to. http://www.melissaevans.com/tutorials/how-to-use-photoshops-pen-tool

Now that you know how to use the pen tool, you can start to create your own art!

Try this:

Choose a photograph to work with that you really like. You could even use a photograph of yourself, and do a self-portrait for your portfolio. We would be happy to take a picture for you and help you get it on to your computer. If you get stuck, ask questions. Keep in mind that this is a skill that you get better with over time. Some people are naturally good at piecing together shapes, and for others it takes time. http://www.melissaevans.com/tutorials/vector-art-with-photoshop