Digital Photography ＆ Imaging - week 4

 2025- week 4

Yang Shuo / 0384037

Digital Photography ＆ Imaging

Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Taylor's University 

Lectures 

1. Adjustment Layer

The Adjustment Layers in Photoshop are a group of a super useful, non-destructive image editing tools that add color and tonal adjustments to your image without permanently changing its pixels. 

Figure  1.1 Adjustment layers

You can edit and discard your adjustments or restore your original image at any time.

Figure  1.2 Basic understanding of Adjustment Layer

• BRIGHTNESS / CONTRAST

The brightness slider is for adjusting the highlights in your image and the Contrast slider is for adjusting the shadows in your image.

Figure  1.3 BRIGHTNESS / CONTRAST

• LEVEL

Levels modify the tonal values in an image by adjusting the levels of the shadows, midtones,  and highlights. 

Figure  1.4 LEVEL

• CURVES

The curve allows you to adjust any number of points across the entire tonal range of the image for improved results.

Figure  1.5  CURVES

•  EXPOSURE

Exposure lets you adjust exposure levels with three sliders: Exposure, Offset and Gamma. 

Exposure will adjust only the highlights of the image, Offset adjusts the mid tones and Gamma will adjust the dark tones only.

Figure  1.6  EXPOSURE

• SELECTIVE COLOR

The Selective Color adjustment layer selectively modifies the amount of a primary color without modifying the other primary colors in your image.

                                                           Figure  1.7  SELECTIVE COLOR

2. Filters

Using filters to edit photos is an essential element of Adobe’s graphics editor. 

                                             Figure  1.8  Procedure

Tutorial

1. Match lighting. Adjustment layers, Filters.

2. Photoshop Pen Tool.

Practical

DIGITAL IMAGING EXERCISE:

PROJECT 1B -PART 1: Hearst Mansion

PROJECT 1B: PART 1 A (Hearst Mansion: Exercise Demo) 

I first watched the video tutorial and tried to imitate.

I think it's very useful for the professor to teach us how to deal with the details, and it's the key to making the picture realistic.

  Figure  2.1 Hearst Mansion （exercise demo）

PROJECT 1B: PART 1 B (Hearst Mansion: Your Photo)

Next, I started making it with my own photos. I chose a photo of myself in a Chinese Horse-faced skirt. I adjusted the tones and shadows so that it blended into the background.

  Figure  2.2 Hearst Mansion （my photo）

PROJECT 1B: PART 2 A (Recolouring B & W photo)

 Demo exercise

Figure  2.3  Recolouring B & W photo (Demo exercise 1）

Figure  2.4  Recolouring B & W photo (Demo exercise 2）

I used the Soft Light blending mode to make the colors less abrupt. I used an adjustment layer to adjust the saturation because the skin tone selection looked a bit pale. I also added shadows to the face to make the colors more realistic.

PROJECT 1B: PART 2 B (Recolouring B & W photo)

 

Extra exercise

Figure  2.5  Recolouring B & W photo (extra exercise）

For the extra exercises, I chose a rather classical black and white photo for coloring. I wanted to create a retro feel, so I used all the low-saturation colors. I also tried using the brush tool to add blush to the characters.