Digital Photography ＆ Imaging - Project 1: Collage and Digital Imaging

日期：

week1-week5

Yang Shuo / 0384037

Digital Photography ＆ Imaging /Bachelor of Design (Hons) Creative Media / Taylor's University

Project 1: Collage and Digital Imaging

INSTRUCTIONS

PROJECT 1A: PHYSICAL COLLAGE

Step 1: Cut out design elements
  1. Explore and search for any interesting graphics from old magazines or any printed materials.
  2. Cut the shapes of pictures that you are choosing.
  3. Repeat the steps to collect your cut out design elements.

Step 2: Pre-compositing 
  1. Find an interesting background canvas
  2. Start compositing the cut out design elements
  3. Play around with the composition and layer arrangement.

Step 3: Final composition 
  1. Once you’re satisfied with your pre-compositing, start gluing the cut out based on the layer by layer arrangements.
  2. Document your work in progress on each step and upload it to your E-Portfolio blogs for the weekly contents update. 
  3. Take photo of your BEST collage (ONE ONLY) and insert on the submission section
💫I chose two fashion magazines as my source material. I believe the illustrations in fashion magazines are richer and more aesthetically pleasing. When I select images, I tend to choose those with attractive colors, and then I think about whether they can match each other. And I finished the first piece in class.

Figure1.1  Works in the classroom

💫After class, I created two more pieces. I named these three works: 

Midsummer Night and the Heart of Art,
 Exploring the World,
  Guidance of the Heart.


Figure1.2  Midsummer Night and the Heart of Art


Figure1.3   Exploring the World


Figure1.4   Guidance of the Heart


💫In the end, I chose the second piece as my final submission, titled 'Exploring the World'.（Figure1.3）The design concept is as follows：

There are many important choices in life, we must not trap ourselves, we must see more of the outside world, and have the courage to explore every piece of the "puzzle" of the world.




PROJECT 1A:Digital Collage 

  1. Based on the video tutorial, create one digital collage using the materials provided.
  2. Follow and complete the weekly progress.
  3. Attach your final digital collage below.
Refer to this video tutorial:

💫The professor provided us with some pictures as fodder for the electronic collage. There is no very visual connection between these picture elements, so I need to be creative with the composition. I tried it in photoshop.

Figure1.5  Image material provided


💫For these two collages, I used the golden ratio spiral composition, with a visual focus on the green goldfish.


Figure1.6  Collage No. 1


Figure1.7  Collage No. 2


💫For this collage, I set up a visual guide diagonal and center, using pairs of elements to achieve a vortex-like composition. I also changed the color parameters of the image to make the visual center stand out more. This is the one I am most satisfied with in the electronic collage, so I made it my last assignment.

Figure1.3  Collage No. 3





PROJECT 1B： Digital Imaging Exercises

1.Photo Manipulation (Hearst Mansion）

  • 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. For example, adjust the hue and light and shade of the characters according to the background environment color to make the picture look more harmonious.

  Figure  1.4 Hearst Mansion （exercise demo）



  • 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  1.5 Hearst Mansion （my photo）



PROJECT 1B： Digital Imaging Exercises

2. Recoloring Black & White

  •  Demo exercise
First, I extract skin tones and hair colors on other portrait photos.

  Figure  1.6  Screenshot of the process #1

Then use the Quick Selection tool to select and mask the object, which requires adjustments to the edge details. Don't forget the lips and eyes, which are reserved in the skin selection.

  Figure  1.7  Screenshot of the process #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.

  Figure  1.8 Before Grading (Overall Color Cast)


  Figure  1.9  Final Outcome of recoloring B & W photo (Demo exercise 2）



  • 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.

  Figure  1.10  Screenshot of the process 


  Figure  1.11  Recoloring B & W photo (extra exercise）





REFLECTIONS

In project, I learned how to express ideas through both hand-cut and digital methods. The physical collage helped me train my eye for composition and image selection. Using Photoshop for digital collage taught me how to work with layers and blending modes. Each method has its own style, but both focus on how images connect and create rhythm. This process improved my visual storytelling and made me think more about the balance between concept and aesthetics. It was a creative experience that gave me a lot to take away.

I also used Photoshop to work on a few creative tasks. One of them was placing a person into a different background and making it look natural. I had to adjust lighting, shadows, and colors so the person fits the scene. I also practiced recolor the black-and-white photos, which taught me to notice small details like skin tones and fabric texture. These tasks helped me understand how images can be changed to feel more real or tell a different story. It was a good way to improve my Photoshop skills step by step.

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