Blog Post #4: It Took Me a While, But I Think I Finally Figured Out Why Smart Objects Are Not Dumb Objects ෆ

Introduction

In this blog post, I describe the process (aka struggle) of creating the cover of my magazine Photostory. Using the skills I learned in class, I had to combine two images together and combine them to make a multi-layered first page image.

The (Long) Photoshop Process

I first selected two images that I wanted to use for my magazine cover: one for the foreground, and one for the background. The two original images are found below.

Foreground

Background

I started by cropping the background image to 8.75 x 11.5. I felt that the colors of the background image looked too dull in comparison to the foreground, so I added a Brightness/Contrast layer and changed the brightness to -42 and the contrast to 26. I also added a Color Balance layer and changed the magenta/green slider to -5, and the yellow/blue slider to -14.

Once satisfied, I made the foreground a smart object, and used the Quick Selection Tool to lasso the girl and her rifle. This grueling process felt like it took at least half an hour, since I constantly checked to make sure that I didn’t accidentally select any portion of the photo I didn’t want. I then placed the foreground picture on the background. 

Noticing that my foreground blended in too much with what was going on in the background, I decided to put a blue border around her to make her stand out. I also made the background look like stained glass using the Filter Gallery in Photoshop. This would put the focus on a singular person, which was much better than having the background be in-focus, because the people in the background would be unneeded visual noise that would distract the viewer from what is more important (10 Tips to better print design).

The Final Product

Here is my final result!

Reflection

This assignment was one of the toughest ones yet, as it was completely new territory for me. However, the class video Photoshop, Smart Objects, Quick Select Masks (Heagney Nov 14) helped me figure out how to use smart objects and masks, which made it far more easier. In the end, I was very proud of the way my final product looked.

Blog Post #3: You Can Probably Guess I Really Love Pastels ෆ

Introduction

In this blog post, I created a color scheme based off my original creation and created custom nameplates for myself using the color scheme.

Photograph

Two years ago, I helped create a mod for Stardew Valley that changed the color palette of the game’s interface. Instead of using a photograph that I took, I used a screenshot of Stardew Valley’s loading screen with the mod. I really enjoy pastel colors, so I was excited to see what I could do with this image.

Color Scheme

     I created this color scheme by using the swatches panel in InDesign. The first column on the left is the custom color with 100% tint, while the middle columns are 75% and right columns 50%. 

The Nameplates

      For the final portion of the assignment, I had to create 3 different nameplates using the previous color scheme. I made my nameplates in InDesign. In these nameplates, I typed my name along with a few important defining parts about myself below. I rotated the color of the nameplates so I could see the best color combination.

      In my opinion, the 3rd name plate is the worst because the yellow background is too bright compared to the text, and the pink text is barely readable. I think the yellow and pink just don’t go well together. The 2nd name plate is slightly better than the 1st because the yellow text on the pink background strains me eyes in the 1st name plate. It doesn't have the best contrast of colors so it's not extremely easy on the eyes, but it is better than the other two options (Beachy). I think I would have to go for a lighter blue so the contrast is better and it is easier to read.

Conclusion

I think this is my favorite blog post so far. I was extremely excited to use the color palette of the Stardew Valley screen. I’m very pleased with the final result, and I think it’ll really add something to my photostory.