 |
| My secret paradise |
Though initially this photo was not what I wanted to use for the letter portion of the project, the idea grew on me quite a bit in the sense that because it was the first photo I worked with, I was able to develop my entire theme for the rest of the photoshop project as a whole: places I have been happy. The main appeal of this picture was 1) the moment in which it was captured, 2) who captured it, and most of all, what was captured in that singular moment. I knew that it would be particularly enjoyable to work with for all of these reasons.
First, I edited the picture as a whole, working with and utilizing numerous different elements of the toolbox on the right, such as the filters, brightness/contrast gauge, curves, levels and vibrance. I did this until the picture, in totality, was pleasing to my eye. Then, the difficult part: figuring out how to accentuate the "X" on the gate I am standing on. The sky was a blinding and breathtaking blue that day, and I felt that it would make a lot of sense aesthetically to incorporate some similarity between the letter X and the sky's blue. First, I highlighted the area of the "X" with the magic wand and then experimented with many different blues, knowing initially I wanted it to be a very light baby blue, as something darker would be too harsh.
I'm pleased in the sense that this was my first time ever using photoshop, and it felt good to familiarize myself with various tools and options. I do realize that the creative process, even for each of the four pictures within this project, will be navigated differently, and in that way, I will learn more about how to use different tools to serve various purposes, mediums and criteria. That makes me very excited.
I'm happy to say that the conclusion I have drawn from all of this is that I am truly starting to feel like a designer in ways different from before. The horizon has been expanded. :)
1 comment:
Hi Megan!
I like that you went to extra lengths to make the X pop. The magic wand tool is something I wouldn't have thought of using for what you did. Did you use the brush tool at all? Sometimes to make things more white I'll use the eraser tool, but that can get really tricky if you're trying to keep an even white over an large area. I didn't notice the baby blue at first, which is a good thing. It means that the X still was the first thing I noticed, but it wasn't extremely obvious that it had been doctored up to stand out. It's subtle enough that it almost looks like it's painted that way. The color doesn't look unnatural, it looks like it's been in the sun and goes along with the weather marks on the wood. Really cool! Does the magic wand tool just isolate it for you to mess with the effects in the toolbox? I'm just curious, because when I use brushes it can get all over the place and it's difficult to keep things consistent. The baby blue also works in the photo because there are a lot of warm colors to contrast the blue. The X in the middle of the horses especially with the title of your post "X Marks the Spot" suggests you're right where you want to be. :)
Post a Comment