This webex workshop goes through
fast and simple steps in Photoshop for marking up student work. I will use examples
from:
- drawing
- perspective
- color theory
- design fundamentals
- design and technology
- Senior Project
- Portfolio
we will address
- horizon lines
- vanishing points
- suggest composition ideas
- correct color
- format issues, incorrect posting size, bad photos and color cast
- stacking images onto one canvas to reduce thread clutter
- professional labeling of work.
Notes
My Students are required to post RGB jpgs. I don't allow PDF or .doc.
Students are given tutorials and step by step instructions on how to format, adjust, resize work for the web and the threads in week 1. After week 1 an incorrectly formatted post recieves 0 points. Link to my formatting tutorials
warning: When a gif is resized it gets jagged edges, so Always convert
gifs to RGB.
the key words here are FAST (often less than 3 minutes) and EFFICIENT.
You want simple markups that are easy to decipher and that
support your crtiques and analysis of student work.
As we go through these examples, keep in mind that the number of markups depends upon the course. In Drawing I markup the majority of work posted. Less in current Color Theory since it is exercise based. A fair amount in Design. And the type of markup changes from course to course. In Foundation markups seem often to be corrections. In Graphic Design it can be more about brainstorming, especially in the higher level courses.
To give you an idea of my own method, here is a contact sheet (right) of the first two weeks of markups (25 total) for one drawing course last session. The quantity can be more, or less, depending on the students. And the markups can range from repeated admonitions concerning ellipses and formatting, to more advanced brainstorming about composition.
Click to enlarge
Each markup is still accompanied by a friendly yet critical message - some short, some extensive.
For example:
Hi Alison (:
You'll need to repost at the correct size - this is too big - while you are at it - check the following:
it appears as if the top of the TV marks the horizon line since it is perfectly flat -
make sure the lines of the base it is on all diminish to THAT horizon line
same with the rug - it is parallel to the wall - so those lines should meet up on the horizon line as well
also after I started marking this up it appears as if we shouldn't even see the side of the base -
what do you think?
See attached/suggestions (:
Finally - why am I such a fan of markups?
They provide visual feedback instead of long and confusing written posts attempting to describe something happening in a design or drawing.
They are a sign to the student that you care about their work and are involved in the class.
Drawing
1
Still Life
original
1500 x 1500 375 dpi
summary
- resizing
- adjusting color
- suggesting composition ideas
- label
steps
- image size
- change dpi to 72
- change size to 650 wide
- extend canvas for comparison image
- desaturate
- levels
- dodge tool
- line tool for perspective check
- merge line layers, make them less opaque
- add more lines for comp ideas
- dupe and transform lines
- sign in righthand corner 10 px geneva or...
notes: the most time consuming part of this markup was the dodge tool.
Students are advised on how to shoot work with a digital camera using
even lighting. After week 2 this would receive a loss of points for
presentation.
This is a good drawing - it just had format issues, and I wanted to
suggest ways of subdividing the negative space for a more complex composition
using simple lines.
2
Portrait
Summary:
A few adjustments fixes nose and eyes, adds bg, adjusts levels
steps
- resize
- add canvas
- adjust levels
- add shoulders
- align eyes with mouth
- erase nose lines
- add bg
- crop hair
- darken pupils and upper lip
3
brainstorming
Suggest
bg/comp ideas
Perspective
1
original
image
summary
- straighten
- adjust color
- Correct vertical lines
steps
- extend canvas
- copy
- pull down guides
- select all
- control (apple) T
- control (apple) U
- control L
- dodge
- line for correction
- crop
- save for web
notes: again, this was a week one submission (a good drawing overall)
and I took a little time to cover presentation issues. By week
two you lose points for poor presentation and the markups are
more about the drawing.
2
Summary
Add lines to correct verticals and horizontals
original
Use the line tool
If the added lines become too confusing then merge layers and make
less opaque. You can also use a different color for each edit section
3
Fix color cast and correct one line
original
4
Original Post
a markup can easily become cluttered and incoherent to the student
- like this example - let's see if we can't find some solutions
one is to reduce number of correction lines
the other is to sketch out a correct drawing using the line tool
5
Still
life: ellipse, clean up and vps
Color Theory
encouraging
design in exercises
original
image
most of the current color assignments are exercises and not 'compositions'
the hue/sat tool, cropping, adjusting opacity, using the magic wand
are what I use over and over.
My most common suggestion is to make the designs that do get created
more complex through copying, duplicating, flipping, repeating...
sample post to student that accompanies the re-post:
I like those stacked cubes as well - in fact I might have edited
out the stars and done more with the cubes -
mono looks good - lights and darks, comps as well, watch the analogous
- they should be related - like next to one another and yours are
going from cools to warms - they should be all cools, or all warms
and split comps - yours are one color too far - you need to find
a complement, and then go just ONE color over on either side -
you can redo this -
and see attached for design ideas with cubes only -
Finally - save for web as a gif 256 colors or as a high quality jpg
(:
J
original
image
steps
- increase canvas size to one side for comparison
- select an image
- copy, duplicate, flip (vertical and horizontal), merge layers,
dupe, adjust color and opacity
- repeat
Notes: I won't do this for every assignment, but a few a week can encourage
students to explore complexity and more sophisticated use of simple
digital tools
2D Design
Suggest using scale for a more dynamic composition
original informal design
Steps
- select are with ellipse marquee
- transform apple T + shift (larger, in proportion)
- select area with rectangle marquee
- decrease and duplicate
Assignment
missing one element and could use some composition suggestions and
techniques
Steps
- Increase canvas
- select superunit
- dupe, rotate
- dupe, decrease size
- repeat
- select superunit, transform smaller, place in corner
- Label
Simple
inverted bg suggests addressing negative space
Extend canvas and mirror to create formal from informal
Original
image
Design and technology, Senior Project, Portfolio
original
images 1 2 3 4
stacking and labeling multiple works, scans, and images onto one canvas.
Many assignments involve roughs, thumbs, sketches and then finished
pieces to be posted to one assignment thread. If every student posts
3 or 4 images per assignment we end up with a huge thread and many
clicks to view the work in segments.
I require students to post only one jpg or gif regardless of the number
of works stipulated by the assignment. I don't allow PDFs or .docs
since they take too long to download. I post stacking instructions
and have a video tutorial as well for this.
In this case we have a design and technology CD project with sleeve,
CD, tray card and 6 page booklet. We will place them on one canvas
using guidelines and label the post in the bottom right. NOTE: Keep
in mind that screen shots (apple shift 3, 'print screen' and paste
onto a canvas) are excellent for posting work done in illustrator,
indesign, photoshop with layers window showing, and website layouts.
Steps:
- Open the various images you want to stack regardless of resolution
- Create a master canvas no wider that 800 pixels and as tall as
you like. If there are a number of images to stack consider reducing
the width to 600 wide. Average is 650 wide x 3000 high
- Add guides for margins
- Drag images to the canvas, resize holding the shift key (control
T, apple T) and adjust levels (control L, apple L) and hue/sat
(control U, apple U)
- Title in small font at bottom right
- Save for web
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