09/18/23
Using Adobe Illustrator
In this lesson, I have been set on a
task to essentially create a poster based on one of the two artists that we
were all given (AM Cassamdre or Ryzard Kaja). I have chosen a piece of Ryzard
Kaja's art as a reference, Said reference is the image below:
Ryzard Kaja was a painter/ poster
designer, who was born in Poland, 1962 but sadly passed away in 2019, he was
well known for his outstanding designs when it came to his paintings/ he even
designed costumes.
I chose this image because I loved the
simplicity of this poster, It's just a suited individual with a
paint-splattered face. not too much, so it's not overwhelming. I feel like
because of my liking for this image, it is definitely a suitable piece of reference
to make my own version out of.
This is the poster that I have created
using Ryzard's art as a reference:
These are all the layers used when making this poster:
I have used the "circle shape tool" a lot around
the circular head to make it look like there are many particles all around the
individual's head, I have made my own color scheme throughout this too, with
dark purples to light purples, as this is one of my personal favorite colors, I
have used a gradient tool as well for the shirt, face, and the background of
the poster, I have mostly used circle shapes (for the head and particles), and
the rest of the Individual was created using a pen tool (with straight lines),
\I have used outlines in some parts to add some sort of "shading" to
the poster, And finally I have used in total 7 layers to make this, Background
layer, Head layer, Body layers, Particles layer, and Text layer.
Throughout this I have definitely struggled, Adobe
Illustrator is a completely new territory of software for me. What helped me
throughout this, is that the shortcut keys on Illustrator are similar to Adobe
After Effects/ Photoshop, making it easier for me to select the tool that I
would want to use when making my poster.
Overall, whilst I was able to complete this poster, I still
have so much more to learn about Adobe Illustrator.
Photoshop Practice
This is my progress so far practicing the tools on Adobe Photoshop:
Here is a screen shot of all the layers that have been used:
Overall, I have found this practice pretty good for myself as I have not really used photoshop in many years so I am not familiar with this new UI they have made, I have tried using things such as merging groups together to make everything into one image, change the size of the cat to make them fit the image more (cat sitting on top of a roof), I've tried using effects such as out glow/ textures with filters for the image.
I have not found this as hard as adobe illustrator but I did have some difficulty having muscle memory issues as they have changed some of the short cut keys to different ones on the 2023 version of Adobe Photoshop.
9/20/23
Michal
Batory
I have chosen this specific Image from
Michal Batory as I admire the simplicity of the image itself, I like that it
just shows a “lipstick bullet” as the main star of the image, with a simple
background.
This is the version I have made,
inspired by the original poster above:
I have used separate layers for each
part of this poster, the text, the bullet, the lipstick. The background was
made using the gradient tool. And a filter has been added to complete it
(grain, brightness/contrast)
9/20/2023
Digital Image Types
how does resolution affect image quality?
Resolution can affect image quality either in a positive way or in a negative way. The higher the resolution on the image, the more pixels the image has which makes the image appear more sharper to the human eye. The lower the resolution, the less sharp the image will appear as it less less pixels to work with.
What are the differences between these?
JPG/JPEG - Lossy, compressed images with no support for transparency.
PNG - A more modern type of image file with lossless images, can have transparent backgrounds.
GIF - Animated images with lossless quality and can have transparent backgrounds.
SVG - whilst this is a lossless image file type, it is also a vector image, which can scale to higher resolutions whilst keeping full quality unlike other image file types.
My Ideas for an event
- One event idea that I have is for a mechanical keyboard event, where different keyboards gets shown off to audiences in this event. New innovations for the mechanical keyboard market, small games where participants can potentially win their own "premium" mechanical keyboard, or smaller prizes such as keychains or a metal keycap with the event name etched into it.
- Another Idea that I have would be to do some sort of a games event, the event will include what is essentially in the name, games. Board games, video games, sports. People are welcome to wear costumes as well of their favorite game characters. The event will include game tournaments, "lan parties" (a computer room for online multiplayer for those who don't know. there will be dedicated game booths for popular games, showing off special event merchandise for those games.
How will I make the posters for the event?
I will make the posters using photoshop, and possibly after effects and blender, using my own photography, graphics.
this is my idea of what I would like to be apart of my keyboard event poster:
I would like to make a 3D keyboard from blender then, make a poster from either photoshop or after effects. I say after effects as there is an option to render the final project as a "PNG sequence", since I am rendering a still image (the poster), it will just be one PNG file.
Test/Scrap idea poster made by myself (the keyboards are PNGs):
This is about what I would like my final poster to look like, this was edited/ created purely using adobe after effects and rendered as a PNG file. The final version however will use 3D Keyboards on the poster instead of these Keyboard PNGs used as a placeholder for this Idea that I came up with.
This is my social media banner idea (aspect ratio that works with facebook), it will essentially be the same style as the poster, to match with my theme that I have created for myself (there is no name for this theme, but you will see me use this color scheme or similar through out anything I make for this event)
Poster using photos taken by me
This version of my poster is the using a Picture that I have taken of my own keyboard, which I have then added into an after effects composition and essentially scattered the keyboards everywhere, added the title 'keyb event !' and added color correction / filters to make it look nice overall.
here is the after effects composition for the poster, showing all the layers + files that has been used to make this poster:
This applies to all posters made in after effects. Everything is rendered as a 'PNG sequence', of course as I am only creating a poster, a singular frame is being rendered.
here are the settings:
Purely graphical poster
this entire poster is purely made using graphics that I have created using blender, and Adobe After Effects.
I've decided to make my graphical object 3D using blender. I found this to be very helpful towards creating my graphical poster as, a 3D object gives me freedom to place the object at certain angles whilst making the object/layer not look warped when rotated, skewed when rendered unlike 2d, flat images which will look warped.
This is the Adobe After Effects render of my graphical poster:
All the assets for this graphical poster has been created by myself, the blender 3D file has been added to the after effects composition using the Element 3D plugin
this 3D keyboard was then added into the after effects composition, duplicated with all of them using different positions of course, this is what the final idea of how I wanted my 3d object(s) positioned:
This my graphical social media banner design: 
the design dimensions are 1920x500, which I used specifically to work well on an x.com (previously known as twitter.com) account. I figured keeping it more simple for the banner would work well with the average 'aesthetic' that the audience for this event would usually go for, simplicity. the background behind the 'keyb event!' + 3D keyboard layer is essentially just overlapping 3D keyboards spanning throughout the entire banner.
This is the after effects composition for my graphical banner:
9/21/2023
formal elements of photography
each types of lighting
Texture:
Texture is the surface of a subject, for example, in this image, the rough tree bark.
Pattern:
Pattern in photography is shots that are very appealing to the human eye because of the "patterns" created in the shot.
line:
Line is just from one area leading your eye to the other area of the image, in this image, its the sofa on the edge of the image which leads up to the subject.
Form:
form is to do with the volume and shading of the subject of the image, to make the image appear less flat with the shading.
shape:
shapes in photos can usually appear two-dimensional, but with the correct lighting for the object, it will appear more 3D, which makes the shape appear separated from the environment.
Types of lighting.
Key light:
the key light is considered one of the most important piece of artificial lighting as it provides the main illumination of the image that is being taken, the key light will highlight the shape/ person, and make them appear less flat in the image.
Fill light:
The fill light is to be used in a commination with the key light. As the key light will light up one part of the face, the shadow loses alot of detail. The fill light' job is to "fill" that shadow with a low brightness light, so it still appears to be a shadow, but detail is still kept since there is "some" light going into that area.
Hair Light:
Hair lighting is a type of lighting setup that purely focuses a source of light on the hair of a subject.
Background lighting:
background lighting is used to only light the background of a set, this can also act as a separation of a subject of the photo to give the image more depth.
Camera mounted flash
For starters, camera mounted flash' or external camera flash, can be mounted via the "hot shoe" mounting point you would typically see on top of most cameras. Cameras these days will come with a flash, but for people who want more lighting, an external camera mounted flash would be better than the flash that comes with the camera.
Each styles of lighting
split lighting
Split lighting is a lighting style that illuminate only half of the subject's face whilst leaving the other half of the face dark, like a "split face".
Rembrandt lighting
The Rembrandt lighting technique is a type of dramatic/ moody lighting effect that only lights up the subject in a certain way, usually lighting up most of the face, and the other half is black. the background for these lighting technique is most of the time, pitch black, making it appear more moody/ dramatic as I mentioned earlier.
butterfly lighting
The butterfly lighting technique is when the key light is placed above the subject, and then provide lighting from that angle. It's called the butterfly technique because the position of where the key light it (above the subject) gives the subject's shadow more of a butterfly shape to it.
Loop lighting:
loop lighting is similar to butter fly lighting in a way because, both lighting styles have the camera facing above the subject, the main difference being is that the light is on a 45-50 degree angle. loop lighting can give you a dynamic looking image whilst not looking dramatic like butterfly angle.
broad lighting
broad lighting is a lighting style that covers the "broad" side of the subject's face, or in simple terms, it covers a large amount of the subject's face that is facing the camera. This style is commonly used by photographer's because its a good amount of light to capture portrait images, overall the broad lighting brings a lighter image compared to the other lighting styles with the addition of a higher mood considering the light covers the "broad" side of the subject's face after all.
25.09.23
Genres Research Task (Individual idea)
The Topic of my idea will be around Mystery.
Research
I would need to research a suitable set that can work well with the Mystery genre for my idea. for idea #1, I was looking into "wooded areas" like forests as they can be quite a big set for a "mystery" event. Another set for a mystery event could be in a school setting, in one of the classrooms, and the third idea being set in a graveyard. All of the mystery event ideas I have will be based on mystery film Ideas that I have thought of originally. So, looking at the type of audience the watches Mystery genre films, my research is mainly found on forum sites such as reddit. What I gathered from that research so far is that the "typical" audience for mystery genre films could include people who enjoy the puzzle-solving part of mystery films, or people who enjoy the suspenseful storytelling that comes with the films. The age ranges of the typical Mystery genre audience that I have seen anyways from researching forum sites, are early teens to the middle age adults.
Ideas
the first idea I have for a Mystery event is something to be taken place in a "wooded area" setting, where the mystery is how "in that area for many years, it was known for people entering the wooded area but never coming out", the whole idea is to essentially figure out what is the reason why people go missing in there. are they lost? did someone or something capture them? did something supernatural cause them to just disappear from our reality? Through out the forest there will be clues, and different post notes scattered around the forest, all of them together, and in the correct order, will give you the answer of why all these people end up missing, and where they could be right now.
The second Idea I have is to be taken place in school, in a classroom, used as a meeting place for all the people involved in the event to unravel all of the cryptic messages that have been left by a long forgotten 'student' who had disappeared that they have recently found out about after snooping around the school computers finding a mysterious folder called "183" hidden in the a documents folder called "system" . And as they find more of these cryptic messages through out the school systems, the more they find out about the disappearance of the forgotten student.
The third Idea I have is for it to be taken place around a graveyard, groups of 2 people will have to try to figure out the truth of what goes on in this graveyard as there have been stories of "vengeful spirits that lurk in the darkness of night". the whole mystery event is for them to figure out whether this mystery is actually true, or if it is just a hoax.
2/10/23
Fashion Photography
Fashion Photography is a type of photography that focuses on products for advertising purposes, usually featuring models that would wear or use the product to show it off in the photo.
There are different types of Fashion photography, editorial, advertising, and beauty photography.
Editorial Photography is used by photographers to create images used for publications, these photos are taken with the aim of telling a story so unlike the other types this type of photography does not really focus on advertisements.
source: https://www.adobe.com/uk/creativecloud/photography/discover/editorial-photography.html
Advertising Photography is essentially the photos taken that the brand will use to sell its products to the consumer, they do this by making eye-catching image of the product they are selling, making the consumer more interested in their product.
source: https://unsplash.com/photos/IJCd3rFz03A
Beauty Photography is more of a close up shot of a subject (usually a person), highlighting all the features that is being focused on. This can be used for showing off skincare products, fashion accessories, just general cosmetic products making beauty photography useful for advertising purposes of course.
source : https://stock.adobe.com/uk/images/beautiful-girl-with-classic-make-up-beauty-face-photos-shot-in-studio/228184602
Soft light is a light that is very diffused, as the name 'soft light' brings a soft light made from a larger light source around a subject of the image. Soft lights are for example, really good at hiding an imperfection on a subjects face as the light does not have harsh shadows.
source: https://www.tutti.space/blog/6-essential-natural-light-photography-tips
unlike soft light, hard lights can produce much harsher and in turn, stronger shadows this is because compared to soft lights, the light source is relatively small. Shadows on a person's face will look more defined on hard lights, as the light itself is more focused on the subject, imperfections may be captured more vividly.
source: https://shotkit.com/hard-light-vs-soft-light/
10/6/2023
Event Idea Presentation
9/10/23
Audience Theories
Audience theory essentially explains how people would see media / use them and how the media would affect them. For starters, Cultivation Theory: This theory is about the prolonged exposure to media and how it can affect one’s perception of reality and hold a perception closer to what you see in media, you can see such examples in “anime” shows, their genre being “slice of life” or in simple terms, an “everyday life” cartoon. People will think characters/ the world in those shows will be like real life after watching many shows.
Now, going into “hypodermic needle theory”, this theory is about how the media can just inject information into an audience who is blindly viewing their media, taking all their information in their brain without challenging any of the information, you could maybe see examples of this in the news when they might talk about an important figure in a not so good manner, calling them out for something that could be a likely chance of being flat out wrong.
The “two step flow” theory is, media being taken to influential figures online or on TV, and said influential figures will take all of that information they have gotten from the media and spread all of their messages to the masses, this is the quickest way to get news to the audience as a lot of the audience are younger people who regularly scroll through social apps such as Instagram, TikTok, reddit.
The “uses and gratifications theory” is essentially when the audience uses media/ social media as a form of entertainment. This can be for a multitude of reasons, such as being able to relate to something in media, or just viewing the media for just general entertainment, to laugh, to relax. Some people like to use this media as an alternative to real life companionship, such as online live streams on sites such as twitch.tv.
Thursday 14th September 2023
Camera Basics (ISO)
Definitions of Settings:
Shutter Speed: This is the amount of time the camera's shutter is open, exposing light into the camera lens, the faster the shutter, the shorter the exposure is.
ISO: This is essentially the sensitivity of the brightness for your shots, it will just either brighten or darken your shots.
Aperture: This is an adjustable lens that controls the amount of light that enters the camera.
Online Experimentation
This image was shot in manual shot mode. These are the settings I've used: shutter speed at 1/30, aperture at f13, and iso at 50.
The image looks a little soft and the depth of field is low so I can see the subject of the image clearly, The lighting conditions for the image are not that great due to the very cloudy white sky. There doesn't appear to be much/ or any grain at all.
This image in my opinion is one of my favorites. It has a more grainy look to it compared to the other images.
This image whilst it has some grain, it has more contrast to it compared to the other images, the background still gives it a depth of field effect but it is not as strong as before.
This is the same shot but the Shutter Speed, Aperture, and ISO were changed slightly.
The new settings that I have used for this version of the shot are, Shutter Speed at 1/36~, the Aperture is on f12, and the ISO is set to 50 now.
The settings for this image are Shutter Speed at 1/480, Aperture at f12, and ISO at 380.
This version is softer than the rest, way less grain, but it more brighter than all the other images so far.
the settings for this image are, Shutter Speed at 1/125, Aperture at f8, and ISO at 100.
This shot was taken with the Shutter speed nearly all the way down and different settings, it looks a little sharper but it is not sharp enough, likely due to the low resolution.
The settings for this image are Shutter Speed at 1/4, Aperture at f/64, and iso at 70.
This image whilst it has some grain, it has more contrast to it compared to the other images, the background still gives it a depth of field effect but it is not as strong as before.
The settings for this image are Shutter Speed at 1/18, Aperture at f/20, and ISO at 80.
Evaluation
The aim of this was to essentially create my own event (keyb event), with all the posters/ and research answers to find what an audience would want to see from the event.
My final items that were created for this event were two posters, One poster was purely created using my own graphic design (3D models, After Effects), and the second poster was created also with After Effects but photos were used for the poster which have been taken myself. I have also created two social media headers using the same styles similar to both posters, a banner made with photography and After Effects, and another banner created also using After Effects with the same 3D model.
I've created/ used these as my final products as the software that has been used, I already have a good amount of experience on, making it much better for me to apply my creative skills to their full extent, I've used the primary research I have gotten to help with making the posters be more appealing.
For the plan... I have not really made a plan for this as I like to change up things a lot along the way, the real "plan" that I did have would be a "scrap poster" that I have created before making my final products, really just to give me a visualization in my head of what I may want my final product to look like.
As For creating my products, I always use Adobe After Effects/ Blender/ Adobe Photoshop to create my final products. I have used these programs specifically because I have long-term experience with all of them, making it as I said previously, much better/ easier for me to apply "my creative skills to their full extent". I have used tools such as the glow tool on After Effects to make the posters more appealing to the eye, as I find flat colors to be quite dull at times. I've used the rotoscoping tool to cut out the keyboard photo I have taken out of its background. I have also used many different color correction plugins, and grain to help make the posters look much more vibrant/ easier on the eyes.
For research, I mainly relied on secondary research as keyboard events on the internet are a very common thing to occur, I've used social media sites, forums, and YouTube videos on keyboard events. I have also gotten some primary research from my own small community via an announcement on my server which helped significantly with making the material/ planning for the event.
The problems. There were a few problems with the product, such as times when I couldn't make progress as I may have been unwell, This had made a significant impact throughout this, but the ways I was able to overcome them was to try to come in on as many days as I can to finish it, and even push myself to the point of where I may be unable to come in on the next, because of that I try to make as much progress as I can during those times I am in school to work on this. At times when I am at home and doing good enough to work remotely, I will also do that. The other issue of the final product would be rendering issues, as creating 3D models/ using After Effects with ALOT of effects can be quite a heavy load on a computer, so I had issues where it could take too long to render or just flat out fail the render, what I did to overcome this was just lower the resolution for some of the layers to make it much easier to render.
I think when it came to the final product, it went very well! whilst time was an issue when it came to completing them, when they were completed I found them to be of a good standard, I cannot say how good they are truly as when it comes to these designs I find it can vary from person to person whether or not they find this the absolute best standard of work or just, ok. In my own opinion though, I think it is to a high standard. It communicates my "idea" well and it fits well with the 'style' that I usually use with most of my other past works, such as the effects used in After Effects for the products, or the 3D model that has been created for the products, it all in the end, is in my own original style which I like.
What didn't go as well, as I have mentioned recently, is attendance from myself, and mainly physical/ mental health has been (still is) an issue throughout, why that happened is just personal things occurring, I do wish that I could've finished ALL the work that was set for me but due to my limitations because of said issues, made it mostly impossible to do.
Conclusion/ what I would do differently. what I would do first off, is communicate with my tutors more (the times I have, they have helped me significantly when it came to work), I feel like if I did, would have made the process much easier. Being having better health to at least work on everything remotely / going out off-site to gather photos/ material for the work would be another thing I would try to do.
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