Moop's Homeroom

[Moop]

This class is open if you're too lazy to look at the date, but if you happen to join up and be my only student (even for a bit) you could make the argument that a smaller class is better,right?



Student:

Saharah










This is a signature making/design class. If you want to learn simply the basics of Photoshop, then I guess you're out of luck here. I use Photoshop CS3, so obviously, this being the newest version, I can help you out with your older versions (as long as it's not too old, Id say PS 7 is probably my limit).

If you have another program, such as the GIMP, etc. and would still like to join, you can still participate in special assignments that are taliored to your program if it is a PS-specific program, or just participate in the current assignments. I will not give you specific intstructions to improve something when I critique your works (ie I wont tell you what menu commands, etc since I dont know my way around your program) but I will let you know what can be improved about the image itself.

So, in summary, if you know your way around Photoshop even enough to make a signature, etc. then this is the right place for you. I will give you a variety of assignments to open up your mind to the unused and often ignored features of Photoshop and how you can utilize them in creative ways.

You will ultimately gain the most out of this class by me critiquing your unique assignments and utilizing my advice to make yourself better at PS.








So, I need you to answer a few questions:

* What version of PS do you own?

* How long have you been using it to make signatures/other pieces?

* What you ultimately want to achieve by being in my Graphics class.







YOUR FIRST ASSIGNMENT:

Make a signature, any size, any style. YOU MAY NOT USE A PREVIOUS SIGNATURE. You must make one specifically for this assignment. You will, upon finishing, posat the signature and the steps you used to make the signature. This is so I can see how you go about making a piece and what style you use. Make sure to save the original file so you can make further changes.

[Comrade]

Good luck with the school, Moop. I expect a lot from you. Don't let me down, boy.

EDIT: HAPPY?

[Moop]

Thanks for the good tides and greetings.

[Wired]

Haha, former student of mine. Would you still like to partake in the artworm that our class ignored because I'm hoping to kick start that or just scrap my room and start a new class altogether. Anyways, good luck with your teaching.

[Shroomeh]

Hello Moop good luck etc etc

temped to join, but already in two classes

anyway good luck man

[Moop]

Originally Posted by DarkShadowLink9

Haha, former student of mine. :D Would you still like to partake in the artworm that our class ignored because I'm hoping to kick start that or just scrap my room and start a new class altogether. Anyways, good luck with your teaching.

Im still up for the artworm


But I dont think anyone else is :P



Anyways, I think Ive got enoguh thanks by now, if you're just dropping in to give me luck then just do it through pm, I dont want my homeroom full of spam, etc.

[Sahrrie]

One student IS better. :D

What version of PS do you own?

Cs2

How long have you been using it to make signatures/other pieces?

Appx. 2 years.

What you ultimately want to achieve by being in my Graphics class.

I want to learn all I can from as many people I can, starting with you, because you caught my attention the most. ;D


Ehh. I'll start off with my current one.
To be honest, I really did make it for your homeroom. >_>;
And I know you told me not to give an example, but I did anyway.

SAHARAH'S SCHOOLIN'
You want steps?
I can give steps. >:]


Alright! So, first off, I opened my photo. Look at its prettiness.

In my opinion, I think that photograph looks terrible. It's too pixelated and choppy on some areas, and the color balance is off. So I copied that image onto another layer and grabbed my smudge tool. I set my smudge tool to only a 2% opacity, and set the master diameter to a soft, size 7 brush. Carefully CAREFULLY, I went over all the rough spots, until they looked smooth enough to work with. :3


I'm lazy, I don't have time to edit the whole damn photo, I'm not going to use the whole thing, so why waste the effort? I cut it down to size. But it still looks too off-white. That color is overpowering the entire photograph, and making all the colors melt together. Blehhh. So what did I do?


I auto-colored the whole thing, to blend out some of that awful off-white, and went straight for Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation. I turned the master hue saturation to roughly around 20-30, and left all else at default. Lastly, I went to my levels palette, and turned the black up to about 5, gray to about 0.94, and white to about 230. Aren't they just so pretty? :D

Soooo, anyway. Next the transparency comes in. Yeahhh ;D

I ran straight to my magic wand. The tolerance was up way too high (100%? Are you insane?) I turned it down to a nice 32, clicked the blank white area, hit delete, turned off my original layer, went through, and got some other areas, clicked and deleted, and well, there you go. A rough example of transparency. Yuck. That looks terrible. But we'll come back to that later.


-At this point-
The image looks different after this, why?
Because Saharah was stupid enough not to save all examples of her steps, so she had to go through, and redo all the steps above this message. Sorry, Moopeh. I couldn't get the same effect- but I did them as close to being the same as I could.



I opened a 250x120 blank document, and clicked the magic eraser right in the middle of it- at default- the canvas is all the same shade of white, so I don't usually care too much about that part. xD Then I took my other document back up and transferred it over with the move tool. I positioned it and everything- like I said, I'm lazy. I don't want to have to affix transparency on a bigger area than what is needed. ;P


I grabbed my smudge friend again! This time, I turned the strength up to around 40% and I worked the edges outward. I also took out my burn tool, and burned the edges at 80% on Highlights- highlights, because it's the white I'm trying to get rid of. :3

EVENTUALLY

After tedious work trying to smudge and burn, repeat, smudge, burn, repeat, I got to this:

i no, rite?
I didn't put a border on the top edge, because I gave the illusion of one with the burn tool. I know, it's not that clever, but whatever. >_>;


I created a new layer, and selected a 2px area around the lower portion of the image. Then I set the selection to overlay, at 50%, and used the paint bucket to dump black into the area. I think it looks pretty like that. :B Anyway, I then went back over it and added a 1px black border to the bottom edge, and I added some overlayed text, as well. Also, I added some finishing touches, like, to that thick burned area on Tyson's (the guy in yellow) cheek, and such. Just little things.

That totally felt like a tutorial.
My style is simple, ISN'T IT? :D

[Moop]

*dies*

Thank you so very much for joining. : D

Alright, here goes. I need to critique, cause, you know, thasts what my class is about.

Firstly: The color.

Its a very soft color tone, very warm and I like it.

Im not sure if I like the burning you did at the top, it of course looks much better than if you had done a 1px stroke but I think it could have gone without.

And the only other beef I have is the text. Good positioning choice, but I dont like the overlay effect. The font is nice and dandy, and I honestly cannot think of anything to improve the text, but I think it could maybe go without it.

Also, I dont like how the dudes on the side cut off. If I were you, Id leave them be.

Other than that, amazing. Purely simplistically amazing.




NEXT ASSIGNMENT

I need to see how well you can do with just text. Its not going to be some stupid username signature, however, you are going to make me a concert poster. The text and a picture will be the main focus, you can choose to use transparency or not.

Specifics (like concert dates, etc.) are not needed (although you're more then welcome to include some)

[Cody]

Hey, Moop. Good job on getting a student.

You weren't here at the time, I think, so here is some requirements/guidelines that were given for teachers.

Originally Posted by Leminnes

Program Teachers-

1. Basic Tools.
* Photoshop Teachers – Please teach the tools first then move on to filters. I also suggest teaching layer styles after that. After that, it is your discretion on what you’d like to teach.
* (That’s all for Program Teachers, really. After that, you are allowed to teach whatever you’d like.)


Design Teachers-

1. Basic Principals of Design.
* 1a. Line
* Shape
* Form
* Proportion
* Texture
* Color
* Whatever else you can think of.
2. The principal of thirds.
3. Using text in design.
4. The Golden Ratio.
5. Photomanipulation. (Optional only if you PM me with your reasoning)


Note: I will expect larger images from Design Teachers. Signature sized images are saved for the signature teachers. If you would like to opt out of this because of this requirement then that’s okay.

Combination Program and Design Teachers-

1. Use teaching the program to also teach design at the same time. This can be done in many different ways but you must cover Program teacher requirements and Design teacher requirements at the same time.


Advanced Teachers –

* You are under no requirements. You can teach your students how ever you’d like and about whatever you’d like.


Signature Teachers –

You are very similar to design teachers, just at a smaller scale.

1. Basics of Design and using them in small images. (See Design)
2. Principal of Thirds.
3. Using Text
4. The Golden Ratio
5. Photomanipulation. (Optional only if you PM me with your reasoning.)
6. Basic special effects.

[Moop]

I think I saw those, DD.

Are you implying that Im doing something wrong?

[Cody]

No, mostly I was waiting for you to say "Hay! What's the Principle of Thirds?" It's a traditional ritual, you see.

[Moop]

I know what the rule of thirds is.
Have for awhile.

[musical zombie.]

Originally Posted by Moop

I know what the rule of thirds is.
Have for awhile.

Give this man a cigar.
Good luck, bro. :] Not that you'll need it - you're brilliant enough as it is at graphics. ;3

[Sahrrie]

TAKE IT.
TAKE IT ALL FROM ME

Originally Posted by Moopeh

NEXT ASSIGNMENT

I need to see how well you can do with just text. Its not going to be some stupid username signature, however, you are going to make me a concert poster. The text and a picture will be the main focus, you can choose to use transparency or not.

Specifics (like concert dates, etc.) are not needed (although you're more then welcome to include some)

I'm lucky you take late grades. :3

And; THAT "O" ON CHICAGO WAS BEING A *****.
Ignore it please. ;_;

[Moop]

YES

A TON better than the one you posted on dA.


Anyways, the amount of effort put into this astounds me.

And the little amount of critiquing I will have to do astounds me also.

Well, to start, some of the stars, dots etc. are cut off by the edge of the canvas. Try to watch out for that next time.

Question; why single out Chicago at the bottom of the page to be so big? I'm prettyy sure they're from there, but I don't see how it is significant to the poster.

And my one actual beef about the poster-

Why is the picture so small?
I mean, it's still there and it's very reminiscent on FOB, but I definitely think it should have been bigger. The two things I wanted you to focus on are there, text being very good, but I think there should have been a bigger picture/more of a focus on the band itself.

Amazing concept, though- a job very well done.



I'll give you your next assignment tomorrow.

[Sahrrie]

Originally Posted by Moop

YES

A TON better than the one you posted on dA.

I worked on it for two more days after that one on dA so it should have come out better. x_x

Anyways, the amount of effort put into this astounds me.

The amount of effort put into all of my assignments will astound you. :3

Oh, and I should explain a little further, at least.
The clock in the center was made using clipping masks, I drew an alarm clock outline with the pentool, and made a clipping mask out of it with the image I used. the Fall Out Boy logo at the top I drew myself with the pen tool. The clocks in the bottom were an image I found, but I outlined it with the pentool. Uhhh.. I made that star scatter brush myself, and the image I used for the alarm clock, was one that I scanned into my computer from my CD booklet for Infinity on High. :B

Okay, I'm done now. 8)

And the little amount of critiquing I will have to do astounds me also.

Well, to start, some of the stars, dots etc. are cut off by the edge of the canvas. Try to watch out for that next time.

Yeah, those were thrown on there quite erratically. Not one of the stronger points in it, I might add- it's one of the parts on it that I didn't really put much effort into. Also, I noticed that one of the stars covers Joe's eye, and some cover parts of his face. Blehhh.

Gotta work on details. It's the details that count. :]

Question; why single out Chicago at the bottom of the page to be so big? I'm prettyy sure they're from there, but I don't see how it is significant to the poster.

It's supposed to make the whole thing seem more exciting, I guess. Chicago is an interesting sounding city. (I've never been there, but I would like to go someday. ;]) It's the main part in the tour's title, and I actually originally wanted 'Chicago' to be the focal point, but I couldn't find a good way to make it flow well enough, I tried putting it at different angles and finally just decided to make it big to accommodate for the size that needed to be taken up at the bottom. Really, just a lazy job on my part. :P

And yes, they're from Chicago. :D
That's why I named the tour "Come home Chicago".
Because they were going to end the tour at home, in Illinois.

Aaahh. I just thought it sounded nice. :3

And my one actual beef about the poster-

Why is the picture so small?
I mean, it's still there and it's very reminiscent on FOB, but I definitely think it should have been bigger. The two things I wanted you to focus on are there, text being very good, but I think there should have been a bigger picture/more of a focus on the band itself.

edit:
You mean, the picture in the center.
Aah. I was confused there for a minute.

I have no idea why I did not see that. o_o You are right with that one, Moopeh. I agree- it would have looked alot fuller had I made that clipping mask larger. It really would have made it more interesting, and because of the contrasting colours in that image (the yellows and reds, contrasting with the blues) I think it would have made the poster in all stand out alot more. I don't know why I didn't think to do that. I kept focusing on that Chicago text, (that darn O!) I didn't even realize. :P

Amazing concept, though- a job very well done.

I'll give you your next assignment tomorrow.

Thank you. :]]

And yay. I'm ready for something new.

I had alot of fun with this assignment. It let me do something different than what I'm used to. I learned a few things about Photoshop, and I definitely need to improve on image and text placement, and sizing.

I like this class. <3

[Moop]

Originally Posted by Saharah

It's supposed to make the whole thing seem more exciting, I guess. Chicago is an interesting sounding city. (I've never been there, but I would like to go someday. ;]) It's the main part in the tour's title, and I actually originally wanted 'Chicago' to be the focal point, but I couldn't find a good way to make it flow well enough, I tried putting it at different angles and finally just decided to make it big to accommodate for the size that needed to be taken up at the bottom. Really, just a lazy job on my part.

And yes, they're from Chicago.
That's why I named the tour "Come home Chicago".
Because they were going to end the tour at home, in Illinois.

xD
Tour name. Okay. Didn't think of that.

If you wanted it to be a focal point, you probably couldve upped the opacity of the text a bit- it blends in a little too well.



ASSIGNMENT

Make me something using entirely the pen tool. I know you used alot of pen tooling for this assignment, but I thought of this last night, before you told me that, and Im too lazy to think of another assignment.

It can be anything, although it has to be like a drawing or something- NO stocks, NO filters, etc. Just pen tooling (stroke path, etc.)

[Sahrrie]

Originally Posted by Moop

xD
Tour name. Okay. Didn't think of that.

If you wanted it to be a focal point, you probably couldve upped the opacity of the text a bit- it blends in a little too well.

:P

You really think so?
Well, alright. o:

ASSIGNMENT

Make me something using entirely the pen tool. I know you used alot of pen tooling for this assignment, but I thought of this last night, before you told me that, and Im too lazy to think of another assignment.

It can be anything, although it has to be like a drawing or something- NO stocks, NO filters, etc. Just pen tooling (stroke path, etc.)

XD Sure.

So it can be a person and all that?
AWESOME.<3

I'll be back with conjuration. >:]

[The_Skullkid]

* What version of PS do you own?

Photoshop CS

* How long have you been using it to make signatures/other pieces?

3 years-ish

* What you ultimately want to achieve by being in my Graphics class.

To improve my skills as much as I can and learn new wonders of photoshop.

FIRST ASSIGNMENT



1. Google "Johnny Bravo" in image search. Cut the render out with pen selection tool and neaten up.
2. Make a new layer under the render and do the box selection. Choose a lovely yellowy shade of green and a darker one then do a smooth gradient.
3. Distort this gradient until the colours are all jumbled up.
4. Go to Filters > Pixelate > Mosaic and choose a suitably sized pixels. Sharpen once or twice until it looks nice.
5. Erase a few squares neatly using the box selection and eraser.
6. Blending options > Bevel and emboss, only slightly though.
7. Back to the render layer, duplicate it and on the one below it use Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Adjust the settings until it looks smooth and appealing.
8. Write "Johnny Bravo" in a space and in a nice font and in green then Blending options > Outer glow. Black and then tick the fading box.
9. Bevel and emboss the text very slightly, just so that you get a gradient, not the actual effect.
10. Save it and then post it on here and write steps for it.
11. Go to sleep.

[Moop]

12 days of inactivity doesnt look good on my part. Sorry.

Well, It's clear that you know your way around alot of PS features, mainly text and filters. You have good creative potential, and you're skilled with making sure something looks nice. You have an unconventional style that works well, wether there is a 'flow' or not.

Now get started on the next assignment ;P

I need to see how well you can do with just text. Its not going to be some stupid username signature, however, you are going to make me a concert poster. The text and a picture will be the main focus, you can choose to use transparency or not.

Specifics (like concert dates, etc.) are not needed (although you're more then welcome to include some)


GO.