Final Portfolio

Due date: Monday (5/2) (exam week)

Images should be exported and submitted as highest quality jpegs @ 1200 pixels, longest side. Please submit images to UA Box, into a single folder labelled with your last name and first initial. (e.g.: “Jordan_C”)

Include 2-3 strongest images from each of:

• Assignment 1: A Favorite Subject

• Assignment 2: Isolate the Essence (Building emphasis)

• Assignment 3: Visual agenda–work with a single color
• Assignment 4: Portrait Retouching. Please include “before” and “after” as separate images
• Anything else shot in conjunction with the course that didn’t “fit” a particular assignment or project that you are particularly proud of

Include all final images from each of:

• Project 1: Working a Concept, Idea 

• Project 2: Conceptual Portrait Series
• Project 3: Fictional Reality
• Project 4 (Open Final Project)

Important dates, class schedule, upcoming weeks

Agenda:

Monday (4/18)

• Midpoint critique for project 3 (fictional reality) and 4 (open)

Wednesday (4/20)

• Continued in-class refinement of project 3 (fictional reality)

Monday (4/25)

• Work day/prep for critique

Wednesday (4/27)

• Final critique
• Submit final images for Project 3. Turn in full-size, layered photoshop file and Jpeg (1200 px, longest side)
• Submit images for Project 4: Jpeg (1200 px, longest side)

Monday (5/2) (exam week)

• Final Portfolios due on UA Box
• All late/revised work must be submitted by 12 midnight

Wednesday 4/13 fictional reality, next steps

1. Import a copy of your masked figures into your new background
2. Optimize placement and scale so that figure sits/fits naturally in the new background. Avoid "scaling up"
3. Optimize mask for new background. Some tweaks may be required to things like hair, etc.
4. Add highlight/shading to figure to match light source of new background (camera RAW adjustments can be useful for this)
5. Build shadows on new background
1. contact/drop shadows
2. extended shadows, progressively blurred
6. Resolve superimposition issues by masking individual elements. The "double layer mask" trick, where an additional layer mask is used on a group, can be helpful
7. Add atmospheric/lighting/special effects. Clipping masks can be helpful, to limit the effect of an adjustment to a single layer.

Useful tricks:

• Selectively darkening edges of hair with multiply curve with clipping mask and layer mask
• Grouping of layers
• The "double layer mask" trick, where an additional layer mask is used on a group. This allows the integrity of the original mask to be preserved.
• Clipping masks can be used to limit effects / adjustment to a single layer or group of layers
• Double layer shadow technique
• Conjoined/stamped layers (Shift+Option+Command+E onto blank layer)

Monday 4/11 Fictional Reality Class Work

 Monday, 4/11 to-do list.

 

1.     Selective Mask Refinement for broad areas (no hair, fine details)

 

·      Lasso tool with slight feather (~10-15 pixels)

·      Filter>Other>Minimum (~1-2 pixels) to reduce halo

·      Noise>Median (for edge smoothing). Sometimes does not work for all images/masks/resolutions

·      “Shrink-Wrap” to tighten mask and control edge character (match the focus/sharpness of your photo/source image)

o   Gaussian Blur

o   Levels adjustment

 

2.    Save your white screen/masked file as a master file. Export your mask layer into your new background file, sizing with free transform as required. 

 

3.     Refining hair and fine details

 

·      Avoid use of above tools for hair and fine details, except in certain situations

·      Evaluate the need for refinement against your new background. Your mask may need less refinement than you think, or more…

·      Use high magnification

·      The mask is usually fine; problems are more often than not the result of lens flare

·      Burn hair edges down with a multiply curve with clipping mask.