Lesson on Everything About Page-design (LEAP) | July 2021

Discussion in 'Learning Pad' started by FarrahJobling, Jun 6, 2021.

  1. FarrahJobling

    FarrahJobling FarrahJobling

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  2. norton94

    norton94 Thank goodness I'm still a Well-Known Member

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    Farrah is planning on postponing today’s chat due to the chat room having technical difficulties. Sorry! More information once we know.
     
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  3. FarrahJobling

    FarrahJobling FarrahJobling

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    Since the chat room decided to take a break last month, we are going to cover the topics of shadows and selective color in JULY! =)

    Chat 1 - July 11
    1. Shadow Basics
    The most common shadow is the drop shadow at 45 degrees, but I'm lazy and don't create a new shadow for each item. Like most digi-scrappers, I use a commercial set of shadows. I use Shadow like me from One Little Bird.
    We have a bunch in the store:

    https://the-lilypad.com/store/Shadow-Styles.html
    https://the-lilypad.com/store/Shadow-Like-Me-PU.html
    https://the-lilypad.com/store/Realistic-Drop-Shadow-Styles.html

    2. Cut-outs
    A super easy way to make a cut-out shape in a paper is to use the inner shadow style, which puts the shadow on the inside, making the shape look like it's lower than the background paper.
    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    3. Distorted shadows
    A fun way to add even more depth to your objects is to first, create a new layer for just the shadow, and then to distort it by dragging a corner, or using the wave distort filter.

    There is a great blog post about this: https://the-lilypad.com/shadowing-tutorial/

    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    4. Advanced Shadow techniques:
    You can do soooooo much with shadows....some ideas:
    - add depth to a 3D element, such as a paper clip to emphasize the but under the paper
    -use the burn tool to enhance a shadow
    -create a 3D element out of a flat paper....ie: folded corner or round ornament
     
    Last edited: Jul 11, 2021
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  4. cfile

    cfile My bags are packed for Platform 9 3/4

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    Great tutorials and screen shots Farrah.. sorry I missed it.
     
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  5. G.J.

    G.J. If I Could Turn Back Time

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    @FarrahJobling dear so sorry that I missed but I'm struggling with lightning storms, actually right now I've got open in a new tab the real time lightning map, I really hate summer lightning storms, waiting for autumn and winter
     
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  6. wvsandy

    wvsandy Grinning Granny

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    I was at church and so missed the chat. Thank you for the links and notes!
     
  7. umyesh

    umyesh President of the Hangry Ladies Supper Club

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    Good luck with the storms!
     
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  8. FarrahJobling

    FarrahJobling FarrahJobling

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    LEAP CHAT | SELECTIVE COLOR

    Using selective color is a technique for isolating part of a photograph with a splash of color and contrasting it black and white in the other areas of the image. You can use it to draw the eye or just for a bit of fun, but it should never be over used.

    I will be the first to admit that I'm not a huge fan of selective color, but appreciate when it's done well

    Selective color photography has been around for ages by photographers using it to add only color to the eyes in a portrait or a single flower in a sea of flowers. Even if you dislike selective color or if haven’t given it much thought, you have to admit it’s a great technique to use when you’re trying to draw attention to a certain subject and is something useful to have in your tool belt.

    So, for today, I'd like to focus on what types of images make for a great selective coloring.

    1- If the background is super distracting, selective color can be used to draw the focus on the subject.
    2- I'm not a fan when the main subject is turned gray.....the most common use is a person's eyes or lips....if you're doing an advertisement for colored contacts or lipstick, then sure....but generally speaking...NO.
    3-When something of color really stands out and is important...like a flag or a bug or flower.
    4- love when it's used in architecture to show a brightly colored house or door

    It's really quite easy....you just open your photo, duplicate the layer and turn it BW and then mask back on the parts you want in color

    I covered this technique a couple of years ago...Here are the instructions

    Step 1: Select a photo
    Open your photo.

    ***I took this photo back in 2010 when we were in England. I wasn't a great photographer and the photo is meh. However...I really love the iconic value of Nicholas in a quintessential London phone booth. The red mailbox in the foreground was a bad choice composition wise, but if I use selective coloring, I can highlight just the phone booth.***
    [​IMG]


    Step 2: Convert to Black and White

    Create an adjustment layer and add a Black and White layer...this will create a de-saturated layer with a mask over your original photo. It is important to do this as a non-destructive step, in that the Black and White is on it's own layer and hasn't changed the underlying color version. We'll still need the color version for the selective color. There are other ways to create non-destructive Black and White layers and still be able to tweak the blacks and whites (with more contrast or for a more matte finish), so if you have a favorite, go for it....the important aspect is the Black and White conversion on a separate layer with a photo mask.

    [​IMG]

    Step 3: Selective Color
    Mask back the areas of color that you want to show in color. I used the quick selection tool and selected the phone booth. You may need to go in for a finer brush if the background is busy. I didn't worry too much about it since in the final LO, it will blend in.

    [​IMG]

    ***here is a link for PSE users: https://www.wikihow.com/Turn-an-Ima...r-One-Color-(Adobe-Photoshop-Elements-5.0)***


    Here is my final Layout:

    [​IMG]
     
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  9. mcurtt

    mcurtt give me all the paleo brownies

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    So sorry @FarrahJobling. I have no excuse for not attending other than I just forgot. I got involved outside with cleaning up a vintage metal spool rack. It was a beautiful day & time got away from me. Looking forward to reading your suggestions above.
     
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