Adding A Shadow To Your Stock Photos

 Today we are going to learn how to add a shadow to your stock photos. We will do this for two of our stock photos;  the one that was taken with the light source on the left and the one that was taken with the light source on the right. Below are two pictures. The top picture is a "before" picture and the bottom picture is an "after" picture. In between the two are some basic instructions. These are brief instructions and you will need to use some of your existing Photoshop experience, but it's definitely enough to get you started. Finally, there is a video posted at the bottom. Watch it and enjoy.

1. Take your image and open it in Photoshop
2. Create 2 duplicate layers of the background. Label 1 of them "shadow" and the other one "object".
3. Remove the white around from around the "object" layer.
4. Desaturate the "shadow" layer.
5. Add a gaussian blur to the "shadow" layer.
6. Move the "shadow" layer slightly to the right and down if the light source is coming from the left. Do the opposite if the light source is coming from the right.
7. Paint white over any leftover sections near the sides and top portion of the "shadow" layer.

This exercise is all about using layers, so be aware of what layers are selected while you are working.

When you are done, save your 2 photos as JPEG files and I will come around and grade them all at once on Wednesday. (40 pts.)

How To Add A Shadow In Photoshop from Michael Pagliara on Vimeo.

It's The GIMP!

Okay, so it's not called "The" GIMP, it's just called "GIMP". GIMP is a free photo editing piece of software. Photoshop currently costs $10/month. This isn't bad if yo have a business and make money off of your work, but if you're a student or hobbyist, you might want something you can use for free. GIMP works differently than Photoshop, but you should be able to figure it out if you spend a little time on it. You can download GIMP here. Also, if you need to finish a project at home, this is a great way to do it using free software.

Agenda for Stock Photo Project

Monday - shoot scene

Tuesday - shoot scene & begin post processing

Wednesday - Finish post processing & create presentation

If you do not finish the presentation, bring your photos home with you and finish the presentation over the weekend. Presentations must be shared with me via Google Drive before the beginning of class on Monday. There will not be any more time given to complete this project.

Have fun and good luck!

Stock Photo Post Processing

Today, we are going to take an image we shot in a light tent and clean it up in Photoshop. This is called post processing. Our goals are to:

1. Remove the background completely and turn it to a pure white.
2. Crop and center the image.
3. Rename the file.
4. Save the image as a JPEG.

Download the .zip file below. Using the file named 1.66 EV.JPG, we will do the assignment in class together. Email me the final file with your name as the file name.You must rename the file to have it accepted. If you are absent, do this assignment as soon as you get back.

My email, as always is mpagliara@upperdarbysd.org

Light Tent Lab

Yesterday we started talking about commercial photography. We looked at a website called iStockphoto, which is a place where people can license photographs and other types of media to be used for commercial purposes. We then learned how to create a good stock photo and how to shoot a scene using a light tent. Below are the instructions for our project that we will begin today. We will have until Wednesday 11/26/2014 to complete this project. In between, we will be learning other things involving Photoshop as well.

Assignment #2 Due Friday

Assignment #2 is due at the end of class on Friday, November 14, 2014. All completed work will be graded according to the grading scale. If you are not done the assignment, we will grade wheat you have done to this point.

Assignment #2 - Shot Roll Of Film Due 11/5/2014

Make sure you have a completely shot roll of film in your hand at the beginning of class on Wednesday 11/5. This is worth 20 pts.