Photoshop Tennis

An Introduction to Photoshop CC

This activity involved a virtual game where students worked in pairs to edit an image emailed back and forth.  Once each partner had three serves the final image was uploaded and shared to the discussion forum.

Discussion

I replied to Christian Frost's forum post requesting a partner and knowing of my interest in Egyptian culture he presented me with a range of images.  I selected a slightly faded Sphinx and Khufu Pyramid with a light blue sky and afternoon shadow.  I had some experience in Photoshop CS, but we were both new to Photoshop CC and terms like adjustment layers, smart objects and linked library items.  After a few tutorials the game commenced and I re-coloured the image, touched up the existing sky, and Christian removed the distracting people and vehicles recommending we replace the sky.  He presented me with a range of alternate images, and I selected one which he then enhanced with Adobe Lightroom.

In the next round I inserted the new sky, improved colours to add depth and clarity to the pyramid, and selected 3 sample fonts.  Initially I discussed a postcard design with a few alternative texts and Christian offered the title 'The Magic of Egypt' selecting the best of the sample fonts.  During the next round we tidied up the design, Christian used a tilt shift blur on the top and bottom of the sky for realism and applied healing on unnatural surfaces.  I detailed the centre structure where vehicles had been removed, inserted the text and improved the colour.  If time permitted Christian offered to superimpose hieroglyphs in round 3 but decided to apply an outer glow to accentuate the structures and horizon.  I softened this glow to tone down the vivid yellow colour blend and added ufos using motion path blur. The final image was resized to 700px wide at 72dpi as requested.

Results

Initial Image	Final Image

Conclusion

This task allowed me to increase my skill set on the Adobe Photoshop CC platform.  I previously understood masking though Photoshop CS and Flash CS4 and quickly picked up adjustable layers and smart objects both enabling non-destructive image editing.  This was essential so the Photoshop PSD file transferred during the game, where possible, allowed the next player to make alterations based on their style and taste.  Various tutorials helped me understand the graphic library and using links on repeating objects.  I became aware of the new art board and how many mock-ups of a design can be altered by editing a single image.  Techniques such as camera raw, path motion blur, and liquify were experimented with as well as instructions in printing keyboard shortcuts, a history log, duel view mode for editing, and colour workspaces.  I believe this task has given me a firm grounding in Photoshop CC.

Extension

- Added laser beam
- Added 3D extrusion
- Added cloud rendered background

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References

Adobe Photoshop Tutorials
How to get started with Adobe Photoshop
60 Minutes of Photoshop Tips and Tricks
Assigning a Colour Correction Workspace
Masking and Alpha Channels
Photoshop Linked Smart Objects

Inspiration

Find 5 things that you are inspired by.

(1) The Yin Yang Symbol

I have an identical ocean scene at my front door and find this image calming.
It represents two opposing forces in perfect harmony and balance.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yin_and_yang

(2) Egyptian Mythology :

I find egyptian art and culture very interesting.
A large poster like this adds inspiration to any room.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pyramid_of_Giza
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphinx

(3) "Dragon Millennium" by Peter Pracownik :

This image is in my lounge room creating a sense of spiritualism.
Peter Pracownik's website features many designs with dragons and religious symbols.

http://www.peterpracownik.com/pages/dragons-1-designs.htm

(4) Jedism :

This poster is beside my pc.
It's inspiring to see the respect and focus they have.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jediism

(5) First Person Shooters :

"Call of Duty"

Since 2003, all 12 PC editions from the original to United Offensive, World at War, Modern Warfare, Ghosts, Advanced Warfare and Black Ops are of a high standard.  Each single player mode offers varying degrees of entertainment and multi player has changed substantially.  I found World at War and Modern Warfare to be very realistic, Ghost exciting just by the title, Advanced Warfare with jet packs the best so far, however after three iterations, Black Ops continues to rely too heavily on intelligence operation cut scenes.  The best multiplayer version was United Offensive offering tanks and jeeps, jeeps able to quickly steal a flag, and man the back mounted gun simultaneously.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_of_Duty

"Far Cry"

Since 2004, all 6 PC editions have gradually built in role playing elements that further increase its realism.  I enjoy the choice provided in open world environments such as climbing hills to enter a wing glider or finding a jet boat to watch the realistic spray. With a selection of weapons hunting a random outpost to disable alarms is often preferred to eliminating a group of 15 guards one by one without being spotted. Major bases probably should be avoided and awards unlock additional games.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Far_Cry

"Crysis"

Since 2007, all 5 PC editions in this series train methods of tactical combat using futuristic weaponry and armour. They include an exciting story line with highly detailed graphics and completing missions leaves a feeling of satisfaction. Attacking in stealth mode provides the edge that can overcome the enemy and armour is the last line of defence against a highly advanced race.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crysis

I am inspired daily by my large collection of first person shooters.
These games are worlds of artwork created by design teams skilled in a wide range of technology.

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Blogs

What is a Blog and what does it do ?

The word blog can be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.  The Wikipedia defines the word blog as a “a truncation of the expression weblog”, and a “discussion or informational site published on the internet consisting of discrete entries, termed posts, typically in reverse chronological order”.  The classic blog was from an individual or small group on a single topic, growing to multi authors from newspapers to univercities.  The increasing interest in blogging has assisted the advent of web publishing tools for non-technical users.  Social media sites like Twitter, Tumblr, Myspace and Facebook integrate single and multi author blogs into social networks, often termed micro-blogging due to the size of the posts.  The majority of blogs are interactive allowing visitors to follow, leave comments, and build social relations with their readers.

A blog may be a commentary on a subject, an online diary, or a method of branding a company and its viewpoints.  It is a means to express ideas on a particular subject in the form of text, images, links to other blogs and web pages.  Blogs can contain any media related to the subject such as, videos, called vlogs, audio, often called podcasts, or mp3s, shared from sites like SoundCloud.

What types of Blogs are available ?

The type of blog is defined by both its content and delivery, major types include :

• Personal Blog :
  An ongoing diary or commentary delivered from an individual.
• Collaborative Blog :
  Written by more than one user based on a single uniting theme.
• Micro-Blog :
  Small pieces of digital media placed on sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Myspace and Tumblr.
• Corporate Blog :
  Internally enhance communication, externally market or brand. Club blogs list activities.
• By Genre :
  Focus on an individual subjects such as art, health, travel, or popular 'how to' and tutorial blogs.
• By Media Type :
  Defined by the media type. Videos are vblogs, links are linklogs, and photos are photoblogs.
• By Device :
  Defined by the composition device. Blogs written on mobile devices are moblogs.
• Reverse Blog :
  Composed by several non specific authors, one or more topics, but not a forum due to an upper limit.

Provide 3 examples of Blogs for a specific demographic.

I have chosen three examples of blogs from the "website development" demographic.

(1) Blogger

http://webdev-il.blogspot.com.au/?view=snapshot

Webdev-il ScreenShot

(2) WordPress

http://www.web-development-blog.com/

Web Development Blog Screenshot

(3) Tumblr.

http://html5shelf.tumblr.com/

HTML5 Shelf Screenshot

Compile a list of 5 Blogging Systems.

(1) Blogger

http://www.blogger.com

Blogger is a free, simple blogging platform offering a small selection of flexible layouts and background images. Templates can be customised via the interface or with technical knowledge by editing the CSS and HTML. It can be used for a single user, a company branding, or a business blog to publish a wide range of digital content. The domain name will end with blogspot.com unless a domain name is set up externally. Google AdSense can be integrated allowing ads relevant to the user to earn money for the owner. The attribution widget “Powered by Blogger” can be removed setting the widgets locked value to false, otherwise not supported. Blogs can be renamed, imported, exported or deleted, and site analytic tools provide the statistical information with the option to link to Google Analytics.

The platform can be integrated with Google+ to increase traffic. The layout editor is a drag and drop interface, easily embedding RSS feeds, also shared with direct links to the feed reader. There are almost 1000 widgets including, sharing pages, adding search boxes, slideshows, videos and polls, subscribe by email, quotes of the day and custom scripts. Support is provided online via the blogger help center, the blogger help forum, and an announcement newsfeed. Blogger lacks the SEO provided by other platforms and the interface is restricted to META description, robots.txt and no follow. With technical knowledge the template can be altered to include additional META, post name and heading tags. Blogger allows free HTTPS security for ecommerce although this feature is not available with custom domain names.

(2) WordPress

http://www.wordpress.com

WordPress.com is a popular, simple blogging platform with a variety of free themes. With technical knowledge paid upgrades enable editing CSS and HTML and commercial themes can be purchased. Custom plug-ins aren’t supported however a VIP program is available. If a site receives 25,000 views / month the Ad Control splits revenue 50 / 50. WordPress.com reserves the right to display advertisements, unless an Ad-free upgrade or VIP program is purchased, and the right to display attribution links such as ‘Blog at WordPress.com,’ theme author, and font attribution. The platform integrates into social media with features like comments and polls. The sister site WordPress.org includes domain hosting with many additional paid options, although not part of the network, they will not gain traffic from blog of the day promotions.

This platform has enough versatility to be used by individual and business users in a broad range of circumstances. They are known for their high standard of support via documentation, support forums and online tutorials, but lack email support due to the network size. Maintenance is automatic including updates and backups, and code is optimised for SEO ensuring high rankings on popular search engines. RSS feeds can be embedded from other sites using short codes, a term used by WordPress to describe refined code. The stats page has graphs, charts and lists showing statistical information. Business plans can access Google Analytics, and a custom VIP plan allows a huge selection of statistical tool plug-ins. The network is continuously monitored for harmful activity and unauthorized access. The administrative page includes HTTPS secure support, and a two step authentication method ensures password hackers need your mobile device.

(3) Tumblr.

http://www.tumblr.com

Tumblr is a simple micro-blogging platform with a variety of free and premium themes. It is not a CMS or used for ecommerce, it is a blogging platform with over 200 million bloggers publishing 80 million posts / day. Popular amongst younger audiences it's suitable for individuals or commercial branding, with social and marketing value in follow, like and messaging digital content. The domain name is restricted to end with a .tumblr.com. The themes are customisable via a WYSIWYG interface and with technical knowledge in CSS and HTML. Anything from JavaScript, to jQuery, to iframes linked to external php code can be embedded. Revenue earning apps like Fiver, MyLikes, Google Adsense and affiliate programs gain network traffic from advertisements featured in sponsored blog promotions.

Tumblr states under the creative commons law attribution is an offence to remove. Removal by editing, or customising themes can result in account closure. Blogs can be renamed or deleted and free plug-ins are available to download and burn to cd for viewing. Support is available via a contact form and help documentation. Themes can be customized to generate META tags, otherwise SEO is not implemented. Tumblr generates RSS feeds viewers can subscribe to, although to import feeds the interface requires a plug-in called TumblrRSS. There are no statistical tools, generators like TumblrStats.com, or Google Analytics can provide a solution. Security procedures for malicious applications or fake login pages are well documented. Tumblr transfers data using SSL, an encrypted link between browser and server. Accounts can have two-factor authentication logging in via the interface and a code sent to a mobile device.

(4) TypePad

http://www.typepad.com

TypePad is a simple blogging platform with a full 14 day trial period, then limited to a small selection of themes and plug-ins called a micro-blog. It includes a drag and drop interface with widgets for chatting, paying for goods and showcasing sites and media. The theme builder can create unique designs, with technical knowledge customised in CSS and HTML, and advanced templates include Javascript. TypePad does not place ads on premium plans, third party sites like Google AdSense and BlogAds ensure users retain revenue. The footer attribution "Powered by Typeform" can be removed on pro plans. TypePad can be used by individuals, for branding, for running ads, selling products via PayPal, joining an ad network, an affiliate program, or tip jar. Domain names end with typepad.com unless a premium plan domain mapping is used. TypePad is integrated into the social network via a share to Twitter and Facebook feature.

Blogs can be deleted but remain on the network for sending messages or account deactivated. New designs are stored in Your Designs, while there's an export tool for blog text, and advanced templates can be downloaded. Technical support has a trouble ticket system with knowledge database and tutorial section. The pro plan guarantee support replies within 6 hours. TypePad is optimized for SEO, sent to search engines via the TypePad Update Stream. RSS feeds are generated so viewers can subscribe, and widgets can embed RSS feeds. Visitor statistics can be viewed on the Overview page, or by using web based tools such as Google Analytics, ExtemeTracking or Sitemeter. TypePad is listed with over 3,000 malware pages, concerning since plug-ins granted access can cause damage and/or data lose. Two levels of password protection are offered combined with a terms of service security statement.

(5) Ghost

http://www.ghost.org

Ghost is a free open source blogging platform created to solve the complexity of using a WordPress CMS to blog. Hosting is required, with the option to host internally. This includes server, application maintenance and backups. New customers to Amazon EC2 can host externally with a free trial year. Preinstalled with the Casper template, there are a variety of free and premium templates at the ghost marketplace. The traditional WYSIWYG interface has a Markdown and live-preview for continuous error detection. This is ideal for beginners, but customising the template requires a high level of knowledge. A drag and drop interface allows a comfortable workspace with widgets for performance, social media activity and news feeds. The side bar allows posting, tagging or sharing digital content.

The open source MIT licence implies no restriction on reuse, assisting an individual or business in any social media, marketing or branding endeavour. The instructions for removal of the copyright notice are on the default template. Internally hosted domain names end with myblog.ghost.io unless a custom domain name is purchased. Ghost has inbuilt support for SEO and social media, with more features than Yoast SEO. Including XML sitemaps, canonical tags, optimised URLs, microformats, Facebook Open Graph tags and Twitter Cards. A direct link is available for RSS feeds, with a plug-in to embed feeds. Third party RSS plug-ins like Google Feedburner, and statistical tools like Google Analytics can be added. Support is provided via a knowledge database and an open source community of developers. Security depends on the hosting service. The official host provides SSL and can be encrypted with HTTPS via CloudFlare’s UniverSSL.

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References

Best blogging platform
Choosing a blogging platform quick reference
The 18 best blogging and publishing platforms on the internet today

Introduction

I created this blog to showcase my progression through Certificate III Graphic Pre-Press.  I have a keen interest in website and flash animation, and would hope to extend my skills on the Adobe Platform.  I receive small jobs from business cards to websites mainly using photoshop, javascript and flash.  All these revolve around presentation and anything that improves my design ability is essential in a competitive marketplace.  I have a website, that seems to always be under construction but I will eventually organize it to showcase my work / hobbies using modern techniques.

Website	Portfolio	Crazy Chris Video
Flash Site	Bazaar Arts Ceramics	Lorem Ipsum

As a screen printer for a short time I gained some industry experience at the printing stage.  Initially I volunteered with a local firm and worked along side their Pre-Press operator.  Their computer system was linked to a chemical processing lab, then plates were used on a large offset printer.  I then gained employment involving a screen printing machine often linked to a UV drier.  Screens were detailed with a photographic process used and washed at rates of 250 sheets per colour per hour and logged on a board. After a few months I was able to operate the machine without supervision and got ahead of the board on one day.

Jobs included Rip Curl and Billabong stickers, VideoEzy magnets, corflute election signs, VIP Macdonalds stickers, beer labels were a 9 colour process each sheet dried if not UV cured and re-registered, corflute beer pub signs, T-Shirts, and smaller machines items such as business stationary.  I worked around specialists in cutting and processing but did not mix my own ink.  Set numbers of runoffs were allowed for colour approval, material costs defined this number and often resulted in 5 prints for approval.  Screens wear, bolts loosen, inks dry in, change consistency over time, don't cure due to belt speed or mixture, and paper jams can result in fires.  It was run, grab can, jump, throw on ink, sprint back and continue printing while listening to your assistant for the first sign of error.

Other graphic design experience included working for Eastman Heffernan Walch and Button, drafting in my school holidays the Old Woolstore extensions, government elevator systems and other smaller projects.  Then Ian Johnson Interior Designers, where I drew sketches of high level bathrooms, Salamanca Arts Center hand rails, Moonah signage, and lots of small house extensions.  Following this I spent a few years part time with Chris Potter Civil Engineer manually drafting Old Beach, Brighton, and Lowestoft subdivisions, as well as difficult street developments. I created Pascal software for new council regulations and had a system for soil classification, one design per 15 minutes at $250.00 in 1991.  I worked for Honeywells during uni and modelled the Launceston hospital cooling interface, more recently ShutterRUS setup a Hobart branch, where I estimated, modelled and built powder coated glass enclosed balustrades, Grandvewe Cheeses of Cygnet featuring on The Great Outdoors below.

Recently I completed a Cert IV and Diploma in websites and a Cert IV in Programming.  I found the java course interesting making a Skype application, battleships game, and simulations of a teaching environment, pet store, and farm. This led to a number of flash utility classes and an attempt at a slot machine using a new approach. I made a website for a local dancer Crazy Chris Video resulting in 100 pages of JavaScript, and developed a utils method that emulates the anim functions of jquery using Penners equations, an eventCache and a few browser based functions.  During the website course I learnt project management and used gannt software, creating an ecommerce site from first principles. On Blogger the script gives the page a menu, a mouse trailer, tool tips and drop down navigation.  I have a projects page containing various samples of image presentation using 3D techniques, the image to the left created from a set of scaled masks.

I enjoy watching sci-fi, or anything sci-fi related, and have previously submitted flash work at Newgrounds. I love to play first person shooters and have followed games like Call of Duty, Far Cry, Mass Effect, Star Wars, and Crysis, each successive release, a new sandbox of artwork. I enjoy making music on Soundcloud and often spend far too much time on fruity loops. I also have a YouTube account when it’s time to attempt lip syncing again. I have previously attended a few tai chi courses, specifically in I Chi Gung, and view it as a calming practice. I tend not to use social media, but have a twitter account Twitter account where i follow musicians, actors and celebrities.

I've had this poster up for years, the artwork is amazing.
The Rodney Matthers website features a gallery of science fiction art.

http://www.rodneymatthews.com/posters.htm

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