Salvador Dali Exercise for Quick Mask

Exercise for Quick Mask learning in Photoshop

Here, we added a Dali's mustache and eyes onto his cat. Also, I added a text box. I had never used quick masking before so this exercise was very helpful.

Another Working GIF

Just for fun I wanted to go with this idea of the living and the dead. I love all Day of the Dead art, skulls, skeletons, etc. Showing a walking, turning skeleton, walking across the street of China Town in San Francisco, CA. I am still working further on this to perfect it, but I am posting it here as a start.

Final GIF

I made a DJing GIF of DJ Tiesto. I took screen shots of a youtube video. I wanted to capture different movement in the action of DJing. The GIF is a little separated and choppy, but as it plays over and over I like the rhythmic feel it gives. I did not want a smooth video of DJing. I liked the idea of the choppy rhythm of motion. I want the viewers to get this sense of rhythm and feel it in their mind and body; put your own music to the GIF. I tried to add in some lighting effects in a few frames to show a little more movement. I could have carried it throughout the whole GIF but felt as though it may be too distracting. I would have spent more time on the lighting if I could change anything about my final GIF. Hope you all enjoy... : )

*youtube video: Tiesto - Sensation White

Create "Nashville" Instagram Effect in Photoshop

Manually Creating The “Nashville” Effect

Starting Image

Find and image you'd like to play with, fire up either image editor. Save an alternate copy of your image so that you can revert at any time you need to.

Create a new Layer and fill it with a pale yellow color, then set that layer’s blending mode to multiply.

You can use a color similar to this RGB recipe, if you prefer. The RGB recipe of 250, 220, 175 and the hex #fadcaf will both recreate a similar color in either program.

(Author’s note: Changing this color can definitely affect your final result—so experiment with it!)

Jump back to your background layer. We’re going to make three quick adjustments to the background. First, adjust the central slider bar, moving it over toward the left side of the histogram. You should be adjusting in all three channels of your RGB.

To open Levels, Press Ctrl + L in Photoshop

Then, change levels to work in the “Green” channel, and adjust the output levels by moving them closer to the right side of the screen. Be certain to do this in the Green channel, and not any other, or the RGB channel.

Change your levels to adjust the “Blue” channel, and dramatically adjust the Output Levels slider. Once you’ve done all three of these, you can press OK.

With only those few steps, a photo can be dramatically transformed. You can always go further, but this is a fine vintage look in and of itself.

Vintage photo effects sometimes try to destroy detail, such as the flattened blacks and highlights to simulate bad prints or aged photo papers. Additional adjustments to levels can add to this effect, but are not necessary.

*Thanks for this trick from 

http://www.howtogeek.com/68431/create-instagram-style-photo-effects-with-gimp-or-photoshop/

Inspirational Skulls & Day of the Dead Art, Music

                         Sylvia Ji (artist)

Music

 Lauryn Hill

 Rick Ross

 Lil Wayne

Semester Proposal

       I am excited for this flexible artistic class this last semester of my four and a half years at San Jose State University. I do not have an exact "style" or aim for my work in general. I am still striving to find this. Therefore, it is difficult for me to have a clear and direct idea for this proposal for class. Most of my work has been done for class and specific projects. I need to branch out and do more of my own inspired work. 

My gif idea was just random. I enjoy music and recently have been into house music and listen with my friends frequently. We go out and dance to this music. I love to dance. Tiesto is playing at school in a month and I plan to go. I thought to check out videos on youtube of him DJing. I find the action and motions of DJing very interesting and captivating. I decided to do screen shots of different placements of hands and his body movements during one set at a concert. I took these images into Photoshop and turned them into frames. I feel as though my GIF sets a good rhythm of movements of DJing when it is played over and over continuously. I am working on adding a lighting technique over the top of the images, but I really do not know how to do it. I have been trying to look online for technique tips. 

I had other ideas of using a skeleton and mixing the image with a real body form of a person and having a motion of turning or a fade from real to bones. I am working more on this idea and will be doing a second GIF for further practice. I really like the idea of dead and living; mixing skeletons and skulls and bones in contrast to living forms and flowers and natural life. I love Day of the Dead type art and would like to integrate those ideas into my work somehow. I also enjoy urban art and integrating that into my practice.

My style I would say is eclectic and I do not have one set path. I feel as though I am somewhat all over the place. I would really to focus on my true objectives for my work and explore those in this class and figure out exactly what my path is for my design future. 

I will be posting some in the coming days. As the semester goes on, I will add to this proposal and edit as well. As the semester continues, I hope to learn a lot, explore some new techniques, figure out a more consistent subject, and really focus on what "style" I can describe my work as for the future. I have past work but it is mainly from classes so I cannot say that it truly reflects myself or my style. 

Working GIF

I really enjoy music and have been very into house music recently with my friends. When we go out it is mainly what we hear and dance to. I love to dance and move to the rhythmic beat and sounds of House music. I decided to look up videos of DJ Tiesto playing at a concert. I thought it would be interesting to take screen shots of different movements of the action of DJing. I took theses images into Photoshop and turned them into frames for my animation. I placed them in a sequential order. As the animation plays over and over there is a rhythmic feel that the viewer gets (I hope). I like the choppy feel of the video and get a rhythm from the continuous play. I feel as though the GIF is a little dull and I still want to add some lighting techniques over the top of my GIF. I am not sure how to do this so I am researching.