COLOR THEORY & MANAGING FOR PRINT

The ABC’s of Color Theory & Color Management


The Primary Colors

• Red
• Green
• Blue

• Cyan
• Yellow
• Magenta
• (K)

The 3 Dimensions of Color

• Hue-The Color
  

• Saturation-The Intensity

• Brightness-Value-Light/Dark

A Three Dimensional Color Wheel























the TRUE MATCH COLOR WHEEL

3 Factors in Managing Color:


The Image

The Paper

The Printer



The Image

Adjusting the color quality of the image.


a. Adjust directly:
i. on site with your camera


b. Adjust indirectly:
i. from the menu bar: image/adjustment
ii. or in the layers pallete with an adjustment layer.


The Paper

Change the paper type you are using

Glossy vs Matte…


The Printer

Adjustments to your printer


Clean the heads

Calibrate your printer to the monitor

Change printers

Fill the ink



CS3 “Print” Window

Synchronizes

The image---The paper---The printer

&

Soft Proofs

3 Factors in Managing Color:

1) The image

2) The paper

3) The printer


1) Adjusting the color quality of a printed image.

a. Adjust directly: menu bar: image/adjustment/…

b. Adjust indirectly as an adjustment layer.


2) Change the paper type you are using

a. Glossy vs Matte…

• (A common inkjet printer paper is the Epson Matte-Heavyweight)
  

3) Adjustments to your printer

a. Clean the heads

• (run a test first)

b. Calibrate your printer to the monitor

• (Custom Color Profiles)

c. Change printers


CS3 PRINT WINDOW

Synchronizes: 1) The image. 2) The paper 3) The printer

Soft Proofing

for more info on Color Management

POSTING LINKS TO BLOG POSTS

1) Highlight the text you want the links to be attached too (FIG A)

2) Tab over to the website on your web browser and Copy and Paste the URL address
into the Link Window (FIG C) and click OK.

3) Click on the link icon just above the text window (FIG B)

The highlighted text will show up as hyper-text, if posted correctly.

PHOTOGRAPHIC PAPER for the Epson Printer

The standard photographic paper for the Epson Printer used to be called Enhanced Matte Paper. The name has changed to:

Epson Ultra Premium Presentation Paper Matte (Enhanced).

Check out the Altex website in Florida for good prices and lots of choices.

There is also Staples, if you need paper right away.

SAVING ASSIGNMENTS TO THE SERVER V.2

Each time you arrive in class you will need to save your adobe projects onto the server.

(The information on the server is erased every monday, therefore, the server is not a replacement for your dropsend or thumbdrive acc.)

HERE IS HOW YOU DO IT:

1. Go to Finder/Go/Connect to server.
2. Type in: 10.10.10.172
3. Sign is as a guest.
4. Create a folder with your name on it ei: "Lena Helen". Folders are in alphabetical order.
5. Click and drag your finished assignments into the folder before the end of class. (Uploading can only be done on Campus.)

ONLINE CS3 TUTORIALS

CS3 Suite. has online video tutorals . At any time you can go to this site to re-familiarize yourself with the tools and commands we are covering.

OVERVIEW OF SELECTION TOOLS IN PHOTOSHOP

OVERVIEW OF THE LAYERS PALLETE

The layers palette can be found in the Menu Bar under Window/Layers

Like the navigator tool the layers palette is an essential organizing tool for many of the the Creative Suite Programs.

Below is a diagram of the Layers pallet and corresponding labels for the buttons:


FIG. A: The background layer is your original layer when you open an image. You can initially unlock the layer by double clicking and renaming it. This layer is highlighted meaning you can edited the layer once it is renamed


FIG. B: An empty layer is indicated by a grey and white grid, to the left of the layer. You can move a layer by highlighting it: click, hold and drag it over or under another layer

FIG. C: The eye icon indicates that the layer is visible. To make a layer invisible, click the eye and it will disappear. A layer must be visible and highlighted inorder to edit it.


FIG. D: The lock button locks a layer when it is highlighted.


FIG. E: The trash button is for deleting layers. Highlight: click, hold and drag a layer over the trash can to delete it.


FIG. F: The new layers button creates new and empty layers. To make a copy of a layer, highlight the layer and click, hold and drag it over the new layers button.


FIG. G: The group button allows you to make folders. The is good for organizing your layers into groups.


FIG. H: The links button allows you to link layers together. To link layers you must have the layers highlighted: hold down the shift key to highlight more than one layer.


FIG I: The layers menu button show you more options and commands for the layers palette


FIG J: The opacity button allows you to adjust the opacity of a layer.

SETTING BACKGROUND COLOR IN PHOTOSHOP

You have the option of setting the background color on a Photoshop file when you first create a new file.

When you go to FILE/NEW there is an option to set the background content - to white, background color or transparency. In most cases you will want to choose transparency. PS will "remember" this setting for the files opened after that.

Also, if you need to delete a background color, once you have opened a file you can just select it (apple/a) and cut the object out of the layer.

DIGITAL TOOLS ASSIGNMENT 3 Playing with Reality

Image by Jennifer B


The goal of this assignment is for you to practice using the selection tools, the free transform, the refine edge feature and the layers pallete. The assignment has two parts. The first part, asks you to change the background of an image. The second part, asks you to select and create multiple copies of one image and place in such a way to create the illusion of perspective. You will be using the images you have taken so far for this class to complete the assignment. The finished assignments should also give us some insight into your topic as it interests you.

PART 1 Review the tutorials

a. Review the class blog posts on Layers and Selection Tools .

b. Check out the CS3 Video Tutorials. Choose the product, Photoshop CS3 and watch, "Making and Refining Selections" and "Using Layers"(It is good to have headsets when listening in the labs.)

c. Review the the “2 minute Video” on using the Extraction Tool (#3) The Video on Depth of Field (2MPT #39 ) This video uses the extract tool and shows you how to create depth of field for a background, using the clone tool (for removing halo’s around your image) and the blur tool on the background.


PART 2 THE TWO PHOTOSHOP ASSIGNMENTS

1) CHANGE THE BACKGROUND OF AN IMAGE.

a. Choose one of your images that you have taken of you subject from last week. Make sure you can select out of the image your subject without too much difficulty. (For example: a lightly colored coffee with a background that is darker in value, would be easy to select.) Save the image using the Save As option, Rename it: Yourname_BackgroundAssignment.psd

b. Now select the object from the image and remove the background. Use the Extract Tool or any of the Selections Tools to accomplish this. (See “Selection Tools” for a list of options and helpful hints)
(Remember to use the Select/Inverse tool if you originally select the object and you want to inverse the selection to select the background to delete it.) Now delete the background from your image. You will be replacing it with an entirely new image or object. See below:

d. Choose and open another image to use as a background for your object above. Copy and Paste the background into a new layer in the file where the object exists.

• Remember the layer containing your new background needs to be below the layer containing the object.
• Remember the new background should emphasis your interest in your subject, giving the viewer a deeper understanding of your particular perspective.

e. You have the option to alter the place and scale of your object, once you have selected a new back ground. How your object is placed on the page will affect the composition and meaning of your new image.

Look at the image of the remote control with the the sunset for a background on RosesRoom's Blog. This is a good example of what I am looking for in the assignment.

2) CREATE THE ILLUSION OF PERSPECTIVE

a. Follow step a. in the above assignment. (This time naming your file: Yourname_Perspective.psd)

b. Use a selection tool to select your object that best fits the character of the image, ie: if the object is similar in value then the magic wand might be appropriate to use. If the selection is not similar in value but has a distinct edge, then the magnetic lasso tool might work.

c. With the selection on, copy the object into another layer.

d.Make several copies of the object and then change the size, incrementally, using the free transform (Command/T) tool to create the illusion of perspective. (You can also play with blurring the object- use the filter/blur tool or decreasing the saturation image/adjustment/hue and saturation under the menu bar as the object recedes. Both can these tricks can help create the illusion of perspective.

e. Again consider how you place these images in relation to the background. How you place them will affect the overall feel of you image.

Note: Remember the object must be selected first before using free transform.

Note: You must click the apply button when using the free transform command or simply hit return.

e. Once you are satisfied with the perspective design you have the option tochoose an entirely different image to place it on top of. Try and choose an image that will further communicate to us your interest in the topic.

Due next week:

Upload To Your Blog
The assignments formatted for the web and saved as a jpeg. Remember to use the "Save for Web" option in "File" on the Menu Bar.

• Post these files with a description to your blog on how the new images relate to your interest in your object.

Before the beginning of class:

Upload to Dropsend
(and to your thumbdrive )2 .psd files (saved with layers ) of both assignments. Do not flatten or merge you layers!!

• These files MUST be saved with their layers. If the files are flattened into one layer, I will not be able to see the work you have done. And in this case, you will be asked to redo the project.
  

Download to your temp folder:
The 2 .psd files to your folder. (This is the folder that you create in the documents folder at the beginning of class.)