Friday, November 13, 2015

Final Presentations

As part of your final assignment, you will be creating and delivering a presentation of your work to the class.  The intent of this project is to help you become familiar with speaking about your work and speaking in public.

For the presentation, you should consider the following for a possible outline

1. Introduction- who are you? where are you from? what are your interests?  where do you currently work/ study?   Give us an idea of who you are, what makes you tick.  You could include everything from personal interests, to things you collect, to your favorite foods.     But, do this in a short amount of time (less than a minute).  Remember.... it's only an introduction.   Then you can discuss the work that you have done in the class.   Things to consider:

What was the focus of the work
  • What themes, ideas and concerns does your work consider?
  • Talk about the work from a conceptual, thematic, and/or emotional point of view.
  • The ‘intention' behind the work; what do you want the work to achieve?
  • What do you want the viewer to feel, learn, or come away with after viewing the work?
  • What kind of questions does your work raise?
Materials and process
  • What media do you work with? What interests you about work of this type? Was it a scanogram? did you create photos to assist in the process? 
  • Why did you work in this manner? Is there a relationship between the media and the ideas that you work with?
  • What processes are involved in the work and how are they relevant to the ideas you are dealing with?
Inspirations — historical, personal, social
  • Are there any outside influences and ideas, perhaps from outside the arts, which have bearing on your work?
  • Connect the work to something outside of art. That “something” can be homespun observations, personal history, contemporary issues, science, politics…
  • Any artists or writers you referenced or were influenced by during the process
After you have talked about your work you could conclude with information regarding: 

Future projects, goals and exhibitions/screenings

  • What are your future goals in college?  
  • where would you like to exhibit/screen your work?
  • How does this work fit into the overall flow of your development as an artist?

You should use PowerPoint, your website, or your class blog to assist you as a visual reference. 



Your presentation should be about five minutes



Thursday, November 12, 2015

Weeks 13_14 Intro to Video Editing and

If you want to start working with motion or animating gifs,  Adobe Premiere is a powerful video editing program that comes with the Adobe Creative Suite.   There are numerous tutorials online that will help you create transitions and go over the workflow with you.   I'm including this one from certified Adobe Expert Terry White for you to refer back to,  but I'm also including step by step instructions on working through a simple project as we will be creating in Premiere.




Basics on creating video: 

Here are some of the basic rules on video.  Some of these will gradually become intuitive if you continue to work with video and some of them may be new and helpful.  To learn more about the basics of working with video, I highly recommend the "Bare Bones Guide" for film and video.   It can be purchased for 4 OR 12 dollars via Amazon.com.  SO, ITS SUPER CHEAP!!!

CLICK HERE IF YOU WISH TO PURCHASE

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THE OLDER 4 DOLLAR BOOK


The RULES

1. If at all possible, it's always better to use a tripod when shooting video.   This helps to stabilize the shot and prevent focus from blurring in your shots.    While many cameras (including iPhones, Galaxy phones, and other smartphones) are going to shoot good quality video in "automatic" mode, shooting in manual mode will help give you more control with focus.

2.  Remember the Rule of Thirds-the idea that subject matter placed in the creases of the frame (when divided in thirds), compositions will become more interesting.   

Rule of thirds from Jayne Whitelock on Vimeo.


Headroom is the space above the human head  (avoid too much).   Inexperiences Videographers tend to put the face dead center of the composition and have too much headroom.    You might want to lower the head in the frame if there is a panning shot that reveals a beautiful landscape or dynamic feature within the composition.


3. Balancing out a Shot- Leading Looks
Screen left and screen right are terms that are used to distinguish which way a particular character might be looking in a shot or scene.  Leave more room on the screen-side (particular direction) that any face might be looking. 

NOTE: When the viewer looks at the video screen... the first thing they will see is the person's (subject's) eyes.   This is scientific. the second thing they will look at is what the person is looking at.   Knowing this, you can use this to manipulate the action in a sequence.  If you are doing a close up, you will want to have the person's eyes on the line.  If you are using manual focus or have that option of using manual focus with your camera.  Always focus on the subject's eyes when composing the "shot."

4.  The 180 DEGREE RULE





5. The Seven Types of Shots and their abbreviations

A. Wide shot/Extreme long shot-- (WS/XLS) this would include             a person's entire body and everything around them 

B Long Shot (LS) This is a tight shot revealing the top of the head to the bottom of the feet. .

C. Medium Long Shot (MLS) Head to about the knees

D. Medium Shot (MS) Top of the head to about the waist. 

E. Medium Close up-framing in the top of the head to just below the breast. 

F. Close up (CU)-head and shoulders-don't cut the shot off above the shoulders and leave only the neck and the head.  the neck will make for a 

G. Extreme Close Up (XCU) As Close as you can get on a person.  showing just the eyes or the mouth to reveal the emotions, or if  camera shows an extreme close up of just the mouth chewing gum. 

FOR FURTHER EXAMPLES OF THESE TYPES OF SHOTS CLICK HERE


6.  TRY AND BALANCE OUT YOUR SHOTS AND BE CAREFUL USING THE COLOR RED. 
when you are shooting, you want to balance out a frame with the masses of things, you can better achieve this by using a smaller object to create a balance, versus an equal sized object.  using an equal sized object would make it seem static.  Red is drastic and pops in a film, thus drawing the attention away from the other subject matter that might be of importance. When composing your shots try and keep this in mind.   Is the color red present anywhere?  Is it a distraction? 

EVERYTHING YOU WANNA KNOW ABOUT BALANCE CAN BE FOUND CLICKING HERE

Okay,  enough about video, let's jump in and get to work in...

Adobe Premiere

Here is an image of the workflow when you open premiere.   It includes the names of the various panels and areas where assets, transitions,



The easiest way to get started with a new project is by using the following steps.   If/when you are more informed of the way your camera works including pixel dimensions and frames per second, you might want to work with other settings.  But, as a general rule of thumb,  opening and working with a project by following the steps provided will benefit results regardless of whether you are shooting with an iphone, gopro, DSLR, or other devices.

Editing in Adobe Premiere CS6

In Class Assignment:  You will use the footage provided to you to create a simple sequence that follows these steps.  Here is the timeline of the commercial we will be making

1. Long shot snack machine.  Man entering and walking up to the machine,
2. Medium shot of face glancing in to glass window (looking at snacks)
3. close up of doritos
4. medium shot of man smiling
5. xtreme close up money coming out of pocket/and
6. medium close up of  inserting money  keypad entry
7. close up of wheel spiraling the food until it falls
8  long shot of man grabbing food, then eating (walking off screen)

Here is a link to a sample edit I created of the video

https://vimeo.com/145602024

Music was provide by Bensound.com

Creating a Project

1. Open Adobe Premiere Pro CC
2. Choose “New Project.”
3. Name your New Project with the name of the current assignment you are editing.
4. When the New Sequence window appears, click cancel.
5. Under the “File” menu, choose “Import.”
6. Navigate to where your files are located on your computer, select all of your files (hold down shift) and press “Open.” Your files will appear in your bin, in the bottom left corner of your browser.
7. Right click one of the .MTS clips in your bin and select “New Sequence From Clip.”
8. Using the selector tool (arrow), select the clip in the sequence and press “delete.”

Your Premiere Pro Browser

Besides your bin, you will see three main areas on your default screen: your Source window, your Program window, and your Sequence window.

--Your source window is where your clips will appear as you decide how much of them to use in your edit.
--Your program window will allow you to see your edit as it is currently assembled.
--Your sequence window contains your timeline where you actually edit your footage.

Become familiar with these basic functions (they will be displayed if you hover over the button). They are located directly beneath your source window.  Also become familiar with your selection tool and your razor blade tool. Your toolbox is located to the right of your bin.


Mark In, Mark Out, Go to In, Step Back, Play/Stop, Step Forward, Go to Out.

Three Point Editing
1. On the first clip of your sequence, set and “In” and “Out” point, according to how much of the clip you will use.
2. After making sure that your Program window is at the designated place (your third “In” point), drag the clip over to your Program window. You will see a message that states “Drop to overwrite; use control to insert.” Drop your clip and it will appear on your timeline.

This process is called Three-point editing because you always designate three points, usually (but not always) an “In” and “Out” point in your Source window and an “In” point on your Program window. We will later discuss exceptions to using these three points.
3. Continue the three-point editing process according to your storyboard until your edit is complete.


 Exporting your Project (Making a Complete File)
1. Under the file menu, choose export>media.
2. Click “output name” and name the file “Lastname_Inclass_Demo.”
3. Save to the desktop.
4. Click “Save.”
5. On the export settings menu, click export.

After we return from lunch, we will have a short brainstorming session and discuss the possibilities for a short film, then we will discuss the use of audio in your sequence.

OUTSIDE ASSIGNMENT:

Break up into groups of 3 or 4.    We will work together in groups to come up with some ideas for a short (no longer than 2 minute video) we can "shoot" and then edit using Premiere.   You will shoot the project together, but each of you will edit the video on your own.  You will add a title (or text of some sort) and also be adding music (or audio) to your short sequence.   Your sequence could be as simple as a pseudo-commercial for a product, or a silly interview, or anything that you can come up with, so long as it is short and doesn't require too much in the gathering of video assets (shooting scenes, costumes, etc).

Download the following "storyboard template" and print this out.  You will use this to "draw out" your shots.   Simple stick figures will be okay as this is meant only as a guideline (or checklist) for the shots you will need to create the video.




Once you have decided on a concept and have completed the storyboard it is time to shoot!

Shooting your video:
If possible, use a tripod.  If not,  try and keep the camera steady.  You must shoot in LANDSCAPE mode.   If you are shooting in portrait, it will only look good when we are viewing from a cell phone.

Also, remember to call for "Action" 3-5 seconds AFTER you have already started shooting.  This will allow for some extra footage in which you can select your in and out points in the 3 point editing process.

Your do not need to shoot in the order in which they will be edited and placed in the video.  If you have more than one location in which you are shooting, it is oftentimes better to collect all the shots from one scene to another.

Adding music and editing sound into Premiere. 

Adding music to your video will help "drive" the work.    Filmmakers often add sad music to sad scenes, happy music to happy scenes, etc.   Try and select music that is appropriate for the sequence you are shooting.   For your short sequence, you will need to research and find royalty music to add to your video.   There are numerous sites that will offer music files free for download.   Some will require you give credit to the producers of the music, some will require purchase based on whether the work will be used for commercial purposes, and some will have no requirements whatsoever.  You are welcome to do your own research and find your own music to suit your video.   One site I've found can be found by clicking the link below

http://www.bensound.com


Bonus:  EXTRA CREDIT-making a gif

Premiere is perhaps the best  (and easiest) program in which you can create a gif.   Once you have your still images or video file together, you just "export"... "media".... to the "animated.gif" setting. Cheers!  Feel free to make your own for extra credit.




Or if you wish to make an animated gif in Photoshop, you can also do that by animating individual frames.

Monday, November 2, 2015

Week 12_Adobe Muse

Branding and creating logos. 
Your logo is a visual representation of everything you (and your company) stands for. Think of McDonald's golden arches or the Nike swoosh-these two impressive logos embody these companies well.
There are basically three kinds of logos. Font-based logos consist primarily of a type treatment. The logos of IBM, Microsoft and Sony, for instance, use type treatments with a twist that makes them distinctive. Then there are symbol-type logos that literally illustrate what a company does, such as when a house-painting company uses an illustration of a brush in its logo. And finally, there are abstract graphic symbols-such as Nike's swoosh-that become linked to a company's brand.

This week we will be creating logos for ourselves and using adobe Muse to create a "mock" website of our artwork.  You are welcome to buy a domaine name and publish the site as well, but it is not required.  You will be able to publish your site temporarily for thirty days.   Here is a link that better describes Publishing sites with Adobe Muse. 

https://helpx.adobe.com/muse/how-to/publish-your-site.html

When you leave college and start using Adobe CC on a regular basis, you will gain free hosting for up to five sites with your subscription.  You may also take advantage of using the Behance network to post images, video and get feedback from peers and other professionals worldwide.  


If you want to design and create professional, original websites without ever touching code, Adobe Muse CC is one of the best programs to use.  
With Muse, you can quickly and easily design and create user-friendly, interactive websites without the help of a developer. Design your site in Muse using the same skills as Adobe InDesign and Adobe Photoshop. Then, after creating your site in Muse, you can take your site live using Adobe hosting or export to a provider of your choice, publishing your site as original HTML pages that conform to the latest web standards.


A. Top of Page: Defines padding above the page and is the same as the Padding Top setting in the page properties.
B. Header: Delineates the bottom of the header area. Items inserted on a master page above the header guide appear at the top of the page and are locked (cannot be selected or edited) on the pages of the site.
C. Margin guides: Define a safe area of the page in which to lay out page content. Objects snap to the margin guides as you lay out your page. Margins, columns, and gutters in Muse are similar to margins and columns you use when designing layouts in Adobe InDesign.
D. Column guides: Divide the page area into columns of content.
E. Gutters: Specify the distance between columns.
F. Page area: Indicates where you can add the unique content for each page.
G. Footer: Delineates the top of the footer area. Items below the footer guide appear at the bottom of the page. Elements associated with the footer stay at the bottom of the page below the Footer guide regardless of content height, and elements placed in the footer on a master page are locked (cannot be selected or edited) on the pages of the site.
H. Bottom of Page: Defines the minimum page height. This is the same as the Min Height setting in the page properties. You set the minimum height in an earlier step when you edited the master page properties. This guide is a visual way to edit that value.
I. Bottom of Browser: Defines padding below the page and is the same as the Padding Bottom setting in the page properties.
Here is an overview tutorial from Adobe expert Terry White you can refer back to if you forget anything we have gone over in class.  We will play with some of these features as we go along.  Place your images and logo assets in a folder on your desktop, as you will need them to create your site. 




In Class Assignment:

Come up with 5 logos for your "brand" or art business.   Your logo could be more of a personal brand.  See example logos below.   You may create these in Illustrator (ideally), Photoshop, or any other way in which the file can be saved and applied to your website--png, psd, jpeg.

Here are some more well recognized logos.  What makes them successful, not successful?  What attributes would you like to incorporate in your own logo?   Use a sketchbook (if necessary) to jot down some ideas, make thumbnail sketches and really think out your ideas visually.

After you create your logos, we will pick one for your site.  

Examples of well-recognized logos:  Let's take a moment to ponder what the logos are suggesting.










Here are some artist logos





OUTSIDE ASSIGNMENT: 

Please follow the guidelines below:


Design and personalize your own website, using your logo as a symbol on your site.  your site should be a total of five pages.   Home, About, Gallery, Contact.  On your Gallery page, you should place images of all work you have done this semester.    You could also place images of work you have done in other classes: 2D design,  Color Foundations, Drawings.

On the contact page, place a "twitter" or "Facebook" button that links to another page.









Thursday, October 29, 2015

Week_11_InDesign

Adobe® InDesign® CC is a powerful page-design and production application that offers precision, control, and seamless integration with other Adobe professional graphics software. Using InDesign, you can produce professional-quality, full-color documents and print them using a variety of output devices, including desktop printers, high-resolution imaging devices, and high-volume color printing presses. You can also design publications for a broad range of electronic devices, such as tablets, smart phones, and eReaders, and export InDesign document in several formats, including PDF, HTML, and EPUB.Writers, artists, designers, and publishers can communicate to a broader audience than ever before and through an unprecedented variety of media. InDesign supports this with its seamless integration with other Creative Cloud components.



Here is a great overview tutorial for InDesign by our main man Terry White.  He's definitely a geek, but he's thorough and doesn't talk too much.



And, here is a decent short video that is good for quick review if you forget something Terry has said.  Please watch both of these videos and remember: they will always be here if you need to review.




Designing on the Grid

Design and the process of "designing"--put simply-- is the way of visually organizing elements onto a picture plane.When creating multi-page documents, the grid is the principle way of organizing page elements. A grid divides a page into columns. An artist can follow the columns strictly, or use them as a rough guide to work within. 

The Gutenberg Bible visual example follows a very rigid grid structure: the two columns of text have the same line length.The two columns of text also have the same vertical length.
However, the grid can also be used with much flexibility. In the visual reference example of the New York Times layout from 1918, the grid is more complex and versatile. This grid divides the page into eight columns.

We will be doing two separate introductory assignments using InDesign.  One based on a strict grid structure, and one that chooses to completely deviate from the grid in its aesthetic. 

In Class Assignment:  Designing on the Grid

http://wiki.digital-foundations.net/index.php?title=Chapter_13_CS6

In Class and Homework Assignment:

http://wiki.digital-foundations.net/index.php?title=Chapter_14_CS6

Please note: In order to obtain the clipping mask for the hand (pointer), we will also have to go back and refer to another assignment. 

HOMEWORK http://wiki.digital-foundations.net/index.php?title=Chapter_6_CS6#Exercise_2:_Recreating_straight_lines_with_the_Pen_Tool


Additional Homework:  Get all your assets (jpegs) from your assignments into the class.  You will post all your assets to a blog with a short 1-3 sentence description of the work, your intent and (possibly) how you made the work.   Here is a video on how to create a blog.   Note that all work needs to be posted on this blog as it is part of your final grade. 


Here is a video on how to work in blogger.  You may use your MCA email address?  Blogger is easy, and links to your email accounts. 

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Week 10_Photoshop Final

This week we are finishing up with exclusive Photoshop assignments.  I'm embedding more photoshop tool tutorials which should round out the tools you haven't used so far in the course.   These tools are probably "lesser used" and you may or may not require them (often) in your future work, but I'm putting them on here so you know the capabilities and can use them if you ever need to.

Perspective Crop Tool



Color Picker and Color Sampler



Ruler, Note, Count Tools--this is a longer tutorial... kinda boring too. 



Healing Brush, Spot Healing Brush, Patch Tools



Photoshop Painting Tools



History Brush



Magic Eraser, Background Eraser Tools








In Class Assignment: Painting in Photoshop



Outside Assignment:

Homework-Collaged Poster

You will create a poster based on a call for submissions (see below).   

*at least 10 images, half must be authored by student*--must use some element of type. You may also use painting techniques from the painting exercise (see above).   Files and a detailed outline of procedures for the painting exercise are found in the STUDENT RESOURCES folder on the classrooms folder. 






Here is a site that has many links to other Poster design contests that you might be interested in entering.

http://www.graphiccompetitions.com/  


You will receive an extra 10 points if you complete the submission process and enter your poster in one of the contests above.  This project will require some research and some critical thinking and idea generating/brainstorming.   It would be wise to use a sketchbook to organize your ideas and your designs before executing the digital manipulation. 


SAMPLE POSTERS FROM PREVIOUS CLASSES:  (note: these were not required to submit or required to create posters for a specific reason)