Digital Photography and Imaging - Project 1: Collage and Digital Imaging

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06/04/2023 - 11/05/2023 / Week 1 - Week 6 Joey Lok Wai San / 0350857 Digital Photography and Imaging / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media Project 1: Collage and Digital Imaging


LECTURE

WEEK 1

This was our first week of class. Mr Fauzi briefed us on the module and assignments. We were then assigned an exercise to get an understanding of our design style and preferences. Click here for Week 1 blog.

WEEK 2

In this week's lesson, we learned about composition such as focal point, scale and hierarchy, balancing elements, the rule of thirds, and the golden ratio. We started creating different compositions for our physical collage. Click here for Week 2 blog.

WEEK 3

We were introduced to Adobe Photoshop, especially on how to use the lasso tool, pen tool, and magic wand. We were assigned to create compositions for our digital collage. Click here for Week 3 blog.

WEEK 4

This week’s lecture was about adjustment layers and filters in Adobe Photoshop. We were tasked to choose our favourite digital collage composition and improve on it using the skills we learned this week. Click here for Week 4 blog.

WEEK 5

We learned about digital photography. Mr. Fauzi introduced us to lighting, exposure setting, lens perspective, DSLR vs smartphones, and how to create our own photography studio at him. Click here for Week 5 blog.

WEEK 6

We learned how to recolour black-and-white images. We also learned about the principles of poster design. The fundamental principles of design are Emphasis, Balance and Alignment, Contrast, Repetition, Proportion, Movement and White Space. Click here for Week 6 blog.

INSTRUCTIONS


PROJECT 1A: Collage

In Project 1A, we completed collage activities for both physical and digital collages. To create a good collage, we must have a good composition and layout. We made our own collages using magazines for the "Physical Collage", and used Adobe Photoshop for the "Digital Collage".


Physical Collage

1. Choose and identify your collage's design elements to be cut out and compose them into your own concept.

2. Pre-composite your collage's design elements into a composition.

Gathering Materials


Fig. 1.1 Collage Elements 


Concept

When I first looked at my magazines, I noticed there were lots of models and fashion-related articles. Thus, my initial plan was to make a fashion-themed collage. That was until I stumbled across a magazine page about Frida Kahlo. I learned about Frida Kahlo in high school. Her iconic, unique self-portraits were symbolic and meaningful. I wanted to make a bright collage (Frida Kahlo is famous for her vibrant colored portraits) surrounding her.


Pre-Compositions


Fig. 1.2 Pre-composition #1

Fig. 1.3 Pre-composition #2

Fig. 1.4 Pre-composition #3

Fig. 1.5 Pre-composition #4


Final Physical Collage


Fig. 1.6 "Frida Kahlo" - Final Physical Collage

Digital Collage

1. Download all of the images from Google Drive

2. Follow the tutorial demo as a reference to create your digital collage

3. Create 3 different compositions (digital collages) from the images that you’ve downloaded.

Compositions

Fig. 1.7 Digital Collage #1


I wanted to create a walkway in space. I inverted the background to make it darker and cut out the planet's circles with the textured images provided. I went for a more muted/natural colour scheme.


Fig. 1.8 Digital Collage #2


I experimented with the colours and saturation in this composition. The buildings are towering over the man. This composition looks unrealistic and cartoonish, which I quite liked.


Fig. 1.9 Digital Collage #3


I liked the bright colours against the muted background. I decided to combine the first composition of dull colours with pops of colour in this composition.


Adjustment Layers and Filters

We are required to use our knowledge of adjustment layers and filters and improve our digital collage. I decided to go with digital collage composition #1. My initial composition already had some adjustment layers. Some of the filters I used were the invert filter, hue, saturation, etc. I edited my digital collage with more adjustments such as levels, curves, and contrast, and tried out different filters.

 

Fig. 1.10 Attempt at adjustment layers and filters


I wanted to make it look more space-themed. I added a few more elements and adjustments before getting the final design.


Final Digital Collage 

Fig. 1.11 "Walkway in Space" Final Digital Collage


PROJECT 1B: Digital Imaging

In Project 1B, we completed "Exercise 1 - Photo Manipulation (Hearst Mansion)" and "Exercise 2 - Recoloring Black & White" activities. For both exercises, we first followed a tutorial to produce an outcome. We then went on to create our own outcome using different images.


Exercise 1 - Photo Manipulation (Hearst Mansion)

1. Follow the step-by-step video to edit it in Photoshop: https://youtu.be/b6XqlUP-MUA

2. Download the images here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1d8wBC-qsBMhnzfR OB4KqtXiTlvwfy-4_?usp=sharing

Part 1: Photo Manipulation (Shazam) For this practical, we are tasked to create a digital collage following the slides and video tutorial. We are given the following two images to combine:

Fig. 2.1 Hearst Mansion Digital Collage Tutorial

Fig. 2.2 Hearst Mansion and Shazam poster
Fig. 2.3 Final Hearst Mansion and Shazam


Part 2: Photo Manipulation (My Reflection)

Our second task was to take a full-body portrait from the eye level. We have to insert our own photo into the Hearts Mansion background, using the same steps from Part 1 - Shazam. I took a photo in front of a white wall so it would be easier to select using the quick selection tool, and applied a suitable color correction to finalize my work.

Fig. 2.4 Full Body Self-Portrait

Fig. 2.5 Final Hearst Mansion "My Reflection"

Exercise 2 - Recoloring Black & White

1. Follow the step-by-step video to edit it in Photoshop

2. Download the images here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18lnIazWaZSUfBkzgWhSocbJAoLKEByI8?usp=sharing

Part 1: Recoloring Black & White (Tutorial)


Fig. 3.1 Recolouring black and white photo tutorial

For this practical, we are tasked to recolour this black-and-white image following the YouTube tutorial.



Fig. 3.2 Black-and-White Photo



Fig. 3.3 Recoloring progress
Before achieving the final recoloured version, I made a few versions of the black-and-white image.


Fig. 3.4 Recolored Versions

Fig. 3.5 Final Recolored Black-and-White Photos

Part 2: Recolouring Black & White Photo
For the second exercise, we have to follow along with this video tutorial on advanced recolouring. We are tasked to recolour the grey photo using the skin and hair colour as references.
Fig. 3.6 Recolouring black and white photo tutorial

Fig. 3.7 Black-and-White Photo and Color Reference Photos

Fig. 3.8 Recoloring progress

I made a few versions of the black-and-white image with different backgrounds, hair and lip colour.


Fig. 3.9 Recolored Versions
Fig. 3.10 Final Recolored Black-and-White Photo - Version #1
Fig. 3.11 Final Recolored Black-and-White Photo - Version #2
After following the video tutorial, we have to select and recolour one black-and-white image provided in Google Drive. We have to search online for skin and hair colour references.
Fig. 3.12 Chosen Black-and-White Photo (Willow Smith)


Fig. 3.13 Skin and Hair Color Reference Image

These are my first attempts at recolouring the image. However, it was not very good. The colouring was off and the strands of hair is not very visible. After this attempt, I decided to redo the whole thing.   
    Fig. 3.14 Recolored Versions - First Attempt
I changed the colour of the skin and background to give it a more natural look. I also did a new masking on the hair, so that the loose strand of hair are visible.
  
Fig. 3.15 Recolored Versions - Second Attempt

Fig. 3.16 Final Recolored Black-and-White Photo - Version #1 Fig. 3.17 Final Recolored Black-and-White Photo - Version #2

FEEDBACK

WEEK 2

Assemble and glue the physical collage COMPOSITION #1 and bring it to the next class. 


WEEK 3

Digital collage COMPOSITION #1 is the best composition to use as the final submission.


REFLECTION

Experience

This project was a surprisingly fun experience. I never enjoyed doing collages, especially physical collages, as I found it to be quite tedious to find a layout and not my style. However, this project taught me a lot, especially in terms of composition and Photoshop. By using the rule of thirds or golden ratio, we can create a visually appealing composition. Collages allow us to play around with the pictures until we get a design we like best. I was also able to learn a lot about Photoshop through lecture videos and tutorials, which I think is a useful skill. Learning how to do photo manipulation and recoloring is something I have always been interested in.


Observation

I observe that my compositions get better when I experiment with the elements more. It allows me to improve on the previous concept and create a better composition. I also observe that everyone has different styles and visions. Even when given the same pictures, everyone comes up with a different design with completely different stories.


Findings 

I found it interesting to come up with a composition using limited resources in the digital collage. The limited set of photos is a good way of teaching us to come up with multiple different compositions and think creatively outside of the box. I also found that composition is very important in design. A good composition leads the viewer’s eye from a focal point and then to the rest of the design.

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