CORE2291 Design Lab 1: Project 4 Photoshop Techniques
Something I noticed with illustrations in articles is that they tend to use simple shapes and color palettes that communicate to the reader in an effective way. The goal of this project was to simulate what working under a news client felt like and how to deliver what they want you to do. It was nice to have refresh my memories on the basics of InDesign type and Photoshop techniques such as smart objects, masking, and quick selection.
Photoshop Techniques & Process
1. I opened InDesign to a blank space for my design. The use of smart objects helped me place my illustration on the right page spread
2. In order for my images to not look get squished and lose quality, I had to embed and place my images separately. I decided to change the background of my illustration to a cottage because that is the setting of the video game I wanted to focus on.
3. Next, I used the quick selection tool to edit out the objects I wanted to put in the foreground of my illustration. Using the masking tool and selection lines helped me out a ton with what tiny details I need to select or deselect.
4. Used different filters and Photoshop techniques I already knew to enhance the image I wanted to illustrate.
5. Admittedly, I had to go back on my illustration and find my masked images so the layers would appear on my InDesign spread. Luckily, it only took a few minutes and I was able to get my layers down.
6. Here I learned to edit my layout of the article by playing with the fonts of each text box and using a technique to capitalize the first letter of the article. I also titled my article so it made sense with what I wanted to do, which was report on a game I liked. I was inspired by a couple other articles from The Atlantic about this game, but none of them talked about the multiplayer aspect that was added in earlier this year.
7. Finished project on a presentation board. :^)
Visual Exploration
Project 4 Visual Exploration
