Quarter III ARTS

MEDIA-BASED ARTS AND DESIGN IN THE

PHILIPPINES

HAPPY NEZZA B. ARANJUEZ 10-EINSTEIN

The previous quarter provided an overview of the phenomenal capabilities and

possibilities of the electronic or digital media available in today’s technology-driven

world. These have enabled amazingly innovative art forms to evolve far beyond

traditional painting, sculpture, and architecture. As quickly as technology is able to

develop new devices, gadgets, and techniques, modern artists and designers

adapt them to enhance their creative expression.

In this quarter, the modern techniques and trends in photography, film, print

media, digital media, and product and industrial design will be explored. Most

notably the talent, creativity, and quality workmanship of Filipino artists and designers in

all these fields will be recognized and celebrated. Not only have these brought

Philippine artistry to the world’s attention, but they have opened up an entire range of

opportunities for young Filipinos to develop and apply these talents—and earn a

living while doing so.

Technological advances continue to be a major driving force in the directions that

each of these art forms has taken. Among the results have been exciting innovations in

materials manipulation, coloring and embellishment techniques, and creation and

production processes applied to all today’s media—whether physical and tangible, or

virtual in cyber space.

PHOTOGRAPHY

In its early stages during the late 19th century, photography was viewed as a

purely technical process, that of recording visible images by light action on light-

sensitive materials. In fact, its very name—from the Greek“photos” (meaning light)

and“graphos” (meaning writing)—states this process literally.

In comparison to the highly-regarded arts of painting and sculpture, then,

photography was not immediately considered art. But it was not long before the

artistry of 20th century photographers elevated this “light writing” to an aesthetic

form in its own right.

Some of these principles and elements are as follows:∙ Center of interest ∙ Subject placement ∙ Simplicity ∙ Viewpoint and camera angle ∙ Balance ∙ Shapes and lines ∙ Pattern ∙ Volume

∙ Lighting ∙ Texture ∙ Tone ∙ Contrast ∙ Framing ∙ Foreground ∙ Background ∙ Perspective

CENTER OF INTEREST Each picture should have only one principal idea, topic, or center of

interest to which the viewer's eyes are attracted. Subordinate elements within

the picture must support and focus attention on the principal feature so it

alone is emphasized.

A picture without a dominant center of interest or one with more than

one dominant center of interest is puzzling to a viewer. Subsequently, the

viewer becomes confused and wonders what the picture is all about. When

the picture has one, and only one, dominant "point of interest," the viewer

quickly understands the picture.

NOTE:

"Point of interest," as used here, has the same meaning as center of interest;

however, using the term point of interest prevents giving the impression that

the center of interest should be located in the center of the picture.

SUBJECT PLACEMENT Sometimes good composition is obtained by placing

the center of interest in the geometrical center of the

picture; it is generally not a good idea to place it there.

Too frequently it divides the picture into equal halves and

makes the picture uninteresting and difficult to balance.

By dividing the picture area into thirds, both vertically

and horizontally, and locating the center of interest at

one of the intersections of the imaginary lines, you can

usually create a feeling of balance to the composition.

SIMPLICITY

Simplicity is the key to most good pictures. The simpler and more

direct a picture is, the clearer and stronger is the resulting

statement. There are several things to be considered when we

discuss simplicity. First, select a subject that lends itself to a simple

arrangement; for example, instead of photographing an entire

area that would confuse the viewer, frame in on some important

element within the area. Second, select different viewpoints or

camera angles. Move around the scene or object being

photographed. Look at the foreground and background. Try high

and low angles as well as normal eye-level viewpoints.

VIEWPOINT AND CAMERA ANGLE The proper viewpoint or camera angle is an important

factor in good composition. Repositioning your subject within the

viewfinder frame and changing the camera viewpoint or camera

angle are two simple ways of controlling composition.

Photographing from a different viewpoint or camera angle can

often add drama and excitement or even bring out an unusual

aspect of a subject. Most of the subjects you photograph are

three-dimensional and should be photographed from an angle (to

the right or left of and/or from higher or lower than the subject)

that allows the viewer to see more than one side of the subject.

Eye-Level Shots

With the camera held horizontal, eye-level shots are usualIy made at a height of about 5 1/2 feet, the height

from which the average adult sees, and with the camera horizontal. With the camera held at eye level but

pointed up or down, the camera position changes and you have either a low or high camera angle, respectively.

a. Low Viewpoint and Low Camera Angle

A low camera angle is achieved when the camera

angle is located below the point of primary

interest and pointed upward. Low angles tend to

lend strength and dominance to a subject and

dramatize the subject. Low angle shots are used

when dramatic impact is desired. This type of shot

is very useful for separating the subject from the

background, for eliminating unwanted foreground and background, and for

creating the illusion of greater size and speed.

b. High Viewpoint and High Camera Angle

High viewpoints and high camera angles help orient the viewer, because they

show relationships among all elements within the picture area and produce a

psychological effect by minimizing the apparent strength or size of the

subject

BALANCE Balance in photographic composition is a matter of making pictures look harmonious. Each element in

a picture has a certain amount of value in respect to all the other elements. Every tone, mass, shape, tree, rock

figure, building, line, or shadow contributes a certain amount of weight that must be arranged correctly in the

composition to give the impression of balance. The subject placement within the picture area is the factor that

must be carefully considered.

Composition is kept in balance by two different methods: symmetrical, or formal, balance and asymmetrical, or

informal, balance.

a. Symmetrical, or Formal, Balance Symmetrical, or formal, balance in a photograph is

achieved when elements on both sides of the picture

are of equal weight. The idea of formal balance can

be related to a seesaw, When there are two equally

weighted objects on the seesaw and they are

equidistant from the pivot point, or fulcrum, the

board will be in balance.

b. Asymmetrical, or Informal, Balance In asymmetrical balance the imaginary central pivot point is

still presumed to be present; however, instead of mirror images

on each side of the picture area, the subject elements are

notably different in size, shape, weight, tone, and placement.

Balance is established by equalizing the element forces in spite

of their differences. Asymmetrical balance is more difficult to

achieve than symmetrical balance, because of the problem of

establishing relative weight values for dissimilar elements

within the picture area as well as presenting some form of

stability.

SHAPES AND LINES Shapes and lines are important elements in photographic composition. When properly used, shapes and lines

can create a desired effect. As a photographer, you usually have control over

the way shapes and lines are used in your pictures.

Shape Shape is a two-dimensional element basic to picture composition and is

usually the first means by which a viewer identifies an object within the

picture. Form is the three-dimensional equivalent of shape. Even though

shape is only two-dimensional, with the proper application of lighting and

tonal range, you can bring out form and give your subjects a three-

dimensional quality.

Lines

Lines can be effective elements of composition,

because they give structure to your photographs.

Lines can unify composition by directing the viewer's

eyes and attention to the main point of the picture or

lead the eyes from one part of the picture to another.

They can lead the eyes to infinity, divide the picture,

and create patterns. Through linear perspective, lines

can lend a sense of depth to a photograph.

PATTERN Creating your pictures around repeating elements or patterns

provides picture unity and structure. Pattern repetition creates

rhythm that the eyes enjoy following. (When lines, shapes, and

colors within a picture occur in an orderly way (as in wallpaper), they

create patterns that often enhance the attractiveness of

photographs. Pattern, like texture, is found almost everywhere. It

can be used as the primary subject but is most often used as a

subordinate element to enhance composition.

VOLUME

When photographing most subjects, you face the problem of how to

symbolize three-dimensional objects in a two-dimensional picture.

The solution becomes simple when a distinction is made between

the two different ways three-dimensional objects appear: as positive,

or occupied space (volume) or as negative, or unoccupied space.

LIGHTING Lighting is also an important creative element of composition. By

controlling the light and directing it where you want it, you can subdue

objects or distracting elements in the scene to give more emphasis to the

main point of interest.

Light and shadows can be used in composition to create mood, to

draw attention to an area, to modify or distort shape, or to bring out form

and texture in the subject. Shadows are a key to apparent form in

photographs. Without shadows, the subject records without form, curvature,

or texture, appearing flat and lifeless. This does not mean that shadows must

be harsh and black to achieve the effects of form, curvature, and texture. They

may be soft, yet of sufficient density to show the most delicate roundness

and form. Generally, harsh, black shadows are undesirable in a photograph

due to the loss of detail in them.

TEXTURE

Texture helps to emphasize the features and details in

a photograph. By capturing "texture" of objects being

photographed, you can create form.

When people observe a soft, furry object or a smooth,

shining surface, they have a strong urge to touch it. You can

provide much of the pleasure people get from the feel of

touching such objects by rendering texture in your pictures.

Texture can be used to give realism and character to a picture

and may in itself be the subject of a photograph.

TONE Tone is probably the most intangible element of

composition. Tone may consist of shadings from white-

to-gray-to-black, or it may consist of darks against lights

with little or no grays. The use of dark areas against light

areas is a common method of adding the feeling of a

third dimension to a two-dimensional black-and-white

picture. The interaction of light against dark shades in

varying degrees helps to set the mood of a composition.

A picture consisting of dark or somber shades conveys

mystery, intrigue, or sadness. When the tones are mostly

light and airy, the picture portrays lightness, joy, or

airiness.

CONTRAST

When we speak of contrast as it relates to composition, we are referring to both tonal contrast, as in black-and-

white photography, and color contrast as it relates to color photography. In black-and-white photography,

contrast is the difference in subject tones from white-to-gray-to-black or from the lightest tone to the darkest

tone. In color photography different colors create contrast.

a. Tonal Contrast In black-and-white photography, contrast is considered

either high, normal, or low. A high-contrast scene or

photograph consists primarily of white and black with few or

no middle gray tones. Most scenes you photograph have

normal contrast. There will probably be elements within the

scene that are very light or white, some that are very dark or

black, and many tones or colors that reproduce as various

tones of gray.

b. Color Contrast Color contrast is an effective compositional element in color

photography, just as tone is in black-and-white photography. Colors

with opposite characteristics contrast strongly when placed together.

Each color accentuates the qualities of the other and makes the color

images stand out dramatically. Color contrast is enhanced when you

create the contrast of detail against mass.

1. LOW AND HIGH-KEY SCENES When a scene contains mostly dark tones or

colors, it is low key . When the scene contains mostly

light tones, it is high key . Low-key and high-key

pictures convey mood and atmosphere. Low key

often suggests seriousness and mystery and is often

used in horror pictures, such as a dark-granite castle

in a thunderstorm. High key creates a feeling of

delicacy and lightness.

2. HIGH AND LOW-KEY COLORS High-key color pictures contain large areas of light

desaturated colors (pastels) with very few middle colors or

shadows. Intentionally overexposing color film (exposing

for the shadows) helps to create a high-key effect. A low-key effect is created when the scene is dominated

by shadows and weak lighting. Low-key pictures tend to

have large areas of shadow, few highlights, and degraded colors. Naturally dark subjects are

best for low-key pictures. Low-key color pictures can be induced by exposing color film for

the highlights.

FRAMING Positioned around the subject, a tree, an archway, or even

people, for example, can create a frame within the picture area.

Subjects enclosed by a frame become separated from the rest of

the picture and are emphasized. Looking across a broad expanse

of land or water at some object can make a rather dull

uninteresting view. Moving back a few feet and framing the

object between trees improves the composition.

FOREGROUND A large percentage of otherwise good pictures is ruined, because they

include unnecessary or distracting foreground. This common fault can

result from the photographer standing too far away from their subject

when they take a picture, or the fact that normal focal length or

standard lenses cover a relatively wide angle of view.

BACKGROUND The background is almost as important an element in good

composition as the camera angle. Too often it is overlooked

when composing a scene since the photographer normally gives

so much attention to the subject. Be particularly observant of

the background to see that it contains nothing distracting.

PERSPECTIVE Perspective refers to the relationship of imaged objects in a photograph. This

includes their relative positions and sizes and the space between them. In other

words, perspective in the composition of a photograph is the way real three-

dimensional objects are pictured in a photograph that has a two-dimensional

plane. In photography, perspective is another illusion you use to produce

photographs of quality composition.

a. Rectilinear and Curvilinear Perspective Most lenses produce rectilinear perspective that are typical of what the human eye

sees. This is to say that lines that are straight in the subject are reproduced straight

in the pic ture. Most pictures are made with rectilinear lenses. Fisheye lenses and the lenses used on panoramic

cameras produce a false perspective and are called curvilinear perspective.

b. Vanishing Point Perspective In vision, lines that are parallel to each other give the sensation of meeting at

vanishing points. When parallel lines, either horizontal or vertical,

are perpendicular to the lens axis, the vanishing points are assumed to be at

infinity. Other lines, those which are parallel to the lens axis, and all other parallel

lines at all other angles to the lens axis meet at definable vanishing points.

c. Height Perspective The place where the base of an object is located on the ground in a picture

is a clue to its distance from the camera viewpoint; for example, in a

landscape scene, the ground or ground plane rises toward the horizon. The

higher up in the ground area of the picture (up to the horizon) that the base

of an object is located, the further away it seems from the viewpoint and the

greater its height perspective.

d. Overlap Perspective When subjects within the picture are on about the same line of sight, those

objects closer to the camera viewpoint overlap more distant objects and partially

hide them. It is obvious to the viewer that the partially obstructed object is behind

the unobstructed object. This overlap is repeated many times within the picture

and gives the viewer a sense of depth and a perception of the relative distance of

objects.

e. Dwindling Size Perspective For example, you are aware that most adults are about 5 to

6 feet tall; therefore, when two people are shown in a

picture and one appears twice as tall as the other, you

cannot assume that one is in reality taller than the other.

Instead you assume the taller person is closer and the

shorter person farther away from the camera viewpoint.

f. Volume Perspective When a subject is lighted with very diffused light, the three-dimensional form or

volume of the subject is difficult to perceive because of the lack of distinct shadows.

If, on the other hand, subjects are lighted with strong directional light from angles

that cause part of the subject to be fully lighted and other parts to be in shadow, a

visual clue of the subject's form or volume is provided.

g. Atmospheric Perspective For all practical purposes, air is transparent. For most photography, this is

fundamentally true; however, when pictures are made of subjects at great

distances, the air is actually less than fully transparent. This is because air

contains very fine particles of water vapor, dust, smoke, and so on. These

particles scatter light and change its direction.

It is a form of photography that uses cameras containing arrays

of electronic photodetectors to capture images focused by a lens, as opposed to an exposure

on photographic film. The captured images are digitized and stored as a computer file ready for

further digital processing, viewing, digital publishing or printing.

Image Editing Program An image editor or photo editor is a software program used to edit or otherwise manipulate

an image, picture or other graphic. One of the most popular and powerful image editors is Adobe

Photoshop. A free alternative to Photoshop is GIMP.

Image editing encompasses the processes of altering images, whether they are digital

photographes, traditional photochemical photographs, or illustrations. Traditional analog image editing is

known as photo retouching, using tools such as an airbrush to modify photographs, or editing

illustrations with any traditional art medium. Graphic software programs, which can be broadly grouped

into vector graphics editors, raster graphics editors, and 3D modelers, are the primary tools with which a

user may manipulate, enhance, and transform images. Many image editing programs are also used

to render or create computer art from scratch.

1. Photobie

Photobie is image editing software that combines features amateurs can use with advanced tools

professionals will appreciate. Photobie is free for personal use with no Pro upgrade to pay for — all

features are free.

2. Photo! Editor

Photo! Editor is powerful multifunctional software offering a complete set of image editing tools. With

Photo! Editor, you can remove red eye instantly, enhance the color of the image, make funny caricatures,

add astonishing lighting effects, straighten, resample and crop images. The Denoise tool is one of the

world’s best to effectively remove luminance and color noise from digital images made under poor

lighting conditions. You will also appreciate the Make Up tool that offers a complete set of retouching

filters to make the best of your portrait photos.

3. Phantasmagoria

Phantasmagoria is a fun, light-weight image editing application. The main focus is to apply effects to

images, along with the basic editing that might be required after a sub-par shoot. In other words, what

most of us actually need.

4. Image Analyzer

Image Analyzer is an advanced image editing, enhancement and analysis software. The program contains

both most image enhancement features found in conventional image editors plus a number of advanced

features not even available in professional photo suites.

5. Artweaver

Artweaver is a Windows Freeware program to simulate natural brush tools. It is therefore suitable to leave

your creativity free run. Artweaver offers you a clear program window, which can be used without training

immediately.

6. Active Pixels

Active Pixels resembles Photoshop in many aspects, from the way menus and windows are laid out on its

interface to the keyboard shortcuts used for many actions. It also includes similar tools, like the magic

wand, the gradient, the polygonal lasso and others. What’s more, it supports working with layers. Active

Pixels also includes some extra embedded apps, such as a red-eye fixer, a picture browser and a screen

capture tool – although it only grabs full-screen images.

7. Photoscape

Photoscape is the fun and easy photo editing software that enables you to fix and enhance photos.

Photoscape has a very powerful editor for you to perform resizing, brightness and color adjustment, white

balance, backlight correction, frames, balloons, mosaic mode, adding text, drawing pictures, cropping,

filters, red eye removal and blooming.

8. VCW VicMan’s Photo Editor

VCW VicMan’s Photo Editor is a versatile image editor with an intuitive interface and a wide variety of

features. This powerful application is user friendly, offering simple image editing, high productivity and

easy customization.

9. PaintStar

PaintStar is a versatile digital image processing software suitable for such tasks as retouching of

photographs, composing and authoring images, image morphing, screen capture, and displaying image

thumbnail in Windows Explorer context menu. It supports alpha, layer, path ,and the most common

editing techniques.

10. Helicon Filter

Helicon Filter is a complete image editing solution for the digital photographer. Its easy and intuitive

interface, live preview feature, and in context help ensure an easy start for beginners. The program is built

as step by step workflow guiding you through all post processing stages.

11. Evan’s Image Editor

Evan’s Image Editor (EIE) is a free image editor that allows for editing and creation of animated or still

images. It contains several GPU-powered image modifiers that take advantage of modern graphics

hardware, giving you an instant preview of the effect while you adjust parameters.

12. Free Image Editor

Free Image Editor is a bitmap image-editing application that lets you retouch existing photos or create

original graphics. Free Image Editor provides a rich graphics toolset for digital photography, print

production and Web design.

13. Photo Pos Lite

Photo Pos Lite is a free lite version of the award-wining photo editor Photo Pos Pro. Using the Lite version

you can edit, enhance and manipulate your pictures easily. You can edit and optimize your pictures, print

it, resize it, convert it to another format and much more. The editor also includes some great drawing and

painting tools for creating computer graphics. Support of scanners and digital cameras, Various of Image

Enhancing and editing tools and functions, Paint Brush Tool, Shapes Tool, Clone Brush Tool, Rich Text

Tools, Special Effects, Selection Tools, Simple Gradients and more.

14. MAGIX Xtreme Photo Designer

In MAGIX Xtreme Graphic Designer your photos will be edited quickly and precisely. Its comprehensive set

of features gives your less successful shots a helping hand and assists in transforming your photo ideas

into reality. An intelligent Task Wizard explains simple and complex editing steps, resulting in successful

image editing, fast!

10 BASIC TECHNIQUES FOR BASIC PHOTO MANIPULATION

1. Rendering Your Images

We all know that photo manipulations take various images (either stock images or ones you've

photographed yourself) and merge them with others on a Photoshop canvas. Now let's say we are in need

of a tree, and we need to cut it out and carry it to where we will use it for a manipulation. Well if that is

the case then we will need to cut it out, but a tree is not the easiest thing to cut out, there are leaves,

branches, and shadows that mess up ones rendering.

Most people who are familiar with Photoshop use the Pen tool to cut out there images, but if the

image is incredibly hard to cut out then even the Pen tool will not help you. So you might consider using

a program called Vertus Fluid Mask. This program lets you render out images in a matter of minutes using

special masking tools that you can not find in Photoshop.

We can't have images in our photo manipulation that have rugged edges, or parts of it with an

old background, so that's why I recommend using this program. Below are some examples of the results

of rendering with the program.

2. Shadows

I will stress this more than once in this article so you can understand how important this is to a

successful photo manipulation. When you're going to make one you want it to be as realistic looking as

possible; and I don't mean realistic in the way that you see flying cars or magical dragons. I mean realistic

in the way that every item has a shadow if it needs one and every item is proportional to everything else

on your canvas.

Photo manipulations are made so that you can bring out things that would never happen in the

real world. Shadows are our next focus and the second technique you should know before starting a

photo manipulation project.

Below is a piece of art made

for a slashTHREE art pack. It's a great

examples of how shadows can add to

the realism of your photo

manipulation, even when it's a

fantasy scene.

Look carefully at the image

and notice that the airplanes have

shadows under them. The paint

brush, pencil, and the paint bucket all

have shadows under them, which all

add to the realism of the photo

manipulation.

Now making shadows is a

whole other discussion, but a simple

way to make them is to duplicate your original stock that you need the shadow for. Then turn it

completely black. Then add a Gaussian Blur to it. Then you can reduce it in size and put it in the correct

place.

3. Proportion

Now proportion is probably

one of the most important things a

person has to grasp if he wants to do

photo manipulations. You can not have

your dog bigger than your house, or

your horse bigger than your car.

If you're going to make a

design that is extremely farfetched,

than you have to make it look realistic

and proportion makes a huge

difference in how realistic your art

looks. You have to remember where

you want to place your images. Below

is an example of great proportioning.

You can see that there is a castle all the

way in the back of the image and note how small it is.

You have to remember that images that are supposed to be far away have to be smaller than the

ones that are closer to you. Notice how the second castle to the right is proportioned to look big but not

too big because it is near the horses. The mountains are proportioned to be big enough to go in front of

the castle. The trees are correctly proportional to the size of the horses. So remember that every image

you use should be used in proportional harmony.

4. Texture Use

Now textures don't necessarily add to the realism of your art, but they do add a nice kick to blend

all your images together evenly. Blending is a huge part of photo manipulation, so textures are something

you have to carefully pick out.

Textures add to the depth of your art. If you are trying to go for a photo manipulation that is dark

and dirty looking you can use a rough ground surface as a background texture; or if you are looking for

something smoother you can use

paper, or a wall texture. There are

many textures you can consider

using for your art, and a website

that has links to many textures

is Blue Vertigo. They have links to

many sites that distribute free

textures.

Below is a photo

manipulation with a grungy and

dark feel to it. It uses a nice

cracked surface texture. The three

dimensional elements that the

artist's used are about the same

color as the texture, so they blend

beautifully. Remember if you do

not have a background for your photo manipulation, you should use a texture that will match the mood

you are trying to set in your art.

5. Picking Stock Images

Selecting stock images is the first thing you

should do after you already have your idea. You have

to remember that you can not always cut out every

stock you have perfectly, as some stock images are

sometimes just taken at bad angles, or have slight

blurriness, so you wont be able to use them.

Let's look at several examples of stock images that

should be used in your manipulations. Let's also look

at examples of those that should be used. First off a

great place to find good free stock images

is Stock.xchng.

So look below and see image 1, which should not be used because it is too blurry for our

purposes. It is a fine photo for other purposes, but not photo manipulation. This image would be difficult

to work with on top of a colored background or overlaying a texture.

Now if you are looking for a nice junkyard car image, number 2 would be perfect to use because

it is very large and you can clearly see every angle and shape of the car. Plus this image would go perfect

with a nice grungy texture background.

Next look at image 3. This image would be difficult to use. It would be a hassle rendering this

blurry image, and even if you do, the cars are not seen that well. It's difficult to work with a blurry image in

photo manipulations and it's better to pick sharp images.

Finally let's look at image 4. This is a clean image we can easily render and use for any kind of

manipulation.

6. Color Blending

Not every image you use is going to match your background, your texture, or even your other

images. So that is where color blending comes in. Things like Photo Filters and Gradient Maps are used in

Photoshop to either add or take away color in your images. This either gives a certain image that little

boost of color, or takes away that extra

color. This helps the images blend with

one another and most importantly

form a nice coherent work of art.

An excellent example of color

blending is shown below. We see many

types of different flowers throughout

the whole piece. Even with a large

amount, they still blend very nicely to

form a whole.

Colors like pink, white, yellow,

and orange blend together easily. So

that is what you should look for at first;

colors that already blend. Then use

Photoshop's Photo Filters or Gradient Maps to manipulate the colors of the images to blend well.

7. Emphasis on Detail

When creating a piece of art set one area as the

main focus. You want to draw viewers eyes instantly to that

spot. There are multiple techniques to do that. One way is

to work on focusing attention on the most vibrant, colorful,

or sharp area in the design.

A great example of emphasis on a certain part of a

design in in the artwork below. The fire is the first thing

that catches your eye. The fire is the most vibrant and

brightest part of the image, so it instantly stands out. And

that is exactly what you want, you want something to

suddenly stand out when someone looks at your piece of

art.

8. Combining Multiple Images

Images are like missing puzzle pieces,

without them you can never fully complete the

puzzle. So choose them carefully. You may need to

look at multiple stock images before choosing the

right ones for your composition.

You need to plan your composition. Before

opening Photoshop, take out a piece of paper and a

pencil. Then sketch our your design. If you're only

doing a rough sketch, it takes about two minutes at

the most. Consider where the stock images will go as

you sketch. Decide the kinds of images you'll need to find.

An example of great use of stock images is below. I love this piece because you can see there are

a variety of images used. Notice everything in the composition. Look at the background scenery, the

flower, and cassette tapes for example.

There is a plethora of images in this artwork, but the composition maintains its coherency. In your

design you can use a multitude of images, but they all have to flow properly, and be used to your

advantage.

9. C4D Uses

Not everyone who uses Photoshop knows what C4D files are. So let me give a quick introduction

to them. C4D's are 4D images made from a program named Cinema 4D.

They are often these abstract works. They can be used to enhance the feel of your work, and give

it an even nicer look. Let's look at how C4D meets an image and blends beautifully.

The example below shows two ships on the verge of sinking. We have a deep and long

background filled with an endless shot of sky and water. The C4D blends great with the boats and gives

off a nice effect by making it look like it's coming from the ocean.

The use of C4D art or 3D renders can improve your photo manipulation. In this case, it gave it a

nice futuristic and abstract effect that is difficult to achieve using normal stock images.

10. Enhancing a Stock Image

Now our last technique shows how to enhance a stock image to your advantage. Stock images

are often plain. It is your job to turn them into something more attractive to the eye. This is where stock

enhancement comes into play.

The example below shows how a simple bonsai tree can be turned into a towering oak. The final

composition has more branches and level and interest. The stock has been transformed.

The designer took an image of a normal bonsai tree and duplicated it, changed sizes,

manipulated its sides, and added more tree stocks. This made it look impressive. Notice the original stock

shown below the cropped image of the composition - a dramatic difference.