How to Take Better Pictures

  • Use the rule of thirds.Imagine your view finder as a tic-tac-toe grid. Try to place the focus of the picture where the lines intersect. This makes the picture a bit more exciting.

  • Get close enough to fill your scene with the subject.
  • Try to find lines such as roads or shorelines to direct the viewer's eyes through the picture.
  • Watch the background to avoid having a plant coming out of someone's head or other unwanted items in strange places.
  • Shoot from unexpected angles. Not everything needs to be shot straight on.
  • Hold the camera still. Try keeping your elbows against your sides.Use a tripod. Set the camera on a table and use the automatic timer. Squeeze the button and don't jab.

 

Taking Better Pictures Using Your Camera Settings

  1. Setting the Exposure -Letting More Light into the Camera
  2. Backlighting -Adjusts Lighting in the Background
  3. Setting The Flash - Adds light to the subject of the Picture
  4. Setting the Resolution - How many pixels make up the picture

Putting the Pictures into the Computer

  • USB Cables
  • Firewire Cables
  • Card Readers
  • Floppy Disk Drives
  • CDs from Developers (Walgreens, Eckerds, etc.)

Activities:

  1. Taking Great Pictures - Read Kodak's "Ten Tips for Taking Great Pictures"
  2. The Great Camera Challenge- You may work in groups if we do not have enough cameras.
    • Using your camera, 1 of the $20.00 cameras, and the 1.3 mega pixel camera
    • Find 3 different objects to photograph
    • Photograph each item using each camera on its best setting.
    • You should have a total of 9 pictures
    • Download the pictures into your computer.
    • Compare the quality of the 3 sets of photographs.
Argus Camera < 1mp
Concord Eye Q 1.3 mp
Kodak 4.0 mp

 

     

Photo Editing Software
  1. PLACE ALL OF YOUR PICTURES IN ONE FOLDER.
  2. DUPLICATE THIS FOLDER.
  3. ONLY EDIT THE PICTURES IN YOUR DUPLICATE FOLDER AND LEAVE THE ORIGINALS UNTOUCHED.

 

The Puppy Dog Show

To open a picture - 2 Methods

  • File > Open > navigate to the picture you wish to open.
  • File > Browse > find the picture

To Rotate an Image

  • Image > Rotate > select how you wish to rotate the picture

Enhance the Quality of a Picture

  • Enhance > Auto Levels or Auto Contrast

To Crop an Image

  • Select the Crop tool > Mark area to be cropped > Image > Crop

To Resize an Image

  • Image > Resize > Image Size insert the new dimensions of the picture using pixels or percent

To Save an Image for the Web ( I usually use "Save for Web"... however, you can also use "Save As.")

  • File > Save for Web
    • You are now looking at 2 views of the same picture. The first picture is the original. The second picuture is the optimized view. The optimized view has a reduced quality, but is usually not all that noticable. The menu on the side can be altered. The only part I've used is to resize the picture. You do not need to change any of the setting on this menu at this time.
  • Click OK.
  • Name the picture.
    • MAKE SURE YOU KEEP THE FILE EXTENSION. THIS IS THE INFORMATION THAT FOLLOWS THE PERIOD. (.jpg, .gif, .tiff,)
  • Decide where you are going to save the picture so that you can find it later.
  • Click Save.

Actvity: Using the pictures you brought in this morning, complete the following.

  1. Download the pictures into your computer station.
  2. Open a picture.
  3. Rotate the picture if needed.
  4. Enhance the quality of the picture.
  5. Crop the picture.
  6. Resize the picture. Try resizing to 250 Pixels. This is a great size for E-mail and Web pages.
  7. Save the picture.
  8. Repeat with the other pictures.
  9. Select one picture that you have resized to 250 pixels and either place it in or attach it to an E-Mail. Use the county BBS and send this E-Mail to me. (Bill Sarazen)

How to Correct Red Eye

  • Select the Red Eye Brush Tool.
  • Select the Default Colors button from the top palet.
  • Make sure the Sampling Method, located in the top palet, is set to First Click.
  • Move the Crosshairs over the red eye and click the mouse.
  • Move the mouse around to remove all of the red eye.

How to Use the Cloning Stamp

  • Select the Clone Stamp tool from the toolbox.
  • Open the Options bar and select the brush size.
  • Move the pointer over the area of your image that you wish to clone. (The pinter becomes a circle).
  • Hold down the Alt/Option key. ( the pointer becomes a target)
  • Click once to select the area you want to sample, then release the Alt/Option key and move the pointer to the area to which you want tne clone applied.
  • Hold down the mouse button, and drag to "paint" the cloned portion over the new area.

Activity:

  • Select some of your pictures and use the Red Eye and Cloning Stamp features.
  • Save these pictures. Remember, you are working from a copy of your pictures. Your originals are still untouched.

How to Use the Create Web Photo Gallery (This is my favorite feature of this entire program.)

  • Know where your original pictures are located on your computer. This will be referred to as the "Source".
  • Create a folder somewhere on your computer and name it _____web. This folder will be referred to as the "Destination".
  • File > Create Web Photo Gallery
  • Select a Style
  • Enter an E-Mail address if you wish.
  • Leave the extension as .htm or .html.
  • Folders
    • Click on the CHOOSE button and select your SOURCE folder.
      • Leave include all sub folders checked, although you shouldn't have any.
    • Click on the DESTINATION button and select the DESTINATION folder.
    • Options: You may change these if you wish, but it is not necessary.
  • Click the OK button and the computer does the rest.

 

 

  • To check your Webpage, you can open the Destination folder. Find the file named "index.htm" and click twice on this file. This SHOULD open the Browser and your Web Gallery should appear. This can easily be added to a Webpage simply by creating a link from the original Webpage to the "index.htm" file in this Destination folder.

Activity:

Create a Web Photo Gallery from your original picture folder.

Just for Fun: Things you've always wanted to do to a student, but your principal wouldn't let you.

The Effects Tab

  • Have a picture open in Elements.
  • Click on the Effects tab.
  • Click on one of the effects and watch what happens to the picture.

The Filters Tab

  • Have a picture open in Elements.
  • Click on the Filters tab.
  • Click on one of the effects and watch what happens to the picture.

Liquify: The Best Part of All

  • Filter > Distort > Liquify
  • You are now looking at a copy of the picture.
  • You can adjust the brush size and pressure using the menu in the upper right hand corner.
  • You should also see that your curser is a circle. Move this circle to a part of the picture.
  • Hold the mouse down and drag.

Activity:

  1. Select one of your pictures with which to work.
  2. Use the Effects tab to alter your picture.
  3. Use the Filters tab to alter your picture.
  4. Use the Distort and Liquify features on your picture.

Homework:

  1. Bring in a picture for scanning tomorrow.
  2. Continue to take pictures for your final project on Thursday.