Week 3 - Digital Imaging

The third week in my Digital Media class was probably the most anticipated week for me. Before attending Ryerson University, I would spend a lot of my spare time on Adobe Photoshop. When I found out on the course syllabus that we’d be learning it, I was ecstatic. Thankfully, the lecture and lab did not disappoint.

Laurie Petrou’s slideshow was a great way to introduce this artistic program, because it started with a presentation on colours in elaborate detail. Of course, I know my yellows from my blues. However, learning about analog and complementary colours was quite an eye-opener. I’ve never quite taken the time to realize the importance of dominant colour schemes and models, along with their advantages. With many examples shown, the class got me very excited to begin Photoshop.

Despite having previous knowledge of the different filters, overlays, tools, and effects Photoshop has to offer; finally being shown by an instructor was a definite help. I taught myself the basics at home on my PC, but this was the first time I learned on a Mac, and it was quite different. Apart from learning a new layout of the program, the lab also went into how to format images correctly.

I was aware there were three types of image formats: bitmap, .jpeg, and .gif. What I didn’t know was the differences and their uses. The bitmap format (usually images taken from a digital camera or scanner) depends on the quality of the original image. The file is made up of pixels on a grid, so when you expand or extrapolate the image, quality is likely to change due to the computer having to create more pixels. JPEG files are basically lower-quality bitmap files. Eliminating details that aren’t easily recognizable reduces the size of the image, lending its usefulness to digital photography. Lastly, GIF files are simple images that are compressed to reduce the size. Web designers prefer this format for their websites due to the excellence in line drawings and text-based images.

Recently I have purchased my own copy of Adobe Photoshop for my Mac, based on my interest of the third week’s material. Although the poster/CD cover assignment is completed with this program, the main purpose of having my own copy was simply due to my enjoyment of creating digital media. That enjoyment will certainly continue to grow in the upcoming weeks.

Here are a few examples of past Photoshop creations I crafted on my PC:






Additional Sources
Petrou, Laurie. Digital Imaging. Ryerson University, Toronto. Lecture. 22 Sept. 2009.