Intuit/Homestead's FTP address:     ftp.homestead.com
Photoshop Level 1 G301.41
Student # 0292030   Donna Rose-McEntee
Labs
Week VII & VIII
FINAL Project
3/16/09



3=I used a magnetic lasso tool to remove the sunflower from one of my photos. I resized it and placed in over the sun in the sunset. Thought it was a little kitchy-and a play on words. Plus-it made me smile.

4=me-i used several different filters to change my portrait. I thought this would symbolize the various dimensions of my personality, as well as illustrating my interest in different art mediums. The portraits change from light to dark in a counter -clockwise direction because i often take the road less traveled. The one in the lower right corner is not altered and is like an anchor, holding things in place/together. my interests are so varied-but alway hold a respect for nature and a longing for adventure. I love the water, and feel i draw from the fluidity-always changing.

5=I have a yellow kayak that i often use to explore a local wildlife/bird sanctuary. i scanned a small yellow leaf. I then used transform tool to warp it and make it look more like my kayak.

6= my sillouette. My friend Mark and i are always taking photos and sometimes get a good one of each other in action. This is one of my favorites. I used magic wand to make selection, erased a part of the leg and resized the image. Then positioned it on the leaf kayak so it looks like i am photographing the "sunset".

7=kayak shadow- i made a copy of the kayak layer, then used transform to drag it so that it reversed. i then lowered opacity to make it look more transparent and like a reflection on the water.

8=sillouette shadow. after adding the kayak reflection- i realized i needed to also add a sillouette reflection. I used the same process as before and lowered the opacity even more so it would look natural.

9=ripples in water. I felt that the water needed a little sparkle, so i scanned some Mardi Gras beads i had. i made 2 duplicate layers and and used them to give the water more of a shimmery affect.

I plan on revising this project even more. I am not as happy with the portraits in the corners as i was in the beginning of the project. They just seem to be stuck there to fill space, when in reality they are where i started. i need to play more so that they become a part of the overall composition-but i am running out of time and need to post this for the deadline!!!!!



Astrid,
    I hope i fulfilled all the requirements for this project.
I really got lost in the process and it took me in a very different direction than where i imagined my project would go.
Below you will find my synopsis including tools i used as well as why i chose what i did. It is a little long winded-but conveys my thought process.
    I enjoyed this class very much. I can see that i have so much more to learn, but this class has made me hungry. I plan on using what i learned to turn some of my photos into greeting cards.
    Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
d
Click on image to go to PSD file
Me and my Shadow-2009
1=Sunset photo was untouched
This background photo was taken from my boat. I live on a boat from May-October and sunsets are the highlight of my summers. I often spend that time of day-wine glass in hand, marveling at the wonders of my blessings and waiting for Mother Nature to pull up the blanket  and tuck in another day.

2=the winter trees -middle left-were taken out of a moving car window just a few days ago. i placed it so that it looked like a camera lense zoomed into that area of my photo.  I scaled it to line up with the distant trees in my base photos, then used 25 % opacity, added a drop shadow, outter and inner glow-then used smudge tool to soften the edges.
    I thought it made a good contrast of Summer and Winter. Also symbolizing the contrasts in my life, personality, moods, etc.
Trees are so symbolic. Reaching toward the sky, such strength, yet barren at this time of year-stripped of their colorful clothing-cold and  rigid-waiting for the warmth of Spring to drape their shoulders with a shawl of new foliage. Longing for the promise of a summer breeze -the music which allows trees to dance!
Hurry Spring!