I am fascinated with computers so I took two computer electives at my high school. I took CAD 2 and Computer Forensics which is what tied into this project. We used photoshop a number of times but primarily for our unit on image alterations where we would alter out anything from a car on a street to adding in a face on Mount Rushmore. This allowed me the opportunity to have some prior knowledge going into class however we learned different actions than most of the ones used to create the Halloween cards. Throughout the project, I learned how easy it was to zoom in and out or move the view of the task you were working on. I also learned how to make a card not only with a front and back but also a middle which I found very interesting. I also learned how to wrap text around a shape drawn or an image by making a shape or line around the image.
I thought it was easy to import images as well as apply color and the text to the card but it got harder when you had to make the inside and all the small steps to make the background a smart image or so that the pixels wouldn’t change up the image if it was enlarged.
I also found it challenging to have to learn a new way of doing something because in my Forensics class we learned how to erase where you wanted an image gone but I never thought enough about it to realize you can’t bring that back, so it was hard to adjust to using the black and white drawing tool to hide or show the background. It was also hard to do the front cover because I decided I wanted to do something different so I imported the image of the skull and put it on top of the island but it was time consuming to need to make the island look like it fit as well as making the tall grass pieces go over the island and skull to make it look more realistic.
I could improve my submission by adding more color to the card because it is all black but at the same time I like how it has a dark and eerie appearance to it.
I don’t think the professor could improve the assignment honestly. He prepared us well and even recorded what we did daily so you couldn’t say you didn’t know what you were doing.
I will be able to apply the knowledge I gained through this assignment into future assignments because I now know how to import a smart object, how to hide or show more of a background, and just a better general feel for photoshop overall.
There was a specific article that helped me in my project and it was How to Design a Font by Malia Wollan. It helped me in an unheard of way by making my project last longer than it needed to. After reading about how much goes into making a font, I really took my time choosing one because I had much more input into not only how long it took to make but more so how each font has a personality and it changes the way the card is viewed.
Front of card
Inside the card
Back of card
