Photomedia in Creative Practice (CREATE IMAGES)

VDIS10021
WORKING IN DIGITAL DESIGN
PHOTOMEDIA IN CREATIVE PRACTICE - PART 1
SANGEETA JAIN

PHOTOMEDIA IN CREATIVE PRACTICE
• We are living in an age which is becoming more and more visually focused. Thus the role of
photomedia in and as a creative practice is very vital. Photomedia can be used to tell a story,
or for the creative presentation and documentation of work or to create parts or the whole of
a finished work or put an idea together artistically. This multifaceted nature of photomedia
can be achieved by means of controlling image reception, through the intrinsic principals of
the photographic medium such as the control of light, exposure and digital post production
techniques like image editing and manipulation. Photomedia in creative practice indeed
stands true to the ancient Chinese proverb…
“one picture is worth ten thousand words”

"Enter The Fantastical World of Lightness"
This series of conceptual ads used in print, web and OOH depicts the strongest and lightest Samsonite
product ever. Tim Hawley , United States. (Photographer and Digital Artist.

WORKING WITH PHOTOMEDIA
IN CREATIVE PRACTICE
This lecture is divided in two parts:
1. CREATE IMAGES
2. MANIPULATE IMAGES
In this lecture we look at many aspects of imagery in creative practice. Imagery starts with creating
the images which could be either taking photos or creating digital images using techniques such as
scanning or developing the images using a software. Once the designer has these images, they can
be manipulation transferred on to a computer and manipulated by using a software, various tools
and techniques and of course, a lot of imagination. This lecture also includes some examples of very
innovative and creative photomedia used in advertising for your inspiration. These photographic
examples have been heavily manipulated in Photoshop to create rich artistic visual effects.

1. CREATE IMAGES
• TAKE PHOTOS
- types of cameras
- resolution of images
- colour cast, lens flare & catchlights
• MAKE DIGITAL IMAGES
- types of scanners
- file formats
2. MANIPULATE IMAGES
• EXPLORE, PLAY AND CREATE
• PHOTOSHOP
- layers, shade/light and transparency
- levels, filters and effects
- texture and gradients
- color correction
- color cast removal
- catchlights

1. CREATE IMAGES > TAKE PHOTOS

CREATE IMAGES > TAKE PHOTOS
Taking a photo should ideally start much before you actually hold your camera and
click. It is important to know a few basics – answers to which will certainly raise the
impact of the image that you will capture.
• Why am I taking this photo? What is the purpose? What am I trying to convey?
• How will this image be used? Is it for print production or for the digital media?
• Where should the focal point be? What is in the foreground and background?
• What is the main source of light? What is the best orientation of this shot?

Why am I taking this photo? What is the purpose? What am I trying to convey?
• Every picture tells a story. It can convey emotion, mood, narrative, ideas and messages.
Ask yourself why am I taking the photo? Is it for documenting an event or capturing a
moment you love? What do you want your viewers to “get” when they see the photo? Do
you want to give them some information or a piece of news or trend or motivate them to
buy a product or simply enjoy the rich aesthetics of the image? Determine what you want
to pass on to your viewers about the shot, rather than the shot itself. Also know if it is
going to be a single shot or a series of images.

How will this image be used? Is it for print production or for the digital media?
• If you know the image will be used for large posters and print you will need to plan
accordingly by setting the camera to a high resolution setting. You will need to make
allowances for memory/data space. In contrast, if your photography is only for use online
for social media and websites then taking photos on your mobile device may be suitable.
If the images will be used across several mediums then it is better to capture the images
will high resolution. It is easy to reduce file size but very hard and often impossible to
increase file size and quality. For high resolution images, always use a good camera to
take the photos.

Photomedia on book covers
Fashion Photography

Where should the focal point be? What is in the foreground and background?
• This is one of the many creative aspects of a photograph and what sets it apart from the
rest. You can apply your understanding of the principles of design and compositional
theories to catch the eye of the viewer. Multiple focal points can confuse the viewer but
secondary points of interest can be helpful to lead the eye. The foreground or
background can also cause distractions therefore it is necessary to consider if the
background should be clear or blurry. Also one needs to make sure that there are no
strong colors or shapes that may dilute the main focus of the image.

What is the main source of light? What is the best orientation of this shot?
• Light is the main ingredient of an image. It can make simple compositions look very
artistic. On the other hand, details can be lost in absence or access of light therefore it is
important to consider the main source, where it is coming from and how does it affect the
subject. In case the light is not sufficient, consider if you need artificial light sources (flash
etc), do you need to stabilize your camera on a tripod to stop camera shake due to low
light. The best natural light to take photos as recommended by experts is in the morning
or just before sunset. Also equally important is the framing of the subject. Consider if a
horizontal or vertical frame is best for the image.

A quick helpful checklist:
 Check the image size settings prior to taking your photos
 Check you have a full battery
 Check your lens is clean
 If using film - check you have enough film to take your desired photos
 If using digital - check your memory card (SD card) is empty
 Arrange for a tripod if you require one
 Research your desired lighting and time your photo shoot appropriately, or hire lights if desired.

CREATE IMAGES > TAKE PHOTOS > TYPES OF
CAMERAS
• When choosing what camera to use you will most likely be limited by what is accessible to
you, however, try to use a proper camera when taking photos that will be printed as they will
be larger and better quality. You have more control over the light and zoom settings with a
camera. It is best to avoid mobile devices such as smart phones, iPad and tablets when doing
photography for print reproduction.
• It can be fun to play with Polaroid cameras. They can generate unusual visual effect. You can
digitise the photos through scanning the image. The problem with Polaroid is that they are
physically small. A good quality scanner can usually increase the size a bit however usually
not enough for reproduction on a large poster or billboard.
• Taking photos with a camera or smart phone will usually result in a ‘jpg’ file type image.

CREATE IMAGES > TAKE PHOTOS > RESOLUTION
(IMAGE SIZE & DPI)
• Resolution basically means the image quality. Digital images are made up of square
shaped dots (pixels). DPI of digital image is the number of pixels that fit horizontally
and vertically into a one-inch square space. The more dots a digital image has, the
clearer the image. As a general guide: 72dpi = low resolution (good for digital
reproduction), 300dpi = high resolution (for print production). For good quality photo
reproduction you will need a minimum of 300dpi at actual size. The resolution cannot
be increased after an image has been created. If the resolution of a 72dpi image is
increased to 300dpi, the image will look blurry because it stretches out the pixels.

Image Size and Resolution in Photoshop

• Color Cast is an unwanted color shift which effects the whole image. It can be
caused by reflected light from a nearby object. For example, many photos
taken using fluorescent lighting tend to have a greenish color cast. In general,
the human eye does not notice the unnatural colour, because our eyes and
brains adjust and compensate for different types of light in ways that
cameras cannot. In film, colour casts can also be caused by problems in
development. Improper timing or imbalanced chemical mixtures can cause
unwanted casts. Colour cast can be corrected with photo filters in Photoshop.
CREATE IMAGES > TAKE PHOTOS > COLOR CAST

The original image (left) was taken with existing ambient light (no
flash) and has a blue color cast, or “cool” color temperature. The
image on the right has been adjusted to reflect warmer colors.
https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/key-concepts/color-cast.html

• Lens flare is the light scattered in lens systems through generally unwanted image formation.
Flare manifests itself in two ways: as visible artifacts, and as a haze across the image. The
haze makes the image look “washed out” by reducing contrast and color saturation (adding
light to dark image regions, and adding white to saturated regions, reducing their saturation).
Visible artifacts, usually in the shape of the lens iris, are formed when light follows a pathway
through the lens than contains one or more reflections from the lens surfaces. A flare is
particularly caused by a very bright light sources, most commonly, this occurs when shooting
into the sun. It can be reduced by using a lens hood or other shade. The easiest way to
prevent flare is to make sure that there is no direct light shining on the lens. And a creative
way to add lens flare is by editing it in Photoshop.
CREATE IMAGES > TAKE PHOTOS > LENS FLARE

Non-Destructive Lens Flare Effect In Photoshop
http://www.photoshopessentials.com/photo-effects/lens-flare/

But there are many situations where you can
use lens flare creatively to enhance your
photographs…

• Catchlight is a light source that causes a specular highlight in a subject’s eye or an object to
be captured in the image. It is also referred to as eye lights. A catch light may be an artifacts
of the lighting method, or have been purposely engineered to add a glint or “spark” to a
subject’s eye during photography.
• Adding a catch light can help draw attention to the subject’s eyes, which may otherwise get
lost among other elements in the scene. Especially in portraiture, eyes without catch lights are
often said to appear dull or lifeless. Audiences usually perceive eyes without specular
highlights to be lifeless or evil, and for this reason many cinematographers specifically
eliminate catch lights on antagonistic characters.
CREATE IMAGES > TAKE PHOTOS > CATCHLIGHT

• A catch light is not the same as the red-eye effect; in general, red-eye is an undesired effect
(caused by the reflection of light from the retina inside the back of the eyeball), while catch lights
are often aesthetically desirable, and produced by light reflecting from the cornea. Lighting is
often arranged in studio portraits specifically to create attractive catch lights.
• As a specific light source, a catch light is usually fairly dim or focused, as to not affect any other
part of the scene or face. Many other lighting methods, however, are known for the distinctive or
unique catch light they produce. Among those methods are ring lights, which produce several
highlights in a ring, and large soft boxes, which produce large, square highlights.
• A catchlight can be edited, either added or removed, in Photoshop by using retouching techniques.
CREATE IMAGES > TAKE PHOTOS > CATCHLIGHT

1. CREATE IMAGES > MAKE DIGITAL
IMAGES

IMAGE SCANNERS
• An image scanner is a digital device that is used to scan images, printed text, or
object and convert it to digital data and/or image. Image scanners are used in a
variety of domestic and industrial fields including design. When a document is
placed inside a scanner, the image is first scanned and then the scanned data is
processed and sent to a computer system. Scanners can read red-green-blue color
from color array and the depth of these colors is measured based on the array
characteristics. There are various types of scanners like the drum scanner, flatbed
scanners, film scanners, handheld scanners etc.
CREATE IMAGES > MAKE DIGITAL IMAGES >
SCANNERS

Document Types: Left to right - printed text, manuscript, halftone,
continuous tone, and mixed.

DRUM SCANNER
• The drum scanner gets its name from the clear acrylic cylinder, the drum, on which the original
artwork is mounted for scanning. One of the unique features of drum scanners is the ability to
control sample area and aperture size independently. The sample size is the area that the scanner
encoder reads to create an individual pixel. The aperture is the actual opening that allows light
into the optical bench of the scanner. The ability to control aperture and sample size separately is
particularly useful for smoothing film grain when scanning black-and white and color negative
originals. Drum scanners are capable of scanning both reflective and transmissive originals that
are mounted on an acrylic cylinder, the scanner drum, which rotates at high speed while it passes
the object being scanned in front of precision optics that deliver the image information.
TYPES OF SCANNERS

FLATBED SCANNERS
• Flatbed Scanners: These consist of a glass pane and a moving optical array
of charge-coupled device (CCD) scanning. Flatbeds contain three arrays of
sensors along with red, green and blue filters. Images to be scanned are
placed flat on the pane and a dense cover is used to keep out ambient lights.
Then the sensor arrays and light source move across to read the full image
area. For transparent images, special accessories for illuminating them from
the upper side are used.
TYPES OF SCANNERS

FILM SCANNERS
• Film Scanners: Slide or negative film strips are placed in a carrier inside the
film scanner. This carrier is moved with the help of a motor along a lens and a
CCD sensor. This type of scanner is sometimes called a slide or transparency
scanner and it works by passing a narrowly focused beam of light through the
film and reading the intensity and color of the light that emerges.
TYPES OF SCANNERS

HAND SCANNERS
• Handheld devices pulled across the image surface for scanning large images. Hand
held document scanners are manual devices that are dragged across the surface of
the image to be scanned by hand. Scanning documents in this manner requires a
steady hand, as an uneven scanning rate produces distorted images; an indicator
light on the scanner indicates if motion is too fast. They typically have a “start”
button, which is held by the user for the duration of the scan; some switches to set the
optical resolution; and a roller, which generates a clock pulse for synchronization with
the computer. They are also available for 3D scanning.
TYPES OF SCANNERS

3D SCANNERS
• These scanners depend on the placement of reference markers that are used to align the
element’s position in the space. 3D scanners collect data on the three-dimensional shape and
appearance of an object. A 3D scanner is a device that analyses a real-world object or
environment to collect data on its shape and possibly its appearance (i.e. color). The collected
data can then be used to construct digital three-dimensional models.
SMARTPHONE SCANNERS
• Apps can be downloaded on many smart phone devices, allowing them to scan documents
through the digital camera exposures and provide output in JPEG or PDF formats.
TYPES OF SCANNERS

FLATBED SCANNER
DRUM SCANNER
HANDHELD
SCANNER

SCANNERS > SETTINGS
• Every scanner will have it’s own scanning software. Inexpensive DIY scanners
will have basic software allowing the user some uncomplicated basic control
options for choosing the resolution, file size, file type, black & white, colour or
grey scale and sometimes brightness and contrast tools. More
advanced/quality/expensive scanners software will offer the user far more
control and options for colour management.

SETTINGS ON THE
SCANNER
The descreening function of the scanner removes the
halftone dot pattern from the printed material during
scanning by defocusing the image. This effectively
eliminates the Moiré pattern (A Moiré pattern
happens when two identical patterns of lines, circles,
or array of dots are overlapped with imperfect
alignment creating an interference pattern (resembles
an optical illusion) and the color shifting patterns. The
downside to this process is the image will become
slightly less detailed due to the blurring effect caused
by the descreening process.

SETTINGS ON THE
SCANNER
SELECT THE FILE SAVE SETTINGS

SELECT THE FILE TYPE
SELECT THE RESOLUTION
SELECT THE DOCUMENT SIZE
SETTINGS ON THE
SCANNER

PREVIEW THE SCANNED IMAGE
SETTINGS ON THE
SCANNER

SETTINGS ON THE
SCANNER
More advanced scanners software offer
a large amount of control and options for
colour management. Amongst these there
is controls for Grey Balance, Tone and
Saturation. Editing these aspects relies on
good screen calibration and a well
trained human eye.

ADVANCED SCANNERS SETTINGS
SETTINGS DESCRIPTION
Color Restoration Restores the colors in faded photos automatically.
Dust Removal Removes dust marks from your originals automatically.
Backlight Correction Removes shadows from photos that have too much background light.
Saturation Adjusts the density of colors in the overall image.
Color Balance Adjusts the balance of red, green, and blue colors in the overall image.
Unsharp Mask Unsharp Mask makes the edges of image areas clearer for an overall sharper image.
Tone Correction Provides a graphical interface for adjusting tone levels individually.
Color Palette Provides a graphical interface for adjusting mid-tone levels.
Threshold Adjusts the level at which the black areas in text and line art are delineated.

JPG/JPEG: The term "JPEG" is an acronym for the Joint Photographic Experts
Group. JPEG files usually have a filename extension of .jpg or .jpeg. The default
file setting for pictures in most digital cameras is JPEG. JPEG photos are easily
shareable. JPEG compresses the data to be very much smaller in the file. However, as
JPEG files are compressed, some information is lost. When you choose jpg/jpeg you
need to know two things:
1. Always choose higher quality and a larger file, and
2. Do NOT keep editing and saving your JPG images repeatedly because more and
more quality is lost every time you edit/save it as JPG.
CREATE IMAGES > MAKE DIGITAL IMAGES > FILE
FORMATS

TIF (TIFF): stands for Tagged Image File Format. It is lossless and is
considered the highest quality format for commercial work. TIF is the most
versatile, except that web pages don’t show TIF files. For other purposes
however, TIF does most of anything you might want, from 1-bit to 48-bit
color, RGB, CMYK, LAB, or Indexed color. This should be your first choice
for large print reproduction artwork.
FORMATS

PDF: Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format used to present and
exchange documents reliably, independent of software, hardware, or operating
system. PDF files are the best choice for text documents, forms, or other images
containing text. Some programs, like Adobe Acrobat, use OCR technology to scan the
actual characters of the text so you can edit the text later and search for words or
phrases in the document.
https://acrobat.adobe.com/in/en/why-adobe/about-adobe-pdf.html
FORMATS

GIF: is the acronym for Graphics Interchange Format. GIF was designed by
CompuServe in the early days of computer 8-bit video, before JPG, for video
display at dial up modem speeds. GIF always uses lossless LZW compression,
but it is always an indexed color file (8-bits, 256 colors maximum), which is poor
for 24-bit color photos. Don’t use indexed color for color photos today, the color
is too limited. GIF is still very good for web graphics (i.e., with a limited number
of colors). For graphics of only a few colors, GIF can be much smaller than JPG,
with more clear pure colors than JPG).
FORMATS

PNG: Portable Network Graphics is a raster graphics file format that supports
lossless data compression. PNG was created as an improved, non-patented
replacement for Graphics Interchange Format (GIF), and is the most widely used
lossless image compression format on the Internet. PNG was invented more
recently than the other file types. One additional feature of PNG is
transparency for 24 bit RGB images. Normally PNG files are a little smaller
than TIF or GIF files, but PNG is perhaps slightly slower to read or write. PNG is
another good choice for lossless quality work.
FORMATS

RAW: A raw file is a collection of unprocessed data. A camera raw image file means
that the file has not been processed. The data from the image sensor of either a digital
camera, image scanner, or motion picture film scanner have not been altered,
compressed, or manipulated in any way by the computer. This means the file Camera
RAW files are very important of course, but RAW files must be processed to regular
formats (JPG, TIF, etc) to be viewable and usable in any way. However, the point is that
RAW offers substantial benefit in doing that. Camera RAW images are not RGB (the
meaning of RAW), and must be converted to RGB for any use.
FORMATS

RESOURCES:
http://webneel.com/photography-retouching-iain
http://www.designzzz.com/photography-infographics/
https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/key-concepts/color-cast.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVGxwlqpG5E
https://files.support.epson.com/htmldocs/prv5ph/prv5phug/scan1_4.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/

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