Before:
After:
I found this exercise more intuitive than I'd anticipated. Photoshop--like other media manipulation software--has always been one of those programs that I thought of as "new" and "too hip" for me. My students use these programs; my little cousins edit photos and email the revised versions to the family; those tech geniuses and "bloggers" out there on the web do this stuff. I manipulate spreadsheets and code computer algebra systems. I've always felt that I was much more "PC" than "MAC"...and this seemed like a decidedly "MAC" assignment.
But the work we did in Photoshop and in Fotoflexer came relatively easily. The multiple layers in photoshop took a little getting used to, but even that wasn't so bad. And I'm pleased with the final image that I generated. I took a picture that I liked to begin with, and did my best to "artsy" it up a bit. It was fun.
Interestingly, I did find myself compelled to over-do it a bit. I was tempted to draw in sunsets, compulsively changed the size and amount of "fade" on my border, played with color and boost for far longer than necessary...but there's a lesson in that, too. Just like with Inspiration, technology is only as efficient as the user. It's easy to get bogged down in the details, and lose site of the learning objective. I need to keep that in mind.
But I look forward to the occasions when I can incorporate this new skill in my classes. I won't be drawing sunsets or adjusting borders. But it is not uncommon at all that I find a geometric figure somewhere in my file library that ALMOST fits my needs. Rather than printing, drawing by hand, scanning, etc., now I hope to use my photoshop skills. I don't know that I'll have the same opportunities for classroom exercises with the students that some humanities instructors may encounter, but this should make my lesson-planning far more efficient.
I think you could have a sideline business adjusting photos to make great artsy vacation postcards!
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