DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY & IMAGING — Week 01

21.4.2025  (Week 01)

Lee Xiang Ling / 0384095

Digital Photography and Imaging / Bachelor of Design in Creative Media / Taylors University

Week 1 — Practical (Creating E-Portfolio) & Subject Outline & Expectations

---

Lecture

This week, we kicked things off with a dive into Adobe Photoshop — the go-to tool for designers, photographers, and pretty much anyone working with visuals. Whether you want into graphic design, web design, marketing, or just love tweaking photos for fun, Photoshop is your creative playground.

So… why Photoshop?

Because it's not only powerful, but also incredibly easy to use. It lets you bring your idea creations to life, whether you're designing business cards, restoring old photos or turning your photo into a cartoon style. There’s nothing it can’t do.

What we learned this week:

1. Express your creativity - Discover your design potential and open new doors for artistic expression.
2. Create graphic design - From posters and business cards to website layouts — all made easy.
3. Restoration of old images - Bring back faded memories and give worn-out images a new life.
4. Integrate graphics with text artistically - Use text effects and photo adjustments to create visual impact.
5. Make use of brushes - Leverage custom brushes to add details quickly and effortlessly. 
6. Change photo color - Transform the mood and style of your images with a few clicks.
7. Rectify mistakes in Photographs - Tackle issues like poor lighting, red eyes, or cluttered backgrounds with ease.

A bit of history:

Before Photoshop, photographers used some pretty wild techniques—like combining images on one negative. Think 1850s-style photo manipulation. It’s been a creative journey ever since.

Pro Graphic designer tips we covered:

• Follow The Tutorials
• Experiment
• Memorize All Keyboard Shortcuts
• Try to Replicate Others Work
• Do Participate in Design Competitions
• Subscribe to Online Galleries
• Scaling Artworks and Proportions
• Organize the Files Properly

---

Exercise

List down your 3 favorite graphic design work from Pinterest. Explain why you like the design?

Design #1: 

From: https://pin.it/mV84CLx3w

Description:

 I like this design because it has a dreamy and surreal atmosphere. It uses the soft light planet and the dark universe background to create a sense of depth and mystery. The illustration of the astronauts standing on the opposite planet and watching the endless universe seem like they are embarking on different journeys, gives us a feeling of exploration and adventure, and makes it extremely prominent in the main theme “FLIGHTPATHS”.

Design #2:

From: https://pin.it/7w8HxgkQM

Description: 

I like this design because it gives us a peaceful and nostalgic feeling. It uses a simple white frame to highlight the blue sky and white clouds, which immediately reminds people for its theme — “SUMMER”. The composition of it is clean and minimalistic, with a strong sense of modernity and elegance.

Design #3:

From: https://pin.it/4qshN70ra

Description: 
This picture managed to catch my attention among others. I like its combines different famous artworks by Vincent Van Gogh in a collage style, giving a sense of depth and storytelling. It feels artistic, emotional, and so personality. The ripped-paper effect makes it look raw and expressive. It’s a powerful way to show that art, emotion and identity can be connected.

---

Instruction

<iframe allow="autoplay" height="480" src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DsERWuF4d2YDYxX0lRiZOdmNqf8wk4FU/preview" width="640"></iframe>

---

Reflections

Before starting this course, Photoshop was just a photo editing tool in my opinion. But starting this course has really opened my eyes to how much potential Photoshop has — not just as a technical tool, but as a creative outlet. Although the operation is somewhat difficult, the exploration process is really interesting. Therefore, I will continue to try, continue to step on the pit, and gradually improve my design ability. The first week of the course has ended successfully, and I look forward to every step forward!