Overview

Now that you know how to size your images correctly as well as crop and rotate them what is the next thing you need to know how to do? For me, I need to be able to adjust brightness and contrast, adjust my tonal range of white to mid gray to black, and I need to correct my color. This week we will learn how to do some of those things to really be able to improve our images.

Also we are going to be looking at some black and white photography so I thought it would be useful to know how to convert a color image to black and white. 

Week 3 Assignment 1: Brightness and Contrast Adjustment Layer

Videos to Watch at Lynda.com

• Photoshop CS5 One-on-One: Fundamentals, with Deke McClelland
  Chapter 7. Basic Color Correction (Watch all videos up to 'Using Color Balance', make sure to watch 'Brightness and Contrast', 'Introducing Adjustment Layers', and 'Introducing the Histogram')  
  

After learning how to adjust Brightness and Contrast with Deke McClelland. As well as, learning to do so in a flexible manner using Adjustment Layers, which gives you the ability to go back and re-edit your image. Your assignment is to fix a photograph using Brightness and Contrast and Adjustment Layers. Extra Credit: Can you move your Histogram panel above your Layers panel like Deke does in "Working With the Histogram Panel"? The histogram is a pretty awesome tool to have visible all the time.

Turning it in:
Due end of week 4

Please send me your finished .psd file with a Brightness and Contrast Adjustment Layer (You may need to lower your image's resolution to email it to me. In Photoshop, do an Image > Image Size > check the resample image check box and lower your image's resolution to 72 or 100 dpi so that it is easier to email me the file as an attachment).

For this assignment, if you want to, you can also upload before and after jpgs to your Picasa account and then post links to the photos in the Forum under the Brightness and Contrast topic. That way we can see examples of peoples before and after improvements to their photographs. 

Week 3 Assignment 2: Convert to Black and White with the Black and White Adjustment Layer

Watch my video:

For a more in-depth tutorial watch:

• Photoshop Top 40, with Deke McClelland
  36. Black and White (This is an amazing tutorial!) 
  

Since we are going to be looking at a great black and white photographer this week I though you should create a black and white photograph out of a color photograph. Your assignment is to manipulate a color photograph, turning it into a black and white photograph. The subject of the photograph is your own choosing but make it interesting because I want you to post it!

Turning it in:
Due end of week 4

Your assignment is finished when you save before and after images as .jpg files, upload them to your Picasa account and posted links to the images in the DansCourses Forum! Please give it a title too.