# 1

My first image is the blog's interface.  I used Zapfino for the world "Illustrator" and Synchro LET for the word "PhotoShop".  Synchro LET was exactly what I wanted, so I didn't need to namipulate it.  However, for Zapfino, the L's were to tall and the letters were too close together.  I used the expand tool and pen tool to shorten the l's and spread out the word.

# 2

In this image, I moved the hat from the boy on the left to the boy on the right...clever.  I know.  First, I used the quick selection tool to select the red and blue hat.  Next, I moved it onto a new layer and refined the edge.  Second, I selected the blue hat in the picture on the right.  I moved it to a new layer and then deleted the selection in the main image.  Next, I resized the images until the blue and red hat looked about the right size.  Next, I dragged that hat on the left onto the image on the right.  I adjusted it and then used content aware fill to fill in some of the blank spaces around the new hat.  Finally, I used the brush tool and eyedropper tool to match the color of the hat and fill in some spaces around his face.

# 3

This image originally looked like the photograph on the left that I took, but I tweaked a few things to make it even cooler.  First, I got rid of the pink towel's corner that you can see above the door know in the original picture.  I did this by using the lasso tool to select the towel, and then doing content-aware fill.  However, this blurred both the door and the knob, so I used the history brush to bring both of those back into focus.

Next, I turned the image black and white by choosing Image > Adjustments > Black and White.  Then I added an adjustment layers mask and changed the levels to bring out the black in the door.  However, this made the wall very dark and it was difficult to see the doorknob.  So, for my last step, I selected the adjustment layer, and after selecting my brush and setting it to black, proceeded to "poke holes" in the adjustment layer, revealing the lighter wall and door knob.

# 4

I took the original picture of my bike at the beginning of the semester.  I opened it in Illustrator and used the live trace tool and expand.  Next, I selected the anchor points for the word "Giant" and deleted them.  Then, I added a text box with the words "Ride Indy" and rotated the text box 45º.

(Image based on photograph)

# 5

This image is based on the movie, Alice in Wonderland.  At first, I simply put the picture of the plate (which plays the role of a clock) on top of the picture of my sister dressed as the Mad Hatter, and began experimenting with blend modes.  I soon realized that many of the blend modes I liked left the black lines of the clock on her face and hands, so I opened the clock picture in PhotoShop and used the content-aware fill to get rid of the black lines that covered her face.  I then decided open the image in Illustrator, and I used the pencil and pen tool to create the squiggly lines.  I also used the pathfinder tool to create the arrows.

I then dragged the new clock image back on top of the picture of Mad Hatter and chose the darken color bland mode.  This left the image looking a little too dark though, so I used a brightness and contrast adjustment layer to bring back the brightness of the image.


(Image based on movie)

# 6

This image is aimed toward children.  I created the ear balloon in Illustrator using the pen tool.  Next, I added the text in Giddyup STD.  I used black text for "her Dreams Come True." and white text for the "W".  I didn't have to adjust anything, because it all fit perfectly exactly how it was.

# 7

For this image, my first step was getting rid of my reflection in the ornament.  I accomplished this by using the lasso tool to surround the reflection and then using the content aware fill.  Next, I wanted the focus to be on the ornament, so I added a gradient and turned down its opacity to darken the right side of the image.  Finally, I used a multiply blend mode to even out the gradient and then erased the adjustment layer over the ornament so that the red shone through.

# 8

This image is based on the book A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.  First, I found a good picture of NYC's skyline from when I visited New York, opened it in Illustrator, and used the live trace tool.  Next, I added the black box at the top, and finally, I added the text.

(Image based on a famous work of art)

# 9

This image was inspired by the adjective, "ostentatious", one of my favorite adjectives.  First, I used the quick selection tool to select the shoes, I put them on a new layer, and I refined the edge.  I then used the brush tool to add the heel's shadow.  Next, I opened the file in Illustrator and added the word "ostentatious" in Edwardian Script.  Then, I selected the word and selected Image > Expand.  I then used the pen tool to manipulate the "O" and draw it up towards the heel.  Finally, I brought the image back into PhotoShop and used the smudge tool to blend the heel and "O".

(Image based on adjective)

# 10

Personally, this image cracks me up.  One of my professors in college told us that her goal was to teach us how to use a varied skill-set when using PhotoShop and Illustrator.  She didn't want us to be "PhotoShop monkeys" as she put it.  For this image, I created a text box in Illustrator and filled it with the words "I'm Not a PhotoShop Monkey!" repeating over and over.  I then simply used the pen tool to add anchor points and manipulate the text box until it was in the shape of a monkey.


(Image that is completely vector)

# 11

During high school, I created the image to the right.  I used a template in a program called Pages and stole all of the pictures off of the internet.  So I decided to redo this image using proper PhotoShop techniques and original images. 

I started with the cork board.  First, I downloaded some cork board textures from cgtextures.com and dragged them onto the new document.  Second, I downloaded a picture from Morgue File and cut out the picture in the middle.  I then dragged that on top of the cork board.

Next, I created the picture of the Blue Man Group.  One of my friends, John Pinson, saw them live and got pictures with them after the show, so I was able to use his images.  However, he didn't have a picture with all three of them together, only pictures of him and his friends with one of the Blue Men.

First, I used the smart selection tool to select each guy, created a new layer of the selection, and then used the refine edge tool until I had a lifelike selection.  I then resized one of the images that looked particularly larger than the other two.  Next, I dragged them all onto a new project and arranged them to cover up the gaping holes in their side.  And finally, I used the color balance to adjust the color and give them a green tint.  Next, I needed to create the Polaroid effect.  I created a new document and added a bit of gradient to the outer edge.  Next, I dragged the photo on top of it.  Voila.

Next, I created the notes using both PhotoShop and Illustrator.  I downloaded the crumpled paper texture from cgtextures.com, and then used Illustrator to create the text.  Next, I dragged the text onto the paper and then used the Layer Style box to insert a drop shadow.

My last step was creating the thumbtack.  I stuck a tack in the wall, took a picture, and then used the smart selection tool to select the tack and shadow.  Next, I created a new layer of the selection and refined the edge.  My last step was to rotate the image in order to create the effect that the pin was stuck in at different angles.  I dragged those various pins onto the image and was finished!


(Image I chose to redo)

# 12

This was an image that I created in Illustrator.  I was experimenting with the different brush strokes and using the pen tool to create waves and strokes.  It is simple, but beautiful.


(Image with no words)

# 13

This image is a compilation of images created in PhotoShop and Illustrator and is meant to "sell" something.  First, I used the smart selection tool to select the people in the image.  I then put the selection on a new layer and refined the edge.  Next, I opened a new document in Illustrator.  I used Santa Fe LET Plain:1.0, and then used the expand tool.  Next, I used the pen tool to manipulate the text and mimic the Krispy Kreme logo.  Last, I dragged the logo on top of the image.

(Image that sells something)

# 14

This image was created in Illustrator and PhotoShop and was inspired by the song Winter Wonderland by Jason Mraz. (Ignore the video; just listen to the song.)  I created all of the images from scrap in Illustrator using the pen tool and pathfinder tool.  Next, I dragged the image into Photoshop and used the smart selection tool to select all of the pictures.  I put those on a new selection and the added a drop shadow to the images.

(Image based on a piece of music)

# 15

This image is a compilation of the two images below.  First, I opened up the picture of us skiing on the lake.  Second, I dragged the image of the ice covered road on top of it.  I selected the the people on the road and used the content aware tool to erase the people.  I then used the history brush to erase the road, revealing the water beneath it.

# 16

This image is based on typography and is a demonstration of the Gestalt Principle.  I created it in Illustrator.  I used Myriad Pro Bold and then used the pen tool to manipulate the text.

# 17

This image is based on my current favorite color: mint green.  Mint strikes me as antique, so I turned the image black and white using Image > Adjustments > Black and White.  Next, I selected the brush tool and, after setting it to black, "poked holes" in the Black and White adjustments layer, revealing the mint colored nails below.  However, in the original image, you see the mint color because your brain has other colors to compare it to.  When the rest of the image was black and white, the nails looked extremely orange.  For my final step, I adjusted the hue and saturation to make the nails appear mint colored.

(Image based on color of choice)

# 18 and # 19

This is actually two separate images.  The image on the left is masculine and the image on the right is feminine.  First I created the image of the girl.  I used the pen tool to create the silhouette.  Next, I used the font Giddyup Std for the world "girl".  I then used the expand tool and pen tool to manipulate the text and draw the squiggly lines.

For the man, I actually reflected the girl's silhouette and then used the pen tool to make some minor adjustments, creating the man's silhouette.  Next, I used Myriad Pro to write the word "man".  I didn't manipulate the text at all, because the font was exactly what I pictured in the first place.

(Image made completely from scratch in Illustrator)

# 20

The time has finally come to finish my portfolio.  For this image, I used the quick selection tool to select myself.  I then put the selection on another layer and refined the edge.  Next, I created a new document and dragged the selection onto it.  For the final step, I used the smudge tool to create some wispys around my hair and smooth the edges on my arms.

We finally made it to the end of the semester!  Have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!