(FDD) Digital Manipulation Lesson

Photography_LessonTopBanner.png Digital Manipulation 

OMG - That is SO Photoshopped!

In this lesson, you will learn about the many ways to digitally manipulate photographs. You will need access to digital editing software. Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, GIMP, Paint.net, are just a few of the options available. The artistic possibilities with digital manipulation are truly endless.

Before we look at what TO DO with digital manipulation, let's take a look at some what NOT TO DO's!

Video Information:

Photoshop can do amazing things. But sometimes we don't get it quite right and that can lead to some hilarious outcomes. On the flip side, the use of this technology can also lead to some real challenges for society.

  • Explore: Learn the basics of digital color correction and explore the options available with digital editing software.
  • Challenge: Can you identify which photographs have been altered and how?
  • Application: Apply what you’ve learned and color correct one of your own photos.

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The Possibilities are Endless

We will be our exploration of digital manipulation with the basics of post-processing RAW files. Just as the film must be processed and printed, digital RAW files must also undergo a level of post-processing. There’s no hard right or wrong but a certain level of realism is usually the goal: elimination of dust and scratches, small adjustments of color, tone, brightness, and contrast, and cropping that doesn’t alter the message of the original photograph. These are the general standards for photojournalists when submitting news images. Further editing is obviously allowed in other areas of photography. The possibilities of digital manipulation are endless but it is important that we always keep in mind the purpose of our photography. There has even been a push recently in advertising photography to refrain from overly retouching images and portray a more realistic vision of beauty.

The Basics

This video will walk you through the basic post-processing steps using Adobe Lightroom CC. Adobe offers a limited free trial of their software and you are encouraged to download it and work along. These settings and adjustments are also possible with most photo manipulation software including the GIMP which is available for free. Some tools may be in a different location and the overall interface slightly different, but the end result will be the same.

 

So What Can I Really Do?

Now that you know the basics, it’s time to explore what can really be done. While most often it’s digital photos that are altered digitally, traditional photos can also be edited this way by scanning them into a digital file.

Flip each card below to learn about digital manipulation and find a link for more advancement for each technique.

 

 

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