READ THE FOLLOWING & CREATE AN ARCHIVE

Put together an archive for yourself of at least 20 [digital format] images. This archive should include a variety of photographic sources that you can use for certain homeworks, and for playing with techniques and tools that you will learn. Much of the learning that occurs with Photoshop is based on playing, trying, and spending lots of time working through all of the lesson material.

Possible sources:
- Stock photography from a clip art cd [clip art is a life saver for a digital media student] or you can buy on the web at numerous stock photo web sites. (www.stockphoto.com, www.istockphoto.com, www.veer.com) I don't mean for you to purchase stock photos for your home work assignments, but, sometimes they can come in very handy for important projects.

- Scanned photographs, artwork, textures [lace, fabric,] small flat objects, art postcards, invitations, coins...

- Use original photography. Maybe you have a collection of photographs from a trip, or scenic spot, some architectural shots, your band, your pet or your garden... Students are encouraged to use original photography so go take some pictures and use them to practice with and in homeworks when appropriate.

REMEMBER:
Images from the world wide web are low resolution [72 dots per inch = dpi] and may be used for low res output [meant to be viewed via a computer monitor], but do not have adequate resolution for printing. Still, you can collect some of your favorite web images [hey that's the beauty of the web!] and create a folder of low res images.


This homework does not need to be sent to me.
Keep a folder of photographss on your hard drive, so that you have lots of images to play and work with. You should also set up a folder system to keep assignments and assets organized for this class. Remember to backup your work. When working in Photoshop you need to save your work often to avoid losing work if Photoshop crashes.

PHOTOSHOP PERFORMANCE AND RAM
If your computer crashes frequently while working in Photoshop you probably need more ram. Photoshop require sufficient ram in order to work efficiently. The minimum requirement is one GB.

On average, doubling the amount of memory in your system will give you ample "space" to work and will make an obvious difference in overall speed. This is especially true with today's memory-hungry graphics and multimedia applications. More memory allows you to run more programs at once, and your favorite programs will be easier to use.

DIGITAL CAMERAS
For information on the latest digital cameras go to www.dpreview.com/

COPYRIGHT:
Students always ask me about copyright issues. As long as you don't use another party's property for commercial gain you should be ok. However, in order to be better informed about copyright laws go to www.copyright.gov


INSPIRATION:
For inspiration you can check out one of our graduate's portfolio. She used Photoshop extensively in creating her portfolio graphics and also has a nice photography and fine art section. Enjoy!

www.judithhorn.com