Day 2

Selective Editing

Objectives

General:

• Introduce Masks
• Make selective edits

Specific:

• Understands the differences between the various selection tools
• Knows when to use each selection tool
• Gains a foundational understanding of masks
• Uses adjustment layers as part of non-destructive editing

Outline

• Questions since last time?
• In what situations would you want to selectively edit images?

• What a selection is
  • cookie.jpg
• Selection tools
  • Marquee tools
    • Rectangle
    • Ellipse
  • Lasso tools
    • Lasso
    • Polygonal Lasso
    • Magnetic Lasso
  • Object Selection Tool
  • Magic Wand
  • Quick Select
• How to add to and subtract from selections
• Inverting selection (ctrl+shift+i)
• De-selecting (ctrl/cmd+D) or with some tools, just click off

Adjustment Layers

• What adjustment layers are
• Where to find them (in Adjustments panel, or at the bottom of the layers panel, but NOT to be confused with the same icon at the top of the layers panel!)
• Types of adjustment layers
  • You should cover the following:
  • Brightness/Contrast
  • Vibrance
  • Hue/Saturation
  • Color balance

Combining Selections and Adjustment Layers

• Combine selection tools and adjustment layers to apply an adjustment layer as a layer mask (allowing you to apply an adjustment layer to part of the layer rather than the whole thing)
  • Use a selection tool, select something, then apply an adjustment layer
    • The adjustment layer only shows up on the selection
    • The adjustment layer will be applied as a layer mask
      • Don’t talk too in-depth about layer masks right now, but just make sure students are aware that the adjustment layer will only apply to the selection because a mask is hiding everything else.
  • Pink Rose-Adjustment Layers.jpg Have them select just the flower and change its color by adding an adjustment layer

Clipping Masks

• Go over clipping masks
  • Option/alt click between two layers to make into a clipping mask
    • Or select Layer>Create Clipping Mask
  • Clipping masks let you apply an adjustment layer to only one layer instead of every layer beneath it
  • They also fit the top layer to the shape of the layer beneath it
  • Demonstrate with Clipping Mask-Art Museum.psd
    • Put Starry Night into the four frames with the lemon paintings. Option/alt click between Starry Night and the lemons layer to clip the two together.
    • Also try applying an adjustment layer as a clipping mask to the lemons layer
    • Have the students try it on their own. 

We used masks today, but we didn’t really get into what exactly “masks” are. We’ll go over that next time as we use masks to combine two separate images into one composite.

• Recap:
  • Selections
  • Adjustment Layers
  • Clipping Masks
• Next time:
  • Advanced masking
  • Combining multiple images with masks

Example Questions

• What does the magic wand selection tool do?
• Why would you make a selection?
• When would you want to use an adjustment layer?
• How can we apply this adjustment layer to only part of this image?

Example Activities and Files

• Selections: use the cookies in selections.jpg to show all the selection tools and color the frosting with hue/saturation adjustment layers.
  • Try it: have students select and color their cookies, then show and tell