From Digital Camera to Assignment (Workflow Recap)

Fall Quarter 2017, Kalamazoo College

Richard Koenig, Professor

 

 

Download and Organize

 

á              Use Adobe Bridge to download, select, and organize your images

á              Do this by inserting the SD card directly into the computer, on the upper right side (or plug camera into iMac using a USB cord)

á              See separate handout for more details here if necessary (download_organize)

á              At this stage, make sure youÕre in the ÒEssentialsÓ mode of Bridge—tab is in the upper right area

á              Look into the folder that holds your image files

á              Label each of your ÒselectsÓ with one star (highlight the file and click command+one)

á              Select 36 to 45 pictures for a typical assignment

á              Copy those ÒselectsÓ into a new folder on the desktop—to do so click on 1-star tab (middle left area), select all (command ÒaÓ), and then use the Òcopy toÓ command to copy them into the new folder

 

 

Contact Your ÒSelectsÓ

 

á              Make contact sheets of these selected images on the FABLAB printer

á              This will be on inexpensive paper, but will give you an idea of what you shot

á              These proofs will be turned in—but before that spend time with them in order to select your ÒheroesÓ (a smaller number of prints that you will turn in as your final prints, see below)

á              Make your contacts using Photoshop (file=>automate=>contact sheet II: set rows and columns)

 

 

Select Your Heroes

 

á              Look at these contacts several times—over a period of time if possible

á              Select six, eight, or ten prints that you want to hand in for a given assignment

á              Using Bridge again, select your heroes by rating them—with two stars this time

á              Copy these ÒheroesÓ to the desktop and put in a new folder called ÒheroesÓ (file => copy to)

á              As test prints, I recommend that you create and save contact sheets with just these heroes (four per page) to print over at the Center for New Media (see below)

á              Put this contact sheet file in the folder with the heroes and upload that folder to Drop Box

á              Head over to the Center for New Media to make your high quality contact prints and final prints

 

 

Center for New Media

 

á              First, print the hero contact sheets on KathrynÕs closed system—it will be on her better paper, made with her computers, monitors, and ink (which is the same system on which your final prints will be made)

á              Look closely at this test contact to decide if you need to lighten or otherwise tweak the images (see separate handout for more details here if necessary, ÒOptimizeÓ)

á              Make any final tweaks

á              Print your heroes

á              Take those prints to critique and later hand in to me (in an envelope)

 

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