image and text design

Image Manipulation

 

Today I've been manipulating images in Adobe Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator. This will be the primary method that I will use to formulate my endpapers for the JSS assignment, as only one Pantone or shade of CYMK is permitted. I am now going to break down what I worked on with each image:

Bear one (brown): I created a greyscale image in Photoshop and saved it. Then I changed the Image Mode to a bitmap, and saved it as a .bmp file. I then added the file to InDesign and edited the colour to a nude swatch that I created from Adobe Illustrator.

Shakespeare: To create this bitmap image, I saved it as a greyscale image at 1200dpi. I used the Image>mode feature again to save it as a bitmap.tiff image. From this, I placed the item into InDesign over a tan background. I then changed the B/W image to a one-tone red. I think these colours work quite well together.
 

Bear two (pink): I re-opened the photo of the bear in Photoshop and saved it as a bitmap.tiff image at 1200, I edited the bitmap type to Halftone Screen which gives the image a comic book effect. From there, I placed this file into Indesign and changed the colour swatch to a Pantone+ Solid Uncovered in a light pink.

There are multiple versions of bitmap manipulation, these include: halftone, threshold, pattern and gradient. Each one gives a slightly different effect.

Text manipulation

For the above text, I utilised Adobe Illustrator to create the text using vectors. This is a better alternative to editing text on Photoshop because quality is not lost. 

I ungrouped the letters so each could be edited and manipulated individually, I enjoyed working in this way because the letters stayed crisp and were of print-quality. I then copied this smart image into Photoshop. By using the enter key after doing this, I could edit the text in illustrator and the smart image would transfer over to the Photoshop file automatically. This will be invaluable to my final typesetting and cover design assignment! 

designing a cover

 

I designed a cover in today's session, from this original image:

 

I added a black back cover from the cover grids set up in week 3, and I used Photoshop to clone stamp some of the starry imagery around where I thought the blurb should be. I tried to turn the different images on angles so it wouldn't be as obvious what I had done, and I think this has been successful.

 

I used the font that I found in the last exercise, and I think that works in practice. I also think the spacing of the author, title and quote works visually.

 

The colouration is particularly effective on this cover, as all of the colours used are picked with a dropper from the original image. I feel that this adds some sense of continuity across the cover.

If I were to change the cover, I would manipulate the title so that it was more inventive. I would possibly experiment with a pink or teal drop shadow, or change the leading. This would make the title stand out more, and also open up opportunities to add different finishes.