Japanese Art – Worksheet Lesson 10b

How To Make A Digital Portrait In Photoshop

Complete the furoshiki description handout first. We will do this assignment as a class. You should have your pictures saved onto your network folder.

Part One : How To Open And Save Your Document

  1. Go to start/programs/Adobe Photoshop CS2.
  2. Click the close button on the welcome screen.
  3. To open the digital picture of yourself, go to file/open. Click on the arrow in the “Look in” box, and scroll down to your folder. Double click your art pictures folder. Click on your photograph, then click the open button.
  4. Never work with the original picture. Always save a new copy for yourself. This way, if you mess up, you will always have the original to work from.
  5. To save a copy, go to file/save as and scroll back down to your art pictures folder. In the file name, type your name.psd. In the format box, choose Photoshop or .psd. Click the save button.

Part Two: How To Rotate And Resize Your Photo

Pictures on the screen are not a true size, they are just the size the computer shows them on the screen. You need to make them a size that will fit on your handmade book.

  1. In the grey menu, click on image/image size. A selection box will appear.
  2. In the “document size” section, change the width to 5 inches. The height will change automatically.
  3. Change the resolution to 150 (this is a good resolution for everyday printing).
  4. Click OK. Now your picture is about 5 x 7 inches.
  5. To rotate your picture, go to image/rotate canvas and pick 90 CW.

Part Three: How To Posterize Your Picture And Add Filters

  1. In the grey menu, click image/adjustments/posterize.
  2. Select a number between 2 and 10. Click OK. This flattens your picture into separate colors.
  3. To add a filter go to filter/ and then choose one. Each filter has slider bars and choices. Experiment and see what you come up with.

Part Four: Importing Images And Using Layers

Photoshop has layers that are like a sandwich made up of clear pieces of plastic. You can add layers, delete layers, and rearrange layers.  You can also lower the opacity of the layers to see through below.

  1. Make sure the layers palette is showing on your screen. If it is missing, click on window/layers in the grey menu bar.
  2. To import a picture: Go to file/open and scroll down to your art folder. Find one of the pictures you want to use. Click on it and then click the open button.
  3. Check the image size of this picture. Follow the directions in part two, but make the width two or three inches. You want these pictures to be a little bit smaller.
  4. Click the move tool in your tool box. This tool looks like an arrow with a plus sign next to it.
  5. Click and drag the picture onto your photograph. The picture will disappear, but if you let go of the mouse, it will reappear.
  6. Every time you move a picture over, it shows up as a new layer in your layers palette.
  7. Adjust the opacity by using the slider bar in the layers palette so that you can see through it a little bit.
  8. If you want to change the layers, just click and drag the layers up and down in the layers palette.
  9. Remember, the active layer (the one you are working on ) is the blue layer. If you want to work on a layer, click on it and make it blue.
  10. You can hide and show layers by clicking the eyeball icon next to the layer in the layers palette.

Part Five: Have Fun!  

Try some things in the adjustments like the color balance, use filters on each layer, and be brave!

Part Six: Printing Your Portrait

Let me see your picture before you print it.

To print go to layer/flatten image. Next, go to file/print and I will tell you which printer we are using.