Table of Contents
Introduction: What are the foundations of digital art and design?
Exercise 1. Operating Systems
Exercise 2. Downloading Work Files
Exercise 3. Using the e-book
Exercise 4. Creative Commons
Section 1: Bits, Pixels, Vectors, and Design (Adobe Illustrator) Introduction
Chapter 1: The Dot, the Path and the Pixel
Exercise 1. File Presets in Illustrator
Exercise 2. Shapes, Fills, and Strokes
Exercise 3. Figure and Ground with Repeated Dots
Screencast: The Pattern Brush
Exercise 4. Grouping and Alignment
Exercise 5. A Figure and Ground or “On” and “Off” Study
Lab Challenge
Chapter 2: Drawing Expressive Lines
Exercise 1. Place and Lock an Image
Exercise 2. Understanding Layers
Exercise 3. Create Lines with the Pencil Tool
Exercise 4. Duplicate the Composition
Exercise 5. Add a Gradient Background
Exercise 6. Create Depth with Contrasting Values
Screencast: Adding the “Swoosh” at the Horizon
Exercise 7. Master Files, Shared Files
Lab Challenge
Chapter 3: Modify Basic Shapes
Exercise 1. Create a Document with One Artboard
Exercise 2. Create Two Basic Shape Combinations
Exercise 3. Duplicate the Artboard and Unite the Paths
Exercise 4. Duplicate the Artboard and Modify the Shapes
Screencast: Modify Paths with the Pen and Direct Selection Tools
Exercise 5. Reflect and Copy a Second Half onto the Profile Icon
Exercise 6. Brush Details into the Treetop
Exercise 7. Add a Background Color and Save a Multi-page PDF
Lab Challenge
Section 2: Digital Photography (Adobe Photoshop and Bridge) Introduction
Chapter 4. Creating and Organizing Digital Photographs (Your Camera, Bridge)
Exercise 1. Camera Mechanics: How does the camera create a photograph?
Exercise 2. Camera Settings
Exercise 3. Bracketing
Exercise 4. Before You Shoot…
Exercise 5. Rule of Thirds
Exercise 6. Bridge Workspaces
Exercise 7. Batch Rename
Screencast: Renaming files in Bridge
Exercise 8. Labeling Files[x1]
Exercise 9. Generate a PDF to Showcase your Files
Lab Challenge
Chapter 5. Resolution and Value
Exercise 1. Redistribute Pixels for Print Resolution
Exercise 2. Resample Pixels for Screen Resolution
Exercise 3. Analyze a Photograph Using the Zone System
Screencast: Use the Info Panel to Check Your Eye Against Image Data
Exercise 4. Modify the Tonal Range with a Levels Adjustment Layer
Lab Challenge
Chapter 6. Color Models
Exercise 1. Harmony in Rectangles
Exercise 2. Simultaneous Contrast in Circles
Exercise 3. Color Comparison
Exercise 4. Color Corrections
Screencast: Apply Color to a Black and White Photograph
Lab Challenge
Section 3: Digital Manipulation and Free Fair Use (Photoshop) Introduction
Chapter 7. Repairs and Hoaxes
Exercise 1. Remove Dust and Heal JFK’s Blemishes
Exercise 2. JFK’s Eyes: Tonal Repairs with Dodge and Burn
Screencast: Adding and Deleting within Selections
Exercise 3. Lessening Wrinkles
Exercise 4. It’s a Hoax! Adding an Extra Mummy Finger
Exercise 5. Soften Cloned Edges
Lab Challenge
Chapter 8. Select, Copy, Paste, Collage
Exercise 1. Set Up the Collage Workspace
Exercise 2. Trace an Image Contour with the Pen Tool
Exercise 3. Modify Paths
Exercise 4. Convert a Path to a Selection to a Layer Mask
Exercise 5. Scale, Adjust, Organize
Exercise 6. Copy a Layer to an Open Document
Exercise 7. The “Magic” of the Magic Wand
Exercise 8. Select, Copy, Paste, Repeat
Screencast: Duplicate, Transform, Burn, Organize, and Adjust—Ants in the Hand
Lab Challenge
Chapter 9. Blended Realities
Exercise 1. Articulate the Design Challenge
Exercise 2. Combine Vector Shapes in Photoshop
Exercise 3. Layer Effects
Exercise 4. Add a Vector Mask
Exercise 5. Create a Button
Screencast and Exercise 6: Complete Layer Groups “Step 2” and “Step 3”
Exercise 7. Gradients and Layer Masks
Lab Challenge
Section 4: Typography (Illustrator and InDesign) Introduction
Chapter 10. Type and Image (Illustrator)
Exercise 1. Define a Color Mode
Exercise 2. Place and Relink an Image
Exercise 3. Add a Textbox
Exercise 4. Resize and Kern Display Type
Exercise 5. Replace Type with an Image
Exercise 6. Add Vector Shapes to Frame the Composition
Exercise 7. Final Adjustments
Screencast: “Hiding” Page Elements with a White Shape or a Clipping Mask
Lab Challenge
Chapter 11. The Grid (Illustrator)
Exercise 1. Alternative Paper Sizes
Exercise 2. Guides and the Grid
Exercise 3. Create Your Own “Virtual Leading” Placeholders
Exercise 4. Link Text Boxes
Exercise 5. Place Another Guide on the Grid
Screencast: Using the Grid
Exercise 6. Use the Grid
Exercise 7. Save a PDF with Trim Marks
Lab Challenge
Chapter 12: Continuity (InDesign)
Exercise 1. Create a New InDesign Document for Sharing on the Web
Exercise 2. Establish Guides on A-Master
Exercise 3. Place Images
Exercise 4. Add Text Frames
Exercise 5. Color and a Drop Shadow on A-Master
Exercise 6. Paragraph Styles
Screencast: Prepare a File, Relink Images, Out of Gamut Colors, and Preparing the First and Last Pages
Exercise 7. Final Adjustments and Export to PDF
Lab Challenge
Section 5: The Web (Photoshop and Dreamweaver) Introduction
Chapter 13. Graphics on the Web (Photoshop and Dreamweaver)
Exercise 1. Organize Your Files
Exercise 2. Understand a Photoshop Template File
Exercise 3. Save a JPG File for the Web
Exercise 4. Save a PNG File for the Web
Screencast: Animating a GIF
Exercise 5. Insert an Image to the HTML Code in Dreamweaver
Lab Challenge
Chapter 14. Know the Code (Dreamweaver)
Exercise 1. Analyze HTML in Dreamweaver
Exercise 2. Modify HTML Content
Exercise 3. Link the CSS File to the HTML Document
Exercise 4. Analyze CSS in Dreamweaver
Exercise 5. Swap a Background Image in CSS
Exercise 6. Create and Link to a New HTML Page
Screencast: Modify CSS Code Using Dreamweaver Panels
Lab Challenge
Chapter 15. Remix the Web (Adobe Creative Suite)
Exercise 1. Map Mashups
Exercise 2. Vidding
Screencast: The YouTube Video Editor
Exercise 3. Machinima and Gaming
Exercise 4. Social Media Remix
Lab Challenge
Section 6: Effective Work Habits (Photoshop, Bridge, and InDesign) Introduction
Screencast: A Review of the Pen Tool, Layer Masks, and Adjustment Layers
Exercise 5. Create an Action
Exercise 6. Play an Action
Exercise 7. Batch Rename Revisited
Exercise 8. Float Files in Windows
Exercise 9. Non-programmable Modifications
Exercise 10. Watch the Sequence Play in Bridge
Lab Challenge
Chapter 17: Pagination and Printing (InDesign)
Exercise 11. Revisit the Actions Panel
Exercise 12. Apply a Batch Action from Bridge
Exercise 13. Two Options for Printing and Binding
Exercise 3, Option A. Single Pages and Easy Binding
Screencast: Creating a Mockup
Exercise 3, Option B. Paginating Facing Pages for a Saddle Stitch Binding
Lab Challenge
Chapter 18: Revision Practices in Media Art and Design
Interviews with or essay contributions by Pencilbox Studios, riCardo Crespo, Michael Demers, The League of Imaginary Scientists, and Jovenville
Image Permissions
Bibliography
Index
