A New Kind of Caption

Captions are a good thing to add to pics to tell people what or who they are looking at but just typing under the picture can get boring quickly. If you get a bit creative, you can come up with lots of different ways to add a caption to a picture. In this project, we added a note to a picture with a paper clip.

Paperclip a note to a picture

What other caption ideas do you have? Let's see them! Post them to my facebook!

Make a CD/DVD Disk from Scratch

Lots of you are into mixing music and making your own music and many of you like to create cd covers and labels on Photoshop. Because of this, I thought you might someday need to know how to create an actual disk. Of course, you could just take a picture but if you are drawing all original graphics, this is an easy how to lesson!!

How to make a CD/DVD disk

The six weeks is winding up quickly! Stay tuned to updates and events via Miss Allbright's FaceBook page!

What if Geoge Washington had a FaceBook?

BIM is in the middle of a project that is already producing some pretty fun results. Each student chose a historical figure (dead or alive), that has made a significant impact on the world. From there, they had to research things about that person that might be included on a FaceBook page, such as: birthday, relationship status, greatest accomplishments, historical time line, interests, etc. From there, the students are creating a total of six pages that would make up their figures FaceBook page. Everything on it must have historical evidence backing it up and references must be sited. The pages themselves are being built from scratch in Microsoft Publisher and must include hyperlinks to different sections of each page.

Some of the FaceBook pages being created are: Rosa Parks, Jesus, Napolean, Martin Luther King, Julius Ceasar, Mark Twain and Leonardo Da Vinci.

Check Miss Allbright's FaceBook to see the final results soon!

Happy Spring Break!!!

Have a great break everyone! I'm off to California for the week to hang out with my favorite nephew! He's the cutest kiddo on the planet and I can't wait! Enjoy the time off, don't miss us too bad! :)

3D Curved Video Wall

This effect is quick and easy! It starts by teaching you how to create your own video monitor and then turn that ino a full wall of monitors displaying one large picture. To add dimension and show how large the wall is, you finish the project by putting a person in front  of the wall. You all did awesome on this and came up with some cool ideas how to use the monitor wall effect for other things....nets, webs etc.!

3D Curved Video Wall

Movie Posters/Logos from the Chapter 3 project will be posted on the FB page soon!

QR codes decoded....

....aka, what's the black and white thing on your page Miss Allbright?!

TLCA Allbright FaceBook

QR (which stands for "quick response") codes are very similar to barcodes on things you buy at the store except those codes are just read left to right and a QR code is 2D, it can be read up, down, left and right. The code is made up of black pixels arranged on a white background and can contain information like URLs, text, phone numbers, etc.

What do you need to read these codes? Check your pocket! All you need is a cell phone with a camera! Download a barcode scanner app, run the app, focus your phone camera on the code and it will scan and ask you if you want to go to the website or view the information.

Want to create your own codes? It's super easy! Visit http://qrcode.kaywa.com/  or SCAN!

QR Code Generator

Gettin' Grungy!

We are winding down on the type effects chapter in Graphic Design. The last two effects we learned were how to apply a grunge effect to type and around type. Grunge is very popular in Hollywood and advertising so it is a great effect to master!

"The Dead  Zone" (add grunge around type)

Movie Poster (add grunge TO type)

The graphics class is working on their personal projects for this chapter so check the TLCA Allbright FaceBook to see the finished products!

GLEE inspired Mash-ups in A/V

Are you a GLEE fan? Even if you are not, you will enjoy this project. The students in A/V have been creating 10-in-1 song mash ups. I have never seen them so focused!!! Talk about a quiet class....maybe plugging them up to headphones is the answer...hmmmmm..... :)

First the kids found the lyrics to 10 songs, finding songs that would "mash," meaning that song A has to have a word that is also in song B, then during editing, cut song A before the word that is the same in song B and connect them there. Confused yet? Then check out this project by Meghan Rainey. Check my FaceBook soon to see the rest of the projects when they are finished!

Meghan's Mash Up
(Click on full screen to see lyrics)

Want to add a little BLING to your type?

Today we created a logo for a fictitious radio station that has diamond letters. The effect is pretty cool and can be used to add bling to your name or anything you want to have a diamond effect. Don't forget you have to create the effect on a document LARGER than the one you are going to originally put it on for it to look awesome. There are two videos, the first one is where you create the letters with diamond effect, second is adding those letters to a radio logo. This doesn't have to be done with type....you can add bling to any shape!

Create Diamond Effect

Add Diamond Numbers to Radio Logo

Free tours around the world....coming your way!

Dylan Collins

Want to go on a tour around the world? The BIM classes are hard at work putting together those very tours....complete with stick figure tour guides! The projects are looking AWESOME and some of the tour guides crack me up. Stay tuned for tours with the guys below plus many more!!

Paths and Ribbons and Taekwondo (or Tae Kwon Do to make Delaughter happy...)

Some of you are groaning just from looking at the logo example because this lesson was PAINFUL for 2nd period. Don't know why but type paths were for sure a struggle for some of you. I promise they aren't killer hard and if you take a few minutes to watch the videos, I'm sure you can master type paths because you will defnitely need them in future projects!!! "Be strong, you can DO IT!" says Master Wu!  :)

Paths and Ribbons Part 1 of 2

(make the logo/ribbons)

Paths and Ribbons Part 2 of 2

(learn about type paths)

Thanks for all the b-day wishes on   my FaceBook ! You guys are the bestest students ever!

Sooo many posts....soooo much frustration!!!

I feel like this baby. FRRRRUSTRATED! I promise I have all of your lessons filmed and edited but the process of getting them to you online is a big, fat pain!!

I have no internet at home (crazy, I know...) and so the only way I can upload  your video files is at school. AND WE ARE FIGHTING!!! Not me and TLCA, me and the internet. Every way I try to get them to you is BLOCKED or must just HATE ME.

*Sigh*

Okay, I promise to catch up and figure out how to get each lesson to you the same day we do it. The results of you guys staying caught up with work have been too cool not too. I am especially happy that some of  you who aren't even IN graphics have been coming to me and telling me you are checking out the videos and ready to take graphics next year. Fun, fun!

Anyways....stay tuned and hopefully I'll figure this out before I pull out all my hair!

3D Bevel Effect!

So I still haven't figured out what NAPP stands for. I only know it for the National Association of Photoshop Professionals but what does that have to do with baseball?!? Let me know if you figure it out. In the meantime....here is the video for how to make this cool silver, metal beveled edge look!

Metal Bevel Effect

The facebook numbers are going up every day! Don't forget to visit  my FaceBook and check out your work. Spread the word so everyone can see all the cool stuff you are doing in class!

More Amazingly Awesome Type Effects

Today is the first day of the 5th six weeks and we are still plowing through type effects. Today we hit on three different ones: Harry Potter (gothic chiseled), 3D Drop back, and black chrome. Each of the three effects has their own video for you to check out and try on your own!

Harry Potter

The 3D drop back gives logos a really cool 3D appearance that is super easy to accomplish!

3D Drop Back Logo

Black Chrome is a cool effect that actually applies a chrome metal look to the outside of the type.

Black Chrome

Don't forget to go to my FaceBook and check out your work. Tag yourself so others can see what an awesome graphic artist you are!

Thank you Mister President(s)...

...for a day off from school! Woo-hoo!

Be safe and happy and have fun! See you all Tuesday!

Taming the Wild Animal (print)

Today, all classes finished up projects and make-up work since the six weeks ends tomorrow. We launched the use of screencast videos in class today and it was a HUGE success. I am madly in love with the Screen-cast-o-matic website that lets me do them for free!

It was pretty cool for each student to be able to work on a different project and get help from me via video. In a full class like my second period, it's hard to get stuff done when everyone needs help on something different. WE HAVE A SOLUTION PEOPLE!! My favorite part was when they found out there is music in the videos....everyone kept looking around for someone trying to listen to music on the sly before they realized it was the video they were watching...Good times!

Don't forget to swing over to my FaceBook and check out your animal print work. Visual puns from  BIM will be hitting the page tomorrow!!

Cool Type Effects--Animal Print

Today we jumped into more advanced type effects than what we've done so far this year. The lesson that we did together was to make a jaguar print letter X in the style of the Mac OS Jaguar X. Everyone did a great job on the X and most of you started on  your independent project with your own letter. Remember you can switch up the colors and the shape of the spots/stripes to make your letter zebra, cheetah, tiger or any other patterned furry animal. Check out the video for the how to steps!

Don't forget to go Miss Allbright's Facebook page to check see some of your own work!! Tag yourself in the pictures you created!

Happy PhotoShopping!

(Materials in this lesson come from Scott Kelby's awesome book "Photoshop CS: Down and Dirty Tricks" and the photos used are from Brand X stock images.)

BIM--Visual Puns!

Palm Pilot



Today's lesson was fun! You all really got into it! First we learned  that a pun is a play on words, usually the assignment of different meanings to similarly sounding words or phrases, with humorous intent. Then you all came up with lots of fun examples then went to work on your project coming up with 5 visual puns of your own! Check out some of the examples we looked at in class today:

Egg Plant

Dr. Pepper

King of Pop

 



Today's examples came from SparkyPower. Don't forget to visit Miss Allbright's Facebook page to check out some of your own examples!!



Chapter 2--Torn Edge Collage

Today's lesson was taking a single picture and making it appear to be multiple torn up photos making one image.

I know today was nuts-o and everyone pretty much got lost in this project (except of course 7th period).  I wanted to reassure you that it isn't crazy hard, it just has lots of steps. But luckily, it is the same steps over and over again. There are two videos to watch, the first one is how to make the torn edge frame from scratch and the second is how to apply it to the picture and copy sections of the original picture to the frame. Keep on trying, you can do it! Don't forget to bring pics from home if you want to try this effect on your own picture!

Torn Edge Video Part 1 of 2

Torn Edge Video Part 2 of 2

Visit Miss Allbright's Facebook page to check out some of your own examples!!

Happy PhotoShopping!

(Materials in this lesson come from Scott Kelby's awesome book "Photoshop CS: Down and Dirty Tricks" and the photos used are from Brand X stock images.)

Chapter 1 Lesson #1.2--Poppin' Out of the Picture

The second part of your Chapter One project was to do a "Pop Out Picture" where you applied effects that made it appear that the subject was actually leaving the picture. Below is a video of the example we did together in class:

Visit Miss Allbright's Facebook page to check out some of your own examples!!
Happy PhotoShopping!

(Materials in this lesson come from Scott Kelby's awesome book "Photoshop CS: Down and Dirty Tricks" and the photos used are from Brand X stock images.)

Chapter One Lesson #1.1--The Shadow Story...

...a picture that tells the REAL story.

The first part of your Chapter One project was to do a "Shadow Story" which is taking two pictures and combining them, using one as a shadow to tell a story about the focus picture. Check out the video for the example we did together in class and use it to help you with your project.

Cut me some slack....I'm new at this screencasting and am talking in a weird voice ;-) !!


Visit Miss Allbright's Facebook page to check out some of your own examples!!
Happy PhotoShopping!

(Materials in this lesson come from Scott Kelby's awesome book "Photoshop CS: Down and Dirty Tricks" and the photos used are from Brand X stock images.)

Welcome!

Okay guys, we are trying something new! I've decided to provide a place for you to come back and review the lessons we do in class. This can be to make up work when you are absent or even to practice a particular lesson and try it out on your own pictures!

Let me know what you think and what other ways I can use this to help you succeed in class!