Mine occurred on a Tuesday afternoon just as I was walking out of a class at Southeast Technical College. For several months, I had noticed that my mother was getting a little more forgetful about her weekly activities. As she had always been strong-willed, I had gone along with her explanation that the forgetfulness was just due to having too many things going on at the time. But now, the director of her senior apartment complex was calling to let me know that Mom was very confused, distrait, and had been inconsolably emotional throughout the day.
The director explained that she believed my mom had an early stage of dementia and should be evaluated by her doctor. At the time, I was still in a moment of disbelief; this person who I had known for all of my life and who had not only been in control of her own life but mine as well was now “possibly” unable to handle daily activities. However, I called the clinic to make an appointment with her physician for the next day. Later that afternoon, I went to Mom’s apartment to see for myself the situation. I could tell that she had been upset but was relatively calm and collective now. She admitted, however, that she had been confused about dates and the times of the week. I later told her about the doctor’s appointment I had made for the following day, and she seemed to acknowledge it by saying, “That’s a good idea.” However, when I left in the early evening, she didn’t seem to remember why we were going to her doctor.
During the drive back home, I knew that this was one of those times that would change both our lives. I don’t know how or what lies down this path, but I can only go forward, as I’ve said before. I would love to wish that this wasn’t happening to my mother and hope that I didn’t need to deal with the responsibility, but it is happening to her, and it is my responsibility as her only caretaker.
In this final post, I discussed the different types of lights and the various facial effects that can be achieved by directing light. Today, I’ll put them all together to discuss the four traditional lighting setups and how to place the different types of light (key, fill, hair, and background) to obtain their unique lighting effect.
The first lighting setup we will be discussing is Rembrandt lighting. Rembrandt lighting is most recognizable by the shadow from the nose connects with the shadow of the cheek. This creates a signature triangular highlight on the cheek. Besides creating a dramatic effect, when Rembrandt and narrow lighting techniques are used together, it will slim the subject’s face.
As seen in the below diagram, the main/key light is located 45 degrees to the side of the subject. The main light is not directly shown on the subject’s face but instead shown slightly in front of the face.
The camera is located in front (and below) the fill light.
The next lighting setup we will be discussing is Butterfly lighting. Butterfly lighting is recognizable by the symmetry of the shadows. It not only creates bottom shadows from the nose but also under the cheeks and neck. For older subjects, the butterfly lighting pattern fills in and lightens many of the shadows in the wrinkles, and it creates a shadowed area under the chin to hide wrinkles in the neck.
As seen in the below diagram, the main/key light is located directly and above the subject. Unlike Rembrandt lighting, it is directed at the subject’s face.
The camera is located in front (and below) the main light.
The next lighting setup we will be discussing is Split lighting. Split lighting is recognizable by the vertical and symmetrical division of the face; the end result is that one side is lit, and one side is shadowed. This effect creates a dramatic mood. Since it creates sharp angles, it also creates a masculine portrait.
As seen in the below diagram, the main/key light is located 90 degrees to the side of the subject. The main light is not directly shown on the subject’s face but instead shown slightly in front of the face. For more dramatic effects, using modifier “strips” will concentrate the light to specific facial areas.
The camera is located directly in front of the subject.
The last lighting setup we will be discussing is Loop lighting. Loop lighting is very similar to Rembrandt lighting but does not have the triangular highlight on the cheek. Instead, the shadow from the nose does not connect with the shadow of the cheek. When loop and narrow lighting techniques are used together, it will slim the subject’s face.
As seen in the below diagram, the main/key light is located 30-40 degrees to the side of the subject. Directly slightly in front of the face, the key light is height adjusted to the subject’s eye level to ensure a catch light.
The camera is located in front (and below) the fill light.
In the last post, I discussed the different types of lights that portrait photographers use when setting up studio lights for portrait or product photography. Today’s post will discuss how light affects the face’s features and special considerations for the camera.
Portrait photographers need to consider how the light will affect the subject’s facial features.
When the lighting is directed on the side of the face that is most exposed, it makes a face look wider. When this occurs, it is called “broad” lighting.
When the lighting is directed on the side of the face that is least exposed, it is referred to as “narrow” lighting. This makes a face look slimmer.
Many photographers adjust the light to create a “catch light.” A catch light is a spot of light in the subject’s eyes, which adds sparkle and dimension to the subject. To create a catch light, you will need a bright light source that reflects in your subject’s eyes.
Portrait photographers also need to consider a few camera variables.
First, the focal distance needs to long since the photograph needs to close in on the facial features and not be in the subject’s personal space. A 70-200mm lens is an excellent choice to accomplish this.
If strobe lights are utilized, attach the transmitter to the camera.
Establish the white balance settings for the camera. When taking the base photo for the custom white balance setting, put the lens in manual focus, place the WB disc in front of the lens, and direct the camera toward the key light. Press the shutter button.
Portrait photographers use four different types of lights when setting up studio light for portrait or product photography. The strength of each of these lights differs based on the camera’s aperture. The power of the light is measured in F stops.
The Main or Key light is the strongest of all studio lighting. For outdoor photos, the sun would be considered this light. It will create the most vital highlights and shadows in the photograph. When adjusting the power for this light, the F stop will equal the camera’s aperture taking the photo. For example, if the camera’s aperture was F11, the key light should be metered and adjusted to F11.
The Fill light is used to soften the key light’s effects; this prevents the total impact from being too dramatic. When establishing the power of this light, calculate two F stops below the key light. For example, if the key light is F11, the fill light will be F5.6. This concept is considered a 5:1 ratio.
The Hair light is used to create a ridge of light to separate the subject from the background. When the subject’s hair is dark, and the background is dark, this light because essential in making the subject stand out. An evening or dawn sunlight can be used to create a dramatic effect in an outdoor setting. When establishing the power of this light, calculate one F stop below the key light. For example, if the key light is F11, the fill light should be F8.
The Background light is a light that is not directed at the subject. Like the hair light, its purpose is to differentiate the subject from the background. The background light’s strength is equal to that of the key light. For example, if the key light is F11, the background light should be F11 as well.
The lights were set at the following powers for the example photograph:
Recently, I came upon a technique that combines the facial features and the words of individuals. This process creates powerful images; the result could be the song lyrics that are distorted create the recognizable features of a musician or a prominent leader whose speech gave inspiration and hope to others. For this post, I will be describing how to create a typographic portrait in Photoshop.
Before we start working in Photoshop, two objects are needed. The first is a photo of the person you wish to portray. In this example, I saved a jpg file; however, a photo in png format will work too. The larger the photograph, the better results. This 72ppi resolution file of Abraham Lincoln is quite large at 2400px X 2800px, which is approximately 31 inches x 39 inches. Also, in this tutorial, I will be working with a black and white photograph. If the chosen photograph is colored, adjust it through Photoshop.
You will also need to create a “word wall,” which is a set of continuous text. I used the Textedit app to copy Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, but any word processing software will work. After copying the speech, I removed all of the paragraph returns and spacing. I then copied the text repeatedly and continuously in the document to create a wall of words.
In Photoshop, we are going to process the photo in three sections. The first step will be to make adjustments to the photograph. If the picture consists of more than just the subject’s face, crop it slightly past the head’s ears, chin, and top. For this technique, we are going to capture just the facial features.
Because we want a high contrast between highlights and shadows of the face, we will next add an adjustment layer. For this photo, I decreased the brightness to -6 and increased the contrast to 37. You may not need to reduce the brightness, but make sure to increase the contrast.
The last phase of this step is to add a blur filter so that when the text wraps around the shadows, it will not be a dramatic distortion to the text. We still want to read the text. Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian blur. Adjust the radius levels so that the lights and darks slightly blend into each other.
Save your work as a .psd file. Since you will not need the Gaussian blur effect in the following steps, undo this effect by pressing CMD Z.
In the second section, we will be working with the word wall to create a displacement map. Copy the word wall. In Photoshop and using the Text tool, draw a text box over the photo layer. Paste the word wall into the text layer. Keep pasting in the words until they fill the text box.
In the character window, choose a font, style, character size and leading size, and the “all caps” option. Large character sizes will show greater legibility of the text, and small sizes with allow more legibility of the facial features. For this example, I chose a happy medium of 16pt. The font I chose is Avenir Next, bold style because its character set width is approximately equal to its height. As a general rule, the leading should be similar to the character size and since the height of the characters should also be the same, choose the “all caps” option.
In the paragraph window, check the “no hyphenation” box and “all justify” option.
The displacement map we will now create will be in the form of a smart object. To get started, chose Filter>Distort>Displace. In the displayed option box, choose “Convert to smart object.” Select the .psd file saved in the previous section. When the Displace window appears, enter a vertical and horizontal scale of “5.” When the smart object is created, it will have a separate “displace” layer within it. If you are not getting the results hoped for, adjusting this layer will change the scales.
The third and final section aims to create a clipping mask and a background that will contrast the clipping mask. At this time, the cropped photo is the bottom layer. Click and drag it above the smart object layer. Next, holding the option key, click the space between the photo and smart object layers.
To create a contrasting background, add a new layer, and fill with black. Click and drag this layer to the bottom of the stack.
As we soon approach Veteran’s Day, I’ve been thinking about what it means to support our veterans. I have never served in the military, although I have friends and family whose spouses were those who served. And although I will never personally know what they went through, I feel that the best way to support them is to recognize their sacrifices.
Before I was born, my dad had enlisted in the Army National Guard. He and my mom were stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in the early 1960s during the Berlin crisis. Although my father never talked about this time in his life, my mother told me that one night my dad and his unit were boarded on military trains and waited for several hours to be deployed to Berlin. I often think back on her words and wonder how I would have handled it. I know I would have been frightened. I know I would have been frantically worried about my newly married husband’s safety. I know I would have anxiety about what I wasn’t being told and worried about the unknown future. I think about my dad too.
On this Veteran’s Day, I hope that when we think of the actual “veteran,” we can look past our preconceived notions and see the real individual. People rarely empathize with titles, but when we look at that one person and listen to them, we see our similarities; we see what makes us all human. I believe that when we empathize, we begin to understand the need to support our veterans truly. Every veteran and their families have their own stories, their fears, and their sacrifices. I believe that they only want to be heard and acknowledged.
Maybe it’s just a sign of the times, but I often wonder if the things we say “we are doing to support veterans” are just to support ourselves instead. In 2015, Sioux Falls renamed a road, “Veterans Parkway.” Their sole reason for the rename was for the following: “For people that are new to Sioux Falls, they would see that it’s Veteran’s Parkway, and that would demonstrate the high regard we have for veterans here in Sioux Falls,” Councilman Kermit Staggers said. (the Mitchell Republic, Jul 15th, 2015) I understand that image has become an essential factor in promoting a community, but I wonder how veterans of the Sioux Falls area feel about this? When they drive down this road, do they think that our community is supporting them?
So how can we truly support our veterans? The simplest way is to get to know veterans in your inner circle: your neighborhood, church, or employment. Then ask them how you can show your appreciation. Tell them why you want to show your appreciation. I’ve found that there is one thing that most veterans have all sacrificed – their time. During their service, they needed to put their life plans on hold. Ask them what they would have been doing if they had not served. Get to know the person within the uniform.
The following websites may give you some ideas as well.
The veteran is not the only member of a family to sacrifice their time to serve. Parents, spouses, and children also made sacrifices, while their loved one was serving the country. They are the primary caregiver when the veteran returns home. If you know of a veteran family in need, the following website has resources for housing, dental, child care, etc.
I’ll end this post by asking readers to do something. When you thank a veteran for their service tomorrow, think of them as a person; a person who chose to make sacrifices so that you can live your life uninterrupted in the United States. Thank you.
The story of Adobe Illustrator begins with the story of John Warnock and Charles Geschke. The two were both computer language developers who work at Xerox Corporation. John had written a type of language which allowed computers to process graphics through mathematical equations. When Xerox turned down the two’s proposal, citing that there was no need for such an application, Adobe Corporation was born. Illustrator was Adobe’s first application.
Illustrator’s one feature that made this graphic software appealing was the invention of the pen tool. It allowed designers to create smooth curves called Bezier curves. Mike Schuster was the programmer who created this tool, which changed the graphic arts industry forever.
Before Illustrator, graphic artists would need various templates and measuring devices to layout a page of text and images. When drawing illustrations, they would use a special pen called a “Rapidograph.” If an artist made one mistake, they would need to start over since “white-out” would still show through on the published copy. John Warnock’s wife, Marva, was a graphic artist at the time and so he probably saw first-hand the need for an edible tool to help designers.
Adobe Illustrator is a computer graphics application that allows users to create refined drawings, designs, and layouts. Illustrator is vector-based software, and which means that it is so versatile that artwork can be scale down for mobile screens and up to billboard size.
In the beginning, Adobe needed to create an image to represent the essence of Illustrator. They asked their design director, Luanne Seymour Cohen, to come up with that image. Luanne thought about the word Renaissance which translates to “revival of art.” After reviewing the many Renaissance artists, she settled on a well-known image of Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus.”
The first version of Illustrator was released in 1988 for Macintosh. In 1989, Adobe Illustrator was launched for Windows platforms. In the early years, unfortunately, Illustrator was still thought of as just a novelty. However, Adobe started a marketing campaign that “influenced the influencers”. It held workshops for these industry leaders such as well known artist David Hockney and designers from Time & Life magazines. The acceptance of Illustrator from these influencers made Illustrator the standard of graphic engines.
The release of 6.0 brought a significant change. Designers who needed to use Truetype fonts couldn’t use Illustrator. Adobe started to support TrueType fonts, which meant that more designers would choose Illustrator as their design software. Before 1997, Mac and Windows versions were very different. But when 7.0 was released, Adobe standardized the user interfaces. At the time that 8.0 was released, interest in the use of the internet increased substantially. The focus of later versions concentrated on supporting web design.
In 2003, Adobe decided to bundle all its successful products together and called it Adobe Creative Suite. The significant change with this version was the addition of 3D effects. Since this was the focus of the upgrade, Adobe replaced Venus with 3D images.
The 3D floral images’ image was later replaced with the Adobe product logos, which we see today. Adobe wanted their products to be known for its dependability and not just their aesthetic features. They created a system of simple logos that were similar to the elements of the periodic table. Illustrator was signified by a capital letter, “A,” and a small letter, “i” and signature orange. Later versions of Creative Suite continued with more improvements: CS4 brought the ability to have multiple artboards.CS5 added the perspective grid tool. CS6 brought a new user interface, RGB codes, and the layers panel.
In 2016, Adobe released Creative Cloud 2017, the first design software to be sold as a subscription. Adobe Illustrator CC 2020 version is the one we use today. For myself, it is very easy to take for granted all the powerful features that Illustrator provides, considering its elementary and humble beginnings.
The New Media Development course at Southeast Technical College is a class that introduces new technology and software in the Media Design industry. The current surge of new apps has increased the demand for UX designers. The “user experience” designer’s role is to create a clear, useable, and desirable experience focused on the target audience’s needs. For this project, I used Adobe XD software to design and prototype an app called FitFalls.
Home screen
FitFalls assists users of the Sioux Falls Greenway Trail System to log their perpetual data, duration, and distance, while on these trails. Users would log in to their accounts so that perpetual tracking could be stored. Fitfalls also provides a GPS tracking of durance and distance and would display the user’s progress on a map of the trail system.
My research started through my own experiences on the Sioux Falls Greenway Trail System; my family has used these trails for bike riding for many years. However, on several occasions, we unexpectedly found that sections of the trails were under construction and did not know of any alternative route. Through observation and a Facebook survey, I found there to be a need to find facilities such as bike repair stations and restrooms. Although I determined that most users of the trails felt safe, a few suggestions were recommending that the GPS could be used to notify first responders in the event of an emergency.
Locate Fix Stations and distance from user
Pressing the orange cones on the map will give alternative routes to bike trail closures. Pressing the information icon will present the user with general information about the Greenway Trail System and give users an option to display bike repair stations, restrooms, and parking locations. A direction call button to 911 services reassures users of security.
To view the prototype of the iPhone version of FitFalls, go to:
As a stained glass construction designer, I know how important it is to understand the limitations of the materials I will be designing for. Since each shape will be cut out of separate glass colors, each shape’s design is crucial. The same is true for all media designs, online or printed.
Because glass will break at its weakest point, stained glass designers often avoid the following shapes: hour-glass, deep inner curves, and long, extremely slender shapes.
The first question a designer needs to determine is, “Is it for print or digital design?” The “materials” are very different for digital versus printed media.
Although there are no tangible materials used in digital design, light is the “material” used to represent color. Since an additive color model is used, RGB should be chosen as the color mode. Consider the resolution. In digital design, the standard screen resolution is 72ppi, and images should be exported to the web as .jpg or .png files.
When designing for print, ink is one of the materials used, so use a subtractive model such as CMYK. In printed design, the minimum standard resolution for print is 300. If the image’s resolution is less than 300, uncheck the resample box and increase the resolution to 300. Since this will decrease the dimensions, determine if the image is too small for the design.
Designing for print is a little more complicated than digital. When choosing colors for your printed project, you will work with spot colors, process colors, or a combination of both. Each has its benefits and limitations.
A spot color is a ready-made blend of printing ink in a standardized color that is printed with its own printing plate. The most common system of spot colors is the Pantone Matching System. A number is explicitly associated with one color. A “C” or “U” signifies coated or uncoated.
As a designer, you will need to know if the project will be printed on coated or uncoated paper prior to selecting spot colors. (There is no difference in how Pantone 185U and 185C is made.) Since coated paper allows the ink to lay on top of the paper, the Pantone C colors will appear brighter. The uncoated paper will absorb more of the ink; the color will take on the paper’s color. Always refer to the printed reference cards.
Do not use the transparency effect on spot colors. The Pantone green with a transparency effect added will appear correctly on screen but print as a solid.
Although raster images can be used, usually spot colors are used for vector images such as logos or any other design where color consistency is crucial.
Four-color processing involves combining yellow, magenta, cyan, and black overlays to create a multitude of colors.
Four-color processing involves printing yellow, magenta, cyan, and black on separate plates to compose a full-color image. It uses a method of overlapping these plates to create a multitude of colors.
Raster images are made up of rows of pixels. Because the inks are transparent, the plate images are overlaid, resulting in many color combinations.
This is especially important to remember when deciding which black to use. A standard black will not be able to cover objects consisting of any other component color. However, using Registration Black presents another design challenge since the recommended ink coverage should not be above 340 percent. (Theoretically, the maximum ink coverage would be 100+100+100+100=400.)
If an unused spot color is left, it could lead to miscommunication with the printers, and an unused and expensive printing plate would be created for this color. To correct this, go to the dropdown menu in the Swatches window and select “Select All Unused.” Those unused swatches will then be highlighted so you can then delete them. Review any Preflight errors.
It’s important to know what materials you will be using before the design phase even starts.
One of the most requested recipes my family asks me to make are peanut butter rice cereal treats. The recipe is straightforward and probably originated on a Kellogg’s Rice Krispies box. By repeating the recipe for many years, I’ve experimented with the process and the ingredient amounts. In today’s post, I’d like to share with you these tips and alterations.
Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/8 cups corn syrup
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 cups puffed rice cereal
One pkg (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
As you can see from the ingredient list, it’s the basic recipe for peanut butter rice cereal. The only alteration that I have made is to add an additional 1/8 cup of corn syrup.
To start, place the granulated sugar into a large pot. The pot needs to hold all of the ingredients and extra room to stir them as well. Pour in the corn syrup and stir to incorporate. Turn on medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves into the corn syrup. You will know that the sugar is dissolved when you scrap across the bottom of the pot with a silicone spatula and see very few sugar crystals. With this step, you most notably do not want to boil the sugar/corn syrup mixture; boiling the sugar mixture will make the bars hard.
Note the sugar crystals are not dissolved.
Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the peanut butter. Do not cook the peanut butter.
Add the five cups of puffed rice cereal and fold it into the peanut butter mixture. Try not to crush the cereal as you fold; a silicone spatula works well to scrap the pot’s sides and bottom.
Pour the cereal mixture into a parchment paper-lined 9 x 13 pan. Use the spatula to spread the mixture evenly. Use water to dampen your hand and press to compress cereal into the pan slightly.
Place the chocolate chips in a safe microwave container. Microwave for 30 seconds. Microwave for 30 seconds. Microwave for 30 seconds. Take the container out of the microwave. Using a silicone spatula, mix the melted chips on the bottom with the chips on the top. By melting the chocolate in small increments of time, I attempt to temper the chocolate. This step is only done for aesthetic reasons; it doesn’t have any effect on the taste.
Stir to continue melting.
Pour the chocolate over the cereal and spread it to cover. Let rest for one hour.
Enjoy!
A man is but the product of his thoughts - what he thinks, he becomes.
Mahatma Gandhi
As a nontraditional student, Michele Meester decided to return to STI to pursue a second career in Media Design. Throughout her experiences as a computer programmer, freelance artist, and mother, she has had a life-long interest in combining her artistic aptitude with the technical aspects of this field.
