Mary Brown | COMD 1162 - E058 | Fall 2023

09 Discussion

Each week you will need to respond to two questions posted. Your response should be a minimum of 300 words for both questions. You should also include at least one response to your fellow students. The responses are a requirement for participation part of your grade.

Question 01 –

Describe two different selections tools, in Photoshop or Illustrator, and how they work.

Question 02 –

How can you use a brush in Photoshop to create a shadow in your artwork?

10 Comments

  1. Karen Alarcon

    In Photoshop and Illustrator, there are various selection tools that allow users to isolate and manipulate specific areas of an image or artwork. Two common selection tools are the Marquee Tool, which allows users to create rectangular or elliptical selections. To use the Marquee Tool, you simply click and drag to draw a rectangular or elliptical selection around the area you want to select. In Photoshop, you can find this tool in the toolbar on the left side of the screen. You can adjust the selection’s dimensions and proportions by holding down the shift key while dragging. Once the selection is made, you can edit, cut, copy, or manipulate the selected area without affecting the rest of the image or artwork. Then there is the Magic Wand Tool that allows the selection of areas based on their color similarity. It’s particularly useful for selecting areas with distinct, continuous colors. To use it, click on a specific color within the image. The tool selects all contiguous pixels with a similar color. You can adjust the Tolerance level to increase or decrease the tool’s sensitivity to color variations. A higher tolerance value selects a broader range of colors. After making a selection with the Magic Wand Tool, you can apply various edits or effects to the selected area.

    To create a shadow in your artwork using a brush in Photoshop, first select the Brush Tool in the toolbar on the left side of the screen. Then choose a Shadow Color or your shadow. Shadows are typically darker versions of the base color, so select a darker shade of the color you want for your shadow. You can adjust the color using the Color Picker. Adjust Brush Settings by clicking on the brush settings icon (usually located at the top menu) to adjust the brush size, hardness, and opacity. For creating shadows, it’s often useful to use a soft-edged brush (low hardness) and adjust the opacity to control the intensity of the shadow. Then, create the Shadow by positioning the brush where you want the shadow to appear and start painting over the areas where the shadow should be cast. Use light strokes and build up the shadow gradually to achieve a realistic effect. You can change the brush size as needed for different parts of the artwork. Next, Blend and Adjust to make it look more natural. You can use tools like the Smudge Tool or the Blur Tool to soften the edges of the shadow and blend it seamlessly with the surrounding areas. You can also adjust the shadow layer’s opacity and blending mode to fine-tune the effect. Finally, Refine and Experiment with different brush sizes, opacities, and blending modes to achieve the desired shadow effect. You can also create multiple shadow layers with varying opacities and colors to add depth and realism to your artwork.

  2. carlmekhi

    one selection tool that can be used in photoshop or illustrator is the eraser tool. with the eraser tool you can erase any parts of your art board that is not needed that you may not want anymore. it can be useful when working with multi-layered images as portions of an upper layer erased will allow lower layers to show through. you can enlarge the eraser to get rid of a large amount of your artwork or you can dwindle the eraser to get rid of a small amount of your artwork. another selection tool that can be used in adobe photoshop or illustrator is the blend tool. the blend tool allows you too blend objects or paths together. it blends colors as well as shapes and interpolates the intermediate steps to get from one object to the next. you can combine blends of colors and objects to create color transitions in the object’s shape.

    To create a shadow you must use the brush in Photoshop, select the Brush Tool Then choose a your shadow. shadows must be dark so you must change the color using the color picker to make it as dark as possible. shadows are to make the picture look more realistic. in photoshop there are two types of shadows called cast shadows and form shadows. Cast shadows are shadows around an object that appear on the floor or on other objects around the object. Form shadows are shadows that appear within the object itself.

    • Alyse B

      I really love your response. Super informative too. I could really tell by your response that you devoted time to explaining the material thoroughly. I can see clearly the effort it took to explain it in such detail and your mastery of the skill.

  3. Salma Sherif

    1. In Photoshop or Illustrator, two distinct selection tools are the “Rectangular Marquee” and the “Magnetic Lasso.” The Rectangular Marquee is a basic selection tool for creating rectangular or square selections. Click and drag to define the area you want to select. It’s straightforward for simple shapes and quick selections, making it ideal for tasks like cropping or isolating parts of an image.The Magnetic Lasso, on the other hand, is more intricate. It automatically adheres to the edges of contrasting elements in an image as you trace around them. Click once to start, and the tool will intelligently snap to the contours of the object. Adjustments can be made by adding or deleting anchor points. This tool is beneficial for selecting irregular shapes with well-defined edges, providing precision and efficiency in detailed selections.
    2. In Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, two distinct selection tools are the “Magic Wand” and the “Pen Tool.” The Magic Wand is a quick selection tool. Clicking on a part of an image selects pixels with similar color or tone. The tool’s tolerance setting determines the range of selected colors, making it useful for selecting areas with consistent tones. Adjusting tolerance allows for more or less inclusiveness in the selection, providing flexibility in isolating specific regions.The Pen Tool in Photoshop and Illustrator creates precise paths. Users click to add anchor points and drag to create curves, defining the selection’s shape. It’s particularly effective for complex shapes and precise selections. After creating a path, it can be converted into a selection. The Pen Tool’s versatility makes it valuable for creating intricate, customized selections with smooth curves and angles.
  4. Fahima

    Question 01 –

    Describe two different selections tools, in Photoshop or Illustrator, and how they work.

    The Marquee Tool and the Lasso Tool are two distinct selection tools. The Marquee Tool includes the Rectangular Marquee and the Elliptical Marquee, which allow me to make rectangular or circular choices. Users define the shape and size of the selection by clicking and dragging. However, the Lasso Tool allows for freeform selection. Users can make freehand selections with the regular Lasso, straight edged selections with the Polygonal Lasso, and magnetic selections with the Magnetic Lasso that intelligently sticks to the edges of contrasting components. Both tools are essential for isolating certain regions of an image and for picking forms and curves.

    Question 02 –

    How can you use a brush in Photoshop to create a shadow in your artwork?

    By altering the brush settings and using layer effects, i can utilize a brush to produce a shadow in the artwork. To start, select the Brush Tool (comm: B) and a soft-edged brush. Set the color of the brush to the desired shadow color. Make a new layer for the shadow, position it behind the item casting the shadow, then use the brush tool to paint the shadow. To get a realistic impression, adjust the opacity and blur of the shadow layer. Also, you can use the Burn Tool to simulate shadows by darkening selected areas. You can alter the shadow to meet the lighting conditions of your artwork by adjusting the brush size, opacity, and layer attributes.

  5. matt14

    Both Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator provide various selection tools to choose and manipulate specific areas of an image or illustration. The magic wand tool is a quick and easy way to make selections based on color. It selects pixels with similar color values to the one you click on. Then the lasso tool allows you to make freehand selections, providing flexibility when selecting irregular shapes or outlining specific areas.

    How to Use:

    -Select the Selection tool from the toolbar (press “V” to activate it).

    -Click on an object to select it.

    -Shift-click to add more objects to the selection.

    -Drag a selection marquee around objects to select multiple items.

    -Use the Direct Selection tool (press “A”) to select individual anchor points or path segments.

    The Key Features are:

    -Object Selection: Click on objects to select them.

    -Multiple Selection: Hold down Shift to add to the selection.

    -Drag to Select: Create a selection marquee around objects.

    Illustrator also has a Magic Wand tool similar to Photoshop, but its functionality is slightly different. In Illustrator, it’s primarily used for selecting objects based on their appearance attributes.

    Using a brush in Photoshop to create a shadow in your artwork involves applying a brush tool with a darker color to simulate the shadow effect. By using the Brush tool in Photoshop to add shadows on a separate layer, you have more control over the shadow’s appearance and can easily make adjustments without affecting the underlying elements. This technique is versatile and can be applied to various types of artwork, from illustrations to photographs. Remember to consider the light source and the direction of the shadows in your scene to ensure that the added shadows align with the overall lighting of your artwork. Experiment with different brush settings, colors, and blending options to achieve the desired effect.

  6. Maximo Cardenas

    1. The tool type that you will use the most in Photoshop and Illustrator are the selection tools. One important selection tool that is found in Illustrator is the direct selection tool. The direct selection tool (the shortcut key for this tool is “a”) is great when working with vector images. It allows you to click on a specific anchor point and alter that one point. You can move that anchor around, move the handles of the anchor to create BĂ©zier curves, or delete that point altogether. This is great for polishing images and changing the specific points in a path. Another selection tool that can be found in photoshop is the Quick Selection tool. This tool allows you to create a selection by using a brush to paint over the pixels you want to include in a selection. You can also go to the options bar and change the selection option from “add to” to “subtract from” to remove part of the selection by painting those pixels. This makes it very easy to make big or small selections as you can alter the size of the brush to suit your needs. You can tell where the selection ends as a dotted line will appear around the pixels that are being selected.
    2. The Brush tool in Photoshop can be used to add shadows in your image. Select the brush tool and adjust the size, opacity, and hardness to the settings that best suit that shadow type. Harsh shadows will require hard lines so you will prefer a higher hardness percentage and lower hardness for soft shadows. Use the opacity slider to make your shadow darker or lighter. Before painting, change the layer’s blend mode to multiply. Now, you can use the brush, with the foreground color set to black, to color over areas that you want to add shadows. By having the layer set to multiply, it creates a blend with the layer below. You can change the blend mode to any option that suits your needs but if you aren’t sure, multiply is a good choice.
  7. Alyse B

    Question 1: Describe two different selections tools, in Photoshop or Illustrator, and how they work.

    1. The first photoshop tool is the Magic Wand Tool. It selects pixels based on similarity in color or tone. Clicking on an area with the Magic Wand selects all adjacent pixels with similar color values, within a specified tolerance level. You basically select the Magic Wand Tool from the toolbar (keyboard shortcut: W). Then you adjust the tolerance setting in the options bar at the top to control the range of selected colors. You’ll want to click on the area you want to select, and the tool will automatically find and select contiguous pixels with similar colors. The second tool is the lasso tool. The Lasso Tool allows freehand drawing of selections.There are three variations: Lasso Tool (freehand), Polygonal Lasso Tool (straight-sided selections), and Magnetic Lasso Tool (automatically snaps to edges).Select the Lasso Tool from the toolbar (keyboard shortcut: L). For freehand selections, simply click and drag around the area you want to select. For the Polygonal Lasso Tool, click to create straight-sided segments, closing the selection by connecting the last point to the first. The Magnetic Lasso Tool automatically adheres to edges as you click and drag, making it useful for selecting objects with well-defined edges. In Illustrator, the Selection Tool is the basic tool for selecting and manipulating objects. It allows you to click and drag to create a bounding box, selecting everything within it. Select the Selection Tool from the toolbar (keyboard shortcut: V). Click on an object to select it. Click and drag to create a bounding box, selecting multiple objects within the box. Hold down the Shift key to add to the selection or the Alt/Option key to subtract from the selection. You can also use the magic wand tool in illustrator. Similar to Photoshop, the Magic Wand Tool selects objects based on color similarity.

    Question 2: How can you use a brush in Photoshop to create a shadow in your artwork?

    1. Using a brush in Photoshop to create a shadow in your artwork involves painting or brushing in areas to simulate shading and depth. In the Layers panel, click on the “New Layer” icon to create a new layer for the shadow. Place this layer above the object or element you want to cast a shadow on. Choose the Brush Tool from the toolbar (keyboard shortcut: B). Adjust the brush settings, such as size, hardness, and opacity, to achieve the desired shadow effect. A soft-edged brush is often suitable for creating realistic shadows. Set the foreground color to the color you want for the shadow. Shadows are typically darker and cooler in tone. You can choose a dark gray or a color that complements the object’s lighting. Paint over the area where you want the shadow to appear. Consider the direction and intensity of the light source when placing the shadow. Generally, shadows are cast in the opposite direction of the light. In the Layers panel, adjust the opacity of the shadow layer to control its intensity.
  8. Jada Bellille

    Describe two different selections tools, in Photoshop or Illustrator, and how they work.

    • The direct selection tool in illustrator allows you to directly select anchor points and segments to reshape paths.
    • The selection tool generally selects entire objects and it can be used to drag and move selected objects to a preferred location.

    Question 02 –

    How can you use a brush in Photoshop to create a shadow in your artwork?

    • Essentially you would start off my adding a new layer, then selecting your brush tool. Once selected you can now set/change the color and stroke of the brush to the desired style and color of your shadow. now position the new layer behind the layer object that the shadow would be casted from. To have a more realistic look/feel use the blur, and opacity tool to add volume and definition.
  9. Keshawn

    The two selection tools used in Illustrator and Photoshop are the Marquee and Lasso tool. The Marquee tool allows you to select shapes in an image by clicking and dragging over the shape. This is an easy way to copy geometric shapes. The lasso tool is the free-form version of the marquee tool. For this tool to work you have to draw around the area you wish to select. It helps you to draw along more defined edges.

    To create a shadow using the brush tool in Photoshop you first have to select the brush tool. Select the foreground color you would like to use for shadowing. Adjust the settings of the brush to your preference (stroke, hardness, size etc.). On a new layer you begin to create the shadow across the surface you wish to change.

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