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New Mexico State University

Workshops & Tutorials

Workshops

The following workshops have been offered recently. They are archived on Centra and the Powerpoint presentations and handouts are offered below.

Using Your Digital Camera

Archived on Centra as CES_Using Digital Cameras

The Centra session is a 30-minute quick-start session on using your digital camera which covers the basics of using any digital camera, how to get the most images on the camera, getting photos from camera to computer, and printing options.

Presentations Used

(Click to download)

Handouts

Web sites referenced in presentation

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Digital Photo File Size and Resolution

Archived on Centra as CES_File Size & Resolution

This 1-hour session clarifies file size and resolution - two key concepts in working with digital photos. It is strongly recommended for people new to digital photography, as well as those having used digital cameras for some time. In addition to overall concepts, explains how to select size and resolution settings for print, web, or PowerPoint presentations.

Presentations Used (Click to download)

Handouts

Web sites referenced in presentation

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Photo Editing

Archived on Centra as CES_Photo Editing

Adobe Photoshop Elements is an inexpensive photography editing software package that allows you to easily re-size and crop your images, adjust color balance, eliminate red-eye, and run simple filters. In this hour demonstration, you'll see how to use tools in Elements and the differences between Adobe Photoshop Album and Adobe Photoshop Elements.

Presentation Used

Handouts

Websites referenced in presentation

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Software Tutorials

Most of these tutorials can be done with any version of Photoshop, though some of the commands may differ slightly. The first two are for Photoshop Elements and cover the beginning basics.

Plan to spend a half-hour to an hour for each tutorial. They have a lot of images (including large photos you can download to work on), so they may be slow to load if you have a slow connection

Additional Resources:

Barbara Chamberlin
Assistant professor, Extension instructional design
and educational media specialist
MSC 3AI, Room 270 Gerald Thomas Hall
(505) 646-2848
bchamber@nmsu.edu

Beginning Photoshop Elements

Photoshop Elements basics
Use this tutorial to learn how to open, crop and resize an image, and how to save it for use on a web page.

Adding text and objects
Build on the above tutorial by adding text, a graphics of a star, and applying a drop shadow.

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Color correction

Bad photo quick fix
Too many times, our scans or photos are just over exposed (generally too light) or under exposed (too dark). Using layer modes, learn a quick fix for fixing poor photos.

Adjusting levels
To really take control of your color correction, let go of the Brightness/Contrast control. Understanding the Adjust Levels command is easy to do, and a quick path to better images. It is also a great way to clarify images on a clear white or straight black background, or to fix scanned drawn art.

Fine tuning levels
Sometimes, running the "Auto Levels" command and 'fudging' with the levels just isn't enough. Adjusting the levels on each 'channel' of the image can provide masterful results.

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Tools and concepts

Resolution and image size
How big are your images? Sometimes, an image looks one size on screen, but prints much smaller or larger than it appears. Other times, an image seems much smaller or larger when you copy and paste it from one document to another. These are resolution issues. Take a look here to understand what resolution is, and how it affects your image size.

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Selection Techniques

Selection techniques
There is more to Photoshop than just the magic want tool. Review duplicating layers and 'chiseling' away things you don't want, as well as using Quick Mask.

Batch processing
If you have a series of actions to take on a set of images, such as resizing several student's images for posting to a website, consider using the "Actions" and "Batch Processing" tools within Photoshop.

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Web page work

GIF vs. JPEG: When to use which?
The most frequently asked question in every web class I have taught, you'll know when to save your file as a GIF and when to save it as a JPEG. Making the right decision can significantly reduce download time for your web pages.

Seamless background images
Background images can easily cause pages that are too difficult to read. Learn some simple tricks for developing seamless backgrounds that don't discourage users from using your site.

Other stuff

Creating background images for PowerPoint
Resolution in PowerPoint is a sticky wicket: you can insert any size image into the program and it will scale according, but the images usually look pretty bad. Here's a guide to preparing the right size image at the right resolution.

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