Workshop

Q&A

Q1:How do I place a reflection in water?
A1: Much the same way as you did on the backdrop, except that I would apply an appropriate Ripple filter to the reflection, as well as blurring it. Depending on the kind of water, you might want to apply Blur first, and then Ripple, or vice versa. Try both and see which looks more realistic.
Q2:I'm a schoolteacher, and I have taken photos of my class, which I would like to post on the bulletin board. Is there an easy way to print them all at the same size, with the kids' names underneath?
A2: That's not hard. Make sure that the child's name is the name of the file, and put all the files in one folder. Then open the Contact Sheet dialog box and set it for an appropriate number of columns and rows, determined by how large you want the final photos. If you want them as large as possible, print only one image per sheet. Choose a font and size for the names and assemble the contacts. When they're ready, click Print. Ta da! There they are, and I bet they're all cute!
Q3:Just how did you learn how to do all this?! It all seems so complicated—filters, effects, selecting things, changing colors, modifying options. Argh!
A3: I learned the way you're learning—one step at a time. I studied my pictures and decided which effect I wanted to achieve and then kept trying things until I got the picture to look the way I wanted. When I have some free time, I like to turn on Photoshop and use it like a video game. I open a picture and see how long it takes me to completely lose the original image. It sounds silly, but I learn a lot from these sessions.

Quiz

1:How many kinds of preset lighting effects does Photoshop provide?

  1. Three: Spot, Omni, and Directional

  2. Seventeen, including colored spots and multi-light patterns

  3. Two: On and Off

2:A glow is a drop shadow that's not offset.

  1. True

  2. False

3:Which direction do reflections face, in relationship to the reflected object?

  1. The same horizontal direction, but the opposite vertical direction.

  2. The same vertical direction, but the opposite horizontal direction.

  3. Either a or b could be correct. (It depends on where the mirror surface is.)

4:How many images can you put on a letter-sized contact sheet?

  1. Up to a dozen

  2. 10

  3. It depends on how small you make them. One hundred is possible. However, if the images are at less than a half-inch wide, you might have trouble seeing them.

Quiz Answers

A1: b. Take an image that's basically flat lit and try them all.
A2: a. (And in a color other than black.)
A3: c. Think about it.
A4: c. A reasonable number is 24–30 images.

Exercises

Take some time and study reflections. Look at yourself in your coffee table. (You might have to polish it first!) Go outside and see the reflection of trees in water—even in a puddle or a pothole in the road. Find a book (or look on the Internet) of M.C. Escher's drawings and etchings and look in particular for “Three Worlds,” “Puddle,” and “Rippled Surface.”

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