Organizing Photos

There are a number of ways to go about organizing your photos.  I use a combination of iPhoto and Bridge.  I use Bridge for the most recent photos, and when I am finished editing them, I move them to iPhoto.

If you don't have a Mac, there is a free program called Picasa from Google Apps.  You can do a search to find it if you want.  I know several people who use this program for organizing their photos.

Whatever way you decide to organize your photos, you need to make sure you find a way to record the dates.  In iPhoto and Bridge, the date is added to the information automatically.  But just to make sure, I create separate folders for each date and store the photos there.

When I move them to iPhoto, I rename the folder to include the year and a subject name.

This is what works for me.  You have to find what works for you!

Extra Credit and Organizing Photos

As many of you know, I teach an adult Photoshop class twice a week.  I always ask my adult students why they have chosen to take the class.  Last semester's students were mostly photographers and their answers were to fix and enhance photos and to become better photographers.  I had to tell them that the former (fix and enhance photos) was definitely doable, but the latter (become better photographers) was a completely different class.  Photoshop will only help you become a better photographer after the photograph has been taken!

This semester's students also said to fix and enhance photos, but the majority of them also said "to learn how to better organize my photos."  I had to tell them that Photoshop was NOT going to help them organize their photos!  In many cases, it will make organization worse, because you may end up having several different versions of the same photograph.  There are some Google Apps available for this.  I will post more about them later.

Speaking of my night class, if you would like extra credit, there are some students who could benefit from a "helper" sitting next to them and just in general helping them keep up.  If you would like to do this, let me know!

Photoshop 2???

Want to take Photoshop 2?  Write it in!  It will be a "self study" course where you will be able to choose what you want to learn and create!

Doodle for Google Assignment

Google IT!

What do you want to be?  A Teacher?

What do you want to do?  See the World?

That's the theme of this year's Doodle for Google contest: what are you going to do with your life?

For those of you who have wondered "Is this a real assignment?"
Yes.
It will be graded.
But it's much more than a grade.
And it's much more than an entry for a contest.
It's an opportunity to think about those questions, and put your answer in a form that is both creative and informative.

How do you do it?
1st:  Getting Started

1. Start with opening a new Photoshop file:  11" wide x 8.5" tall, 300 dpi/resolution
2. Download the logo template from the Videos and Files page.
3. Right-click on the download and open in Photoshop.
4. Choose the logo with the dashed lines and open it.
5. Copy and paste it onto your new file.

2nd:  Brainstorm
Obviously you have to answer the question first, but then you need to brainstorm ways to illustrate your answer.  Here are some ways you can do that:

1. Google "google logo" in Google images
2. Look at what others have done, just as inspiration--not to copy!
3. Do different types of searches:  search only photos, only large, only "full color" and "clipart."  Each search will give you different findings and different ideas.
4. Search using different words:  google logo archive, popular google logos, birthday google logos, anniversary google logos
5. Use different phrases, like: objects into letters, objects into words. visual poetry, word metaphor
6. Don't forget to turn on "clip art" sometimes.

What if you don't know what you want to do or be?
Here's a way to help you decide what to illustrate:

1. Make a list of 20 things you want to do before you turn 50.
2. Make a list of 5 things you would do if money were no object.
3. Make a list of 5 things you would do or be if you could make it happen with a snap of your fingers.
4. Make a list of things you've ever wanted to be, regardless of what age you were at the time.
5. Make a list of 20 things you would like to learn how to do.

3rd:  Think of what you know how to do in Photoshop
What are your strengths?  What would you like to be able to do better?  The answer to these questions should help you decide how to create your logo.

4th:  Get busy!
Be careful NOT to copy anyone else's work!  This means using them in a way so that the original owner would not recognize it, or using it as a small piece of a larger project.

Have Fun!

Free photo book from Walgreens!

Offer is only for 3 days! 

See this link:  http://photo2.walgreens.com/walgreens/storepage/storePageId=SpecialOffer?stop_mobi=yes&ec=hncx1973_freepursebook&ep_mid=90252836&ep_rid=2960800687

Dropbox

Have you heard of this great service?  It's called Dropbox, and it allows you to store things on your computer and the internet (in your own "dropbox") at the same time.  I love it!  If you like to take files home to work on them, or you have music or pictures at home you'd like to use in one of your projects, this is a perfect solution.  You don't have to worry about losing your flash drive and you can back up your work any time!  The first 2 Gigs are free--so you don't even have to pay for it!

Just click this link:  http://db.tt/JEysdiE (or copy and paste it) and sign up.  It's very easy, and by going through this link you'll earn extra space for yourself and our classroom folder.

(You will probably need me to type in my password in order to actually install it on your school computer.)