Fonts/Font Effects

When developing an image text and fonting can be very important. If the text does not link to the image in any way, it can be irrelevant and damage the power of what the image is trying to suggest.

There are a wide variety of different ways to develop fonts/text in photoshop, from importing custom fronts from a index for example Dafont, which is a website that contains hundreds of different fonts that are suitable for a wide variety of situations. To using these fonts and fine-tuning them into any way you want, using the different tools provided in photoshop.

Using these different tools, you can develop a simple font.

To adding shading into it's background giving it depth.

Then bevel and emboss the flat image to give a stronger sense of depth, putting the writing on a different level from both it's shadow and the background.

You can add a stroke around all the lettering, giving the writing a tinted colour, in this case blue.

Then you can overlay the entire text with a gradient, which can imply a false lighing; which could be used to mirror an image.

This can then be reinforced with an outerglow.

Then to add back in the saturation given an inner glow of a more powerful colour.


These wide variety of tools can be used in hundreds of different ways. Allowing the user to create a set of text that is suitable for any situation.

Lighting

Side lighting and Front Lighting are two important different lighting setups that can help define and setup an image.

Both different lighting positions can connotate to different things within the image, for example a front lighting can help define that the person or object is the main part of the image and that it is set out from the rest, for example like a person posing on a white background, the lighting would help identify that the person is signifgant and the persons positioning would connotate to whatever the image is trying to suggest. Whereas side lighting can be used to add heavy shading and shadows to the image, which can be used to connotate to more dark or mysterious suggestions, or the light could be used to overpower the image; giving the image a weakened sense.

Side lighting can be used technically to accentuate features of a body, for example on a male. If the lighting is positioned correct it can be used to define and accentuate the muscles on a mans body, or if the lighting was setup in a specific way, to connotate to a more mysterious idea, of the male only being half defined with the rest of his body in shadows.

Whereas in contrast, side lighting can be used on a female to enhance their features, giving thier skin a more smooth looking tone, or add a more powerful glow to thier appearance. Side lighintg could also be used to soften a females features to make them appear innoccent or weak.

My Images

Possible Problems

There are a wide multitude of different problems one may encounter whilst trying to use different types of lighting, as if not done in a professional manner can essentially damage the appearance of the image you are trying to present. From the image being Under or Overexposed, to the framing being incorrect.

Underexposed

Not enough light is getting into the camera because it is too dark.

Solutions and targets

·         Retake the image at a slower shutter speed

·         Retake the image at a different time of day or in better lighting conditions

·         Increase the ISO speed of your camera

Poor framing

Hands cut off , heads missing, subjects too far away.

Solutions and targets

·         Review images as and when you take them

·         Take your time when shooting

·         If your subject is moving take lots of shots

·         Use the continuous shoot mode

·         Get closer to your subject

·         Use a tripod

Pictures have focal blur: images out of focus

Take your time to adjust the focal ring of your camera.

Solutions and targets

Put your camera into automatic focus mode.