Syllabus |
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Course Description
Designed for hobbyist, graphic designers, and photographers alike, this course introduces students to the PhotoShop CS program and to image editing techniques. Lessons are instructor–led with each lesson concentrating on a specific project designed to teach students how to do such things as fix underexposed and overexposed pictures, fix damaged pictures, adjust colors in images, combine disparate images into one image composite and much more. Students will walk away with a solid understanding of PhotoShop program fundamentals and an ability to freely composite any image they can imagine. No previous experience with Adobe Photoshop CS is assumed, and no mathematics beyond the high school freshman level is required.
- To teach the fundamentals and a few of the more advanced features of PhotoShop CS
- To expose students to image editing and graphic design fundamentals
- To develop an exercise-oriented approach that allows learning by doing
- To show how to use effective graphics in both business and personal situations
- To assist students in designing successful graphical documents from scratch and from components
Class Materials
Textbook: PhotoShop CS4 ISBN 13: 978–0321563651 ISBN 10: 0321563654. University Bookstore phone: 361–884–1823. Located on the main campus inside of the Havin Center. Closed at noon on Fridays and all day on weekends.
Stock Photos: IstockPhoto.com (Twenty–six Credit Plan. Preview the photos that you will purchase.)
Flash Drive: You are required to purchase a Flash Drive to save instructor–designed class and homework assignment files on. Walmart sells 1GB Flash Drives for as little as $10.00 at the checkout counter.
Handouts: Textbook lessons are supplemented with instructor–designed lessons. These lessons elaborate upon program skill fundamentals some of which are not fully covered in this textbook.
Adobe PhotoShop CS Trial Download
If you do not own a copy of PhotoShop, you can download a 30–day, trial copy of the most recent version from the Adobe website. This is the URL: http://www.adobe.com/downloads/. Just click on the Adobe PhotoShop CS4 button, fill out the form and download the trial. You will need a fast internet connection in order to download this trial; you cannot download it using a 56K modem. Should you need to download and burn this trial to disk, please let me know so that I can make arrangements for you to do so.
Student Pricing for PhotoShop Software
You can also purchase this software at a steep, student discount from the Academic Superstore at http://www.academicsuperstore.com/, phone number: 800–817–2347.
Teaching Methods
- Lecture: Some of this material is not contained within the textbook therefore students are encouraged to take notes during these sessions.
- Instructor–led Projects: Each learning module will be taught in an instructor–led, hands–on lesson thus affording the student an opportunity to learn by doing.
- Assignments: End of chapter activities and/or online activities will be assigned weekly to reinforce material in the text.
- Group Projects: Students are assigned to teams so that they can help each other and learn by teaching. Team projects will be assigned where appropriate.
- Student Projects: Classroom projects that must be done individually
Grading: Total points will be computed as follows:
| Participation: | 20 Points |
| Assignments: | 40 Points |
| Group/Student Projects: | 40 Points |
| Total Points: | 100 Points |
Course Policies
Absences: No more than one absence is permitted for this course. Exceptions will be considered on a per student basis. The student is responsible for obtaining material distributed on class days when he/she was absent. This can be done through contacting a classmate who was present or by contacting the instructor via email. It is a good idea, therefore, to exchange contact information with your teammates. Critical: Students who miss one of the first three classes will be asked to repeat the course at a later date because they will not be able to catch up.
Assignments: Assignments are due before the beginning of each class. This means that you will have emailed them to me prior to the beginning of class. Assignments that are not emailed on time will not be graded.
How to Email Your Assignments: Follow these steps to prepare your assignments for emailing:
- Size your documents to a pixel width dimension of 600 pixels. (See the instructions on the last page of the Syllabus in the Acrobat Print Format )
- Save your files in a zipped *.tif format. ((See the instructions on the last page)
- Email your assignments to the instructor
Need for Assistance: If you have any condition, such as a physical or learning disability, which will make it difficult for you to carry out the work as I have outlined it, or which will require academic accommodations, please notify me as soon as possible.
Course Outline with Assignment Descriptions
- Homework and class files can be downloaded at http://byronsbyte.com/ced/photoshop/class/
- Critical: ALL homework assignments MUST be completed and submitted on time! Students who do not do their homework may be asked to repeat the class at a later date when they have time to complete these crucial assignments. The reason for this is that students who do not do the homework assignments often can not catch up and this slows down the overall progress of team to which he or she is assigned as well as the entire class.
- Group Projects (GP):Classroom assignments that student teams will complete during class.
- Student Projects (SP):Classroom and/or homework assignments. All assignments must be submitted via email by 5:00 a.m. on the day that the assignment is due. Should the student anticipate that this can not be done on time, that student will contact the instructor via email to make arrangements for extra time and/or makeup lessons should the instructor determine that extra practice is warranted.
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