In this unit I have experimented with two programs, Photoshop and Illustrator. Both are programs designed to create and edit images digitally. With a digital camera I took a photo of myself and uploaded it onto the computer. This photo could then be edited in Photoshop and Illustrator in multiple ways. Using Photoshop's magic wand and polygonal selection tools and fill tools I could recolour the image as well as edit the filters and apply different effects to the image. In Illustrator I explored the image trace feature and how certain graphic effects can be applied to the piece.
Out of the two I found Photoshop to be the easier program to use, most likely due to myself using the program more. However, the image trace feature found in Illustrator was a very handy tool when creating my pieces. I found selecting and filling areas easier when using a pre traced image and the quality of the image dramatically increased with the aid of Illustrator.
Out of the two I found Photoshop to be the easier program to use, most likely due to myself using the program more. However, the image trace feature found in Illustrator was a very handy tool when creating my pieces. I found selecting and filling areas easier when using a pre traced image and the quality of the image dramatically increased with the aid of Illustrator.
The left image was created using solely Photoshop and the right combined Illustrator and Photoshop. As you can see the whole image is improved by the inclusion of Illustrator in the design process. With Photoshop alone I found it difficult to the achieve well defined curved edges and instead had to make do with a more jagged look. The image trace in illustrator allowed me to fill the areas effectively as well as to duplicate and manipulate them before moving the image into Photoshop. Overall I feel these two techniques and programs work well together and I hope to in the future be able to enhance my skills to be able to use Illustrator effectively as a program on its own.