Graphics

1. Graphics Lesson 5 — Creating Special Effects

2. Objectives • Work with color. • Apply color effects. • Apply color correction effects. • Apply special effects. • Save custom effects. • Edit and remove effects. • Create masks. Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

3. Work with Color • Color is the first thing someone viewing an image sees and responds to. • Understanding how viewers react to color can help you create better images and documents. • Graphics programs have color mixer panels or palettes that allow you to mix colors based on the current color system. • A color system defines standard colors. • Color systems are available for video displays and for printed materials. Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

4. Use a Color Bar • A color bar displays a spectrum of colors across a rectangle from left to right. • Colors near the top of the bar are mixed with light and are therefore lighter. • Colors near the bottom are mixed with black and are darker colors. • You can select any color to be the stroke or fill color by clicking the color in the color bar. • Color bar locations vary by application, but it can usually be found in a panel or dialog box. Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

5. A Typical Color Mixer Panel The figure below shows a color mixer panel with a color bar. You can set a stroke or fill color by selecting one of them and then clicking on a color in the bar. The hexadecimal values for the color you select will display in the RGB boxes on the right. Stroke tool Fill Tool Color bar RGB values Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

6. Using Color Systems • There are two main color systems used in most graphics programs: • RGB – create colors by combining red, green, and blue. • Primarily used for graphics to be displayed on a computer monitor or some light-producing medium. • CMY – creates colors by combining cyan, magenta, and yellow. • Primarily used for printed materials. • Sometimes black is added to this system, and it is then called CMYK. • Many graphics programs also support • HSL system – Hue, Saturation, Lightness • Grayscale – uses percentages of black to create shades of gray. Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

7. Creating Colors You create a color in any color system by supplying values or percentages for each element of the color system. The figure on the left shows a color defined in an RGB system. The figure on the right shows the same color defined in a CMY system. Note the difference in the hex values that define each color. Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

8. Apply Color Effects • All graphics programs allow you to apply solid colors to strokes and fills. • Some also provide options for other color effects, such as • Textures – can be applied to strokes or fills to make an object look as if it has a textured surface. • Patterns – bitmap graphic images applied as a fill. • Gradients – a type of pattern that blends colors to create different effects. • The methods for applying these effects vary by program. Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

9. Apply a Texture • This figure shows a texture selection panel. • Each texture is named, and clicking on it will show a preview of the texture. • Some programs allow you to set a percentage that determines how much texture to apply. Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

10. Apply a Pattern • This figure is a pattern selection panel. • This can usually be displayed by clicking the Fill color tool to show a list of patterns. • When you select a pattern, you see a preview of that pattern. Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

11. Apply a Gradient • Most gradients blend two colors: the fill color and black. • To apply a gradient: • Select a fill color. • Select a gradient pattern type: • Linear – blends the colors horizontally across the screen. • Radial – blends from the center out. • When you select a gradient, it becomes the active fill color and is displayed on the Fill Color tool. Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

12. Apply Color Correction Effects • Graphics programs usually allow you to modify various color settings, including • Value – this is the range from black to white. It is also called lightness. • Value is measured by the level of brightness. • Increasing the brightness adds white. Decreasing brightness adds black. • Contrast – the degree of separation between the values of different parts of the image. • Saturation – measures the intensity of color. • Opacity – measures the level of opacity. • The methods for setting and adjusting these options vary by program. Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

13. Set Hue, Saturation, and Lightness • Picking a color from a color palette is picking a hue. • You can modify the color by adjusting the saturation and lightness. • Saturation controls the color intensity. • Lightness controls how much light appears to be reflected from a surface. • Some programs allow you to adjust hue based on the current color system. Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

14. The Hue/Saturation Dialog Box This figure shows an example of a color effect dialog box. In this box, there are separate slider adjustments for Hue, Saturation, and Lightness. Some programs require you to adjust each of these settings individually. Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

15. Examples of Color Effect Settings Color effect settings can be applied to an entire image, or to selected areas of an image. In the figure on the left, one petal of a flower has had the hue/saturation settings adjusted. In the figure on the right, each petal has been selected and adjusted. Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

16. Adjust Brightness and Contrast This figure at left shows a Brightness/Contrast adjustment box. Increasing the brightness adds white, while decreasing the brightness adds black. Increasing the contrast adjusts the shades of gray in relation to each other. Adjust these settings to correct images that are too dark or light. Increased brightness Increased contrast Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

17. Set Opacity Opacity controls the amount of transparency in a color. A setting of 100% is completely opaque, while 0% is completely transparent. Decreasing the opacity of an object on a top layer allows an object layered behind it to be seen. In this figure, the opacity of the paw prints, which are on the top layer, has been decreased, allowing the viewer to see the text on the layer behind the paw prints. Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

18. Apply Special Effects • Most graphics programs allow you to apply special effects, including • Embossings • Bevels • Shadows • Glows • To apply an effect, select the object and apply the effect. • Effects are usually found on an Effects menu or a Filter menu. It varies by program. • Not all programs offer all effects. Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

19. Apply Bevels and Embossings • An embossed effect makes an object appear to be pressed into the drawing area. • A raised emboss makes it appear to be raised from the surface. • Bevels can be used to give a raised appearance to an object. • You can set an inner bevel or an outer bevel. • Most programs allow you to adjust position, sharpness, and width of bevels and embossings. Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

20. Emboss and Bevel Example In this figure, an inset emboss has been applied to the object at the top of the image. The object in the lower left has had an outer bevel applied. Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

21. Apply Shadows and Glows • Shadows and glows are effects that add depth, dimension, and highlights to objects. • Drop shadows add shading along two sides of the outer edge of an object. • Inner shadows add shading inside the edges. • Glows apply a halo of color around all edges of an object. • Inner glows apply a halo inside the edges. Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

22. Examples of Glow and Shadows In this figure, a glow effect has been applied to the monogram at the top of the image. A drop shadow has been applied to the object in the lower left portion of the image. Most programs allow you to adjust the position, color, and size of shadows and glows. Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

23. Use Sharpen and Blur The sharpen effect is used to bring a blurred object into focus. The blur effect lessens the focus. In this figure, the monogram at the top of the image has been blurred. The text object in the center of the image has had the sharpen effect applied to it. Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

24. Save Custom Effects • Once you have created a custom effect, you can save it as a style and apply it to other objects. • The method to do this varies by program. • There is usually some type of Style dialog box that allows you to save the effect settings as a new style. • Once saved, the effect will be available in a Styles panel with other available styles. Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

25. The Styles Panel This figure shows one example of a Styles panel. Select an object, open the Styles panel, and click on the effect you want to apply. The Shadow Bevel style which was just saved is the last style shown on the right in the last row of styles. Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

26. Edit and Remove Effects • Once an effect has been applied, you can edit it to change the effect or remove it entirely. • Most programs have a panel or list that shows the effects that were applied to an object. • To edit the effect, select the object and then select the effect to open an effects panel where you can make adjustments. • You can remove an effect as soon as it is applied by using the Undo command. • Many programs also have some type of command to delete an effect. Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

27. Create Masks • A mask effect is used to hide or to accentuate a portion of an image. • There are two basic types of masks: • Vector masks • Bitmap masks • Not all programs support both types of masks. • The command to create a mask may be found on a menu, the location of which varies by program. • Some programs have an Effects panel that is used to create a mask. Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

28. Vector Masks • This mask uses a vector graphic to create the shape of the mask. • This mask is sometimes called a clipping mask in some programs. • To create a vector mask: • Create a vector object and position it on top of the object you want to show through the mask. • Select the command to create the mask, such as Cut and Paste as Mask, Clipping Path, Paste Inside, or whatever command is in your program. • The area within the vector’s path will be visible and everything else will be masked or hidden. Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

29. Example of Vector Masks In the figure on the left, a star has been created as a vector object and placed over top of an area of an image. The image on the right shows the image after the mask has been created. The jets that were behind the star are now visible. Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

30. Bitmap Masks • Bitmap masks are also called layer masks because they overlap and obscure underlying pixels. • Creating a bitmap mask is the same as a vector mask except that you paste a bitmap object as the mask. • You can also create an empty mask to reveal or hide all of the underlying elements. Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

31. Summary • You can mix custom colors using a color bar or by entering color system values. • You can use color to create illusions of distance,depth, and scale. • You can use color effects to add texture, patterns, and gradients to fills and strokes. • Color correction effects make it possible to enhance and improve vector and bitmap images. Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects

32. Summary (continued) • Special effects make it easy to highlight objects as well as add interest and depth to an image. • You can save special effects as styles to use again. • If you are unhappy with an effect,you can edit or remove it. • Masks let you hide or emphasize portions of an image. Lesson 5 – Creating Special Effects