Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

How are you today? I hope you're feeling really good.

My name is Miss Afzal, and I'll be your art teacher for this lesson.

I'm feeling really good about that because today we are looking at photo manipulation.

We're looking at editing our images.

I wonder how much experience you have with this already.

Perhaps it's something you've been working with for a little while, or maybe you're newer to it.

Either way, we are gonna be getting really involved today.

Our lesson is called "Advancing Photo Manipulation: Enhancing Images," and it comes from the unit of work "Foundation Workshops: Developing Skills." So if you're ready to develop your skills in photo manipulation, if you have some energy, focus, and enthusiasm, we'll begin our lesson now.

The outcome for today's lesson is: "I can enhance and manipulate digital images using layers, adjustments, and editing tools to improve their quality and meaning.

We have some keywords in our lesson.

Let's go through them: "manipulation," "layer," and "adjustment." So what do these keywords mean? Manipulation is altering or adjusting an image to achieve a desired effect.

Layer: a digital workspace element, allowing parts of an image to be edited separately.

And adjustment: a tool-based change to an image's brightness, contrast, color, or tone.

These are our keywords: "manipulation," "layer," and "adjustment." Let's look out and listen out for them.

They'll be coming up in our lesson today.

Our lesson is called "Advancing Photo Manipulation: Enhancing Images." It has two learning cycles: enhancing with layers and adjustments, and refining photographic images.

Let's begin with enhancing with layers and adjustments.

So, how can we enhance and manipulate images to improve their quality and meaning? Who here can share with someone, what do you think? Thanks for sharing.

I wonder what you came up with.

Perhaps you talked about photo editing.

Photo editing is used everywhere, including magazines, adverts, and social media.

Photo manipulation is more than simply applying filters.

Filters are quick presets, but effective photo manipulation involves purposeful use of tools like layers, selections, cloning, and adjustments to control outcome and meaning.

Pause here and share with someone: Have you used any of these tools, like layers, cloning, or adjustments? Thanks for sharing your experience so far.

Layers allow us to build edits piece by piece without damaging the original.

Think of them like transparent sheets stacked on top of each other together.

Changes to layers can be added or removed easily, allowing artists and photographers nondestructive editing and flexibility.

Let's have a check for understanding: What is the main advantage of using layers when editing an image? Is it A, they increase the resolution automatically? B, they make the image brighter and more flexible? C, they allow non-destructive editing and flexibility? Or D, they apply filters faster for digital editing? Pause here while you decide what's the main advantage of using layers when editing an image.

Well done if you chose answer C.

Indeed, they allow nondestructive editing and flexibility.

That's the main advantage of using layers when editing an image.

Adjustment layers let us change brightness, contrast, or color.

Because they're introduced as a separate layer on top of an existing layer, you can always go back and fine-tune or remove them later.

Changing the brightness can be used to reveal details in highlights and shadows.

Contrast makes the image pop by exaggerating or minimizing the range between the lightest and darkest parts of the image.

It's important to use these adjustment tools gradually, as overuse can flatten or distort images.

Saturation enhances the intensity of colors.

So, at the top here, we can see high saturation, and down at the bottom, those low saturation.

Too much saturation creates unnatural and unrealistic colors.

Oversaturated photos are a common beginner's error, so it's important to use this tool with restraint to create professional-looking images.

Pause here and share with someone: have you ever created yourself an oversaturated photograph or seen one elsewhere that has not quite had restraint with the saturation tool? Thanks for sharing.

Which of these two photos enhances the image most effectively, and why? Who's here can share with someone, what do you think? Let's gather some responses.

Here's Jun: "The image on the right has the contrast levels too high and the brightness too low.

It's hard to see the details as a result.

And Aisha: "I think the left image has been edited better.

The subtle details in the shadows are still visible, and there is much more depth." I wonder if you came up with answers like these.

Let's have a check for understanding: Which of these is an adjustment tool? Is it A, clone stamp? B, brightness/contrast? C, lasso? Or D, crop? Pause here while you decide which of these is an adjustment tool.

Well done if you selected answer B.

Indeed, brightness/contrast is an adjustment tool.

And now it's time for your first task.

I would like you to enhance an image using layers and adjustments.

You should: open an image you've taken or use an image from an image gallery.

Apply at least two adjustment layers: brightness/contrast, and color balance or saturation.

Compare and contrast your enhanced version with the original image.

So, pause here while you have a go at this task of enhancing an image using layers and adjustments.

Enjoy your task, and I'll see you when you're finished.

It is great to be back with you.

How did you get on with that task of enhancing an image using layers and adjustments? You might have created something like this: we can see the original image on the left and the enhanced on the right, and you might have said something like this.

Here's Sam: "The original image I used had a low brightness and contrast setting.

I changed these levels slightly to make the image clearer and used color balance to bring out the blue midnight sky." Pause here and share with someone your impressions of Sam's editing and enhancement of the image using layers and adjustments.

Thanks for sharing.

And now I'd like you to share your two images with someone, your original and your enhanced image, and see if that person can work out what settings you changed and how you changed those settings to enhance your image.

Pause here while you have a go at this.

Thanks for having a go at that, and for joining in with this task.

And now we're on to our next learning cycle: refining photographic images.

Why might artists use photo editing and photo manipulation? Pause here and share with someone, what do you think? Thanks for sharing.

Beyond enhancing colors, photo manipulation might also be used to remove distractions or imperfections.

Here's Alex: "I want to remove the aircraft trail from the sky of this image." Photo editing in this way helps to focus the viewer's attention on the intended image.

The selection tool allows you to isolate parts of an image.

This means changes can be applied only where needed, so precision is key.

In your image-editing software, selection tools may be rectangular, oval, or freehand.

There may also be a quick selection tool option, which captures sections of an image based on similarity.

Choose the selection tool that most accurately captures the area of the image you want to edit or remove.

The clone tool can be used to copy pixels from one part of an image to another.

It's useful for removing objects, blemishes, or repairing damage.

If overused, cloning creates visible repetition patterns.

To avoid this, vary your source area and zoom in to refine detail.

You can also use the zoom function to check details and the overall composition as you work on different sections of your image.

Who here can share with someone: have you used the selection and clone tools before to edit an image? Thanks for sharing about your experience.

Let's have a check for understanding: Why is zooming in and out important when editing an image? Is it A, it reduces file size of the overall competition? B, it saves battery power and reduces energy loss? C, it automatically sharpens the image? Or D, it helps check details and overall composition? Pause here while you decide why zooming in and out is important when editing an image.

Well done if you chose answer D.

Indeed, it helps to check details and overall composition when we zoom in and out when editing an image.

When might manipulating a photo enhance meaning, and when might it be misleading? Pause here and share with someone, what do you think? Thanks for sharing.

Let's hear some responses.

Here's Laura: "Adjustments can be made to photos to bring out the details the photographer wants to focus on.

Jacob: "A photo might be edited through filters to change a person's appearance.

And Sofia: "Photo editing can balance lighting and contrast to make images clearer.

I wonder if you had answers like these.

Photo manipulation can be used to selectively emphasize key aspects captured through photography.

Holly Andres uses saturated colors and cinematic lighting to enhance the emotional storytelling in her photographs.

John Rankin Waddell is a fashion and portrait photographer known for bold image enhancement and striking color manipulation.

Carrie Mae Weems explores representation and identity, often enhancing photographic imagery with strong tonal contrasts.

These are just some photographers using photo manipulation to selectively emphasize key aspects captured in their photography.

Photo manipulation allows many photographers to explore their themes of interest in greater detail.

Mari Katayama uses digital manipulation in her self-portraits to create surreal, symbolic images, exploring identity and disability.

Rotimi Fani-Kayode created surreal symbolic photographs enhanced by transformations which explored race, identity, and spirituality.

Tommy Ingberg uses digital editing tools to elevate photographs into surreal montages, which express themes from the unconscious.

So, these are some ways in which photo manipulation allows photographers to explore their themes of interest in greater detail.

Not all photo manipulation techniques require filters.

Controlling the outcome of a photograph requires skill and attention to detail.

Layers, selections, cloning, and adjustments are tools available for photographers to use when enhancing their work and making professional images.

Let's have a check for understanding: True or false? All photo manipulation techniques use filters.

Pause here and decide, is this statement is true or false? Well done if you selected false.

And now I'd like you to say a little more about your answer.

Pause here while you do this.

Perhaps you said something like this: Filters are quick presets, but many digital manipulation techniques involve the purposeful use of tools, layers, selections, cloning, adjustments to control outcome and meaning.

And now it's time for your next task.

I would like you to refine an image using digital manipulation.

You should: open a second image.

Use the selection and clone tool to remove one unwanted element.

Evaluate how your edit changes the composition and meaning.

So, pause here while you have a go at this task of refining an image using digital manipulation and then evaluating the impact of your edit.

Enjoy your task, and I'll see you when you're finished.

It is great to be back with you.

How did you get on with that task of refining an image using digital manipulation? You might have had an image like this one on the left, is our original image, and on the right, we have the edited image.

Pause here and share with someone what changes you can see from the original to the edited image? Thanks for sharing.

Let's hear from Andeep: "The original photograph I used featured another hiker photographing the scene.

Through editing, I used the selection and clone tools to remove the hiker and the path to make it seem more isolated, natural, and undiscovered by people." I wonder if you had spotted those edits.

And now I would like you to share your two images with someone and see if they can work out what edits you made to the first image to come up with your enhanced, edited version.

Thanks for having a go at that.

And now I'd like you, as you're looking at these two images that your partner has created, to share what you think is the impact of the edit that has been made.

How do you feel it's changed the composition and meaning of the image? Thanks for having a go at that.

In our lesson, "Advancing Photo Manipulation: Enhancing Images," we've covered the following: Photo manipulation can be used to adjust and enhance the original image.

Contrast, brightness, and saturation can be used to enhance photographs effectively.

Selection and clone tools can be used for targeted layer editing and specific elements in a photo.

Well done, everyone, for joining in with this lesson.

It's great to explore photo manipulation together.

Look at what we can do to bring out colors, the contrast in our images, and to look at how we can alter the composition and meaning of our photographs through our editing.

Perhaps as you keep your eyes peeled for images all around you in advertising, on products, in popular culture, maybe you'll have an interest in how this image was created and what editing went into creating this final version that you're looking at.

I hope you've enjoyed this lesson.

I've really enjoyed teaching you, and I'm looking forward to seeing you at another art lesson soon.

Until then, stay creative.