Course Description:

Students are introduced to the digital darkroom using Adobe Photoshop® and Image Ready® with images from film and flatbed scanners, digital cameras, and other media. Topics covered include: selecting, layers, color correction, color theory, retouching, special effects, rollovers, animation, slicing, type effects, and using Photoshop® as a design tool. Documents created in class will be optimized for web, print, and multimedia uses. Students will complete a variety of tutorials as well as create personal projects.

Course Objectives:

• Be able to color correct, retouch, and optimize digital images for a variety of uses using Adobe Photoshop.
• Create new images from existing images using digital techniques.
• Create simple animations and rollovers.
• Create a project using advanced techniques and knowledge developed in this class.
• Optimize digital images using Adobe Photoshop.
• Perform color correction and retouching using Adobe Photoshop.
• Present a finished project using advanced techniques and knowledge developed in this class.
• Use Adobe Photoshop as a design tool.

Prerequisite: Proficiency with 35mm camera. Familiarity with a personal computer, creating and saving documents, document formats. Basic knowledge of HTML, web graphics, and web design or COMN 1000, COMN 1010, and COMN 1020.

• Understanding a Photograph
• Basic Image Editing
• Painting and Selecting
• Advanced Image Editing and Compositing
• Shapes, Layer Effects, and Styles
• Filters, Special Effects, and Liquefy
• Working with Text and Design Tools
• Creating Collages
• A Look at ImageReady
• Final Project

Students taking this course should be proficient in Windows 98, 2000, or XP; have access to a copy of Photoshop 6 and ImageReady or Photoshop 7 and ImageReady; have a working knowledge of the Internet; and have a working knowledge of web-page development using HTML and/or an HTML editor. Students should also be able to create, scan, and manipulate digital graphics by using a professional-level graphics program; they should be familiar with graphic file types; be able to submit files to the instructor using the WebCT Dropbox, SFTP, and email attachments; and be able to send files to instructor on a 100Mb Zip disk or CD.

• Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain current textbook information for this course:

  http://rodp.bkstr.com

Intro to Photoshop--PSTCC tutorial disk to be mailed to you. Email the instructor at the beginning of the semester to give him your mailing address so the disk can be sent to you.

The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. Specific hardware requirements for this course include

IBM-type Criteria:

• Pentium Computer 300 MHz minimum (Pentium III/750 MHz preferred) processing speed
• 64 MB RAM (128 MB RAM preferred)
• Monitor capable of at least 800 x 600 resolution
• CD-ROM (DVD preferred) Drive
• CD-ROM (DVD preferred) Drive
• 56 kbps modem with Internet access (high speed such as cable modem or DSL recommended if possible)
• Speakers and 16 bit-sound card
• Operating System: Windows 98 or higher

Macintosh Criteria:

• PowerPC minimum (G3/300 MHz preferred)
• 64 MB RAM (128 MB RAM preferred)
• Monitor capable of at least 800 x 600 resolution
• CD-ROM (DVD preferred)
• 56 kbps modem with Internet access (high speed such as cable modem or or DSL recommended if possible)
• Speakers
• Operating System: Macintosh 8.5.1 or higher (Mac OS 8.6 or higher preferred)

The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm.

Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain current textbook information for this course:

http://rodp.bkstr.com

Please see the course's homepage to find instructor contact information as well as a statement of virtual office hours and other communication information.

Tests will make up 3% of the overall grade. You will have 5 quizzes/10 points each for a total of 50 points toward your final grade.

A. Testing Procedures: Quizzes (5 quizzes): 3% (50 points)
B. Tutorials and Assignments: 73% (1450 points)
C. Final Project: 24% (500 points)

The following grading scale will be used in this course:
             A   2000-1000 points
             B+ 1899-1700 points
             B   1699-1600 points
             C+ 1599-1500 points
             C   1499-1400 points
             D   1399-1300 points
             F   1299 points and below

	Module Topic	Textbook Readings	Other Readings	Watch Movie	Do
1	Understanding a Photograph	None	Pool Table Tutorial Instructions	None	Pool Table Tutorial
2	Basic Image Editing	Ciaglia 1, 2, & 3 Weinmann 1, 2, 3, & 4	Cropping and Sizing Dust and Scratches Levels Basic Image Adjustments Color Theory Color Correction	Cropping and Sizing Dust and Scratches Using Levels Basic Image Adjustments	Image Editing 5/50 Quiz 1
3	Painting and Selecting	Ciaglia 3: 56-69 Weinmann 5, 12	Painting and Selection Tips	Painting and Selection Techniques Using Layers Extracting Pen Tool	Adding Color to B&W 200 Creating an Illustration Quiz 3
4	Advanced Image Editing and Compositing	Ciaglia 4: 72-81 Weinmann 6 & 7	Difficult Color Correction Image Enhancements Adding a New Background	Difficult Color Correction Image Enhancements Adding a New Background	Image Editing 5/50 New Background Multiple Light Sources Quiz 4
5	Shapes, Layer Effects, and Styles	Ciaglia 4: 82-91 Weinmann 15, 16 & 18	Shapes Tool Importing from Illustrator Layer Effects and Styles	Shapes Tool Importing from Illustrator Layer Effects and Styles	Shapes Tutorial 50 Layer Effects 50 Quiz 5
6	Filters, Special Effects, and Liquefy			SPFX Liquefy	Enhancing with Filters 2/100
7	Working with Text and Design Tools			SPFX Liquefy	Text Illustrations 5/50
8	Creating Collages		Collage Techniques	Collage Techniques	Elemental Collage 100 Blended Collage 100
9	A Look at ImageReady	Image Ready Basics		Rollover Animations	Rollover 50 Animation 100
10	Final Project				Final Project 500

Students are expected to communicate with their instructor on a weekly basis at a minimum (this includes the submission of assignments). Students are expected to communicate with each other using the discussion board.

Attendance will be determined by online communications. If I do not hear from you for a period of two weeks, either by e-mail, phone, or by submission of lessons, you will be dropped with a WF (withdrawal failing).

It is the student's responsibility to submit assignments by the date indicated. Should events occur which will prevent the student from submitting assignments on time, it is the responsibility of the student to discuss this prior to the due date or as soon as possible.

Email: You will need access to an external email account and you will be given a WebCT email account. Technical problems on your computer will not be an excuse for the lack of completion of any course work. In addition, the instructor is unable to provide computer repair for the student's PC. When you email me, I'll try to get back to you within 24-48 hours during the work week.

Class participation is monitored and will be used as a factor in final grading. Participation is required. You are expected to communicate with other students in team projects, learn how to navigate in WebCT, keep abreast of course announcements, use the assigned college or university e-mail address as opposed a personal e-mail address, address technical problems immediately, and observe course netiquette at all times.

• Columbia Guide to Online Style by Janice R. Walker and Todd Taylor
• Citation Styles Online http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite6.html

Library

The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in the Regents Degree Program. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading must be included in all courses. 

Students With Disabilities

Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.

Syllabus Changes

The instructor reserves the left to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the course bulletin board.

Technical Support

If you are having problems logging into your course,
timing out of your course, using your course web site tools, or other technical problems, please contact the Eduprise Help Desk by calling

1-866-550-7637 (toll free)

or go to their website at:

http://askrodp.custhelp.com