Digital Photography and Imaging - Final Project: Self-Titled (still & animation)
Week 10 - Week 14 (25/11/2024 - 23/12/2024)
AVELINE KRISTIE / 0372310
Digital Photography and Imaging / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media
FINAL PROJECT : SELF-TILTED
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(no lectures)
(no tutorials)
1. Visual References
We were tasked with creating a self-titled poster. I chose to make a poster in a surrealism style, using my portrait combined with ocean elements from photos I found on Pinterest after doing some research.
Fig 3.1 References
I planned to create the poster based on my personal story. I wanted to
express my lifelong love for water, how swimming has always been one of my
favourite hobbies, and how imagining myself as a mermaid was a big part of
my childhood.
2. Sketch and Digitization
First, I sketched an ocean-themed poster in a surrealist style. I imagined
my portrait underwater, with my head cut open and fish swimming out of it,
along with bubbles as background elements.
Fig 3.2 Poster Sketch
Next, I started digitizing the sketch in Adobe Photoshop. I used the
Quick Selection Tool to crop my portrait, set the background colour to
dark navy blue, and added a water reflection effect at the bottom
using the Mask Tool.
Fig 3.3 Digitizing Processes
Fig 3.4 Digitizing Processes
Then, I cut my forehead and used the Ellipse Tool filled with
black to create the illusion of a realistic hole. Afterward, I
added fish and coral inside the hole, arranging them carefully and
applying shadows to give the design a realistic and dimensional
look.
Fig 3.5 Digitizing Processes
Once everything was arranged, I started applying filters to
refine the poster's appearance. Lastly, I added bubbles in random
positions, making them appear as though they were naturally rising
from the bottom.
Fig 3.6 Digitizing Processes
3. Final Poster
Fig 3.7 Final Poster Outcome
4. After Effect Animation
The next stage is to animate the poster for 15 seconds. Firstly, I put
my file into After Effects and animate the bubbles to look like they're
going up with the Position Tool one by one.
Fig 3.8 Animating Processes
After that, I animate the wave to look like it's a real wave by
using Pre-compose -> Solid -> Fractal Noise, adjust the
layers, then adjust the Motion Tile -> Displacement Map, and
lastly mask the layer with the wave layer.
Fig 3.9 Animating Processes
Fig 3.10 Animating Processes
Furthermore, I animated the elements above my head, such as the
fishes, jellyfish, and corals, to make them appear alive and moving.
I used the Puppet Tool, placing pins on each element individually
and adjusting their positions across keyframes to create a realistic
motion effect.
Fig 3.11 Animating Processes
Lastly, I added background music in MP4 format and hid the video portion
so only the audio played. Then, I rendered my animated poster and
uploaded it to YouTube.
Fig 3.12 Animating Processes
5. Final Outcome
Experience
This project was enjoyable because it allowed me to develop my skills with Adobe Photoshop and After Effects, with tools I hadn’t worked with in this way before. While the process was exciting, it also challenging, especially when it came to animating in After Effects, which was unfamiliar to me.
Observations
I realized that animating in After Effects was difficult at times due to my lack of experience with the program. There were moments when I struggled to understand how to use the software, which made the process frustrating, but it was all part of the learning experience.
Findings
With time and effort, I managed to overcome these challenges and successfully complete the animation. I found that patience and practice were key to mastering the software, and this project helped me improve my skills in ways I hadn't expected.
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