Test Your Skills 4

Test Your Skills #4

Part 1: Photos and Morphing

Challenge: Here's a riddle for you.

What is:

the rule most broken on the list of Design No-No’s
but, is also the easiest problem to fix
and, is what’s wrong with each of the photos shown here

SEE THE ANSWER

Answer: Dark photos.

We keep drilling this in because it continues to happen over and over.

It happens to me, too. I get so caught up in making my page look good that I forget to take inventory of my photos.

If this is you (and know that it’s me, too) consider taking steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

One Solution

Edit your photos as soon as you download them from your camera. Not after you’ve put them on your page. This is what our resident photo professionals—Linda and Jenifer—do.

SEE THE DIFFERENCE

Here are those same photos with their fixed counterparts. WOW! What a difference!

Lightening a photo is SO quick and simple and it’s something that nearly EVERY photo needs coming straight out of your camera.

We want to see, REALLY see, your photos. Please, please, please, lighten them up.

Ok. Moving on.

GO TO PART TWO

Test Your Skills Part 2

Here’s another test from the list of Design No-No’s.

Challenge: What is wrong with this photo cluster?

SEE MY ANSWER

Answer: The photos in this cluster are “lacking photo definition.” They're all running together. At first glance, they all look like one big hot mess.

The problem is you cannot tell where one photo stops and another starts without looking twice or three times.

Challenge: If you find yourself in this situation, what are somethings you can do?

SEE MY SOLUTIONS

One simple thing you can do to create separation is to separate the photos more. This grid variation is visually much nicer, but I’m still a little wigged out by all the busyness going on.

SEE ANOTHER SOLUTION

In this grid variation, I went back to the smaller spacing but added a 35 px stroke outline in a neutral color to each photo.

This seams to help break things up a bit, but the neutral color might not be enough to create a good visual separation.

SEE A THIRD SOLUTION

The only thing different in this variation is that I’ve changed the color of the stroke outlines to a dark brown instead of creamy white. Finally I’m starting to see individual photos instead of one big pile of flowers.

Because the photos are so colorful and the background is white, the darker stroke really helps create visual separation.

SEE A FINAL SOLUTION

In this variation:

I changed the stroke outline color back to creamy white
and made three of the photos slightly smaller than the fourth
I also added a frame to the focal photo in the grouping

Adding the frame not only sets one photo apart as the most important, but it also works to create visual boundaries and separation.

I’m sticking with this variation to combat the problem of “lack of definition.”

GO TO PART THREE

Test Your Skills Part 3

In the Effective Framing lessons, I talked about putting together a photo, a frame, and a mask to create what I called morphing.

The morphing technique is where a photo appears to spill out of a frame adding depth and action to a design.

GOAL: The goal of this challenge is to help you realize that you have the power and authority to place the mask in the position that best suits a particular photo. Don’t get stuck inside the box!

Take a look at these three items.

Challenge: With this particular photo in mind, where would you position the mask on the frame to make the most pleasing design?