For Media Students: Photoshop Resources

6 Feb

Ever wonder how those cool ads from your favorite magazine are made? Well for the most part they are created using Photoshop. For those unfamiliar, Photoshop is a software program created by Adobe for digital photo manipulation. Almost any picture or advertisement you’ve seen in a magazine within the last 10 years was almost certainly made with Photoshop.

As most of you know, the media lab here at MUM is loaded with Photoshop and the media department offers several courses the integrate Photoshop training throughout the year. Here are the courses which dabble in Photoshop for this coming spring semester:

  • Block 6 – FA 338: Photography and New Media
  • Block 6 – MC 363: Web Design and Web Animation 1
  • Block 9 – MC 366: Graphic Design for Media and Communications 1
  • Block 10 – MC 337: Advanced Digital Photography

Once you learn how to navigate around Photoshop you’ll understand the basic tools that professionals use everyday to create stunning advertisements meant to compel you into buying stuff you really need, like this:

All jokes aside, making cool stuff in Photoshop is fairly easy and only consists of a few main elements: Several stock images, using blend modes, creative erasing, and an adjustment layer or two. There are definitely more tools, tweaks, and changes you can add to that list but you’ll start to notice the same few tips we just mentioned being utilized within the tutorials we’ve listed below. So check out this list of Advanced Photoshop tutorials and try a few out, maybe we’ll see your work on our Facebook Page??

For Media Students: Stock Video Footage Resources

29 Jan

Producing, directing, and editing video is a fun and creative process. As students within the Media Department we have access to an array of professional video equipment to help us get the “perfect shot” for our videos. Sometimes we run into situations where a particular shot would work great with the narrative we are crafting, yet there is no possible way for us to get that shot. This is where stock footage comes in handy…

Stock video footage is basically a short clip of a very specific item or scene. Examples of stock footage include 30-second clips of clouds rolling over a mountain, people riding bikes, or animals in nature. The footage is typically shot by individuals and small media companies who make a business out of shooting stock material and uploading it online for others to purchase and download (some website offer free video in exchange for credit in your work). For media students, the ability to search the internet for a very specific piece of footage to fit into your project is invaluable. Below is a list of stock video footage resources for your perusal.

Thought Equity is a great place to find stock video material that professionals use. From college sports and political footage to clips made by BBC, National Geographic, and HBO. The pricing of the clips are staggered depending on use. A stock clip of a bee on a flower might cost $1,700 if used for a regional television ad, or only $80 if used as an online educational video. This simple pricing method takes care of the legal aspect for you leaving time to focus on your editing.

Pond5 is less legally technical and more straightforward with it’s pricing. Every clip has one set price and you can use it for whatever you are working on. It’s yours to use however you like. In addition to the 500,000+ clips available, Pond5 also offers stock music and 3D composites for use in editing programs like Adobe After Affects.

Revostock is relatively small yet has a few gems. They offer music and composites for After Affects and Motion as well. Their pricing structure is similar to Pond5 in both cost and legal details (you buy it, you own it). A useful feature they offer here is the ability to download a high resolution still image for use in your editing timeline.

In addition to purchasing stock video on these websites, they also offer filmmakers the ability to upload their own stock footage and get paid for it. It’s an easy way to make a buck or two.

Next week we’ll profile some resources for digital photo editing. In the mean time, if any of you know other great stock video resources post a link in the comments.