A Reflection On My Work For Lab 2

Lab 2 asked me to cut out an image and apply it to a background

In this lab, the objective was to cut out an image of a leaf using Photoshop’s magnetic lasso tool. After completing the objective of then taking the leaf and applying it to the background provided, I decided to play around with levels and effects. I learned more about the levels, how they work and how I can isolate the levels to different layers to create different effects.

I found this lab easy as well. I used the same method on the leaf as I did in my last lab to the apple. The magnetic lasso tool is very easy to use to cutting out the leaf and simply applying it as another layer over the background.

I didn’t find the lab or the aspects of it challenging. What I did find challenging was trying to make the image blend into the background. The assignment didn’t ask for me to do this but I thought I would try. I used different layers and levels to make it blend into the background with similar colors. I had an especially hard time blending the hand. I felt like my execution was sloppy.

I could improve my assignment by being more precise when using the magnetic lasso tool. I was pretty picky with cutting out the leaf originally, but I did cut some corners. So, I could zoom in more to cut the leaf out more precisly. I could also get picky, and add that I think the mountain range now looks a bit over saturated, so I would probably go back and clean that up a bit. I also feel that I didn’t make it seem like the hand was really part of the picture. I would probably go back and mess with the levels a bit to get that hand to look like it belongs in the image.

I can, and most likely will, use this method nearly every time I create a complex image with one or more items or foreground. The use of the magnetic lasso tool itself is a very useful tool to use and arguably the best option for cutting out images to use in a project or image. Many scenarios I will use Photoshop for with ask me to create assets, make an ad, form the image for a poster, etc,. Similarly, all these projects will most likely require me to cut out images or patterns to use. Therefore, using the magnetic lasso tool is very useful in these situations.

My inspiration for the image and my choice or effects stems from the distinction between reality and fantasy. Both images used are actual photos from the world. They aren’t drawings or clip-art of a leaf and a star-y background, they are accurate and actual depictions of the leaf and background. For this reason, a giant leaf peeking out behind a silhouette of a mountain range isn’t realistic. So, to preserve the realistic aspect but to also incorporate a fantasy aspect of a giant leaf, I blended the colors of the leaf to the background, but also preserving its shape and shades of the leaf. I tried to bring in that fantasy aspect of the leaf being a similar color to the sky but the hand still appearing realistic.