Interior Design Day 2: Removing Backgrounds with the Remove.bg App

Today’s essential question: How can I use the Remove.bg app to easily remove backgrounds from the images I want to use in my dream room?

Today will will use the Remove.bg app to remove the backgrounds from the objects we will place in our dream room. We will then put each of these images into a NEW Google Slides with the backgrounds removed.

How to Remove the Background from an Image with the Remove.bg App

• Save the image to your computer and go to Remove.bg.
• Click Upload Image

• Poof – your background is gone:

• You may need to do a bit of adjusting to remove parts of the background that were missed. If so, click the Edit button:

• Sometimes the app leaves parts of the background behind, or accidentally erases parts of the image you wanted to keep. Once you are in “Edit,” you can use the “Erase” option to remove any remaining pieces of the background, and the “Restore” option to add back parts the image that were incorrectly removed. You can drag the slider to make the eraser/restore brush bigger or smaller:

• Once you are happy with your image, click the “Download” button to save it to your computer.

Interior Design Day 2: Finding Images taken from the correct angle

Today’s essential questions: Why is it important to find images taken from the correct angle?

Angle of View – Furniture

When downloading images, consider the point of view from which the image was chosen.
For example, this couch would look great against the back wall:

while this couch would work better against a side wall:

Make sure you are thinking about where in your room you want to place each piece of furniture, and download images that are taken from the correct angle. Trying to fake the perfect angle will give you something like this (notice how we should be able to see the side of the armrest):

Angle of View – Flooring, Artwork, Windows

Try to find images of flooring, artwork, and windows taken from straight on, so the object looks like a perfect rectangle.

This rug will be difficult to realistically fit into a space:

While this rug will enable us to distort it to just about any angle and fit any space in the room:

New Project: 1 Pt Perspective Room Design

Today’s essential question: How can I design an interesting interior space?

Interior Design Project

Today we will begin our interior design project. We will research various interior design styles and fill out a Google Slides Presentation with a “mood board” of the look we hope to achieve.

We will start with the blank room template below and turn it into an interior space of our choosing. You may want to consider, but are not limited to, spaces such as a dream bedroom or dorm room, an art studio, a coffee shop or restaurant, a music venue, or a store.

Blank room template:

I have purposefully not provided the high-res version of the room template today to force you to spend all class on your project planning post. No one should be working in Photoshop/Pixlr today!

Here are some examples created by past SOTA students:

Project Requirements:

• Created in Photoshop/Pixlr from the provided blank room template
• Includes a minimum of 12 different images
• Floor and walls have been covered with texture or altered in color
• Contains a light source (lamp, fireplace, windows, etc)
• Follows one point perspective
• All objects in the room go together to create a cohesive style
• High Quality Craftsmanship
  • No pixelation
  • Background cleanly removed
  • Images photographed from appropriate angles
  • Lighting matches up
  • Scale and proportion makes sense

Today we will

• Research potential interior design styles we may use in our project
• Fill out a Google Slides Presentation with a “mood board” of the look we hope to achieve

New Project: Proportion Distortion

Today’s essential question: How can I use scale to make a person look larger or smaller than life using Pixlr?

Scale relates to the size of an object when compared with the size of the space in which it is located.

Featured Artist: Slinkachu

Slinkachu is a London-based artist who creates small-scale Street Art installations and photographs them. He places miniature figurines around London, photographs them, and then leaves them on the street.

Here are some examples of his work:

Proportion Distortion Assignment

Over the next two classes, we will use the Pixlr app to create TWO artworks using the SAME person. One artwork will depict the person as larger than life. The other artwork will depict the person as smaller than life. Here is an example of what I’m looking for. Notice how I used the same picture of JuiceWrld for both collages, but used drastically different scales in each collage:

Today we will:

• Use the Pixlr app to create TWO artworks using the SAME person
  • one artwork will depict the person as larger than life
  • the other artwork will depict the person as smaller than life
  • each artwork should be created from a minimum of 3 different images (person, background, and bonus image)
• Submit a Doc to Google Classroom with today’s progress. Include:
  • the original images you started with
  • the final collages OR a screen shot or your progress
  • a few sentences describing what was easy and what was difficult.

Pixlr Steps: Dress Up Animal Digital Collage

Today’s essential question: How can I use the Pixlr app to create a digital collage?

Today we will dress up an animal using the free app Pixlr. We will combine a MINIMUM of 3 images – an animal of your choice and at least 2 accessories. If you are a fast worker, try to add more!

How to create a digital collage in Pixlr

1. Go to Pixlr.com and select Pixlr E. Click “Create New”
   
2. Create a new file. Select Instagram 1080 x 1080 px.
   
3. Name your file
   
4. Import the first image you would like to use in your collage by pressing the “+” button on the right side of the screen near the layers palette. Then select “Image” as the type of layer you’d like to add:
   
5. Transform the size of your object or rotate it. Edit -> Free Transform
   DO NOT MAKE IMAGES LARGER! This will make them blurry and pixelated!
   
6. Use the move tool to drag objects around the canvas
7. Use the eraser tool to erase the background around an image. Or if you have a solid colored background that contrasts with your subject, you can try using the magic wand to remove the background (click with the magic wand on the part of the background you want to remove, then go to the top of the screen and click Edit -> Cut).
8. If you want to create multiples of the same object, duplicate your layer as many times as you need to. Pixlr will place the duplicated layer directly on top of the original layer, so you will need to move the duplicated layer to see it:
   
9. If you want to, Pixlr makes it easy to flip images horizontally or vertically:
   
   (Edit -> Transform -> Flip Horizontal OR Flip Vertical)
   
10. Save your image as a PNG and post your progress to your blog.

Today we will:

• Create a digital collage of a dressed up animal using the free app Pixlr. The collage should include the following items:
  • an animal of your choice
  • at least two accessories
  • realistic scale (animal and accessories are appropriately proportioned)
  • good craftsmanship (backgrounds have been neatly removed, no pixelation)
• Turn our collage in via Google Classroom, along with a few sentences describing what was easy or difficult about the process

New Project: 2020 Time Capsule Flat Lay Photo

Today’s essential question: How can I use negative space and alignment/proximity to create an attractive flay lay photo of a 2020 time capsule?

Part 1: Create a Flat Lay Photo of a 2020 Time Capsule

• Collect AT LEAST 5 items that you feel represent your experience right now.
• Arrange them in a visually pleasing way on top of a non-distracting background. Pay attention to the negative space between the objects, and the alignment/proximity of the objects (how are the objects lined up or grouped?) Stand directly over the arrangement and photograph it shooting straight down. You may need to try photographing your arrangement in a few different locations to get ideal lighting and background. Some simple backgrounds that could work well include a driveway or sidewalk, grass, or a solid color sheet or blanket.

Bad Example (What NOT to Do):

Problems with this image:

• Awkward angle (not taken from directly over the objects pointing straight down)
• Object layout looks thrown together and sloppy
• Too much negative space around the objects 
• Not enough objects to tell a meaningful story
• Distracting background
• Poor lighting

Good Example

Analysis of Why this Image Looks Good

• Good angle (taken from directly over the objects pointing straight down)
• Objects are carefully arranged in a visually pleasing way
• Has enough objects to tell a meaningful story
• Plain background adds to the image instead of distracting the viewer
• Good lighting

More Examples of Great 2020 Time Capsules

 

Part 2: Write an Artist Statement

Submit an artist statement of at least 150 words to go along with your time capsule. It should be written in paragraph form and answer the following questions:

• What objects have you selected for your time capsule?
• Why did you pick these objects?
• On what date will the time capsule be opened? 
• What is special about this date? 
• What do think Rochester will be like then? 
• How do you think the people of the future will react to the items in the time capsule?

Today we will:

• Use negative space and alignment/proximity to create an attractive flay lay photo of a 2020 time capsule
• Write an artist statement of at least 150 words to go along with your time capsule. It should be written in paragraph form and answer the questions in this blog post
• Submit BOTH the photograph and the artist statement in Google Classroom

 

Multiple Mes: Using layers to create a realistic scene in Photopea

Today’s essential question: How can I use layers to create a realistic scene with a foreground, middle ground, and background in Photopea?

Click here to access Photopea on your Chromebook or computer. It is a free version of Photoshop.

I created this photo of puppies on vacation with many layers in Photopea:

Here is what the layers palette looks like:

Here is a step by step process for building the scene with layers:

Using foreground, middle ground, and background will help your characters look like they are actually in the scene, versus on top of an existing image. How will you use layers in Photopea to create a realistic environment? What are some things you could add to your foreground?

Removing the Backgrounds from your images using Photopea

This week’s essential question: How can I remove the background from the pictures I have taken of my Multiple Mes clones?

How to remove the background from the pictures of your clones in Photopea:

1. Go to Photopea.com on your Chromebook or computer.
2. Open the photo of your first clone in Photopea (File -> Open)
3. Use the eraser tool  to erase the background around your clone.
   If it gives you an error message saying that the layer must be rasterized, right click on the layer in the layers palette on the lower rights side of the screen and select “Rasterize” from the options that pop up.
4. Then to save the file and post it to your blog, go to File -> Export As -> PNG

Repeat this for the rest of your clones, then post them to your class blog and upload them to Google Classroom.

Please email me with any questions. Try to include screen shots if possible.

New Project: Multiple Mes

Essential Question:  How can I tell a story with a digital collage in Adobe Photoshop?

Today we will introduce our next project, a Multiple Mes Photoshop Collage. We will photograph ourselves and our classmates, and then build a scene in Photopea that tells a story using these photos. You will create your own background by combining images you have taken yourself with images you have found online.

Here are some examples of past student work:

Credit: Aleesa

Credit: Mokhtar

Credit: Oliver

Credit: Madeline

Credit: Charlese

Credit: Alyssa

Credit: Akirah

Credit: Asher

Credit: Nicky

Project Requirements:

• Created in Adobe Photoshop
• Minimum size: 8×10″ @ 300 DPI
• Original, realistic scene created from a minimum of ten images
  • Minimum of 3 clones photographed during class
  • Background created from a variety of images taken by student or downloaded from the internet (minimum 3000 x 2400 pixels). Any internet images must be noticeably modified to create your own unique scene.
  • Realistic background, middle ground, and foreground created through use of Photopea layers
  • No copyrighted characters
• High Quality Craftsmanship
  • No pixelation
  • Background cleanly removed
  • Images Photographed from appropriate angles
  • Lighting matches up
  • Scale and proportion makes sense
• Final Blog post includes:
  • PNG of final image
  • 150 word Artist Statement

 

Day 24: Secret