02.06 Atmospheric Perspective Assignment

Assignment Deliverables

1. Photoshop psd document with all layers and adjustments intact
   • Label file YYYY-MM-DD Lastname Firsname Atmospheric Perspective.psd
2. Exported jpg or png of completed image
   • Label file YYYY-MM-DD Lastname Firsname Atmospheric Perspective.jpg
3. Description of process and self assessment docx or pdf
   • Label file YYYY-MM-DD Lastname Firsname Atmospheric Perspective Self Assessment

Assignment Overview ¹

Key Concepts

• Atmospheric Perspective
• Illusion of Depth
• Compositional Clarity and Emphasis

Using Spatial Organization for Clarity and Focus

Beyond the illusion of depth, the concept of atmospheric perspective can be used to clarify a busy composition and help draw the eye to a focal point within the image.

Even artists that work in very abstract styles use the human perception of atmospheric perspective to separate and clarify elements in their work. Graphic Artists use the idea of atmospheric perspective for clarity and focus in design. For example, the logo in an advertisement may be highly saturated yet the background is low contrast and low color saturation. This make the view look at the logo or product rather than the background yet allows for the background to give “context” to the product being sold.

Create Final Composition

• Aim for a size of at least 11”x14”, but it can be any size larger. Remember use at least 360 dpi resolution and to select Adobe RGB for the color space.
• Be sure to work in this created ~11”x14” document and not in one of your image files. If you start working on your project in one of your image files and the image is low resolution then your entire project will be low resolution.
• Create several distinct levels of depth in your piece. You should have at least 4 different levels of depth. This is different than the “layers” in Photoshop. You may have more than one layer at the same “depth level” in your composition.
• It is a good idea to make selections of different objects from your photographs. Then copy these selections of objects without backgrounds into a single Photoshop document. That way you can manipulate the individual objects with respect to scale, color, contrast, etc.
• Arrange your elements into an effective composition. Think of your elements as shapes and arrange them so they move your eye to an intended focal point. Don’t forget about scale, perspective and overlap. It can be a good idea to have elements extend off the “page” or borders of the Photoshop document in this case.
• Use all of the atmospheric perspective techniques (variation in color saturation, value contrast and focus) to further clarify your design and emphasize your focal point.
• Use photographic elements only, no drawing or painting.

Process

1. Submit a .psd file with all of the layers still visible.
2. Label the .psd file YYYYMMDD Lastname Firstname Atmospheric Perspective Project.psd
3. Also submit a .jpg of your image saved from Photoshop. This file will not have layers since it is a jpg.
4. Label the .jpg file YYYYMMDD Lastname Firstname Atmospheric Perspective Project Export.jpg
5. Note: When saving the .jpg make sure to choose jpg as the type of file in the Save as… dialog box and not just type jpg in the filename. If you do not choose jpg and only type the file extension, it won’t work, you will save a Photoshop document with the wrong file extension.
6. If you used any images that you did not originally create, make a folder labeled YYYYMMDD Lastname Firstname Public Domain Images
7. Put all of the images that are not yours into this folder
8. Put a PDF in the folder that lists the sources of any images that are not yours. Label this PDF YYYYMMDD Lastname Firstname Public Domain Image Sources.pdf
9. Finally, put the PSD, the JPG and the folder of Public Domain images all into a folder labeled YYYYMMDD Lastname Firstname Atmospheric Perspective Project
10. You can compress this folder as a .zip file for easy uploading.

Write Self-Assessment

Examine your image. Write a brief written self assessment of your project results.

• What were the 4 levels of depth that you put in your composition? Which levels work better than others? Why?
• Did you show asmospheric perspective? What techiques did you use?
• Does your composition have focus and clarity? Why or why not? What visual decisions did you make to make the composition have a clear focal point and visual weight?
• What is your favorite part of the project?
• What is your least favorite part of the project?
• Looking at your composition again, what stands out? Does the atmospheric perspective work well? Are there places it is less successful? What would you change about it if you had more time to work on it?

Grading Rubric

References