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Robert Jones
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Delaware County
Community College


Student work Links Blog	GRA Students Please send me an e-mail requesting the information you would like to be able to access at this location. Email me! NOTES What is four-color process? What's a halftone dot? Do I create an image in RGB or CMYK? What are Spot colors and when should I use them in a project? What's the best resolution to use when scanning an image? How do I make smooth curves using the Pen Tool? Why do I have to draw thumbnail sketches and rough layouts before working on the computer? Why is sketching important? How do I achieve better concepts with my design projects? What is a morgue or swipe file? Oh, excuse me, perhaps you prefer "Image Database."	QUESTIONS BY COURSES (Coming soon) GRA 122 2D Design GRA 133 Drawing I GRA 136 Drawing as Design Process GRA 208 Computer Illustration GRA 211 Digital Imaging GRA 215 Typography GRA 227 Web Graphics GRA 230 Graphic Design I GRA 231 Graphic Design II GRA 232 Portfolio Seminar



	ANSWERS

	What is four-color process? Four-color process is a printing process that uses four colors of ink, Cyan. Magenta, Yellow and Black to achieve an optical range of thousands of colors.	Example of four-color printing



	What's a halftone dot? The creation of halftone dots for reproducing optical values or shades of a single color of ink in a printed piece is a process called "halftoning". By varying the size or density of dots, the eye can see a shade somewhere between the solid colour and the colour of the background paper. This halftone effect has its limits for when the dots get too small or spaced too far apart the eye can start seeing the individual dots, such as in newpaper printing.	Halftone dot Haltones SPI, PPI, DPI, LPI


	RGB or CMYK? It depends on the final output. Will it be for print reproduction (CMYK) or for display on a computer monitor or video display (RGB). If your client has a limited budget, you might just have to work with spot colors, which don't exactly fit into either catorgory. see below.	Warning: Switching from RGB to CMYK will generally lose color information (the colors will become grayer), however, coverting a CMYK image to RGB will display no noticable shifts in color. The reason for these changes is RGB is a much bigger color space or color gamut.


	Spot colors Spot colors are specially mixed inks that come in a rainbow of colors, including some speciality inks such as metallic and flourescent. Unlike CMYK or process color which creates colors by laying down layer of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black in varying amounts on the printed page, spot colors are pre-mixed and applied individually to the printed page. Each spot color requires its own plate on the press. Because a varnish requires a separate plate it is considered a spot color, too. If you are planning to print an image with spot colors, you need to create spot channels to store the colors. To export spot channels, save the file in DCS 2.0 format or PDF. Spot colors are overprinted on top of the fully composited image. Each spot color is overprinted in the order it appears in the Channels palette.	Example of spot color PANTONE spot vs. process color


	What's the best resolution to use when scanning an image? Well, the best answer I can give is, "It depends." It depends what you plan to do with the image, is it for print, on a printing press, a proofing device, or a large-format printer, or is it intended for screen display? The answer to the latter question is generally 72 ppi.	Photoshop's Image Size Dialog Box


	How do I make smooth curves using Illustrator's Pen Tool? Learn the five basic rules for working with Bezier curves.	Using the Pen tool (Quicktime Movie) Not ready for PrimeTime Pen Tool Rules!


	Why sketching is important? General sketching exercises your hand-eye coordination. It is also valuable in aiding you to observe the world as an artist sees it Thumbnail sketching to work out your concepts before sitting at the computer will not only save you from wasting time at the computer but you need to develope the skill of thinking-with-your-pencil. in this business of design, ideas are what sells. You need to develope your idea gneration skills and putting your thoughts down on paper quickly will make you a valuable asset to your employer. Computer skills are an asset, but ideas/concepts are more important!	Sketching thumbnails


	How do I achieve stronger concepts for my design projects? There are many fine books on the subject listed here: Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative-Thinking Techniques by Michael Michalko Cracking Creativity: The Secrets of Creative Genius by Michael Michalko Lateral Thinking: Creativity Step by Step by Edward de Bono Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono Caffeine for the Creative Mind: 250 Exercises to Wake Up Your Brain by Stefan Mumaw and Wendy Lee A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative by Roger von Oech Creative Whack Pack (a card game) by Roger Von Oech Creative Sparks: An Index of 150+ Concepts, Images and Exercises to Ignite Your Design Ingenuity by Jim Krause Thinking Creatively by Robin Landa OR Try some of the suggestions at the right.	Concept generation


	What is a morgue or swipe file? It's simply a collection of images or reference materials you save to a file cabinet, either paper or digital. Many artist and designers keep such files for ideas and to be inspired creatively but image they respond to strongly.








August 21, 2008 10:32 PM