To do this assignment you first want to find the picture of the pop star that you want to use. This can be done using Google images.

Once you find the picture you need to save it to your desktop so it can be opened in Pixlr, which is the website that will be used to complete this assignment.

After opening the image in Pixlr you will then choose the wand tool from the toolbar on the left. Using the want tool, select all the space you want to be transparent. For this assignment I used the tool to select the entire background so once I finished the process I was left with an empty background. After selecting all of the space that needs to be transparent you want to go to the edit menu at the top of the page a select ‘Invert Selection’. The next step is to copy the image to your computer’s clipboard and that can be done by either going to the edit menu and choosing ‘Copy’ or pressing the keys CTRL and C on your keyboard.

From there you have to go to the File menu and select ‘New Image’. Give the new photo a different name and check both of the option boxes on the new image box. Once that’s done the new image will open in a new window and all the areas with grey and white checkers are the transparent areas. To save it to use in a different image you save it as a PNG file to keep the transparency of the background.

Next, find the picture you’re going to use for the background. Save it to your desktop and open it in Pixlr. After you have done that open the ‘Layers’ menu and select’New Image As Layer. Then you select the photo of the pop star that you’re using as the subject of your post and once it’s added you can re size it and place it where you’d like it. The final step is to marge the two layers together and save the finished photo to your desktop.

Sources: 

• Ariana Grande photo
• Pixlr
• Landscape photo

This is the second of two tutorials I’m completing for the final week of DS106. The assignment is Birthdays Are The Worst.

Everyone knows that birthdays never live up to expectations. For this assignment, you need to find a picture of yourself where you look upset and use photo editing software to add a birthday hat and party decorations. Bonus points if you’re in a group of people and you’re all wearing hats.

Let’s get started! This tutorial is for those using GIMP. First, find an image you want to use. Remember, you should look upset in this picture. The assignment says bonus points for editing hats onto a group of people, but I’ll just show you one here and then you should be able to do the rest on your own. I will be editing in birthday hats and decorations rather than drawing them.

1. In the top left, click “File” and then click “Open…” Select your picture.
2.  Search online for a birthday hat that you would like to edit into your photo.  Save the image, right click “File” in the upper left corner of GIMP, and open the image of the birthday hat as a layer.
3. If you have whitespace around the image of your hat, use this step to remove it. In GIMP, use the Free Select Tool to outline the image of your hat. Be sure that you have highlighted the layer that contains the hat image on the right hand side. When you have it completely outlined, use Ctrl+c to copy the selected region. Then, click on the layer containing the original image you are editing and use Ctrl+v to paste the hat. If the hat is not the correct size, right click the hat layer on the right hand side and select “Scale layer…” Set the size to whatever you need it to be. You may need to do this a couple times to get it to just the right size.
   
4. Place the hat where you would like it to be. If you’re only adding one hat, then you can ignore this step. If you would like to add more hats, you can do it one of two ways. The first is to find different hats online and follow the steps above. That will add variety to your picture. But since this is a tutorial, I’ll show you how to mess around with the image a bit more. If you would like to use the same hat you just placed, press Ctrl+c and then Ctrl+v while you have it selected to make another copy of it. Move and scale it as needed. If you need to rotate the hat at all, select the Rotate Tool on the left hand side. Click on the selected region/hat you would like to rotate. A grid will be placed over the region, indicating that you are now able to rotate it. Change the angle and you’ll be able to see the grid rotate. As with the scaling tool, you may need to do this a few times to get the perfect angle. 
   
5. You should now have all your hats placed. If you would like to add any decorations, you just follow the same steps above!
6. Click on “File” in the top right, select “Save as…” and save your image in case you want to edit it in GIMP again. Then click “File” again and select “Export as…” Choose the image format you would like to export your image as. JPG or PNG will both embed in WordPress, or you can choose a different format using the pull-down menu above the “Export” button.
7. You’re done! Upload your image, share it on social media, or do whatever else you want to do with it. Let people praise your photo editing skills!

This is the first of two tutorials I’m completing for the final week of DS106. The assignment is 256 Points.

Today, we have the luxury of fast computers with lots of memory and power. However, that wasn’t always the case, and graphics designers had to make due with very limited capabilities. For this assignment, you are to draw a person, vehicle, or otherwise intricate object. The catch is, your image can only be 16 pixels by 16 pixels! Work to express as much detail as possible in the space allotted. If the size is not constraining, you are not setting your standards high enough! Feel free to enlarge the picture before putting it online, but remember that your resolution must still be that of a 16×16 pixel image.

Let’s get started. This tutorial is for those using GIMP.

1. Open GIMP. In the top left, click “File” and select “New…” Set the width and height to 16 pixels. Click “OK”

2) A small white rectangle should appear in the middle of your screen. It will probably be very small, so click on “View” in the top left and set “Zoom” to 1600%. This will ensure that you can easily work on your image pixel by pixel.

3) For this assignment, I recommend using the Pencil tool. Use the down arrow or manually set the size to 1.00. To the left of where it says “1. Pixel,” click on the small box and select the small square. It should be the same image as the box shown in the image below. This will allow you to draw one pixel at a time.

4) This step is optional, but I included it because it makes it easier to plan and draw your image. Select a gray color and quickly move your mouse over the box you will be drawing in. This should allow you to see each individual pixel easier.

5) Select the colors you want to use using the box under the tool selector on the left side of the screen. Begin drawing your image! I decided to draw the more detailed part of my image first before filling in the background.

6) Your image is complete! You should click “File” and then “Save as…” to save your file in case you ever want to come back to it in GIMP. Then, click “File” again and select “Export as…” Use the menu at the bottom (the one that currently says “All export images”) to select the type of file that you would like to save your image as. JPG or PNG both work if you need to upload your image onto WordPress. Then click Export!


7) You’re done! You should now be able to create a 16×16 pixel image in GIMP!