Digital Photography and Imaging - Project 1A &1B: Collage Design

Digital Photography and Imaging - Project 1A &1B: Collage Design

22.4.2026-20.5.2026 / Week 1-Week 5

LOW YU KAI / 0381377
Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media

Digital Photography and Imaging GCD63104
Taylor's University

Project 1: Collage

Table of Contents(Click To Scroll):

1. Lecture

Week 1: INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY & IMAGING

Why do we need to learn Photoshop?

Adobe Photoshop is one of the most powerful tools for photo editing, image manipulation, digital art, and visual content creation.

It is commonly used in the creative industry and in many other jobs.

With Photoshop, you can:

Express creativity

Create a graphic design

Restoration of old images

Integrate graphics with text artistically

Make use of brushes

Change photo color

Rectify mistakes in photographs

etc.

Fig 1.1 Examples of Photoshop Artworks

Before Photoshop, people in the 1850s discovered photograph manipulation.

Fig 1.2 Photograph Manipulation

Photographers combined multiple images on one negative, captivating the curiosity and creativity. It involves transforming or altering a photograph using various methods.

The Invention of Photoshop: Digital Imaging

Digital imaging converts the printed text, artwork, and photographs into digital images using a digital scanner or another imaging device.

More detail: Digital Imaging - Everything You Need To Know - NFI

Fig 1.3 Digital Imaging Techniques & Purpose

Top 10 Tips for a Successful Designer

Follow The Tutorials in Class

Experiment

Memorize All Keyboard Shortcuts

Try to be inspired by others' work

Do Participate in Design Competitions

Subscribe to Online Gallery

Smart Objects for Smart Designers

Scaling Artwork and Proportions

Use Actions to Personalize Work

Organize the Files Properly

Summary:

For beginners, Photoshop provides a strong foundation in visual editing and creative thinking.

For more advanced users, it continues to offer deeper tools and techniques for professional design and image-making.

Week 2: COMPOSITION & VISUAL HIERARCHY

Composition, unlike style or color, is not about decoration; it's about organization.

What is a‘Composition’?
• The arrangement of visual elements (shapes,
lines, text, colors, images) within a frame.
▪ It directs attention.
▪ Establishes relationships among elements.
▪ Creates a sense of order, movement, and story.
• Good composition can sometimes be tension or
imbalance, not always mean "equal or pretty."

Composition can determine whether your design looks professional or amateur.

Fig 1.4 Good vs Bad Composition

Principles of Compositions:

Balance
Symmetrical: The elements are evenly distributed on both sides, creating a sense of stability, formality, and tranquility.
Asymmetrical: Although the elements are arranged irregularly, they still feel visually balanced.
Radial: The elements are arranged around the central point, which is common in circular designs.
Fig 1.5 Diagonal Balance

Rule of Thirds
A composition technique that divides the image into a 3 × 3 grid. Placing the main subject on the grid lines or the intersections creates better visual interest and balance.
Fig 1.6 Rule of Thirds

Framing & Negative Space
Use objects around the subject to guide attention to the subject.
The white space around the main subject makes the design look simpler and less crowded.

Fig 1.7 Negative Space

Contrast
By using differences in elements such as color, size, and shape. Highlight important parts of a design and improve visibility.
Fig 1.8 Contrast

Visual Hierarchy
Big-Medium-Small Framework
The order in which the eye perceives information. • Without it, the viewer doesn’t know where to start.
Creates flow: Big → Medium → Small.
Fig 1.9 Visual Hierarchy

Week 3: INTRODUCTION TO PHOTOSHOP

I have used and self-studied Photoshop as a hobby before, so I understand most of the concepts, tools, and functions, etc. So I will skip some basic parts that I already learned and
proficient in, and explain them more in :

Selection & Photoshop Interface

Marquee & Select Tools
Photoshop includes multiple selection tools.
“Select and Mask” is a way to refine selections.

The Lasso Tool allows users to manually draw selections around parts of an image. It works similarly to drawing with a pencil.

Lasso Tool: Freehand selections

Polygonal Lasso Tool: Straight-edged selections

Magnetic Lasso Tool: Automatically snaps to image edges

Week 4: ADJUSTMENT LAYER & FILTER

When you add an adjustment layer to an image, a new layer will appear above the image, and a "Properties" panel corresponding to the adjustment type you selected will pop up. The "Properties" panel allows you to modify the image adjustment layer.

Fig 1.10 Adjustment Layer
Fig 1.11 Filter

Edit your photos using filters. Filters can change colors, add blur effects, or create entirely new images.

2. Instructions

3. Processwork
Exercises
1:
Strictly speaking, this wasn't an official exercise; Mr. Max mainly explained the operation interface settings of Photoshop and basic functions like selection, export, and save, etc. This "practice work" mainly utilized the knowledge I had previously mastered (such as filters, selections, copying, etc.).
Fig 2.1 Exercise 1

2:
In Exercise 2, Mr. Max mainly taught the use of selection tools and methods for creating masks. After combining the content of the two images, due to personal preferences, I added shadows, motion blur, and slight color adjustments.
Fig 2.2 Exercise 2

3:
In Exercise 3, Mr. Max mainly explained knowledge about cropping and composition, and asked us to add the Marvel Captain to the background to create a poster.

Fig 2.3 Exercise 3

4:
In Exercise 4, Mr. Max mainly explained how to use the refine hair tool within the select and mask tool to more perfectly select and isolate a character with complex hair from the background and place it onto a new solid color background.

Fig 2.4 Exercise 4

5:
In Exercise 5, Mr. Max mainly explained how to use adjustment tools to adjust the color of photos. Before that, I had always been using Camera Raw or Lightroom to adjust color or exposure, although I had studied it myself before, I still thought Mr. Max taught me many things about Photoshop that I didn't know.

Fig 2.4 Exercise 4

Week 1-2: TASK 1A Physical Collage

Based on the instructions given, I created three physical collage designs from the magazine that I got, and next, using CamScanner to finish digital documentation.

For the first composition, I want to show the feeling of characters being "struck" by music in this work, using various shapes to interweave. Also, I chose to use various speakers surrounding him, just like the different sections of an orchestra producing sounds, and make him look like a conductor, lost in the music.
PRE-COMPOSITION #1
'Equalization Waveforms'

For the second composition, I was attracted by all the variously shaped speakers inside the magazine, so I wanted to take everything out of the magazine and try to fill the canvas with all kinds of geometric shapes, making it look like a real catalog.

PRE-COMPOSITION #2
'Catalog'

For the third composition, I mix the previous two ideas, primarily emphasizing the "Perfect Sound Vision" produced by these sounds and figures. While he is being blindfolded, it also signifies a greater focus on music, much like how sometimes we become completely immersed in music, closing our eyes to feel and ignoring all external distractions around us.

PRE-COMPOSITION #3
'The Perfect Sound Vision'

Based on Mr. Max’s feedback, I selected No.3, 'The Perfect Sound Vision,' as the final composition.

FINAL COMPOSITION
'The Perfect Sound Vision'

Week 3: TASK 1B Digital Collage

In this task, we need to use the provided limited materials to create three purely digital works

For the first composition, I combined oversized fish, plant leaves, and differently scaled human figures inside a modern building. The surreal arrangement makes the indoor space feel like another world where nature and fantasy overpower normal reality. The glowing fish and enlarged plants create a dreamlike atmosphere that transforms an ordinary urban environment into something imaginative and impossible. I want to express the idea of a hidden world existing beyond everyday life. By changing the scale of objects and blending nature with architecture, the artwork suggests that imagination can break the limits of reality. The giant fish symbolize freedom and beauty, while the plants represent life growing even within artificial urban spaces.
PRE-COMPOSITION #1
'World Beyond'

For the second composition, I transformed a fish into a spiral structure inspired by a nautilus shell. By repeating the fish’s fins and body in a continuous circular pattern, the artwork creates a hypnotic visual effect that blends organic life with geometric repetition. The spiral expands outward while still drawing the audience's eye inward toward the center, creating movement. I want to express the connection between nature, mathematics, and infinity. The spiral form symbolizes the endless cycle of life. Using the fish to suggest natural forms. The artwork explores how something alive can develop and evolve a structured and almost perfect mathematical design.
Original Idea
PRE-COMPOSITION #2
'Nautilus'

For the third composition, I created this artwork by repeating the rule of thirds grid in circular forms. Thin geometric lines intersect repeatedly across the black background, forming a tunnel-like composition that draws the audience's eyes toward the center, where a typewriter is placed. The combination of mathematical construction and the typewriter creates a connection between visual order and creative expression. Concept Ideas： I want to use more creative and bold methods with limited materials. So I saw the guiding grid of the rule of thirds composition and wanted to use it by using its simple lines to create more attractive graphic elements. The typewriter at the center symbolizes creativity, storytelling, and human thought, while the outer lines symbolize geometry, order, and laws. I want the outer circle to act as a graphic similar to a 'speaker' or 'eye,' serving to emphasize the central graphic.
PRE-COMPOSITION #3
'Rule of Thirds'

Based on Mr. Max’s feedback, I selected No.2, 'Nautilus'
as the final composition.

FINAL COMPOSITION
'Nautilus'

4. Feedback
TASK 1A

Based on the 3 pre-compositions, I would recommend Pre-Composition #3: “The Perfect Sound Vision” as the strongest final design for Task 1A Collage Design. Compared to the other two, this composition has the clearest connection between the human subject, the speaker elements, and the concept of being fully immersed in sound. The figure’s upward pose creates a strong emotional focus, while the speakers surrounding him work like a wall or halo of sound. The strip across the eyes is also effective because it suggests that the subject is “blindfolded” from the outside world and focusing more deeply on music. Overall, this design feels the most complete, expressive, and conceptually resolved.

For Pre-Composition #1: “Equalization Waveforms,” the concept is interesting because it presents Kitarō as someone surrounded by sound, almost like a conductor immersed in music. The radial arrangement of speakers around the central figure helps create energy and movement, and the upward gaze gives the subject a dramatic feeling. However, the composition feels slightly too scattered because many speaker elements are floating around the figure with different sizes and angles. The idea is strong, but the visual flow could be more controlled so the viewer’s eye does not move too randomly around the page.

For Pre-Composition #2: “Catalog,” the dense arrangement of speakers creates a strong visual rhythm and clearly communicates the idea of audio equipment and geometric forms. The repeated circles, boxes, and vertical speaker shapes make the design visually rich. However, this composition feels more like a product catalogue or collection of speakers rather than a concept-driven collage. There is less emotional focus because there is no human figure or strong narrative element. The central speaker works as a focal point, but the overall design needs a stronger story to make it more memorable.

For Pre-Composition #3: “The Perfect Sound Vision,” this is the strongest option because it successfully combines the strengths of the first two compositions. The human figure gives the artwork emotion and identity, while the surrounding speakers create a clear environment of sound. The text strip across the eyes is a strong symbolic detail because it visually communicates the idea of shutting out distractions and feeling music more deeply. The contrast between the organic human figure and the rigid speaker shapes also makes the composition more visually interesting. To improve it further, the student can refine the spacing around the head and speaker elements so the figure remains the clearest focal point, and make sure the eye-covering text strip is neatly aligned.

Therefore, the final chosen design should be Pre-Composition #3: “The Perfect Sound Vision.” It is the strongest because it has the clearest focal point, best connection between concept and composition, and the most effective use of framing around the subject. With minor refinement in cutting, layering, and spacing, this composition has the best potential to become a strong final collage design.

TASK 1B

For your Task 1B Digital Collage, the strongest final design choice is Composition #2 — “Nautilus.” Among the three compositions, this design feels the most original, visually striking, and conceptually memorable as your final digital collage. Your decision to transform the fish into a spiral structure creates a very strong focal point, and the repeated fish forms give the artwork a hypnotic movement that immediately captures attention. The concept of connecting nature, mathematics, infinity, and the cycle of life is also clear and interesting. Compared to the other two compositions, this one feels more unique because you are not only arranging collage elements, but also transforming one image into a new visual system.

For Composition #1 — “World Beyond,” your concept of a hidden world inside a modern building is imaginative and visually pleasant. The oversized fish, plants, and differently scaled human figures help create a surreal feeling, and the contrast between organic forms and the building interior works well. The big fish on the right is also a strong focal point because of its bright colour and scale. However, the composition still feels closer to a surreal scene arrangement, where the objects are placed into the space but not fully transformed. You can improve this by making the fish, plants, and people interact more strongly with the architecture so the “hidden world” idea becomes even clearer.

For Composition #2 — “Nautilus,” your strongest point is the use of repetition and radial composition. The spiral naturally guides the viewer’s eye from the outer fish head into the centre, creating strong movement while still keeping the layout balanced. The turquoise and blue tones stand out clearly against the rough white textured background, making the form visually powerful. This composition also shows stronger experimentation because you changed the original fish into something symbolic and mathematical. To improve further, you can refine the edges and spacing of the repeated fish forms so the spiral feels cleaner and more polished, especially near the centre where the details become very tight.

For Composition #3 — “Rule of Thirds,” your idea of turning the rule of thirds grid into the main visual structure is creative and bold. The thin glowing lines against the black background create a futuristic tunnel effect, and the typewriter in the centre gives the image a clear focal point. However, compared to Composition #2, this design feels more graphic and abstract, but slightly less connected to the collage materials and storytelling. The typewriter is meaningful as a symbol of creativity, but it could be integrated more strongly with the surrounding grid so it does not feel too isolated in the centre. You can improve this by adjusting scale, lighting, or adding more visual interaction between the typewriter and the circular lines.

Therefore, I would recommend Composition #2 as your final design because it has the strongest visual identity, most effective use of repetition, and clearest transformation of the original material into a new concept. It successfully combines organic form with mathematical structure, making the final outcome feel creative and memorable. For final refinement, you should clean up the repeated edges, enhance the centre of the spiral so it remains readable, and make sure the overall contrast stays balanced. Overall, Composition #2 is the most effective and promising final direction.

5. Reflection
I learned a lot from this exercise. Even though I had used Photoshop for a long time before, the extra knowledge gained in class was very rewarding. I think what I learned most was how to achieve the same result in different ways. For example, making an image brighter can be achieved not only using grayscale but also using curve tools. We don't have to limit ourselves, which made me deeply realize how important Photoshop's features are in the design industry. In this module, I think I still have some shortcomings. I think I need to arrange my time more reasonably to complete tasks on time, since I also do part-time work on weekends, so I need to manage my time more reasonably.

Comments