Photoshop

2nd project is a tad late, but been real busy with work and Philosophy class. The final was on Saturday and i spent most of the week playing catch up thanks to my work schedule. Also my computer monitor recently died so I scrambled for a way to get my work done, and then realized my HDTV could suffice...and I must say I love it. Sure the resolution aint as great but its nice and big.

Today's topic is Photoshop! Gather round boys and girls as I explain the Pros, cons and grey area of the revolutionary tool known as Photoshop.

A magnificently helpful website for those just learning/new to photoshop is http://psd.tutsplus.com/  This site has tons of different tutorials on how to use the tools Photoshop gives you. There is no tutorial itself in photoshop (maybe in the newer versions but none I own) and I found this site incredibly helpful. As an example I'm going to link everyone to a rather basic but still pretty cool tutorial and explain some of the tools used.  

This particular tutorial is one I've used quite a few times in my work when doing cityscapes, http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/photo-effects-tutorials/cityscape-concept-art/  Now this blog post is about the program itself, but since I can't really show/explain the program without showing it in class I'm using this website as a sort of mirror for it.  I won't go into detail in how to render/paint things like this since the tutorial does an excellent job doing that, I will however consider the struggles implementing this for students (As I myself have experienced many) talk about the trade offs and biases this program creates.

Now I'm assuming everyones checked the tutorial page and glanced over it, if you haven't, do so now please. It's broken down into steps and offers the tools/ideas on how to start the work. Go on soak it up, take it all in. Got it? good, now I assume all of us are aware of the power of photoshop, it can render some incredibly beautiful drawings. Heres another by one of my idols who inspired me to go into concept art. He's not a big name, he's just doin his job and I love it.
Here: http://andyparkart.deviantart.com/

Pros: Speed, cleanliness, reproduction, variation, clarity

Photoshop and other programs like it are fast. You can make some amazing work in just a few hours. Its clean, its all digital and there's no mess. You can save a work, print it as many times as need be, email it, save copies, and alter each one. Each piece is completely re-workable, and the resolution you can work at can be crystal clear or murky if you so choose. Speed is key in the art department, at least in our modern age. Concept artists are tasked with a rather large scale drawing, and given short deadlines because the programs allow it. Time is money.

If I keep gushing, this post will never end.

Now that we've seen the pro's, lets look at some of the cons.

 Photoshop itself does not come with any physical tools like a drawing Tablet, this comes out of your pocket and is rather pricey. In order to achieve the best results, a Tablet is a necessity.

A tablet for photoshop (and other similar programs) costs upwards of $300.00. Mine was a Medium sized Intuos 4 from Wacom (a better brand) and cost me $400, they just get more expensive the higher quality tablet you buy. This is a major trade off, most schools would not be willing to shell out 300 dollars per student, and even if they did, their not the most durable of tools. Proper care is necessary otherwise it can get ruined. This pricetag is also a major divide for students, I myself had to save up for quite awhile and was already in my 3rd year of college before I had enough. (400 isn't much in the grand scheme but Drake was already very expensive, add apartment costs, living expenses, food etc and I had almost no money to save at all.) Thats just the start though, Photoshop itself is very costly. I'm using Photoshop Cs3, I want CS4 and dont care about Cs5 since its not much of an upgrade, but i payed a few hundred dollars for mine. The newer ones run much higher, and unless you procure one by shady means, the program itself is far too expensive for the average student. I use myself as a basis, and Dirt poor is average.

Things can be too clean. Theres no mess, no physical memory of hand gestures that the artists touch can be lost completely. What makes each painting by the old masters is their hand. Each gesture, swipe with the brush, is instantly removed in photoshop. The work itself can be burned, dodged, layered, lightened, darkened, and resized at the press of a button. It really feels like cheating some times. I really dislike that side of digital work. It removes the soul of the work. It may look awesome, but its also instantly changeable and polished.

Digital work is not forever. If your computer crashes (mine did) You can lose everything (I did T-T )  and what do you have to show? Nothing. Your work can be copied, stolen, and reworked thanks to the internet. Nothing lasts, and on the internet, your work sinks into the vast sea of digital art. With the insane possibilities photoshop gave us, it also took one of our greatest attributes, Uniqueness.

Another Trade off on photshops behalf is the flatness. Even if you draw/paint a piece in photoshop, the only way to view it is on a computer screen. Or any digital media device, which, automatically flattens its perspective. Theres no dynamism, no real depth, textures are all implied, there is no REAL texture.

The next position I want to take is on the Bias of Photoshop.
Photoshop, and programs like it, create some really nasty biases. First of all that you don't necessarilly need to know how to draw. Thats complete BS, but with the crazy tools available not entirely untrue. Got a photo of a loved one and want to make a portrait? Scan it, and select a filter. Bam, instant drawing. There so good too that even some artists have a hard time telling if its real or not. The software cheapens the arts. Is that a bad thing? yes and No, I myself think that many artists sit on their high horse thinking their the best, and love it when the average joe knocks them down a few notches. However it also really hurts true artists, the competition and tools needed for them to get a job in the field are so vast and expensive, that its really hard to choke down. Now just having immense skill with pen and paper isn't enough. You need so many different programs its silly.

Photoshop also creates a bias against dirty art, or rough work as its called. People are forsaking classical instruction for purely digital tools and its becoming a major problem in my opinion. When you take advanced drawing in some places (mainly schools that revolve around art, or schools that are set up for designers) your only really given digital tools. Hand them a pen and paper and their lost. The quality of their work is no more.

Models and life drawing is becoming more scarce. A lot of models have transitioned to digital means and charge for photographs etc, which is better for them money wise, but bad for artists. They lose so much when looking at digital media. Unconciously they don't realize it, but when you lose so much just using the digital media, your work is also devoid of those aspects.

Another bias is because most people work digitally, they have no idea the vast amount of tools that physical media offers. Charcoal, ink, watercolors, their all emulated now in photoshop, but you don't USE them the same way. The digital versions are speed efficient, and clean. The effects are similar but never the same as the actual media. We're trading off a really important aspect of the arts themselves by going digital.

Ok I think thats enough for now on Photoshop, i'll have a new blog up soon I promise!.