In this lesson, students gain experience with:

• The process of conceptualizing a visual illustration.
• Working with design issues: color, composition, text, and imagery.
• Using Photoshop Elements tools and layers to combine images and text.

In this class project, each student gets a fortune cookie and is challenged to create a collage that illustrates the message. Here is an example from one student who received a fortune that read: “Thoughts are mirrored in your eyes. Keep them beautiful.”

The student began by brainstorming on paper; jotting a list of ideas and sketching out some possibilities. To acquire his source pictures, he went to several websites that offer free images for non-commercial use.

Using numerous imaging techniques, he created an illusion of a Greek goddess peering into a glowing mirror.

1. Open an image file that you would like to use as your background.
   In this case, it is a photo of clouds in the sky.
   
   Choose: File>Open
   Navigate to your desired file and open it.
   
2. Next, you will add a picture.
   In this case, it is a Greek goddess sculpture.
   
   Choose: File> Open.
   Navigate to your desired file and open it.
   Two files are currently open: the sky picture and the sculpture picture.
   
3. The sculpture picture has 2 heads, one frontal and one profile.
   First you will select the profile head. Locate the rectangular marquee in the tool bar
   
   Click once on the rectangular marquee to select it.
   Draw a rectangular selection around the profile head
   
   Copy and paste the profile into the sky picture:
   Choose: Edit> Copy
   Click on the sky picture
   Choose: Edit> Paste
   
   Notice that pasting puts the picture on its own independent layer.
   
4. Reposition the profile using the move tool.
   Locate the move tool in the tool bar.
   
   Click once on the move tool to select it.
   Next, click on the profile and drag it to the right side of the canvas.
   
   Using the move tool, you can reposition an element by dragging it around the canvas, and you can resize it using one of the corner handles.
5. Next, you will clean away the black background of the profile using the magic eraser. The magic eraser is the third eraser in the drop-down set.
   
   Click once on the magic eraser to select it. Make sure that you are on Layer 1 (the profile layer), then click on the black background area of the profile to make it disappear. This technique always works very nicely with a solid color background.
   
   
6. Repeat steps 3 through 5 and put the other head on the left side.
   
   To flip the layer, choose: Image> Rotate> Flip Layer Horizontal.
   The head now faces the other direction.
7. Next, you will create a circle shape around the head. You will apply 3D effects to the circle, making it look like a glowing mirror.
   
   Locate the custom shape tool in the tool bar.
   
   Click once on the custom shape tool to select it.
   Set the foreground color to black.
   
   In the options bar, click on the drop-down menu to reveal all the preset shapes. You will see a small assortment of shapes. You can display many more shapes by clicking on the small triangle, which triggers a fly-out menu. Choose to display All Element Shapes.
   
   Select the thick circular ring toward the middle of the list.
   
   Draw a circular shape so that it frames the head.
   Make it an oval around the face.
   
   The new shape comes in as an independent layer. Using the move tool, you can reposition or resize the oval or the head. It is OK to cross over the edge of the canvas.
8. It is time to add a 3D effect to the oval. First, click on the oval to make sure that it is selected.
   Choose: Window> Styles and Effects
   
   A palette of colorful buttons will open up. Click on any button to apply that effect to your oval.
   
   
   The sample shown here is called Groovy.
   
9. In order to really make it look like a mirror, you must erase the outside edges of the head.
   
   The eraser tool is the first eraser in the drop-down set.
   
   Click once on the eraser tool to select it. Make sure that you are on Layer 2, then erase all the edges of the head except for the inner-most reflection.
   
10. Next, you will colorize the reflection in gold.
    Choose: Enhance> Adjust Color> Adjust Hue/Saturation
    
    Check the colorize check box in the lower right hand corner.
    Adjust the sliders until you achieve the colorization you like best.
11. Finally, add your fortune cookie text.
    Locate the type tool in the tool bar.
    
    Click once on the type tool to select it. Then, click on the canvas wherever you want the type to appear.
    
    Type the desired words and use the return key to begin each new line of text. The text comes in as an independent layer.
    
    To modify the text, highlight the words and change the font, style, size and color in the options bar. Use the move tool to move the text around on the canvas.
    
    The collage is now complete.
    
    Because each element of this collage is on an independent layer, you can reposition, resize, and even change your effects to fine-tune the composition.

Additional samples