Preparing File Structure
Before we actually get started with the application, I want to go over some good digital housekeeping. I’ll be talking about this in the context of Photoshop right now, but we’ll be applying this to all of the applications that we’re talking about in this series.
Folders are your best friend. Use folders, and give them names that actually make sense. For example, for this class, let’s go and make a folder called ‘CMN210’. Put this folder somewhere that you’ll be able to find it again easily . This can be on your desktop, or documents, or anywhere else that you want really. Inside this folder, we’re going to make a folder called “Photoshop”. This is going to be where we put all of the files for this workshop as we go through it.
Now with that made, I’m going to direct you to download the folder I’ve prepared for you that has all of the images and assets that you’ll need. This will be a compressed .zip folder so you can download it more easily. You’ll have to unzip this folder in order to use the contents, but your computer should dot his automatically. When you have it open, copy the contents into your Photoshop folder.
Download Assets FolderFor bigger projects, I would go through and sort my assets better. When I’m working on a video essay, I have a folder for all my photos, and a few folders for different types of video I’m using so I can find them more easily as I work. For this one though, we’re find with just the one folder. We’ll go over this again for Premiere and Audition when we get there.
Finding Images
Now the best way to make sure you have exactly the images that you want is to take them yourself! But sometimes you just don’t have the time to go out and take some photos, or just don’t have the resources for the photos that you do need.
To paraphrase my coding prof when I was in undergrad “don’t reinvent the wheel. If you can find exactly what you need online, use it as long as you’re able to”. Digital rights are always something to keep in mind with this though, so even when an image is stated as being free to use, document and cite where you got in from in some way. I like to do this with a .txt file I keep in the directory. While a little overkill, it can also be helpful if you accidentally make a change to the original image, and you need to know where to go to get it again.
While we do have a folder with all of the files you’ll need for this workshop, you can feel free to replace any of them that you wish. I use Unsplash for finding high quality, royalty free images, and I highly recommend it. The only source I wouldn’t recommend is AI image generators. The output is often not the best quality, and can be difficult to work with because of that.
Creating a Thumbnail
With all of that covered, let’s get into Photoshop itself! Make sure you have your folder set up with the assets from above, and we’ll be using those while I show you how I go about making thumbnails for videos, like the one you can see below!
(If you want to get extra close to the result, you can install the Rubik font that I use in it here.)
NOTE: If you’re having trouble finding the Quick Selection tool, it may be hidden behind the Object Selection tool. If you right click on the fourth tool down from the top of the toolbar, you will find it there!