Composition, Collage, Composites

PROF VAUGHN: Okay, this video tutorial is
going to give you some art historical

context for what we're moving into with
Photoshop, and also some basic design

principle theories.

So we're going to talk a little bit about
composition, compositional strategies,

the history of collage, which is where we're
sort of launching off into our digital

collages which we're gonna call
composites, so they're very similar but

they have a couple differences.

Let's start off with composition.

When we're talking about composition,
we're really trying to answer this

question: where do you place your
elements?

We're always thinking about placing our
elements within our composition to get at

the most dynamic interesting look
possible.

There are some, sort of, standards that we
have in design principle.

We have rules, we have compositional
rules.

We have the rule of thirds and we have the
golden rule.

We have framing and implied lines.

We have background colour and
atmosphere, and something we call value.

So we're gonna look at these strategies so
that you can use them in your own work.

The rule of thirds is a really classic
important strategy, typically used in

photography, but we can use it also
because we're using images in Photoshop

and we're starting to add and combine
different elements.

So, in this rule, we're using an imaginary
grid of 9 equal parts, the placement of

your elements at the intersections equals
a more interesting placement for the viewer.

Um, so in this you can imagine you have a
grid, so I've got 2 vertical lines and 2

horizontal lines drawn in black over
these sample images.

Anywhere those lines sort of interact,
where they cross over, so right here,

right here, right here, right here, that is
the most dynamic placement for any

of your objects or subjects.

So you can see in this photograph, our
dog is placed in a really good position.

This vase also, uh, picture, has sort of
been placed in the same position.

Any asymmetrical placement is going to
create something for your viewers eye

to do.

The viewers eye is going to enter the
image plane and give it an opportunity

to travel around the composition, because
this is more dynamic, more energetic, can

have a feeling of tension, even.

So these are kind of those power positions
where you could imagine placing your

objects, elements, subjects, to create the
most dynamic possible position.

Here's another sample, I've got the
imaginary, kind of, grid drawn over this.

You can see we've got our subject placed
over to the left here.

The eye is starting over here because this
is in the foreground, and it is sort of

placed off to the side, so we start here.

We're sort of following the curve of the
landscape, similar tonal value, following

it around, and we very quickly, our eye is
going to go up to this bright spot, notice

this sort of castle is also at a power
position at this intersection, and then

we're going to travel over to this
imaginary, sort of like, dragon creature.

So, very dynamic position because the eye
is travelling around the composition.

Okay, really important classic, kind of,
painting, Edmund Dulac,

this is 'The Little Mermaid.'

Uh, here you can see we have a composition
similarly, things are asymmetrical, they are

placed off to the right.

It is not centered, the subject is a little bit
lower, the horizon line is up about that

middle third if you imagine the imaginary
rule of third grid.

Here gives you a kind of clear picture of,
kind of, how these elements are placed.

The imbalance is good here, so remember
that, you actually want imbalance in

your composition.

If we compared them, I cropped the one on
the right a little bit to make it sort of

centered, the comparison should give
you a good idea.

Here, your eye kind of comes in and it
travels up and it comes back down.

In this very centered image it sort of just
breaks the image plane into 2 parts.

Very boring, very static.

We also have 2 equal parts between the
top, because the horizon line is falling in

the middle, and this bottom section.

So it's very very static.

Our second rule is the golden ratio.

This is the Greek mathematical equation,
it expresses itself as a spiral.

Many of the most famous pieces of art use
this ratio to decide on the placement of

elements, and as a natural way to lead the
eye across the image.

This is very popular in, um, architecture
as well.

The golden ratio, again, it is a
mathematical equation.

Once you know he equation you can use it
to determine the placement and the scale

of certain objects.

Here's a very famous piece, you can see
how that spiral is being expressed in

the shape of the wave.

Many, uh, very important and classic
logos are based on the golden ratio.

So the ratio itself is 1 to 1.618, you can
see how these play out in logos that

you're often very familiar with.

So these all are using a ratio of 1 to
1.168: Chevron, Pepsi, all of these logos

using that golden ratio.

The idea behind the golden ratio is
that it is a mathematical proportion, so

the ratio itself is often found in nature,
think of shells etcetera, things you find

at the beach.

Um, that idea is sort of, uh, being
borrowed by designers to make logos that

feel naturally balanced.