6-30-10
Summer &
Fall 2010 Schedule
Late last year I began
teaching digital photography courses for PV Net or Palos Verdes on the Net. Generally speaking these are not the same
courses I teach for the South Bay Adult School or the Torrance Adult School.
Their structure and/or content is different. The classes are taught in a
building adjacent to the Rancho Palos Verdes City Hall off of Hawthorne Blvd.
PV NET is a non-profit
organization and has been in existence for many years offering courses and
other services. However, they have only recently begun to offer courses in
digital photography. They provide a nice teaching environment and are using
Photoshop Elements 8. Below are the descriptions of class I will be teaching
this summer, as well as those I have recently taught for PV NET. The classes
generally run for five weeks (10 hours of class time)
Taking & Creating Panoramas Using Photoshop Elements 8
This is a short focused class on taking
a different multiple series of pictures and then using Photoshop Elements 8 to
stitch them into panoramas. This class will help you to more fully explore the
panorama stitching capabilities of Elements even if you have used it somewhat
already.
We will meet at the Point Vincente
Interpretive Center to take several series of photos. The types of panoramic
views we will explore will include the standard landscape, portrait landscape,
vertical, mini-pans, and multiple row sequences.
On the way back to the PV NET computer
center, we may stop at another vista point for some additional shots if there
is time.
Back in the computer center we will
upload our pictures and use Elements to stitch the photo sequences together.
You will discover there is much more to finishing off your panorama than simply
using the Photomerge command.
In addition to bringing your camera,
you may want to bring a tripod if you have one. However, this is not necessary.
Since this is only a 2-1/2 hour class, please arrive on time or somewhat early,
as we will be starting right at 9:30 am. To register for the class, click here.
Thursday, July 15th,
9:30-12:00 noon (1 Meeting)
Introduction to Digital Photography – The Basics
Are you new to digital photography? Did you just get your first
digital camera and are wondering what comes next? This class may be just what
you are looking for. In the course you will begin by taking a series of pictures
of Point Vicente Park and the PV coastline. During the course, you will use
Photoshop Elements 8 to upload your pictures to the computer, organize them so
they can be quickly found, improve their color and brightness, make a simple
slide show and other creations, and finally learn how to share them via email,
ordering prints, or uploading them to photo sharing websites. To register for the class, click here.
Mondays, beginning August 23rd through October 4th.
10:00-Noon (5 Meetings)
No class Labor Day, Sept 6th and Sept 27th.
Photoshop Elements 8 Editing Tools Workshop
With each new version
of Photoshop Elements, new or improved editing tools and features are
introduced. The latest version, Photoshop Elements 8, has continued this
practice. These tools add entirely new capabilities or semi-automated tasks
that heretofore could only be done manually, which required a far better
understanding of the program.
In this unique class,
we will concentrate on exploring these new features that are often not that
visible even to those who have some experience using the program. Although we
will be using Photoshop Elements 8, several of the editing tools are also
available in recent earlier versions of the program.
A small sampling of
some of the tools/features we will use include Group Shot, Photomerge Exposure,
Magic Extractor, and Scene Cleaner, as well as several others. Additionally,
the course will be taught in a workshop environment allowing the student to
bring in their own photos on which to work. To register for the class, click here.
Mondays, beginning Oct 25th,
10:00-Noon (5 Meetings)
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PowerPoint 2003 Primer (Recently Completed)
In this one day, four–hour class you will learn the basics of
PowerPoint. Some of the specific concepts and skills that you will be
introduced to include understanding the various PowerPoint workspace views,
designing the your slide show using preset design templates, working with the
master slide template, and using various slide layouts. You will learn how to
import pictures and other objects, use transitions and apply basic animation to
your slides to make your presentation more interesting to your audience. Online
class handouts will be provided. After taking this class, you will be able to
create basic multimedia slide presentations.
Home Video Editing – Multimedia Production (Coming Soon)
This class could also be subtitled
Introduction to Movie Maker. Microsoft’s Movie Maker program comes installed in
Windows XP and Vista, and a version is available as a free download for Windows
7. In this course, you will combine a series of photos and video clips to
produce a movie that can be shared with family and friends in a variety of
ways. You will learn how to edit the video clips, add background music, add
special effects and titles, and finally produce the finished movie. In this
class you will learn how to burn a DVD that can then be played back on a DVD
player attached to your television. This is an excellent course for you, if you
are just beginning to explore digital video editing and production.