Photoshop: Cutting Out Objects, Gradients & Layer Effects #freecourse #photoshop

Check out my new Skillshare course that will be free throughout April 2016.

In this class you will firstly learn how to make selections, create layer masks, scale, rotate and edit image location.

You will then look at how you can create gradient backgrounds, used hue and saturation adjustment layers and add colour effects to your image cut-out.

The short animated GIF below give a flavour of what will be covered. Check out the full course here.

Illustrator & Photoshop: Turn a Silhouette into a Typographical Layout

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Thanks goes to my student Shelby who reminded me that I’d made this video for one of my students taking the Digital Studio Tools course at the University of Regina in Fall 2015! Hope you have fun with it if you get a chance to check it out.

In this tutorial I use silhouettes created with the trace tool in adobe Illustrator as clipping masks in Adobe Photoshop. Type is then layered over the top of the silhouetted layers to create a cool ASCII’like effect. Then working with hue/saturation adjustment layers we look at how to colour the type on the layers below.

Digital Studio Tools will be running again at the University of Regina in Fall 2016.

Introduction to WordPress – 2 Day Workshop

Thanks for checking out my course “Introduction to WordPress”. I teach a range of design, video and web courses and have just added this new course to my catalogue. If you are interested in learning how to manage a web-site using WordPress, how to integrate it with your social media then look no further. If you have any questions then just drop me an e-mail at design@benhalsall.com.

Course Overview

This introduction to WordPress will get you running with the internet’s number one open-source web-design, content management and blogging platform.

You will learn everything you need to know to install and create your very own WordPress web–site. You will create posts, upload images and setting up forms, work with themes and learn how to customise your own sites design as well as implementing forms and the essential security features you need.

Who is this course for?

This course is designed for those new to managing a WordPress website. If you need to learn how to create and edit an existing site or want to learn how to create a new WordPress site from scratch then this course is for you. We cover some of the technical aspects of how to install your very own web-server but the main focus is on using WordPress as a site management tool.

Course Outline

Day 1 – Getting Started
  • What is WordPress?
  • WordPress.com or Wordpress.org
  • Installing a Server
  • Installing WordPress
  • Setting Up Your First WordPress Site
  • Creating a Blog Post
  • Creating Pages
  • Setting Up Your Navigation & Menus
  • Working with Themes
    • Basic Themes
    • DIVI & Other Advanced Themes
  • Working with Images
    • Which Image Editor to Use?
    • Resizing Image for upload
    • Useful Image Effects
Day 2 – Plugins, Customisation & Security
  • Plugins for WordPress
  • Creating Forms
  • Customizing Themes
  • Introduction to HTML & CSS
  • Upgrading a Theme
  • Security & WordPress – Installing & Monitoring Security
  • Social Media & WordPress – Linking Twitter, Facebook & other social media
  • Creating a Bilingual site (optional)

If you have any questions about this or any of my other courses then please don’t hesitate to get in touch – design@benhalsall.com.

Art residency & workshop in Riding Mountain National Park with @cawsand & @zleanne “a WILD STUDIO: Excursions in Art, Sound + Performance” #residency #art

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http://www.awildstudio.com

An intensive course uncovering the ‘wild’ in Riding Mountain National Park. This workshop combines hands-on engagement with Canadian landscape, National park interpretation methods and presentations by professional artists, scholars and curators on site-specific and environmentally-responsive creative research.

Participants will spend time experiencing a national park, engage with park interpreters, ecologists and guest presenters, and will build a body of work in art, sound + performance that reflects and engages with natural terrain, the experience of excursion and environmental elements while developing their understanding of territory, space and place.

There are two methods for taking part in the project. Participants may attend from May 3-6, 2016 to the presenter series on-site in Riding Mountain, or they may choose to take University course credit available through the University of Regina, Faculty of Media+Art+Performance. This option includes an extended teaching component and studio time in Regina, SK on May 7, 10-13.

Find out more at http://www.awildstudio.com

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Adobe Acrobat DC Workshop (remotely) in Winnipeg #onlinelearning #remoteteaching #YQR #YWG

Today I taught an online class remotely from Regina, Saskatchewan for a client in Winnipeg, Manitoba who was learning Adobe Acrobat DC.

The day of training was recorded in its entirety which leaving the student with a complete record of the class, conversations answers to customised questions. The quote of the day was “I love this! I can learn in my own home, at my own computer with a coffee in my hand”.

I think that there are a lot more benefits to online instructor led training that could benefit your team.

The Positives of Learning at Your Own Workstation

There are some positive side effects of teaching online. Students working at their own workstations or laptops can ask questions, share their screens and which in turn enables them to ask questions that they would not otherwise be able to if they were in a training centre. There are new levels of authenticity to this and although the face-to-face time is a slightly different experience it does not seem to diminish the experience.

Bringing Remote Teams Together With Online Training

I foresee some great opportunities for delivering instructor led training for teams that work remotely together that can save on travel costs whilst bringing teams together to share questions, experiences and all in a format that will is recorded live & that will be available for review at a later date.

The recorded video means that topics can be covered in depth and at speed. Over the past few training sessions I’ve covered about 1.5 days worth of material in 1 day knowing that at any point in time any student attending can review and re-cover the material at their own leisure.

If you would like to find out more about organising training online for your team or one-to-one then please don’t hesitate to get in touch at design@benhalsall.com .

Check out a list of the courses I teach here.

Check out the @CreativeKidsSK fund in Saskatchewan for $750 to fund activities like video production, photography & more #YQR #SK

I just got a call from a dad who wants me to teach their son video production & editing. All to be funded by the Creative Kids fund that is available to families earning $40,000 or less.

You can find out all about the fund here – http://www.creativekidssask.ca .

You can see a list of activities that can be covered here – http://www.creativekidssask.ca/our-programs#what-we-fund .

If you are interested in applying for the fund with me as a tutor for any of the courses or subject that I offer then please don’t hesitate to get in touch at design@benhalall.com .