Gordon Parks Photoshop Project

Part 1:  Picking Gordon Parks photos  

Step 1:

• Save the 2 photos below to your computer

Step 2:

• Pick 3 Colored Photos of Gordon Parks work 
  • Save the 3 photos to your computer

Step 3:

• Pick 3 Black and White Photos of Gordon Parks work 
  • Save the 3 photos to your computer

___________________________________________________________________________

Part 2:  Creating the Graph 

Step 1:

• Open the photo of Gordon Parks

Step 2:

• Go to
  • View
    • Guides
      • New Guide Layout

Step 3:

• Color
  • Custom……White
• Columns
  • Number  4
  • Gutter 0.08 in
• Rows
  • Number  5
  • Gutter  0.08 in
• Click OK

Step 4:

• Select the Rectangle Tool
• Fill: White
• Stroke:  White box with Red line through it

Step 5:

• In the Bottom Right Corner Box
  • Draw a White Box
  • Make sure you draw the box so that it is touching the inside white graph line

Step 6:

• You will be duplicating the White Box
• Click
  • Control J   
• Move the duplicated white box to the FAR left bottom square

Step 7:

• Click
  • Control J
• This made another copy of the white box
• Move the duplicated white box to the Top Left square

Step 8:

• Click Control J
• Move the duplicated white box to
  • 4th row
    • 1st Column

Step 9:

• Click Control J
• Move the duplicated white box to
  • 4th row
    • 2nd Column

Step 10:

• Click Control J
• Move the duplicated white box to
  • 2nd row
    • 1st Column

Step 11:

• Click Control J
• Move the duplicated white box to
  • 4th row
    • 2nd Column
• You should now have 7 white boxes

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Part 3:  Adding Gordon Parks Photography

Step 1:

• On the Layers pallet
  • Click on Rectangle 1 Layer
• Go to
  • File
    • Place Embedded

Step 2:

• Choose the photography you saved of American Gothic (Lady in front of American Flag with broom)
• You MUST use American Gothic and no other photograph for this square!
  • The photo will show up in the middle of the graph

Step 3:

• Move the image ontop of the Bottom Right white Box
  • Don’t worry if the whole photograph does not fit
    • Move it around so that the most important parts of the photograph will fit into the box
      • Click Enter when done

Step 4:

•  Right Click on American Gothic Photo Layer
  • (yours may have a different name but it is the Layer above Rectangle 1)
• Pick Create Clipping Mask
• The photo will now be locked into the square shape
  • You can still move it around if you need to change it’s position

Step 5:

• Click on Layer
  • Rectangle 1 Copy (This will select the white box on the bottom left side)
• Go to
  • File
    • Place Embedded

Step 6:

• Choose any colored or black/white photo you saved from Part 1
  • It will show up in the middle of the graph

Step 7:

• Move the image ontop of the Bottom Left white Box
  • Don’t worry if the whole photograph does not fit
    • Move it around so that the most important parts of the photograph will fit into the box
      • Click Enter when done

Step 8:

• On the Layers Pallet
  • Right Click on the photograph you just inserted
    • It is the Layer above Rectangle 1 Copy
      • (Everyones photo will have a different name than what is shown below)
• Pick Create Clipping Mask
• The photo will now be locked into the square shape
  • You can still move it around if you need to change it’s position

Step 9:

• On the Layers Pallet
  • Click on Rectangle 1 Copy 2
• Go to
  • File
    • Place Embedded
• Pick any Colored or Black/white photo you saved

Step 10:

• Move the image ontop of the white box
  • Don’t worry if the whole photograph does not fit
    • Move it around so that the most important parts of the photograph will fit into the box
      • Click Enter when done

Step 11:

• On the Layers Pallet
  • Right Click on the photograph you just inserted
    • It is the Layer above Rectangle 1 Copy
      • (Everyones photo will have a different name than what is shown below)
• Pick Create Clipping Mask
• The photo will now be locked into the square shape
  • You can still move it around if you need to change it’s position

Step 12:

• On Layers Pallet pick
  • Rectangle 1 copy 3
• Add another photograph by following the steps from above
• Continue steps 5-8 until all the white boxes are filled with Gordon Parks photographs that you picked

Step 13:

• You should have on your graph
  • American Gothic
  • 3 Colored photos
  • 3 Black/white photos
• On Layers pallet
  • Right click on Background Layer
    • Merge Visible

Part 4:  Adding Color Overlays

Step 1:

• Choose the Eye Dropper Tool
• Pick a Blueish color area on any of the colored photos on the graph
  • Click the Eye Dropper tool over the blueish area
    • This will select that blue color and it will show up at the botton of the tool bar

Step 2:

• Choose the Rectangle Tool
• At the top of Photoshop click
  • Fill
  • Recently Used Colors
    • Choose the first color (this will be the blue you selected)
  • Stroke:  White box with red /

Step 3:

• Draw a Blue box on any square that is Gordone Parks Face/Camera/hand
• DO NOT Draw  a box over one of the colored or Black/white photos you insterted 

Step 4:

• Go to the top of  Layers pallet
  • Change Normal to any overlay between Darken – Hard Mix

Step 5:

• Make a copy of the blue square by clicking
  • Control  J
• With the Move Tool
  • Move the blue square copy to any square that is his Face/Camera/hand/neck
    • DO NOT cover a photograph you inserted

Step 6:

• On the Layers pallet
  • • Change Normal to any overlay between Darken – Hard Mix  
      • You may keep the same overlay from step 4 if you like.
  • Make a copy of the blue square by clicking
  • • Control  J

Step 7:

• Continue Steps 5-6 until you have filled 5 squares with Blue Overlays
• Your blue squares do not have to be in the same locations that I put mine

Step 8:

• Choose the Eye Dropper Tool
• Choose any colored photo and pick any area of skin
  • Click the Eye Dropper tool over the skin area

Step 9:

• Choose the Rectangle Tool
• At the top of Photoshop click
  • Fill
  • Recently Used Colors
    • Choose the first color (this will be the brown color you selected)
  • Stroke:  White box with red /

Step 10:

• Draw a Brown box on any square that is Gordone Parks Face/Camera/hand
• DO NOT Draw  a box over one of the colored or Black/white photos you insterted 

Step 11:

• On the Layers pallet
  • Change Normal to any overlay between Darken – Hard Mix

Step 12:

• Make a copy of the Brown square by clicking
  • Control  J
• With the Move Tool
  • Move the Brown square copy to any square that is his Face/Camera/hand/neck
    • DO NOT cover a photograph you inserted

Step 13:

• Repeate Step 12 until you have 3 Brown Squares
• Right click on Background
  • Merge Visible

Part 5:  Adding Lines

Step 1:

• Pick the Rectangle Tool

Step 2:

• Fill:  White
• Stroke: White box with Red line through it

Step 3:

• You will be drawing a line between the squares along the gutter lines
  • Start at the top right
    • Draw a straight line from the top of the photo to the bottom of the photo

Step 4:

• Make a Copy of the white line
  • Control J
• Select the Move tool
  • Drag the white line copy to the left
    • Stop between the next set of boxes

Step 5:

• Make another Copy of the white line
  • Control J
• Select the Move tool and drag the white line copy to the left
  • Stop between the next set of boxes

Step 6:

• You will continue drawing a line between the squares goint horizontal
  • Draw a straight line from one end of the image to the other end

Step 7:

• Make another Copy of the white line
  • Control J
• Select the Move tool and drag the white line copy down
  • Stop between the next set of boxes

Step 8:

• Repeat Step 7 until you have white lines between all the boxes
• Flatten Layers
• Save as jpeg
• NO logo