Modifying Shapes: Photoshop

Before

After

We worked with shapes in Photoshop, and altered the shape by color, styles, filters, and images.  Each alteration changed the connotation of the same shape, portraying different color schemes, affects, and visual weights that alter the meaning of each image.

I started with a black snail shape.  For the first step, I changed the color to blue.  I'm not sure what this color conveys with the overall layout of the design (there really wasn't a layout), but I could have created a gradient with color to change the shape even further. 

For the styles step, I chose a "tye-die-esque" fill to fill the shape.  Adding a pattern to a shape changes the overall perception of the piece.  The graphic no longer is about the shape, but about the design of the pattern itself.  A style change can completely alter the meaning the shape is conveying.  However, if this shape and style were to be used on a larger scale, with more than one shape, it could be too dramatic and "over-the-top" for an image and distract the viewer from the message (connotation). 

The texture addition to the same shape changes the perception of the image again.  Applying a texture to an image creates a touch sensory that attracts the viewer.  The harsh static against the yellow background fill gives the shape an entirely new meaning.

The image that I inserted into a new shape changes the perspective of the shape entirely.  Before, the icon was black, without any textures or colors.  When I inserted the background image, inverted the selection, and deleted the remaining background, the shape became an icon that is universally known: a sun.  The colors and hues of the filled image create a lifelike affect, and I made sure to put the placement of the picture in the center of the sun, in order for the colors to move from light to dark.  The element stands out clearly and concisely, and creates the look I was aiming for (attributes).