Fuses design fundamentals and software training into one cohesive book! Teaches art and design principles with references to contemporary digital art alongside basic digital tools in Adobe's Creative Cloud Addresses the growing trend of compressing design fundamentals and design software into the same course in universities and design trade schools. Lessons are timed to be used in 50 to 90 minute class sessions with additional materials available online Free video screencasts demonstrate key concepts in every chapter All students of digital design and production—whether learning in a classroom or on their own—need to understand the basic principles of design. These principles are often excluded from books that teach software. Foundations of Digital Art and Design reinvigorates software training by integrating design exercises into tutorials fusing design fundamentals and core Adobe Creative Cloud skills. The result is a comprehensive design learning experience.  This book is organized into six sections that focus on vector art, photography, image manipulation, typography, web design, and effective habits. Design topics and principles include: Bits, Dots, Lines, Shapes, Rule of Thirds, Zone System, Color Models, Collage, Appropriation, Gestalt, The Bauhaus Basic Course Approach, The Grid, Remix, Automation, and Revision.

Table of Contents:
Introduction: What are the foundations of digital art and design? Exercise 1.    Operating Systems Exercise 2.    Downloading Work Files Exercise 3.    Using the e-book Exercise 4.    Creative Commons Section 1: Bits, Pixels, Vectors, and Design (Adobe Illustrator) Introduction Chapter 1: The Dot, the Path and the Pixel Exercise 1.    File Presets in Illustrator Exercise 2.    Shapes, Fills, and Strokes Exercise 3.    Figure and Ground with Repeated Dots Screencast: The Pattern Brush Exercise 4.    Grouping and Alignment Exercise 5.    A Figure and Ground or “On” and “Off” Study Lab Challenge Chapter 2: Drawing Expressive Lines Exercise 1.    Place and Lock an Image Exercise 2.    Understanding Layers Exercise 3.    Create Lines with the Pencil Tool Exercise 4.    Duplicate the Composition Exercise 5.    Add a Gradient Background Exercise 6.    Create Depth with Contrasting Values Screencast: Adding the “Swoosh” at the Horizon Exercise 7.    Master Files, Shared Files Lab Challenge Chapter 3: Modify Basic Shapes Exercise 1.    Create a Document with One Artboard Exercise 2.    Create Two Basic Shape Combinations Exercise 3.    Duplicate the Artboard and Unite the Paths Exercise 4.    Duplicate the Artboard and Modify the Shapes Screencast: Modify Paths with the Pen and Direct Selection Tools Exercise 5.    Reflect and Copy a Second Half onto the Profile Icon Exercise 6.    Brush Details into the Treetop Exercise 7.    Add a Background Color and Save a Multi-page PDF Lab Challenge Section 2: Digital Photography (Adobe Photoshop and Bridge) Introduction Chapter 4. Creating and Organizing Digital Photographs (Your Camera, Bridge) Exercise 1.    Camera Mechanics: How does the camera create a photograph? Exercise 2.    Camera Settings Exercise 3.    Bracketing Exercise 4.    Before You Shoot… Exercise 5.    Rule of Thirds Exercise 6.    Bridge Workspaces Exercise 7.    Batch Rename Screencast: Renaming files in Bridge Exercise 8.    Labeling Files[x1]  Exercise 9.    Generate a PDF to Showcase your Files Lab Challenge   Chapter 5. Resolution and Value Exercise 1.    Redistribute Pixels for Print Resolution Exercise 2.    Resample Pixels for Screen Resolution Exercise 3.    Analyze a Photograph Using the Zone System Screencast: Use the Info Panel to Check Your Eye Against Image Data Exercise 4.    Modify the Tonal Range with a Levels Adjustment Layer Lab Challenge            Chapter 6. Color Models Exercise 1.    Harmony in Rectangles Exercise 2.    Simultaneous Contrast in Circles Exercise 3.    Color Comparison Exercise 4.    Color Corrections Screencast: Apply Color to a Black and White Photograph Lab Challenge Section 3: Digital Manipulation and Free Fair Use (Photoshop) Introduction Chapter 7. Repairs and Hoaxes Exercise 1.    Remove Dust and Heal JFK’s Blemishes Exercise 2.    JFK’s Eyes: Tonal Repairs with Dodge and Burn Screencast: Adding and Deleting within Selections Exercise 3.    Lessening Wrinkles Exercise 4.    It’s a Hoax! Adding an Extra Mummy Finger Exercise 5.    Soften Cloned Edges Lab Challenge   Chapter 8. Select, Copy, Paste, Collage Exercise 1.    Set Up the Collage Workspace Exercise 2.    Trace an Image Contour with the Pen Tool Exercise 3.    Modify Paths Exercise 4.    Convert a Path to a Selection to a Layer Mask Exercise 5.    Scale, Adjust, Organize Exercise 6.    Copy a Layer to an Open Document Exercise 7.    The “Magic” of the Magic Wand Exercise 8.    Select, Copy, Paste, Repeat Screencast: Duplicate, Transform, Burn, Organize, and Adjust—Ants in the Hand Lab Challenge   Chapter 9. Blended Realities Exercise 1.    Articulate the Design Challenge Exercise 2.    Combine Vector Shapes in Photoshop Exercise 3.    Layer Effects Exercise 4.    Add a Vector Mask Exercise 5.    Create a Button Screencast and Exercise 6: Complete Layer Groups “Step 2” and “Step 3” Exercise 7.    Gradients and Layer Masks Lab Challenge   Section 4: Typography (Illustrator and InDesign) Introduction Chapter 10. Type and Image (Illustrator) Exercise 1.    Define a Color Mode Exercise 2.    Place and Relink an Image Exercise 3.    Add a Textbox Exercise 4.    Resize and Kern Display Type Exercise 5.    Replace Type with an Image Exercise 6.    Add Vector Shapes to Frame the Composition Exercise 7.    Final Adjustments Screencast: “Hiding” Page Elements with a White Shape or a Clipping Mask Lab Challenge   Chapter 11. The Grid (Illustrator) Exercise 1.    Alternative Paper Sizes Exercise 2.    Guides and the Grid Exercise 3.    Create Your Own “Virtual Leading” Placeholders Exercise 4.    Link Text Boxes Exercise 5.    Place Another Guide on the Grid Screencast: Using the Grid Exercise 6.    Use the Grid Exercise 7.    Save a PDF with Trim Marks Lab Challenge   Chapter 12: Continuity (InDesign) Exercise 1.    Create a New InDesign Document for Sharing on the Web Exercise 2.    Establish Guides on A-Master Exercise 3.    Place Images Exercise 4.    Add Text Frames Exercise 5.    Color and a Drop Shadow on A-Master Exercise 6.    Paragraph Styles Screencast: Prepare a File, Relink Images, Out of Gamut Colors, and Preparing the First and Last Pages Exercise 7.    Final Adjustments and Export to PDF Lab Challenge Section 5: The Web (Photoshop and Dreamweaver) Introduction Chapter 13. Graphics on the Web (Photoshop and Dreamweaver) Exercise 1.    Organize Your Files Exercise 2.    Understand a Photoshop Template File Exercise 3.    Save a JPG File for the Web Exercise 4.    Save a PNG File for the Web Screencast: Animating a GIF Exercise 5.    Insert an Image to the HTML Code in Dreamweaver Lab Challenge            Chapter 14. Know the Code (Dreamweaver) Exercise 1.    Analyze HTML in Dreamweaver Exercise 2.    Modify HTML Content Exercise 3.    Link the CSS File to the HTML Document Exercise 4.    Analyze CSS in Dreamweaver Exercise 5.    Swap a Background Image in CSS Exercise 6.    Create and Link to a New HTML Page Screencast: Modify CSS Code Using Dreamweaver Panels Lab Challenge   Chapter 15. Remix the Web (Adobe Creative Suite) Exercise 1.    Map Mashups Exercise 2.    Vidding Screencast: The YouTube Video Editor Exercise 3.    Machinima and Gaming Exercise 4.    Social Media Remix Lab Challenge Section 6: Effective Work Habits (Photoshop, Bridge, and InDesign) Introduction Screencast: A Review of the Pen Tool, Layer Masks, and Adjustment Layers Exercise 5.    Create an Action Exercise 6.    Play an Action Exercise 7.    Batch Rename Revisited Exercise 8.    Float Files in Windows Exercise 9.    Non-programmable Modifications Exercise 10. Watch the Sequence Play in Bridge Lab Challenge   Chapter 17: Pagination and Printing (InDesign) Exercise 11. Revisit the Actions Panel Exercise 12. Apply a Batch Action from Bridge Exercise 13. Two Options for Printing and Binding Exercise 3, Option A. Single Pages and Easy Binding Screencast: Creating a Mockup Exercise 3, Option B. Paginating Facing Pages for a Saddle Stitch Binding Lab Challenge   Chapter 18: Revision Practices in Media Art and Design Interviews with or essay contributions by Pencilbox Studios, riCardo Crespo, Michael Demers, The League of Imaginary Scientists, and Jovenville   Image Permissions Bibliography Index