DIGITAL GRAPHICS &
ANIMATION
Complete LESSON 5
CREATING SPECIAL EFFECTS
Creating Special Effects
 Color can . . .
 Convey a mood
 Change the perception of space and size
 Focus attention
 Add emphasis and
 Improve quality.
 Shadow effects may make an object appear
to sink into the drawing area; and a blur
effect may make an object appear to be far
off in the distance.
Creating Special Effects
 Most graphics programs include features for
creating certain common effects, such as
shadows, blurs and glows.
 In addition, many effects are achieved by
incorporating color and scale.
 In this lesson you will work with vector color
and apply special effects to bitmap and vector
graphics.
Work with Color
 Color – called hue, is usually the first thing
the viewer sees and responds to.
 Understanding the way viewer’s react to color
and incorporating standard color techniques
in your graphics can help you create
appealing and informative images.
 The color mixer panel or palette allows you to
mix custom colors based on the current color
system.
A Color System
 A color system defines standard colors. It
may also be called a model.
 Color systems are available for graphics to be
displayed on a computer screen and for
printed graphics.
 A graphics program usually has a default
color system that you can change at any time.
 When you select a color, the color values on
a palette are displayed in the “current color
system” boxes.
Use a color system
 The two main color systems for use in a
graphics program are the RGB and the CMY
or CMYK- model.
 The RGB system creates colors by
combining different values of red, green and
blue. These are the basic colors of light in the
spectrum we can see.
 The RGB model is often is most often used
when graphics are to be displayed on devices
that use light to display colors, such as
computer monitors.
The CMY or CMYK
 The CMY/CMYK system creates colors by
combining percentages of cyan, magenta,
and yellow.
 These colors are the colors of ink – often
called process colors – used in four-color
printing.
 The CMY system is used most often for
drawings that are to be printed, either on a
local printer or by a printing press.
The CMY or CMYK
 The CMY system is called CMYK when black
is added to the mix.
 In four color printing, all colors are mixed from
the four basic process colors.
 The designer can select a spot color – from
a color systems such as Pantone Matching
System for a specific color.
 Use spot colors when it is necessary to have
an exact color (such as a client’s logo color)
or when printing with one or two colors.
A Color Wheel
 A typical color wheel has 12 gradients of color
ranging from red to violet.
 The primary colors are

red, yellow and blue.
 Secondary colors are created by combining
the primary colors:
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red mixed with yellow makes orange
Yellow mixed with blue makes green
blue mixed with red makes violet
A Color Wheel
 Intermediate colors are created by combining
primary color with secondary colors adjacent
to it on the color wheel such as Blue-Green.
 Cool colors: range from green to violet
 Warm colors range from red to yellow
 Analogous colors are next to each other on
the color wheel
 Complimentary colors are opposite each
other.
Apply Color Effects
 In addition to applying colors to fills and
strokes, most programs provide options for
creating color such as textures, gradients &
patterns.
 Textures can be applied to fills or strokes to
make an object look as if it is painted on a
textured surface.
 Patterns are bitmap graphics applied as a fill.
 Gradients are a type of pattern that blends
colors to create different effects.
Apply Gradients
 By default, most gradients blend two colors –
the current fill color and black.
 When you apply a gradient, you usually strat
by selecting a fill color.
 Then, you select the gradient pattern type
such as:


linear, which blends the colors horizontally
across the object or
Radial, which blends the colors out from the
center of the object, from the Fill category or
type list.
Apply Color Correction Effects
 Most graphics programs have tools for applying color
corrections effects to vector objects and bitmap
images.
 You can usually adjust the value, contrast,
brightness, saturation, and opacity.


Value, which is sometimes called lightness, is the
range from black to white.
Value van be measured by the level of brightness.
 When you increase the brightness, you add white to
a hue; when you decrease the brightness you add
black
Apply Color Correction Effects


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Contrast refers to the degree of separation
between the values of different parts of an
image. You adjust the contrast to change the
degree separation.
Saturation measures the intensity of color,
and
Opacity measures the level of transparency.
 You can use these concepts to add
dimension to an image and to separate
foreground objects from background objects.
Apply Color Correction Effects
 You can also use them to make it easier for
someone with a color deficit condition to see
and interpret your image.
 You can help a person who has trouble
seeing and differentiating between colors by:



increasing contrast
increasing lightness differences between
foreground and background colors
and by avoiding using colors of similar
lightness or saturation next to each other.
Apply Color Correction Effects
 You can modify the color adjusting the
saturation, which sets the color intensity
 and the lightness, which controls how much
light appears to be reflected from a surface.
 In some programs, you can also modify the
hue based on the current color system.

Increasing the brightness adds white, while
decreasing the brightness adds black.
Apply Color Correction Effects
 Change the brightness and contrast of an
image to correct photographs or other bitmap
images that are too dark or too light.
 You can also use these settings to adjust the
color of vector graphics.
 Most programs combine Brightness and
Contrast settings in the same dialog box.
Apply Color Correction Effects
 Opacity controls the amount of transparency in a
color.
 It is measured as a percentage, with 100% being
completely transparent.
 Decreasing the opacity is useful if you want the
viewer to be able to see an object that is layered
behind another object.
 Opacity controls may be found on the same menu or
in the same dialog box as other color correction
options or it may be an option in the properties panel
Apply Special Effects
 You can enhance graphics objects by
applying special effects such as shadows,
glows and bevels.
 You can adjust the position of a shadow or
the shape of a bevel.
 In addition, some effects are enhanced by
hiding – or knocking out – the shape ityself.
Apply Bevels and Embossing
 Use an embossed effect to make an object
appear to be pressed into the drawing area
 Most programs also let you apply a raised
emboss to make an object appear to rise out
of the drawing area.
 Bevels also give an object a raised
appearance


Inner bevels, adds the effect within the edges
of an object
Outer bevel, adds the effect outside the edges
Apply Shadows and Glows
 Shadows and glows are effects that let you
add depth. Dimension, and highlights to
objects.
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
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Drop shadows add a shading along two sides
of the outer edge of an object
Inner shadows ad the shading inside the
edges
Glows apply a halo of color around all edges,
and inner glows apply the halo inside the
edges
Use Sharpen and Blur
 Use sharpen and Blur effects to adjust focus
or sharpness of an image.


The sharpen effect brings blurred images into
focus.
The blur effect lessens the focus.
Save Custom Effects
 To achieve a particular effect, you may have to adjust
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multiple settings and even use multiple effects.
Once you have an effect just right, you can save it to
use in the future.
The method for saving a custom effect varies
Usually you simply save the applied effects as a
style, which is a collection of saved formatting
settings
Using styles is a good way to ensure consistency in
your files
Create Masks
 The mask effect hides or accentuates a
specific portion of an image.
 There are two basic types of masks.

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Vector masks
Bitmap masks
Vector Mask
 When you create a vector mask, you use a
vector graphic to define the shape of the
mask.
 You can use a rectangle, polygon, or ellipse
 Vector masks are also called clipping masks
in some programs.
 In the end, only the area within the vector
object’s path is displayed, while the are
outside the path is masked, or hidden.

An example would be a picture inside a shape
Bitmap Masks
 Bitmap masks are sometimes called layer
masks because they overlap and obscure
underlying pixels.
 You can create a bitmap mask using a
method similar to creating a vector mask.
 Simply paste a bitmap object as the mask
instead of a vector object

An example would be the cloud in front of a
lighthouse that looks like fog
FAST FACTS
 You can mix custom colors using a color bar
or by entering color system values
 You can use color to create illusions of
distance, depth, and scale
 You can use color effects to add texture,
patterns, and gradients to fill strokes
 Color correction effects make it possible to
enhance and improve vector and bitmap
images.
FAST FACTS
 Special effects make it easy to highlight objects
as well as add interest and epth to an image
 You can save special effects as styles to use
again
 If you are unhappy with an effect, you can edit or
remove it
 Masks let you hide or emphasize portions of an
image.
Lesson 5
Daily Grades
Lesson 5
T/F Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Shadows can be applied only around the
outer edges of an object
Opacity controls the amount of
transparency in a color
Saturation is another word for color.
Objects filled with a bright color often look
larger than objects filled with a dark color.
CMY is a color system used only for web
graphics.
Lesson 5
T/F Questions
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
In most graphics programs, you can apply only
one effect to each object
When you apply a vector mask, the area inside
the vector path is displayed and the area
outside the path is masked.
Bitmap masks are sometimes called layer
masks
Textures can be applied to strokes but not to
fills
Patterns can be applied to fills but not to
strokes.
Lesson 5
Fill in the Blank Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The four colors of ink used in printing are
sometimes called_____
Use _____ color when you must match an
exact color such as a client’s logo.
Increasing the brightness adds _____, while
decreasing the brightness adds _____.
To make a color completely opaque, set the
opacity control to _____.
Apply a(n) _____ effect to place a halo of
color around an object
Lesson 5
Fill in the Blank Questions
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
By default, most gradients blend _____ with
the current color fill.
Patterns are _____ graphics applied to a fill.
Some effects are enhanced by ____ or
knocking out – the shape itself.
A(n) ____ gradient blends colors
horizontally across an object.
_____ measures intensity of color.
Lesson 5 Vocabulary
Define the following terms
1. Bevel
8.
2. Brightness
9.
3. CMY
11.
4. Color Systems
12.
5. Contrast
13.
6. Emboss
14.
7. Glow
15.
8. Hue
16.
Mask
Opacity
RGB
Saturation
Shadow
Spot Color
Style
Value