OER: Open Educational Resources

"Digital Foundations uses formal exercises of the Bauhaus to teach the Adobe Creative Suite. All students of digital design and production—whether learning in a classroom or on their own—need to understand the basic principles of design in order to implement them using current software. Far too often design is left out of books that teach software for the trade and academic markets. Consequently, the design software training exercise is often a lost opportunity for visual learning. This revised edition updates the original text for use with Adobe Creative Cloud 2017 software." - works with GRC 102

"This textbook -- written by a group of select experts with a focus on different aspects of the design process, from creation to production -- addresses the many steps of creating and then producing physical, printed, or other imaged products that people interact with on a daily basis. It covers the concept that, while most modern graphic design is created on computers using design software, the ideas and concepts don’t stay on the computer. The ideas need to be completed in the computer software, then progress to an imaging (traditionally referred to as printing) process. Keywords are highlighted throughout and summarized in a Glossary at the end of the book, and each chapter includes exercises and suggested readings." - works with CPT 256 & GRC 102

A practical guide to web typography
"For too long typographic style and its accompanying attention to detail have been overlooked by website designers, particularly in body copy. In years gone by this could have been put down to the technology, but now the web has caught up. The advent of much improved browsers, text rendering and high resolution screens, combine to negate technology as an excuse."

Welcome to Digital Photography for Graphic Communications! This book is based on a 2009 print book by the authors that was called Digital Photography for Print and published by the Printing Industries of America (PIA) Press.
The authors realize that graphic communications management has expanded to include a multitude of media in addition to print, especially the web and apps. Thus we decided to revise the original book with a more inclusive title.
The purpose of this book is to serve as a reference for a one-semester course in digital photography for graphic communications. Since digital cameras have mostly replaced colour scanners, graphic communicators need to capture images for use in magazines, catalogs, brochures, packages, signs, banners—all forms of printed materials—and also for eBooks, web sites, and apps.
Thus the graphic communicator may be more concerned with product and still-life photography, portraiture, and reproduction of flat work than with artistic photography. Of course the reproduction of photographers’ and photojournalists’ work is still in the purview of the graphic communicator, and therefore photographers may find some information of benefit in the book.
In any case, the authors hope our work will help production photographers produce work better, faster, and cheaper.

... with major contributions from talented DAA students, this book is designed for anyone starting their photography journey. It covers all the essential concepts and skills taught in an introductory course - from understanding your camera and mastering composition, to working with light, exploring creative techniques, and building confidence as a photographer.
What makes this resource special is the collaboration between faculty and students. Many of the images, examples, and insights come directly from our own student community, making it not just a textbook, but a collection of voices, perspectives, and creative visions.

This textbook is designed to guide you through the essential skills and techniques needed to become a proficient photographer. Over the course of this book, you will learn how to:
Understand Your Camera: Get to know the functions and features of your camera, from basic DSLR models to advanced DSLRs and mirrorless systems. Control Exposure: Learn how to use aperture, shutter speed, and ISO to achieve the perfect exposure in any lighting condition. Harness Light: Explore the different qualities of natural and artificial light, and how to manipulate them to enhance your photographs. Master Composition: Discover the rules and guidelines that can help you create visually compelling images, including the rule of thirds, leading lines, and symmetry. Color Theory: Understand some of the basic color relationships and how to use them effectively in your images. Thinking Creatively: Exercise the creative side of your brain to see the world in a new way and develop creative ways to make your vision into pictures. Develop Your Style: Find your unique photographic voice by experimenting with different genres, from landscape and portrait photography to macro and street photography.

This book was written for a one-semester course in web design for students in Ryerson’s Faculty of Communication and Design (FCAD) and may also be useful for high school, community college, or training center courses on beginning web design — or for anyone who wants to read the book and complete the tutorials on their own.
The goal of the book is to provide students with a reference on some of the latest web design practices that is short and to-the-point, low-cost, and readily accessible.

Photoshop Mastery: Advanced Theories for Photographers is a culmination of various concepts and techniques that I have acquired in working with Photoshop since version 2.0 [1991; pre-Layers!!!!], and are intended for use by photographers, but can be utilized in other creative fields. This book is focused on the foundations of Photoshop as I am a firm believer that a better understanding of how the application works will make working in the application less traumatic, while also allowing users to make better sense of the overwhelming content available through web searches on how to create an effect or use a tool. In addition to advanced concepts of Photoshop, new technologies are also discussed here in the form of the use of artificial intelligence, mobile, web, and cloud-based workflows for personal use and groups.