BAYTOWN, TX — Lee College will offer classes this spring to help students master the latest versions of Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop — popular computer programs used for editing photos and creating icons and graphics.
The Adobe Illustrator course is a hybrid of online and traditional classroom instruction that will meet from 9:30-10:45 a.m., Mondays and Wednesdays. Students will learn how to use the software to draw and compose graphics, icons and symbols; create graphs; transform and distort objects; work with image layers; and incorporate different patterns, brushes, filters, gradients, blends, styles, and other effects into their illustrations. No artistic ability is required to be successful with Illustrator or in the class itself, according to instructor Kellie Sartor. In fact, the ability to create complex graphics for print, multimedia or Web presentations comes from mastering simple, basic operations.
“Illustrator offers dozens of essential tools,” Sartor said. “Using them in combination with various menu commands, you have the potential to create any illustration that your imagination can dream up.”
Designed as an introductory course for those without familiarity or experience with graphic software, the Adobe Photoshop class is also delivered in hybrid form and will meet from 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m., Mondays and Wednesdays. Students will start with beginner applications and move toward more advanced material, like working with layers; adjusting colors and incorporating unique coloring techniques; creating special effects with photo filters; transforming typography; and performing image surgery, like retouching flaws and enhancing features.
“Photoshop is the most popular image editing application out in industry today,” Sartor said. “Its ease of use makes the most essential functions available even to the novice, while the incredible depth and variety of its features make it well-suited to the graphics professional. It is practical for anyone who wants to enhance existing artwork or create new masterpieces.”
Students in the Illustrator and Photoshop courses will need to be prepared to attend open lab times outside of normal class meetings to finish projects and complete homework assignments.