Kaitlin+Cowles

Kaitlin Cowles Major: Chemistry, minor in Women's Studies Software experience: Photoshop CS6, iMovie Art experience: several digital photography/photo manipulation classes and a few wheel thrown ceramics classes in high school I'm a sophomore on the gymnastics team here at GW, I love classic Star Trek, and after college I aspire to get a doctorate in Pharmacy.  Artistic interests: (The first two are mine)  (photography, edited on PSCS6) (created on a scanner)  (Kristi Fräzier, [|flickr]) (Francis Picabia)

Manovich Article examples: > > > > > >
 * 1) Numerical Representation
 * 1) Modularity
 * 1) Automation
 * 1) Variability
 * 1) Transcoding

Photoshop day 1 exercises: 1.filling and manipulating selections

metadata: [original- 149,633 bytes, (152 KB on disk), 1920x1444 pixels, RGB color space. Image size: 26.667x20.056 in]

2. pasting a selection The size and quality of the original image was downgraded when introduced to the lower quality background image.

3. Refine edge

Project #1 - Presence & Absence

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 * Response to "After Effect, or the Velvet Revolution" by Lev Manovich**

The article, “After Effects, or the Velvet Revolution” by Lev Manovich was thought provoking and an educational account of the basic history of the introduction of digital effects software in the 1990’s. As someone who has only lived in the time period during and after this revolution in digital effects and graphics, I had preciously never //really// contemplated the immense time, effort, and money required to create special effects before the introduction of groundbreaking software such as After Effects, which has fundamentally changed the way in which media is processed with technology. I think the biggest idea I did not previously understand because of my lack of exposure to older methods in digital media, was that the not only the effects in the art are a compilation of different elements and manipulations, but that this meant the software themselves must also be a compilation, consolidation, and cooperation between techniques used for the creation of media. The ease at which these techniques can be applied (and un-applied!) as well as manipulated, calculated, and specified, is also comparatively impressive. Living in the present day, where technology is a defining factor in culture, it’s hard to imagine the graphics we’re used to on platforms such as TV or movies without these relatively new advancements in technology. This article, which was written in 2006, discusses the changes that came about in the 90’s, up until 1998, meaning it had been 8 years from this era that Manovich wrote this article. As it is currently 2014, it’s also been 8 years now, since this article was published. It would be very interesting to compare the latest in digital effects and graphics technology with the earlier technologies that were born (or more accurately, consolidated) in the so-called “Velvet Revolution” of digital effects. While I do not know much about the advancements in technology, I did notice an interesting parallel in the advancements in culture in this time as well. The leap in the involvement of digital media in popular culture and in the lives of a constantly growing population of consumers has changed drastically in the years from 1998 to 2006, and between 2006 and today, it has changes as much, if not more so. This growth can be seen in the way technology is always becoming a more useful tool in daily life as a way of expressing, sharing and connecting with others around the globe through the Internet and specifically social media. Not only has this spread, increased, and simplified the use of digital effects in art, but has vastly impacted how we connect as well. A huge part of the platforms on which the world connects is a compilation and corroboration of different types of media, along with customizability and user choice, which can be viewed as a parallel of the revolution in digital effects. Older forms of communication and expression are combined together to create social media, in an editable, easy to use, efficient way. If we look at, for example, Facebook, it provides the platform for the combination of several types of media as a means to express a persona. This persona can be controlled by the user, who can pick and choose what types of media, and what combination of text video, photos, links, etc. will be used to create their profile, that is used to connect more efficiently and more easily with others than traditional means might. This parallels for example, a multimedia movie (comparable to a “profile”) with a software like After Effects (comparable to the Facebook platform), with a variety of graphics, video, text, etc. that can be manipulated, deleted, added, and combined as desired in order to produce a piece that portrays the creator’s vision.

How is Manovich's interpretation of the advancements in digital effects technology different than you expected it might be? How does his view of the past affect how the future of digital effects might be pursued? How do you think technology can grow and move forward from this era?