Media Exercise 5

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Basic Image Editing: Visual Arguments About Copyright

Task

Click to enlarge. Interpretation of Media Exercise 5—by Andrew Syder, remixing “Air Mo” by Flickr user moriza.

The task is to use GIMP (or the image editing software of your choice) to create an image that makes a visual argument about copyright, in the style of the graphic art of Barbara Kruger.
The exercise is intended to familiarize you with basic image manipulation in GIMP and to challenge you creatively. It is also intended to give you practice in searching for images that are in the public domain or have an appropriate Creative Commons license, and in "remixing" images to make a derivative work.
You may choose to use a different image editing software program if you like. However, a good reason to use GIMP is that it is open source software (and free). This can be helpful in many workplace environments where you may not have access to purchasing the latest multimedia software. If you want to use other software, you might search for and experiment with free, web-based image editing software such as (Aviary's Phoenix).

Guidelines

You must use, manipulate, and add on to a photo created by someone else. You can incorporate multiple photos in your image if you like, but all of the photos you include should be created by someone else.
The photo (or photos) you use should either be in the Public Domain or have a Creative Commons "Attribution" or "Attribution-NonCommercial" license (any version number associated with either of these licenses is fine).
For this exercise, it is not acceptable to use a photo that has a traditional copyright ("all rights reserved") license, even if you have permission to use it from the copyright holder or could make a fair use claim to use it under other circumstances.

Steps to Create Your Image

View and examine examples of Barbara Kruger's graphic art work. (Web searches will turn up several examples. You can also review the wikipedia entry on Barbara Kruger).
Spend a few minutes brainstorming possible visual arguments you might want to make about copyright. Don't put too much time into this, because your ideas will evolve and develop once you actually find possible images to use. But do spend a few minutes thinking about possibilities. Your ultimate goal will be to combine image and text in a visually evocative way that "says something" about copyright. What you choose to communicate (and how you choose to communicate) will be up to you. For example, you might choose an image and phrase that work together in an ironic way to make people think or question something about copyright, or you might combine image and text in a way that communicates a message in a more explicit, direct, and "hit-you-over-the-head" way. You might choose to convey a more personal reaction or introspective response to copyright. It's up to you.
Search for and select a photo (or photos) to use for the project. There are over 5 million photos with Creative Commons "Attribution" licenses that you can find using this Flickr search portal, and over 6 million photos with Creative Commons "Attribution-NonCommercial" licenses that you can find using this Flickr search portal. Of course there are many other ways to find images with Creative Commons licenses or images in the public domain. Use whatever strategies you prefer, but make sure to keep a record of the link(s) and attribution info for the photo(s) that you use.
If you are using GIMP for this exercise: Refer to the GIMP Tutorial to install GIMP, and then familiarize yourself with the interface and menus. At a minimum, you will want to be able to:

crop the photo
desaturate the photo (so that it is black and white)
add text to your image and alter the font style, size, color, and position of text as needed
add a solid color rectangle behind your text (e.g. typically red), and change its size and position as needed

Note: If you are new to photo manipulation and GIMP, I highly recommend that you watch and refer to this 13:30 minute video, "GIMP Tutorial", that goes through the steps of doing this exercise using GIMP version 2.2 for the Mac. Even if you are using a different version of the software, this video tutorial will provide a useful overview of the steps involved. Additional help and tutorial resources are provided on our GIMP Tutorial wiki page. Feel free to add to it.

Steps to Create Your Blog Post

Save your image in GIMP as a JPG. In GIMP: Go to File > Save As, and make sure that your file extension is .jpg. If it is not, then select the drop down menu, "Select File Type (By Extension)" and scroll down and select "JPEG image." Then click Save.
Create a blog post that contains the following elements:

Use the title of your image as the title for the blog post.
Embed your image in the post (refer to the Blog Tutorial on How to Write a Post if needed)
Directly under your image, provide a Creative Commons License. To do this, follow the instructions at Creative Commons: Choose a License, and copy the html provided by Creative Commons into the "HTML" window of your blog post.
Under your Creative Commons License, include a list of "Credits" that gives attribution information for any image assets you used that were created by someone else. Typically, this information will include a person's name (or username) and the name of their image; it should also include a link to the the original image on the web, if available.
Tag your post "Kruger" (without the quotes).
Categorize your post under "Media Projects".
Check your post to make sure it is formatted correctly and that it appears in the "Media Projects" section of the blog. Edit the post as necessary.

Submission Instructions

When you have completed your blog post, go to Blackboard > Assignments > Media Production Exercises, and follow the instructions to submit the assignment.
Assignments can only be submitted the week they are due (not before, and not after--unless prior arrangements have been made with the TA or instructor).

Resources

GIMP Tutorial Wiki Page—Steps for downloading GIMP, and links to help and tutorial resources in GIMP.
GIMP Tutorial Video—13:30 minute video that goes through the steps of doing this exercise using GIMP version 2.2 for the Mac. Even if you are using a different version of the software, this video tutorial will provide a useful overview of the steps involved. Many people have found it useful to keep the video open and refer back to it as they are doing the exercise. One small change to look for is that in the newer version of GIMP, the text tool is symbolized with an “A,” whereas in the earlier version it was symbolized with a “T.” There are many techniques and tools you can use in GIMP to create your image; this video offers a fairly straightforward way to do it that also gives you an introduction to GIMP.
See examples of this exercise by former students: