I loved this class. I have been wanting to learn the ins and outs of photoshop ever since I started toward my Graphic Design degree. The way it worked out I learned all about Illustrator and inDesign first, so I was excited when this one started. Below is a bread down of the 6 week class and what we accomplished each week. In addition to our classroom assignments and practice lessons I also watched about 60 hrs of Lynda.com video tutorials to help me grasp all that Photoshop can do. 

Over the next 6 weeks you will complete a course project that will require you to perform certain steps each week. The course project is explained in detail below. Following is a schedule of the work that will need to be completed each week:

Week 1: Concept Brief and Thumbnail Sketches
Week 2: Rough Cut Design with Layers
Week 3: Final Cut Design with Layer Masks
Week 4: Type Design and Background
Week 5: Final Draft
Week 6: Final Presentation
Overview of Full Assignment
You have been assigned to do a freelance project for Eclipse Entertainment Company. Eclipse Entertainment markets a variety of toys, computer games, and movies. Their intentions are to design very silly caricatures using photos of everyday objects. These creatures are designed for promotional materials such as toys, games, and dolls. The CEO of the company would like you to choose a caricature from the list below, design the creature, and finally create a flyer for the caricature you have chosen to create.
The final caricature will be a composite of several images you have shot yourself with a digital camera or film camera (scans of developed and printed photos may be used), and if needed, obtained through the Getty image resources in order to emulate one of the caricatures named below. For example, let’s say you choose to create Fantasias Furniture Fairy. You could take several photos of different furniture in your home and then create a funky creature with these furniture pieces.
You will be responsible for creating a polished composite that consists of a combination of photos and title treatment (text effects). You will create one caricature by combining the extracted elements together so that they appear to be part of each. The goal is to meld (merge or fuse) each element together so that there appears to be a natural connection (or transition) from one part to another (not several objects simply placed together in a collage format).
Requirements for this Course Composite Project

• Headline of flyer: creature’s name (title treatment/text effects)
• Digitally manipulated imagery (original photos taken with a digital camera or scanned film prints)
• At least five photos
• At least 10 layers, including layer masks and adjustment layers
• Application of one of each of the following: blending modes, opacity, gradients, painting, retouching tools, filters, and so forth
• Very clean layer masking (and saved selections, if needed)
• Final document size should be 8inches wide x10 inches high, 300ppi
• Character should be at least 6 inches wide and 8 inches tall.

Keep in mind:

• Lighting sources
• Perspective

Be prepared to explain:

• Your design concept
• Your design solution
• Problems encountered and solutions
• Techniques used including filters, effects, color adjustments, repairs, and masking
• Whether or not you feel you accomplished your goals

Each week you will be responsible for submitting a different phase of the project. For this week, you will choose one of the characters, write up your design ideas as a concept statement, and sketch out four ideas for your creature.

Part 1 - Concept Brief
Submit a concept statement, for group discussion on how you interpret the client’s needs and an approach you might take in determining a possible design solution. Your concept statement should reflect your ideas for your final project. Pick a character from the caricatures listed below. Include in your statement, the name of the creature you have chosen to create and a description of the caricature (what the caricature is, what it looks like, what materials will be used, what it can do such as move, talk, dance, fly, and so forth). Explain the rationale (reasoning/thought process) behind your design. Use the message area to post the written portion of the assignment.

• Fantasias Furniture Fairy
• Rockin’ Rhapsody Roy
• Computer Critter Chris
• Garbage Dump Dan
• Flippin’ Food Fred
• Terrible Toys Todd
• Garden Glitter Grace

(Source: tiffanyneumann.com)