When creating 3d renders or shooting photos of characters, there are a few rules to think about that will help create more appealing shots. In this lesson we will learn about head room and nose room and how they relate to the images we create.

In order to take correctly exposed photographs, our cameras must sample the available light in the shot. In this lesson we will learn about this metering process and how it is used to optimize our camera settings for the lighting conditions.

When shooting a photograph, filming a movie, or painting a portrait, there are certain rules of composition that can help get a better result. In this lesson we will learn about the rule of thirds and how it can be used to create more appealing compositions.

It is the role of a designer to ensure that the information they have to communicate is received by their target audience in a consistent and easy to understand manner. In this lesson we will learn how a Visual Hierarchy can help achieve this goal.

In this lesson we will learn about Color Depth, also referred to as bit depth or pixel depth, in digital images.

When printing with multiple colors, steps must be taken to eliminate overlapping colors. In this lesson we will learn about one method of doing this called knockouts.

The ability to view exposure information about the digital images we work with is important in getting great results. In this lesson we will learn about viewing our exposure data using the Histogram.

Getting lots of ideas down quickly can be very helpful in working on our projects. In this lesson we will learn about thumbnail sketches and how they are used to work out our ideas.

When working with color, light plays a vital role in what is seen. In this lesson we will learn about color temperature and how it affects our perception of color.

When creating printed materials 4 color process may be too expensive or unnecessary. In this lesson we will learn about Spot Color Printing and how it can be used to save money and get specific printing results.

Visually separating and organizing projects logically is an important concept. In this lesson we will explore the use of Display Layers in organizing our 2D and 3D work.

When taking digital photographs, we can often lack enough image data to properly adjust them. By using the camera RAW format, we can get more control over our photographs.

When taking digital photographs that you intend to print, the size of the images are important. In this lesson we will talk about the concept of megapixels and how it relates to print sizes.

A film or sensor's sensitivity to light can have a large impact on our digital photos. In this lesson we will learn about ISO (International Standards Organization) settings and how they relate to our photographs.

When working with type, the space between letters is an important consideration. In this lesson we will learn about kerning and tracking, two methods for spacing letters.

Printing images requires some processing and preparation. In this lesson we will learn about process color and how it relates to digital images and printing.

When creating sets and environments, the creation, selection, and placement of props is an important part of adding believability. In this lesson we will learn about the concept of set dressing in live action and 3D.

When creating any animated sequence, it is important to start with a plan. In this lesson we will learn about storyboards and how they serve as a great plan for our animated projects.

When creating digital images, lines can often appear jagged. In this lesson we will learn about anti-aliasing and how it is used to reduce this jagged effect.

Normal image maps can be used as textures or reflections in our 3d projects, but there is another kind of image that can serve a different purpose. In this lesson we will learn about High Dynamic Range Images and how they are used to add lighting to scenes.

There are a number of methods for defining colors and values in a digital image. In this lesson we will learn about Hue, Saturation, and Value.

Colors and values contained within digital images can be defined in a number of ways. In this lesson we will learn about the Red, Green, Blue, and Alpha channels and how they are used to define the colors and transparency of a digital image.

Creating the illusion of depth is an important aspect of 3d work. In this lesson we will learn about zdepth and how it can be used to create depth-based effects.